Imagine an educational facility that is as much a teacher as the instructors standing at the front of its classrooms; a building powered by the resources of its surrounding environment; a building as full of potential as the students learning inside. That building is Penticton’s Okanagan College Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation, a world-class educational facility that will train British Columbia’s next generation of tradesmen in green construction.
Okanagan College’s Centre of Excellence, which will mark its grand opening this fall, is designed to the standards of the Living Building Challenge, the most rigorous sustainability program on the planet. The challenge requires projects to meet a stringent list of qualifications, including net-zero energy and water consumption, and address critical environmental, social and economic factors. Successful Living Building Challenge projects are only certified if they prove they meet program requirements after 12 months of continued operations and full occupancy. At 6,780 square meters, the Centre of Excellence is currently one of the largest buildings to pursue Living Building certification.
Innovative sustainability components throughout the building add up to make the Centre of Excellence one of the greenest educational facilities in the world. These include net-zero energy and water consumption made possible through features such as an in-floor radiant heating and cooling system, using an on-site water source drawn from 61 meters below the building; the largest array of photovoltaic solar panels in Western Canada; and composite concrete/wood panels in the gymnasium that contain piping for heating and cooling and are the first of their kind in North America. Nearly 100% of the wood in the building is B.C.-sourced, including local pine from beetle-infested forests in the Okanagan.
The Centre’s planned educational programming includes Sustainable Construction Management Technology, Carpentry, Applied Ecology and Conservation, and Green Building Design and Construction, as well as the research and development of alternative and renewable energy sources. BD+C
Related Stories
| Mar 2, 2012
By the Numbers
66 skyscrapers to built in China over six years; 1,000 questions in the Modern Architecture game; 21,000 new jobs.
| Mar 1, 2012
Intelligent construction photography, not just pretty pictures
Our expert tells how to organize construction progress photos so you don’t lose track of all the valuable information they contain.
| Mar 1, 2012
Cornell shortlists six architectural firms for first building on tech campus
Each of the firms will be asked to assemble a team of consultants and prepare for an interview to discuss their team’s capabilities to successfully design the university’s project.
| Feb 29, 2012
Report says BIPV glass market to reach $6.4 billion by 2016
The report analyzes the opportunities for BIPV glass products using c-Si, thin-film and OPV/DSC materials and provides eight-year forecasts in terms of MW and square footage shipped as well as forecasts of revenue generated.
| Feb 28, 2012
Salem State University Library & Learning Commons topped off
When it opens to students in the fall of 2013, the $60 million facility will offer new archival space; circulation and reference areas; collections; reading spaces; study rooms; instruction labs and a Dean’s suite.
| Feb 27, 2012
Consigli complete first building for Bigelow Ocean Sciences Campus
Designed by WBRC Architects Engineers in association with Perkins + Will.
| Feb 26, 2012
Milwaukee U-Haul facility receives LEED-CI Silver
The new elements of the facility now include: efficient lighting with day-lighting controls and occupancy sensors, a high-efficiency HVAC system used in conjunction with a newly constructed thermal envelope to help reduce energy consumption, and the installation of low-flow fixtures to reduce water consumption.
| Feb 22, 2012
Suffolk awarded Boston post office renovation project
Renovation of art deco landmark will add 21,000 square feet of retail and 110 new parking spaces.
| Feb 21, 2012
PV America West conference showcases solar growth market
Solar industry gathers March 19-21, 2012 in San Jose to discuss technology, market development and policy.
| Feb 20, 2012
All Steel names Breagy director of metro New York
Breagy is responsible for overseeing this region’s sales team while strategically coordinating the sales efforts of Allsteel dealers and representatives in the tri-state area.
