BCIT’s Tall Timber Student Housing building will be built with future changing climate conditions and needs in mind. The building will be fully electric and won’t use fossil fuels to power any of its systems.
The BC Energy Code
By implementing specific sustainability features, the Tall Timber Student Housing building features meet BC’s Energy Step Code 4, which is the highest level of the BC Energy Step Code program for this type of building. To meet the BC Energy Step Code 4, a building project must meet zero-ready performance requirements. These zero-ready performance requirements include two essential approaches to measuring energy efficiency:
- Total energy needed to operate a building, including heat, lights, air conditioning, and hot water, known as Total Energy Use Intensity (TEUI)
- Thermal Energy Demand Intensity (TEDI) as measure of the total energy required to heat and ventilate the building during a year
Here’s how we’re reaching the highest energy efficiency standards
The building design includes a high performing envelope
A high-performance envelope reduces heat transfer in both directions, which decreases cooling energy needs in the summer and decreases heating needs during the winter. For example, when summer temperatures are not at their maximum, the natural ventilation of windows in each student’s room can cool the air. During the winter, the conditioned air is supplemented with electric baseboard heaters in each bedroom to offer individual control.
Other features include:
- Approximately 33% window to wall ratio (WWR) which dramatically reduces the building’s overall energy consumption
- Increased airtightness and minimized thermal bridging through careful detailing and construction methods
- High-performance, triple-glazed windows
- Increased thermal performance with more insulation in the building roof and walls. The building is designed as a CLT point-supported structure.
- Heat pumps and hot water: innovative CO2 heat pumps will deliver the building’s hot water demands. These energy-efficient heat pumps use CO2 as a refrigerant, which is a first in the Lower Mainland. CO2 has significantly less greenhouse gas and global warming potential than conventional heat pumps and refrigerants. In addition, the system is designed to reduce hot water consumption.
- The building uses sophisticated sensors to monitor and adjust the building’s heating and usage of the heat pump and electrical systems.
- Kitchens and refrigeration: all studio kitchens will have recirculating exhaust fans.
- The building incorporates healthy, non-toxic materials throughout.
- Exterior landscape: the surrounding landscape connects to Guichon Creek, which features rain gardens that collect and treat stormwater.
TTSH meets leading-edge sustainability certifications and standards
- LEED Gold standards – LEED’s second-highest rating. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the premiere rating system for sustainable and green buildings in Canada and the world. More information
- Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification (RHFAC) – This national rating system measures and certifies the level of meaningful access to buildings and sites.
- BC Energy Step Code 4 – The highest level of the BC Energy Step Code program.
- CAGBC’s Zero Carbon Building™ (ZCB) standard – Among the world’s first zero-carbon building standards, they recognize the importance of building emissions in reaching national climate commitments.