A new 96,000-sf building designed by B+H Architects and mcCallumSather will provide students of Ontario’s Mohawk College with solar-powered state-of-the-art labs, workshops, open study spaces, and a lecture theater when construction completes in 2018.
The Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation will become one of the first net-zero energy institutional buildings in the region. The architects worked with manufacturers and building scientists to develop a new curtain wall system that incorporates isolation gaskets in order to achieve the energy conservation targets. This new curtain wall system has an effective R20 thermal performance.
Rendering courtesy of B+H + mcCallumSather.
The new building will be powered by solar panel “wings” on top of the four-story structuure. “We really wanted to elevate the concept of capturing the sun’s energy and making it a design feature as opposed to a series of panels that are going on the roof,” says Joanne McCallem, Director and Co-Founder of mcCallumSather. These solar wings become the most distinctive aspect of the design.
Inside of the building, a large atria flows into modular classrooms that are organized around a central common area. The layout encourages social learning. The architects want the design to make people aware of the energy they use and force them to change their habits. For example, visitors will not be able to leave their laptop plugged in for hours on end throughout the day.
Rendering courtesy of B+H + mcCallumSather.
The Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation is expected to be ready for students for the fall 2018 term.
Rendering courtesy of B+H + mcCallumSather.
Related Stories
Green | Feb 3, 2017
Nanjing Green Towers will be Asia’s first vertical forest
The project will be covered in 1,100 trees and 2,500 cascading plants and shrubs.
Sustainability | Jan 27, 2017
An office building proposed for Norway would generate more power than it uses
Over it’s 60-year lifespan, the power generated form the project would cover the energy cost of construction, production, and material transportation.
Sustainability | Jan 24, 2017
From an industrial park to an eco-neighborhood in Brussels, Belgium
At the heart of Vincent Callebaut Architectures’ eco-neighborhood will be three 100-meter-tall Vertical Forests.
Sustainability | Jan 19, 2017
How NYC is slashing 80% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050
To help one of the most complex cities in the world develop an actionable strategy to meet visionary GHG reduction goals, we focused on strategies for deep carbon reductions for the city’s entire building stock, which constitutes 73% of citywide emissions, writes HDR's Jennifer Bienemann.
Game Changers | Jan 18, 2017
Turning friction into power
Research on piezoelectricity moves closer to practical applications for infrastructure and buildings.
Game Changers | Jan 13, 2017
Building from the neighborhood up
EcoDistricts is helping cities visualize a bigger picture that connects their communities.
Sustainability | Dec 14, 2016
A floating, mobile gym powered by human energy envisioned for the Seine River
Energy created by those exercising within would power the gym down the Seine.
High-rise Construction | Dec 2, 2016
Agora Garden, a twisting, plant-filled tower in Taipei, will absorb 130 tons of carbon dioxide annually once completed
The building sits just a few blocks from the LEED-Platinum certified Taipei 101, the world’s eighth tallest building.
Hotel Facilities | Nov 15, 2016
Mountain Forest Hotel looks to restore the natural landscape while offering visitors 250 luxury rooms
The hotel looks to create a symbiosis between man, nature, and architecture.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Nov 14, 2016
Soccer stadium from Zaha Hadid Architects will be constructed almost entirely of wood
The architects say the project will be the greenest soccer stadium in the world once completed.