February 4, 2008

Natural ventilation, angled glass walls, native shrubbery, storm water treatment, recycled construction materials. All these green features and more are going into the new Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence (',PISE) set to open in Fall 2008 at Camosun College's Interurban Road campus.

“Creating harmony between structure and the natural environment is a major goal of the facility,” says Craig Fulton of CitySpaces Consulting Ltd. “The PSI is being built according to LEED (',Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold standards.”

The LEED program is overseen by the Canada Green Building Council. It is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. The designation involves a demanding set of building criteria with the goal of reducing environmental impacts, improving public and occupational health and reducing operating costs.

To be a LEED gold standard building, the PSI will be evaluated on six environmental aspects:  sustainable site, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and the innovation and design process.

“The site will feature erosion and sediment control, bike storage and changing facilities to encourage bike use, a retention pond to treat storm water, exterior lighting with automatic shut-offs when lighting is unnecessary and a white roof to reduce the ‘heat island’ effect,” says Fulton.

Water efficiency will involve installing low flow plumbing features and planting native shrubs instead of lawns and flower beds that require special irrigation.

The building itself will incorporate large angled windows to reduce solar heat gains and maximize light and views to 90 per cent of all spaces. A natural ventilation system, carbon dioxide monitoring system and durable building envelope will assist in energy and atmosphere efficiency.

“Construction material waste is also being diverted from landfills through recycling,” adds Fulton. “Drywall scraps, for instance, are being taken away and processed into new materials and fill from the building excavation has been used to lay the foundation for the playing field’s artificial turf.”

Green cleaning products and processes will be used to clean the building once fully operational.

Once certified, PISE will be one of only five LEED gold designated buildings in Victoria, besides the Vancouver Island Technology Park, UVic’s Medical Sciences Building, the Capital Regional District Headquarters and the D’Ambrosio Architecture Studio.

For more information on PISE or to book a visit, please contact: 250-370-4626.

To learn more about green buildings visit: http://www.cagbc.org

The PSI’s angled glass walls reduce solar heat and increase light. (',Feb. 4/08)