Natural Resources Canada’s CanmetMATERIALS at McMaster Innovation Park

Natural Resources Canada’s 145,000-square-foot, 157-room facility will provide key technology and innovation support to industries that manufacture mineral and metal products in southwestern Ontario and across the country. CanmetMATERIALS will be subject for certification at the Canada Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum level in late 2011.

1. Hydronic Radiant Slab Heating and Cooling: Low-temperature fluid (glycol/water) passes through tubing buried within the concrete to provide radiant heat from the ceiling.

2. Geoexchange: The principal source of heating and cooling is via a district energy system including a geoexchange field of 81 bore holes, each 152 metres (500 feet) deep, integrated via a glycol loop to four 50-ton multi-stack heat pump units.

3. Solar Thermal: Roof-mounted liquid solar thermal collectors provide additional heat energy to supplement the geoexchange system. Storage tanks provide short-term storage, while long-term storage uses the borehole field. The storage tanks and borehole field also absorb excess summer heat and heat from scientific and pilot-scale industrial equipment.

4. Ventilation: Displacement ventilation is utilized throughout the building to reduce fan power requirements. Offices are provided with 100% fresh air, with operable windows for additional capacity. Labs have three to six air changes per hour and, during the winter season, heat from exhaust air is recovered to preheat incoming fresh air. In addition, solar wall panels preheat incoming ventilation air to further reduce the heating load.

5. Daylighting: The building is designed for extensive use of daylighting for offices, labs and other interior spaces. The south and west facades employ solar shading and glare controls.

6. Water Efficiency: The building uses rain water, collected from the roof into a large cistern, to flush the toilets. In addition, building cooling is accomplished without evaporating water in cooling towers thanks to the geoexchange field and heat pumps.

7. Sustainable Materials: The concrete used in the building has a high proportion of recycled slag. The doors and library millwork are made with bamboo, which is a sustainable crop. Reclaimed wood is also used in various features throughout the building.

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