Civil Engineering Department

Civil Engineering Project 2 ( H22A12)

Coursework 2: Case study on sustainable
design of a civil engineering project
Title: Sustainable designs of Manitoba Hydro
Place, Winnipeg, Canada

Group leader: CHIN SHENG JI (UNIMKL008808)

Team members:
YASHNA HEMASHREE SEEBUN (UNIMKL011473)
LIP YIH HERNG (UNIMKL-008783)
Group: 9
Personal Tutor: KOK SIEN TI

While many towers claim to be the greenest building in the world, one
building stands apart as the first in the new generation of energy-efficient,
climate responsive buildings. Awarded the most energy-saving tower in North
America, Manitoba Hydro Place (MHP) in Winnipeg, is among the rare
projects which met challenging goals in terms of energy savings, urban
revival, and a supportive workplace without the expense of cost and design.
In this paper we will explain how the design and construction of the office
building contributes to its sustainability.
MHP is the headquarters tower owned by the company, Manitoba Hydro-.
Integrating time-tested environmental concepts along with advanced
technologies, it achieved a living building that responds dynamically to the
local climate. Its goal is to mobilise 2000 employees from the suburbs under
one roof in an open, collaborative environment. Moreover, the formal
Integrated Design Process (IDP) was mandated by the client such that the
design team was to commit a year to develop the building concept and using
another year. This ensured the concept integrated the key elements to
achieve the objectives of 60% energy savings, supportive workplace, urban
revitalization, signature architecture and cost effectiveness.
Encapsulated in the street 360 Portage Avenue, the site was strategically
selected because over 95% of the bus routes pass this address, including
routes to suburban Winnipeg where 80% of Manitoba Hydro employees live.
The architectural design of the building was designed by Kuwabara Payne
McKenna Blumberg Architects (KPMB) (design architect) and Smith Carter
Architects & Engineers (executive architect). The organisation of engineers
involved is Halcrow Yolles, Crosier Kilgour & Partners as the structural
engineers and AECOM as the mechanical and electrical engineers. As for the
main contractor involved in this project is PCL Construction Canada. The total
cost for the whole project is $271 million dollars.
In 2005, a previous building occupying the site was destroyed and
undertaken with a commitment to reduce waste, with 95% of the materials
recycled or re-used, such as the Douglas Fir lumber was milled and reused
as soffit cladding for the 22 story office tower. A containment pond was built
onsite by re-using precast traffic barriers for groundwater and run-off
filtration.

Initially, based on the project charter goals, four design charrettes were
concluded to design sixteen alternatives which were evaluated by the energy
consultant, Transsolar; three options were selected (Figure 1). During the last
design session, Comfort Tower had been selected and after several solar,
massing and wind modeling, the model was rotated so that its atria faced
due south to capture Winnipegs abundant winter sunlight and strong winds.

Figure 1

The two 18-storey vertical neighbourhood towers splays out on the

southern faade and fuses at the north end by the solar chimney, bringing
about a capital A shape (Figure 2).
Oriented along the buildings North South axis is its ventilation tower know
as the solar chimney. The 15.5m long, 2.85m wide and 119.0m tall shalf
was built at parking level and extends to 115.5m above the grade.
Composite cladding of 500mm wide x 2000mm high conceals a thick layer of
mineral fibre insulation that surronds the exterior to reduce heat loss.
Windows on the east and west facades consist a double curtain-wall that
insulate against heat and cold. The system is made of single-glazed inner
wall spaced one meter inside a double-glazed outer wall, creating a energy
efficient buffer zone. (Figure 3).

Figure 2

Figure 2

MHP also has the largest closed loop geothermal system in the province with
280 boreholes, each 150mm in diameter; penetrate the site 125m
underground. Initially bored 50 to 300 feet deep, a pair of pipes with a Ubend assembly at the bottom was inserted into the bored hole vertically to
maximise the use of land area. Grout seals the boreholes and the pipes
connect to the heat pump furnace units inside the building to pump glycol
which extracts or rejects heat depending on the seasons. Water is circulated
through the heat exchanger and distributed through thermal mass of the
concrete structure which in turn heats or cools the space consistently. (Figure
3) In 2006, the foundation work construction faced the problem of too high
water level, forcing the elimination of one underground level. Many
basement features were relocated and the foundation was redesigned.
However, these problems were immediately solved with the IDP
implemented by the design team.

Figure 3

Coldest city in the world as well as the sunniest location in Canada, Winnipeg
endures extreme temperatures which vary around 70C over a year,
plummeting below -35C in winter, and soaring above 35C in summer. This
supports the highest air conditioning use per capita, and in view of Canadas
delayed commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, MHP demonstrates an exemplar
of the Integrated Design Process for achieving energy efficient, humancentered design. The unusual floor plate configuration and the advanced
faade system of MHP ensure light reaches all the way to the core of the
building, resulting in a total day-lit building area of 85% (Figure 6). Computer

models in combination with data from

the buildings weather station control a
fully automated louver shading system
and determine how the angle of 100mm
deep louver shade should be deployed

to suit sun location and angle. When fully deployed, the aluminium louver
blades feature a finely perforated surface, stopping solar glare, but still
allowing views to the outside. Areas of the building with higher amounts of
sun receive a permanent ceramic frit pattern to reduce solar glare and gain.
In 1999, the California Board of Energy Efficiency found that increased
productivity, increased wellness, and reduced energy costs resulted from

Figure 7

companies using natural lighting instead of artificial light. This reflects the
owners commitment to the health and wellbeing of its greatest assetits
employees.
The building is filled with 100% fresh air, 24 hours a day, year round,
regardless of outside temperatures. The solar chimney is a key element in
the passive ventilation system which relies on the natural stack effect. It
draws used air out of the building during the hot seasons. In winter, exhaust
air is drawn to the bottom of the solar chimney by fans, and heat recovered
from this exhaust air is used to warm incoming cold air (Figure 7). The air is
preconditioned by tensioned mylar ribbons whereby conditioned water run
down each strand to humidify ambient fresh air in winter and dehumidify it in
summer. (Figure 8)

Figure 8

In spring and fall, the mechanical ventilation systems of the building are
turned off and the building is ventilated by opening window vents (Figure 9
and 10).

Figure 9

Figure 10

This type of system achieves much higher air quality, lowers energy use,
eliminates conventional ductwork and a hung ceiling altogether since air

enters below the floor and moves through occupied space in an orderly,
stratified manner. The results are shown below.

Green roofs cover a majority of the low roof surfaces and they mitigate the
urban heat effect by minimising heat absorption at the roof surface. The
green roof aids in storm water retention, reducing strain on the city
infrastructure. Water from the condensate from fan coils in the building and
collection tanks are used for the non-potable irrigation system of the green
roof and the landscaping.
Performance data and occupant surveys conclude the human health and a
sustainable design can considerably rise productivity, trigger employee
retention and reduce absenteeism. Brent Bellamy, a senior design architect
says. Even small percentage gains in employee productivity, when
multiplied by the annual payroll; result in considerable savings that can
redefine the net economic model for green buildings. In the base building,

rent is limited to stimulate the support of local businesses and to encourage

staff to experience their city. Due to the influx of 2000 employees, rising
sales and development in the surrounding area have been observed by the
downtown business group.
Indeed other buildings have also realised advanced sustainability standards.
The Jim Pattison Centre fulfilled an estimated energy reduction of 96%
compared that of MHP which is 77%. It is the largest building to date to do
so. However, the extent of human centeredness remains unknown. In MHP,
the objective of creating a highly supportive, comfortable and healthy work
place was critical to its success. Column free loft spaces are stacked and
organized into vertical neighbourhoods with interconnecting stairs for face to
face communication and improved culture of teamwork. Everyone has access
to the faade and can control their personal environments, using operable
windows, task lighting, and shading devices. Displacement ventilation is
deployed via a series of occupant controlled floor grills, allowing users to
have individual control airflow and temperatures of their immediate work
environment.
Manitoba Hydro office tower is a state of the art building committed to
energy conservation, quality and comfort at the workplace. Through all the
collaborative design charettes and workshops, architects were able to draw
out innovative designs that contain clear vision, understanding and
objectives. With the aid of Integrated Design Process, these objectives were
achieved and have set a new standard for sustainable buildings design and
construction. Their annual energy usage is 85kWh/m2, first office building to
do so in North America, earning them the Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certificate. (Figure 9).
Figure 9