Gulf Islands National Park Reserve of Canada
Interactive Flash Feature
Buildings are responsible for almost one-third of Canada's annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, closely paralleling
energy use. Buildings account for 70 percent of the nation's electricity use (1).
Most buildings in Canada rely heavily on non-renewable sources such as coal, oil, natural gas, propane and nuclear
power. Power plants cause other environmental and health problems, including acid rain, smog, and mercury poisoning
in lakes and rivers. We can reduce these hazards by curbing energy use through sustainable building technologies,
such as solar power generation, and efficient design.
One of the primary goals in the design of the facility was to minimize energy consumption. With its energy-efficient
design, The GINPR Operations Centre uses over 75% percent less energy than the Model National Energy Code
Reference building.
Energy Performance |
Heating and Cooling
Energy Performance
Operating energy is a significant measure of sustainability which enables straightforward comparisons between
alternative building technologies. Buildings consume energy for heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting,
equipment and appliances.
Commissioning
This building systems are fully commissioned to ensure that the building's complex mechanical systems operate as
intended with the highest possible efficiency
Photovoltaic Panels
About 20 percent of the building's electricity is generated by a photovoltaic system. This system is interconnected
to the BC Hydro grid and the net-metering
system will allow electricity generated on-site to be fed back to the grid when the building's electricity consumption is
low.
Photovoltaic cell block
© Ron Kato, Larry McFarland Architects Limited (with permission) / 2006
The system provides an average of 35 kW hrs per day, the equivalent of 58 laptops operating continuously for 8 hours.
Lighting
The building is strategically designed to dramatically reduce artificial lighting demand. Natural light reaches every
work stations through windows on both sides of the building and on its roof.
Daylight sensors dim lights when sufficient daylight is present, and occupancy sensors turn office lights off when
rooms become vacant. The efficient fluorescent office fixtures, suspended from the ceilings, project light up and
down, allowing a much greater percentage of the light to be utilized than a typical light system.
Heating and Cooling
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Breakdown of typical commercial end use energy
© Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada
Most building energy is used for water heating, space heating and space cooling.
Extracting Heat from Ocean Water
The only heat source for the building is the ocean. Ocean water is piped to a titanium plate heat exchanger and heat
pump system located in the Operations centre's mechanical room. Heat is extracted from the water and transferred by
the titanium plate heat exchanger to the building heating system and to a domestic hot water tank.
Diagram of the GINPR operations centre geothermal heat extraction system
© Franck Binard, based on original diagram from Larry McFarland Architects LTD, Parks Canada / 2006
Radiant Heating/Cooling System
A system of plastic pipes embedded in the concrete floors is used to distribute heat around the building.
This radiant heating/ cooling system greatly reduces energy consumption.
Exterior Sunshades
Exterior sunshades have been installed over south facing windows to limit the amount of direct sunshine which can
penetrate windows. This prevents the building interior from overheating in the summer months.
Building Envelope Performance
The building envelope and cladding system is specifically designed to minimize heat loss.
Heat Recovery
A large contributor to the overall energy efficiency of the building is the heat recovery system. Exhaust air is
circulated through a heat wheel recovery system with a thermal efficiency of 70%.
References:
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1 Environment Canada, Information On Greenhouse Gas Sources
and Sinks - Canada's Greenhouse Gas Inventory - Overview 1990-2003
(Link to text)
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