UBC-O Fipke Centre
Considering passive design elements first enables a reduction in mechanical system size, energy requirements, and operational savings.
Located on the Okanagan campus, this new building will assist the University of British Columbia to handle the recent enrollment growth. The Multi-Purpose Academic and Research Facility is a new 3 to 5-storey, 75,000 ft 2 building. It will be designed to accommodate office space, classrooms, teaching labs, research labs, and student support areas. Design goals focused on reflecting generic modular design, as well as the ease of converting into a primary research and teaching facility.
Cobalt provided mechanical design services focused on sustainability to help this project meet UBC’s commitment to environmental stewardship. Key responsibilities include the design and modelling for passive elements, including natural/wind driven ventilation, displacement high thermal mass, a high performance envelope, radiant slab heating and cooling, a district aquifer geothermal system, efficient fume exhaust systems, and heat reclamation systems.
Other notable design elements include the installation of a weather station atop of an existing adjacent building that monitors wind speed and direction. This data will become invaluable in the design of effective ventilation systems.
The UBC-O Fipke Building achieved five Green Globes under the Green Globes Eco-Rating Program. Five Green Globes is equivalent to LEED Platinum. This development is a significant accomplishment considering this is a lab building, and possibly the first LEED Platinum equivalent building of its kind in Canada.