evolv1

Stantec Consulting Ltd.

Waterloo, ON

evolv1 is an office building targeting net-positive energy and zero carbon. Stantec sought to inspire development of regenerative buildings by producing an economically-viable prototype that is designed to be a repeatable model. The building is targeting LEED® Platinum and has been awarded as the first Zero Carbon Building – Design certified project in Canada. To meet the client’s environmental goals, a multi-pronged low energy design was used. The building envelope’s thermal performance was optimized by reducing thermal bridging, increasing insulation and glazing performance to make energy production from the photovoltaic array cost effective. To heat and cool the building, a geothermal open loop system was designed to tap into the aquifer on site, with hundreds of gallons of water passing through the system every minute. Coupled with a Variable Refrigeration Flow (VRF) system, a truly low energy system was created. To achieve the net zero targets, the team used an Integrated Design Process (IDP), taking advantage of varied discipline collaboration from an early stage. Jurors agreed that this project, which offers real potential for scalability, represents the future of commercial building design, particularly because of its net positive energy design and the unique geothermal heating system.