I recently returned for a visit to my old university campus. I almost didn’t recognize where I was.
It’s only been two years since I graduated from the University of Calgary, but so much has changed. Buildings have sprouted in the field where my friends and I used to play Frisbee.
When I asked a student where I could return a book, he had no idea! That’s because “MacKimmie”—the library where I used to spend countless hours studying—has been replaced by the Taylor Family Digital Library(TFDL). Good-bye old MacKimmie.
When I was a U of C student, the TFDL was just a messy and unsightly construction site. Frankly, I didn’t pay much attention at all to what was going on there. I had other things to worry about. Now, I’m a little jealous of the students that actually get to use the new facility. While old MacKimmie still holds a special place in my heart sentimental reasons, newer is definitely better in this case. Gone are the old days hunching over an old wooden table with your nose buried in a textbook for five hours, suffering through the glare of fluorescent lights and the stuffy recycled air.
Students today bury their noses in a laptop, and do it with a lot better lighting and ventilation.
“The building provides an abundance of natural light and good air flow thanks to the fresh air coming up from the floor and returned from the ceiling to provide people with a healthier work environment. LEED building standards require us to use a high percentage of fresh air over traditional building air systems.” (Digital Library FAQs).
The TFDL isn’t the only new and improved building on campus. The Energy Environmental Experiential Learning (EEEL) building is the other new kid on the block. It opened in September 2011, and it’s one of the most innovative spaces on campus (James Stevenson, UToday, February 16, 2012).
In February, the EEEL building received the Award of Excellence from the Consulting Engineers of Alberta (CEA). This is the highest award attainable from the CEA, whose membership boasts over 80 engineering firms across the province.
Ken Pilip is the CEO of CEA, and says that one of the judge in the competition summed the EEEL up nicely: “It is a model of energy efficiency and sustainability that serves as an excellent example for the design of future facilities of this nature. Each element of the design consisted of leading edge technology, that when combined, show what can be done here in Alberta.” (James Stevenson, UToday, February 16, 2012).
Casey’s blog in February, “’Biggest’ vs. ‘Best’ (Part II)”, highlighted some of the most innovative projects across Canada. The new Calgary International Airport (YYC) Terminal was one of the contenders for his top spot of the most innovative infrastructure projects.
Well, YYC has recently made it onto another list—a global list. YYC has been placed in an international grouping of the 100 most innovative and inspiring urban infrastructure developments. YYC is the winner of the “global connectivity” category. The airport will be the home of Canada’s longest runway, complete with a central de-icing facility, as well as an international concourse that incorporates principles of sustainable design (Siri Agrell, Globe and Mail, July 17, 2012).
This list was released by KPMG’s infrastructure advisory practice in the Infrastructure 100: World Cities Edition report, which chronicles creative, large scale projects from around the world that are designed to inspire cities to tackle infrastructure challenges in creative ways (Siri Agrell, Globe and Mail, July 17, 2012).
But all of this is just a small taste of things happening all over western Canada, and right across the country. These examples are just some personal things in my own backyard.
Other Canadian projects on KPMG’s list include SAIT Polytechnic’s Trades and Technology Complex (Alberta), the University of British Columbia’s Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Facility (BC), the Harvest Energy Garden (BC), and the Durham York Energy Centre (Ontario). For more information on these projects, check out “Canadian projects named on global list for innovation in urban infrastructure”.
Now for a real interesting statistic. Of the six Canadian projects listed, four are from the West. And that doesn’t even include Manitoba Hydro Place, a building widely considered North America’s greenest highrise (Brent Bellamy, Winnipeg Free Press, June 18, 2012). This building became the first office tower to receive a LEED Platinum certification, the highest honour in the Canada Green Building Council. Nor does the list include developments at Saskatchewan’s Boundary Dam, which is the world’s largest carbon capture storage demonstration project.
Sustainable features of Manitoba Hydro Place include natural ventilation, personal lighting, temperature controls, as well as access to daylight and views. “It is a groundbreaking high-tech wonder that operates 70% more efficiently than a typical office building,” notes Brent Bellamy, senior design architect of Number Ten Architectural Group. The implementation of comprehensive sustainable-design strategy reduces the building’s environmental footprint while making it a more profitable company in the long run (Brent Bellamy, Winnipeg Free Press, June 18, 2012).
While we give very little thought to it, the fact is that buildings have a profound effect on each one of us. Canada is a cold place! Canadians spend 21 hours and 20 minutes indoors daily, says Bellamy. Additionally, according to Brad Watson, head of KPMG’s global infrastructure advisory practice in Canada, “In the global and Canadian context, significant portions of our population will be living in dense urban centres, and that requires a change in the way we do things…and underneath all that is infrastructure.” (Siri Agrell, Globe and Mail, July 17, 2012).
So, take a look around. Do you notice any innovative, green changes taking place with your local infrastructure? Strides are being made in my own backyard, right across the West, and throughout the rest of Canada. With all these great examples to learn from, I think we can all aim to do better.
And, I’m still jealous of the students who get to spend time in the new TFDL/EEEL buildings.
By: Ann Pham, former Communication Coordinator at the Canada West Foundation
Sources:
- “Award of Excellence”, James Stevenson, UToday, February 16, 2012
- “‘Biggest” vs. ‘Best’ (Part II)”, Casey Vander Ploeg, Let’sTOC, February 2, 2012
- “Canadian projects named on global list for innovation in urban infrastructure”, Siri Agrell, Globe and Mail, July 17, 2012
- “Digital Library FAQs”, University of Calgary.
- “Local buildings display green benefits”, Brent Bellamy, Winnipeg Free Press, June 18, 2012