Background

C-2000 Program. Green on the Grand is Canada's first C-2000 (Commercial-2000) Office Building. C-2000 is a program developed by the Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN) and follows in the footsteps of the R-2000 (Residential-2000) building program. C-2000 requires the use of energy efficient building systems during the design, construction, and operation of advanced commercial office buildings. Requirements also include an annual energy consumption that is less than 50% of that specified by the American Society of Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standard 90.1, a benchmark for energy performance of large buildings. A high level of performance in indoor air quality (IAQ), and lighting, while reducing environmental impacts and maximizing the ease of adaptation for future changes and ease of maintenance and operations.
Green on the Grand conformed to these strict requirements, and wherever possible exceeded them. Building size, lot orientation and the use of passive solar heating and daylighting all played a role in determining the form of Green on the Grand. The two-storey building has a floor area of 2,180 m2 (23,456.8 sqr. ft) and the architectural style was chosen to be compatible with the neighboring buildings.

Design Strategy The building is oriented so as to maximize its exposure to the midday/afternoon sun while also providing views north and east to the Grand River. The building shape is two offset rectangles, which maximizes the building's surface area to the total window area. Overlapping areas are kept to a minimum and provide the stairwell, elevator and washroom facilities. In addition, a steep roof was chosen over a traditional flat roof to allow for dormer windows and to extend the life span of the roof. The positioning of outside reflective surfaces and the placement of ample south-facing windows will provide the maximum solar gain. Low reflecting objects, such as shrubs, below south-facing windows will diffuse the summer sun and well placed deciduous trees will block the summer sun and allow the winter sun to penetrate into the building. They will also act as a windbreak, substantially decreasing infiltration and minimizing conductive heat flow. Double stud wall sections and engineered wood products are used as opposed to the typical steel construction. More flexibility in layout and lower embodied energy are the result. It allowed the architect to explore large volumes while still being financially viable and within the energy constraints.

The design objectives for this building are very aggressive. The designers hoped to achieve a building that minimized the embodied energy, built with materials that contained no CFCs or HCFCs and would significantly reduce waste during construction. In addition, the designers hoped to achieve a 40% reduction in total energy and water required to operate the building, as compared to a traditional commercial building of similar size built to ASHRAE 90.1 standards. These aggressive design objectives were structured to reduce energy, without changing the occupant attitude. The building methods and mechanical systems are the main focus, however site planning, building massing, building plan, and building openings will be touched upon in determining the success of these objectives.

The Vital Signs Curriculum Materials Project

Last Modified: April 23rd, 1998