Climate Action
The architecture profession must play a role in stabilizing the climate change crisis, lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in favour of clean power. This is one of the reasons why the OAA has chosen “climate action” as a theme in its strategic plan.
As it did in 2020, the OAA once again required Energy Usage Intensity (EUI) metrics to be included as part of the submissions process for the 2022 Design Excellence Awards program. EUI is the measurement of a building's annual energy consumption relative to its size. The lower the number, the less impact the building has on our climate. You can learn more about the OAA’s Total EUI Calculator online tool, free for both members and the public, by clicking here. Attached is the 2030 Ontario Target Data chartwhich shows the EUI goals for the 2030 challenge based on the building type.
TEUI of the project: 204 kWh/
m2
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Architect: MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects Ltd. In association with Stantec Architecture Ltd.
This adaptive reuse houses the Aviation and Engineering Technology & Applied Science program at Centennial College’s Downsview campus on a site that was once Canada’s epicentre of aviation design and manufacturing. The College’s educational programs are housed inside the heritage structure and new extensions; the complex comprises two hangars, classrooms, admin offices, a library, and learning and fabrication spaces that include avionics, electronics, engines, and composite labs, and group study and collaborative zones. The new facility establishes a museum of artifacts with a collection drawn from the site’s storied past and exhibits conveying the history of Canadian aviation.
Photo Credit: Scott Norsworthy
The project draws on the site’s layered heritage in various ways, engaging visitors in its history while encouraging new generations of students to pursue innovation in the aviation and aerospace sectors. New program spaces have been ‘curated’ into the existing fabric, allowing for the unique characteristics of the existing structure to affect program placement. Comprehensive environmental graphics throughout demonstrate the special features of the site and interweave its history into the daily life of the facility. The new campus also includes a museum to display site artifacts and convey information about the history of Canadian aviation to the public.
Photo Credit: Doublespace Photography
Transforming this facility into an innovative learning institution was part of a larger holistic vision to support healthy community building that prioritizes densification, access to green space, and public transportation. The conservation measures involved extensive salvaging and restoration of existing heritage brick structures, helping reduce the project’s embodied carbon footprint. A client-driven energy efficiency mandate for the project was set at limiting the project’s EUI to 200kWh/m²a. The design team approached this challenge by initially addressing the building’s passive systems; implementing a high-performance envelope, natural daylighting, and a LED lighting system; then, implementing highly efficient active systems.
Photo Credit: Scott Norsworthy
Spaces for student activity are designed to achieve a maximum variety of experience types—from quiet study and small group rooms to social seating and lively table tennis. A range of privacy and/or openness enriches the student experience on campus. The public spaces aim to connect students not only with one another, but also with the Aerospace program and the essence of the building; they have been designed with optimal views into the primary Hangar, as well as into the labs and teaching spaces, connecting students to and furthering interest in the campus’s program offerings.
This blOAAg post is part of a series exploring the OAA’s 17 Design Excellence Finalists for 2022, as selected by our jury.
Click here to see other projects from this current award cycle.