Ottawa, Ontario
The Bank of Canada, the nation’s central bank, recognizes 234 Wellington Street, Ottawa as a landmark. The 80,000 m2 Head Office Renewal Project set objectives to address performance and infrastructure deficits, address life-safety compliance, transform the workplace, and maintain the intrinsic architectural value of the complex. BPA focused on providing integrated engineering solutions and recognized the renewal project’s priorities to minimize energy consumption, maximize energy recovery, improve indoor air quality, prioritize ease of operations, ease of maintenance all while recognizing environmental impacts. Active double-skin walls are not generally considered in Canada for office buildings. The use of Dynamic Buffer Zones combined with radiant cooling provided an innovative method to control the workspace environment by improving the thermal performance of the building envelope and using passive principles of air conditioning. LEED® Canada NC 2009 Gold certification is in progress.