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How the University of Calgary MacKimmie Tower reduced energy use 80%
Alberta Retrofit Accelerator Program Partner SAIT hosted an indepth look at the challenges and successes in retrofitting the University of Calgary MacKimmie Tower. Retrofit Vendors Dialog, Bird Construction, Arpi’s Industries, and SMP Engineering partnered with the University of Calgary to deliver this award winning sustainable build.
This highly complex project began with interior and exterior demolition of the existing 1960s 14-storey tower. The team brought the building back to its base structure before redeveloping it with an additional two floors, bringing it to a total of 16 storeys and 21,700 square metres. Phase 2 of the project included the complete demolition of the existing Block building and construction of a new 4-storey Block, including a link building that connects it to the MacKimmie Tower.
The new tower envelope consists of a state-of-the-art double facade curtain wall. MacKimmie Tower’s double-skin facade will respond to changing weather and works in concert with the mechanical system to decrease energy consumption and improve the indoor environment in terms of thermal comfort, day lighting, and air quality. The design of the double facade, along with photovoltaic panels on the rooftop and integrated into the curtainwall, add to the sustainable design features of the project, as well as the goal of net zero carbon emission. The complex system for air quality and temperature control is supported by a Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON). Real time building analytics reporting gave the team accurate insights into the building’s system performance throughout the project, and allowed the team to understand the best way forward for the complex integrations associated with the project. This data proved crucial to anticipating and resolving issues efficiently well ahead of commissioning and warranty.
Unique to this project was the deployment of a full IP based lighting control system, dually utilized for control of building and landscape lighting as well as building plug load — ingenuity in line with the project’s Net Zero mandate. Additionally, this mandate directly supported the incorporation of three systems of photovoltaics inherent in the design of the Tower, Link/Block, and the Block curtain wall system. Both the Tower and Block buildings are equipped with roof top, fixed tilt, horizontal solar arrays (design combined output of 500kW DC [STC] and simulated annual production over 500MWh). The block façade was equipped with glazing integrated, semitransparent crystalline silicon-based cells (design combined output of 100kW DC [STC] and simulated annual production of over 75MWh).
The telecommunications systems infrastructure is also the first of their kind on campus, as the MacKimmie Complex consists of a full Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) solution. Telecommunications services were distributed from two new campus head-end Optical Line Terminals (OLT) throughout a raised access floor system and grid of Optical Network Terminals (ONT) via fiber optical cabling (at all levels of network architecture) direct to user, providing local gigabit upstream and downstream capability. Adoption of the GPON solution also allowed a minimization of communications active equipment requirements throughout the complex, which, in turn, drastically lessened the floor-by-floor cooling requirement (from a heating and ventilation standpoint), another step towards achieving the project’s Net Zero goal.
The University of Calgary is targeting Net Zero Carbon Building Certification, and it will be net carbon neutral for annual operations. The Tower achieved net zero carbon standards in 2020, and it will be one of the most energy efficient buildings on a Canadian post-secondary campus. The team was awarded the 2020 Zero Carbon Green Building Excellence Award by the Canada Green Building Council.
Learn more: SAIT, Dialog, Bird Construction, Arpi’s Industries, SMP Engineering, University of Calgary
Disclaimer: This content is shared in partnership with the University of Calgary, Dialog, Bird Construction, Arpi’s Industries, and SMP Engineering. The views expressed in the source articles are those of the University of Calgary, Dialog, Bird Construction, Arpi’s Industries, and SMP Engineering and do not necessarily reflect those of AEEA.
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Bird Construction
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Arpi’s Industries Ltd.
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