We sat down with Tristan Truyens, our Building Performance Analysis Lead, to chat about an interesting project he’s been working on, the Canada Games Aquatic Centre infrastructure upgrades in Kamloops, British Columbia.
Thanks for sitting down with us, Tristan. Tell us about this project you’ve been working on.
Tristan: The City of Kamloops recognized over two years ago that the Canada Games Aquatic Center (CGAC) needed some attention above and beyond its day-to-day maintenance. The facility’s exterior is original from 1992 and was failing beyond repair. Many mechanical and electrical components have long outlived their life expectancy and are operating on borrowed time. So the City recognized this as an opportunity to increase efficiency from a sustainability and maintenance standpoint.
With growing municipal needs and the adjacent Thompson Rivers University, the facility is looking to update, modernize, and expand in a phased approach, as budgeting allows.
What’s unique about this project?
Tristan: This project is unique in several ways, in that it includes the renovation, reprogramming, and capital repairs on an existing high-use facility as well as the design and programming for a new facility extension.
Given that this is an existing facility, the first order of business was an analysis of existing utility consumption.
From there, we developed a detailed energy model to represent the existing facility and potential options for new systems and facility expansion. We worked iteratively with the design team to evaluate the GHG emissions impacts of various design options to ensure the best value and maximum GHG emissions reduction for the City.
Often when targeting deep energy reductions, the approach is for a super insulated building envelope. However, in this case the high process and ventilation loads of the CGAC far outweighed energy lost through the envelope. This led to a prioritization of a custom heat recovery system to ensure that as much energy as possible could be extracted from the exhaust air.
What was your favourite part of this project?
Tristan: The Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) model made for a very enjoyable experience with the broader project team. Being able to present energy results and impacts to an audience that included not just the design team, but contractors, trades, client, and end-users was highly satisfying. It enabled a holistic discussion of energy flows and impacts in the building that ultimately led to a better design.
Any final thoughts?
Tristan: Regardless of the project delivery model, a deeply integrated design team leads to a better final product when deep sustainability goals are in play.
Thanks for chatting with us on this unique project, Tristan!
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