Sustainability

The long-term care facility is taking sustainable targets in it’s stride. While budgets are dictating achievable certification, the owners of the facility are certainly engaged in taking as many elements of sustainable responsibility and applying it to their new building. Concentrating on material selection for sustainable resourcing, carbon capture characteristics and post life environmental impact evaluation, the village construction is set to achieve LEED Silver with additional checkpoints that meet some requirements of Net Zero Carbon, Net Zero Energy and Passive House.

The LEED Silver target, means the building is designed and built for improved efficiency, lower carbon emissions and creates a healthier place for the people that live, work and built it. During the design process, we used life cycle analysis tools to develop a Building Life Cycle Impact and Impact Reduction Report. This was used to help us determine building systems, materials, alternative strategies as well as estimated building performance levels once completed and occupied.

The lifecycle assessment that our subcontractor Fluent Group undertook, has built the checklist of materials best suited to achieving levels of sustainability by defining their uses, construction methods, lifespan durability and manufacturing location. This thorough LCA process allows our team to control the contractor selection choices to ensure the building meets the requirements set our by our sustainable consultant in the design phases. Lumber is considered a sustainable material choice which we secured from a close location and wood also captures and retains Co2 emissions for its lifetime. The building uses wood structures, decorative features, furniture and fixtures throughout the facility because of these Net Zero Carbon attributes.

During design, specific project goals include: use of high performance materials; use of locally-manufactured materials; use of low-emitting materials. During construction, specific project goals include: construction waste recycling; and the implementation of a construction indoor air quality management plan. All of these aspects are verified through the submission of LEED documents (low emission forms, environmental product declaration forms, etc.) issued by the contractor for review and approval.

Examples of materials include but not limited to:

• Reinforcing bars, which include a minimum percentage of recycled material
• Coatings (such as paint, floor coatings, concrete curing compounds and stains with stringent maximum VOC limits.
• Requirements for sustainably sourced wood/lumber products
• Requirements for recyclability for end of life to those products
• Specification of high efficiency fixtures and equipment

The building envelope on this design also features as a heavy method of building efficiency for LEED, Net Zero Energy and Passive House principals. While the later of these two authorized certifications have not been targeted, the principals are key building performance indicators that Golden Plough is utilizing for optimal performance relevant to their construction budget. The envelope ensures weather tightness to prevent heat loss/gain and increased insulation has been installed to reduce mechanical use. Energy efficient mechanical units have also been installed including HVAC units that are designed to draw in cool air into the ceiling cavities of the building prior to circulation. This process allows for cooler air to warm inside the building prior to being heated by the unit and pumped through the ventilation ducts, which reduces even more energy use.

Other sustainable selections the owners have made include water efficient fixtures that reduce water use and waste. The laundry units (energy efficient certified), toilets, faucets and showerheads have all been selected for low water output, saving on water use and on outgoing water processing. Bird safe windows have been installed on a percentage of the total window area, to prevent birds from flying into the glass. Decals are preinstalled on the glass and they help birds to identify the glass, limiting collisions.

In addition to this, the building is photovoltaic panel ready with the building structure designed to accommodate solar panels on the roof for later installation. This is a principal of Net Zero Ready, where an effort is taken to plan the ability to turn the building into Next Zero Energy when mechanical units are installed to produce energy on site. It is the precursor design and construction requirements to allow for the capability of a fit out that takes the building performance further or to official certification.

Golden Plough Lodge Long-term Care Campus and County Archives Museum