Waterloo Campus Expansion

NOTEWORTHY
DESIGN ELEMENTS

Solar Installation
As part of our scope of work, we were involved in the design of a 150 kW solar installation on the new building. As sustainability is one of the core beliefs at the College, it was important that the solar array was visible to the students and the public. For this reason, the array was installed above the main entrance to the facility facing a major street – University Avenue. This introduced additional design constraints as it limited the physical size and angle of the array. But the goal was still to maximize the electrical output. Our firm, in conjunction with local solar panel installers, prepared the preliminary layout of the solar array detailing position, angle, and quantity of the solar panels. We also developed the required interconnection to the building’s electrical system and local utility.

Ice Storage
Our mechanical team created a highly efficient heating and cooling system for the building. The cooling system produces ice during evening hours to cool the building during the day and the heating plant incorporates condensing boiler technology to minimize natural gas consumption. The ice storage system includes piping and controls, a 300-ton chiller, and 12 large tanks to contain ice during the evening. The system uses off-peak hydro and avoided an upgrade to the hydro service to support the additional load from the new building. A building control system was installed to monitor operation and manage energy performance of all building systems.

Low Temperature Heating System
A low temperature heating system was installed in the new expansion. This system supplies hot water to the building between 95 – 130°F as opposed to a traditional heating system which supplies hot water at 180 – 200°F. Operating this way means that high efficiency condensing boilers can be used rather than traditional boilers, resulting in at least a 25% increase in overall boiler plant efficiency. 

Demand Control Kitchen Ventilation
The demand control kitchen ventilation system that was installed has sensors in the hoods which can detect the amount of smoke and/or heat underneath the hood and modulate the exhaust and makeup air flow as required. This system can significantly decrease the electricity consumption of the exhaust and makeup air fans during periods of low/no activity. It is expected that annual electricity consumption can be reduced by up to 30%.

Lighting Controls and Occupancy Sensors
Occupancy sensors control lights and ensure there isn’t unnecessary power used when a space is unoccupied. This lighting control system relies on occupancy sensors to detect periods when spaces are unoccupied and turn off the lights to conserve energy.  Like demand-control ventilation, in a classroom and lab setting, this is useful at managing energy consumptions especially during times when the space is not in use.  It is expected that annual electricity consumption from lighting can be reduced by up to 25%.