Electronic Arts Phase II Studio and Phase IIIa Studio
Sharing mechanical systems between neighbouring on-site buildings proved to be the best solution, both for resource efficiency and financially.
Completed in 2006, the Electronic Arts Phase II expansion project consists of three components. First is a 600-car underground parkade with a soccer field roof top. Second is the Phase II Studio – a new stand alone 5-storey 176,000 ft 2 building including open office areas, a basketball sized gymnasium, and other amenities. The third component is Phase IIIa. This 26,400 ft 2 Motion Capture Studio will be used to produce real life motion videos of characters created for specific video games.
Phase II Studio and Phase IIIa Motion Capture Studio are interconnected mechanically with the common mechanical heating and cooling plant located in the Phase II Studio building. This type of approach reduces the duplication of major equipment and allows for efficient energy recovery and optimal use of the heating and cooling plant and reduction of standby losses.
Other energy saving features include an underground outdoor air intake tempering tunnel that takes advantage of the constant ground temperature and pre-tempers the supply air. This reduces the energy required to wither heat or cool the incoming ventilation air.
A radiant cooling system decreases the building’s energy consumption by pre-cooling the concrete slabs. At night when the ambient temperature is below the required slab temperature, building heat is rejected through a cooling tower. A heat-pump system provides cooling to the network and server rooms, while moving heat from one area of the building to another. A Direct Digital Control system continually optimizes building system operations and monitors consumption rates for future analysis.
