Manitoba Hydro Place Case Study

Manitoba Hydro Place Winnipeg, Canada

This case study is meant to explore the elements that create energy efficiency and green design. Analyzing the regional climate and micro-climate provides a comprehensive analysis of the energy efficiency of the design. This case study will provide a graphic analysis of the changes in climate and an architectural study of the local context. These elements will contribute ton an in-depth analysis of the Hydro Building.

Table of Contents • Introduction • Location • Climate Summary • Bioclimatic Chart • Vernacular • Psychometric Chart • Design Guidelines • Sustainability Features • Evaluation • Summary

Introduction

Location

“The history of the electrical industry in Manitoba tells the story of expediency, foresight and public responsibility. It began over a century ago during the pioneer days of street lighting and street railway transportation in Winnipeg.

Before long, as the novelty of the new energy source gave way to necessity, other large communities in the province wanted the benefits that electricity would bring. They received electrical service, but open at very high costs.

A few farsighted individuals saw the advantages of large-scale generating facilities. Among them were a number of public spirited citizens who felt that electricity should be made available at the lowest possible cost to the consumer.�

The site was previously an abandoned commercial or industrial site. The site is within close proximity to 95% of city bus routes and many restaurants, bars, and daycare. The building is compatible with the scale ale of the surrounding buildings and minimizes the “skyscraper effect “ to encourage pedestrian traffic.

Climate

Winter This is the main climate in Winnipeg because of the arctic winds sweeping through the area is the Winter. Winnipeg also receives 134 days of snow-cover every year. This is along with low temperatures and high winds due to the movement of arctic are to the region.

Spring The duration of spring is short. It beings in April and ends in June. Temperatures remain mild in the season as the climate transitions from winter to summer.

Summer This season provides the warmest temperatures from the month of July until the end of August.

Temperatures during this time peak at 80 degrees.

Fall Temperatures during this time begin around 65 degrees and drop to around 50 degrees. This season features comfortable weather and is the transition from summer to winter.

Winnipeg lies at the bottom of the Red River Valley that features flat topography. As a result of

the flat topography and high amounts of snow, Winnipeg can be subject to extreme flooding throughout the year. The province is also partially plains, partially lowlands. Winnipeg resides in the plains.

Sunrise, Dawn, and Dusk Times

Winnipeg has a climate which varies dramatically in temperature of the course of a year. The wind speed is fairly consistent over time, as is precipitation. However, there are several months of snow in the course of a year.

Nicholas Jensen

Relevant Climatic Assets & Liabilities Assets

Liabilities

High amount of radiation. Facilitates direct gain & other passive heating strategies, reducing need for mechanical systems.

The temperature is consistently below the comfort ranges. This calls for solutions for this cold climate.

Humidity is within comfort range most of the time, meaning design strategies are not need to control humidity.

The wind is quite intense building a even colder feeling temperature and environment.

High wind velocities allow for the use of natural ventilation.

Bioclimatic Chart

Vernacular Architecture European-Influenced Architecture Winnipeg’s early settler’s built buildings very similar to that of the United States Northeast. The settlers built buildings which had thick, massive walls, which were punctured by small windows. These houses were built because they retained heat well. Moreover, they could be heated by the traditional fireplace.

This can be seen in the graphic on the right taken from the Heritage Manitoba organization.

Native Architecture Ojibwa Indians who lived here prior to European settlers’ incursion lived in Wigwams (dome-like)and Tipis (tent-like). These structures were commonly built out of birch bark and animal hides. These structure would have a fire pit in the center of them to heat the space. The birch bark and furs would act as insulators to help keep the cold out during the winter. These structures could not be made out of a more massive materials like the European settlers would later do because these tribes were migratory. As a result of this, their shelters had to be able to assembled, disassembled, and moved.

Psychometric Chart Winnipeg is only in the comfort section for 36% of the year with passive strategies. As a result, the subsequent 64% of the time direct heating and cooling are needed to provide thermal comfort to the occupants of structures.

Design Guidelines

Program The Manitoba Hydro Place was designed by KPMB Architects, it is the headquarters of the Manitoba Hydro Energy Utility company. They are located in downtown Winnipeg, Canada. Manitoba Hydro Place was named the most energy efficient high rise in North America and also provides employees ergonomic working environment through the integration of efficient active and passive heating and cooling strategies. These strategies lead to more than 70% energy savings compared to the national building model.

Total Square footage: 700,000 Number of Stories: 22 Building Height: 377 ft.

Occupancy Capacity: 2,245 Building Cost: $271 million Energy Classification: LEED Platinum- 70% Energy Reduction: $500,000 savings/year

Design Intent Heating & Cooling Design The Manitoba Hydro Place was meant to introduce the next generation of sustainable architecture. It was meant to be energy efficient through the fusing of environmental principles such as massing, orientation, and exposed thermal mass. It was also intended to be and adaptive design with an ongoing digital analysis with running in tandem with a computerized building management system that relies on passive energy to respond to climate.

Outcomes • LEED Gold • Achieve 60% above the MNECB • Provide a healthy work environment • Participate in the city’s urban revitalization strategy and demonstrate fiscal responsibility within the framework of architectural excellence • Manitoba Hydro Place recorded over 70 percent energy savings over the Model National Energy Building Code (MNEBC). The building reached the predicted energy goals after two years.

Materials and Construction Locally sourced limestone and granite were chosen to reinforce Winnipeg’s urban fabric of masonry buildings. Energy was also a consideration in the selection of materials. All interior materials meet low-VOC standards. The carpet is made from recycled materials. The exterior is composed of high performance double and triple glazed curtain wall panels. These components were assembled locally to minimize construction cost and expedite installation.

Material Factors • Durability • Life cycle costs • Regional relevance

Design Goals • Supportive workplace • World class energy sustainability • Signature architecture

Energy Efficient Measures • Computer base Building Management System • Low-Iron glass • Double curtain wall system • Operable window vents • Tall floor-to-floor • Automated window treatments • Solar chimney • High output lighting w/ occupancy sensors

Plans

Roof Plan

Floor Plan: Main Floor

Floor Plan: Levels 3-22

Sustainability Features

Dynamic Double Skin Curtain Wall Facade...

Lowers heating and cooling needs by creating a intermediate space to buffer the interior space from the extremes of the exterior environment.

Ventilation...

The structure utilized solely fresh air. The atrium space acts as the ‘lungs’ of the building. Fresh air is drawn into this space and conditioned before entering the other zones and spaces of the building.

Solar Chimney...

The solar chimney is on the North side of the building. This space exhausts the used and contaminated air from the building to the exterior using the stack effect. The solar chimney is just under 380 feet tall. At the top of the chimney there is a series of pipes which are used as a thermal mass to sustain a higher temperature at the top of this space. The pipes maintain a higher temperature due to the use of a glass curtain wall facade of the solar chimney. As a result of this, the pressure is lower here and draws the higher pressure air below up through this space.

Closed Loop Geothermal Climate Control...

Provides the majority of the heating for the building during the harsh col winters in Manitoba. Heat is pulled from the earth and used to heat the air in the building. In the summer the heat from the building is discharged into the ground using the same system.

Hydronic Radiant Heating-Cooling...

Uses a water-system to heat and cool the ceiling plate of the spaces. Eliminates the need for a bulky air-system.

Utilizes radiant panel heating and cooling to achieve thermal comfort for the occupants.

Exhaust Air Recovery

Recovers the residual heat from the exhaust air and mixes it with the fresh air. The air is preconditioned and returned to the atrium spaces.

Dehumidification-Humidification

The use of an indoor water feature helps control the humidity of the interior spaces to provide further thermal comfort for the occupants of the building.

Green Roof...

Acts as an natural insulator to protect against solar gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter. It further decreases the amount of water run-off from the building and site by adding a porous surface.

Daylighting...

The use of an all glass facade coupled with an automatic shading device allows the offices close to the windows to be daylight throughout the day. This lowers the need for electric lighting in these spaces.

Ventilation

Venting Facade The double layer curtain wall facade has ventable windows which facilitate the introduction of fresh air into the building. The intermediary space between the exterior-most wall and the interior wall allow this air to conditioned and distributed throughout the building. The interior wall has its own operable windows which allow the occupants to choose whether they desire the ventilation and air from the buffer space.

Dehumidification-Humidification The building incorporates into the atrium space a water feature that helps control the humidity of the building. This piece utilizes mylar ribbons in the water feature adding a sculptural element to the instillation. Moreover, this space in the immediate proximity of the water feature could be viewed as a space thermal delight facilitating a more enriched experience to the spaces of the building.

Heating + Cooling

Closed Loop Geothermal The building incorporates a geothermal heat pump which circulates glycol through the building. 280 boreholes each 6” wide and 400’ deep is cooled in the summer and heated in the winter.

The glycol is processed in the heat exchanger in the basement of the building. The fluid is then pumped throughout the building to achieve thermal comfort. The geothermal technology contributes to 60% of the building’s heating and cooling.

Solar Chimney Solar Chimney The solar chimney is a 377 foot tall prominent

using an exhuast air recovery system. The solar

mass on the north elevation of the building. The

chimney further causes the flow of air through the

solar chimney uses a thermal mass to extract hot

building. This increases the efficency of the venti-

air from the building. The termal mass facilitates

alation system incorporated in the double curtain

the flow of the air up through the space via creat-

wall facade system. Moreover, this facilitates the

ing a pressure imbalance.

hydronic heating an cooling system.

The hot air from the building is exhausted when cooling is desired. This air is forced out of the top of the solar chimney.

There are dampers which can be closed to prohibit the flow of the warm exhaust air of the building.

When heating is desired the air is recirculated

Heat Flow

Nicholas Jensen

Roshni Mahtani

Shading

Full Retraction: July at 10:00 a.m.

50% Extension: July

Shading Device The automated solar shading devices are located in the zone between the double skin design on the East and West facades of the Manitoba Hydro Place. The building has an integrated louvered blind system. It is designed to minimize glare and solar radiation within the interior. When fully extended the blinds cover the entire facade of the building and are effective in all seasons.

The automated shading devices used at the Manitoba Hydro Place cover the entire facade of the building making them an effective daylighting facade. The Successful integration of the system is an unobtrusive solution to shading with a glazed curtain wall.

y at 10:00 a.m.

100% Extension: July at 10:00 a.m.

Evaluation

Underutilized Solar Energy

The top of Manitoba Hydro Place receives a lot of solar radiation which is currently not being utilized to its fullest. There is great potential for the incorporation of photo-voltaic panels to supply part of the needed electricity for the building. Also, solar hot water tubes could be incorporated into the roof infrastructure as well to provide warm water for the fixtures in the building. Moreover, these hot water solar tubes could be used for the hydronic radiant heating in the winter. These efforts could greatly reduce the energy use of the building.

Daylighting Practices

Manitoba Hydro Place could benefit from better daylighting procedures. In a study recently done in contribution with UNC Charlotte and Benjamin Futrell it has been found that light colored roller blinds can serve to better daylight spaces. Although, there is a possibility for increased glare directly adjacent to the windows, it has been proven that there is increased satisfaction with the daylighting deeper in the space. In addition to the altering of the window treatments, the addition of light shelves could provide more even daylighting in the space.

Water Systems

We have not found any provisions related to the water and waste systems of the building. The building could increase its footprint with the utilization of rainwater collection and gray water systems. The roofscape of the building is very large which would allow for a vast amount of rain water to be collected. This would decrease the water run off of the building and decrease the use of municipal water.

Daylighting Map

Summary

The Manitoba Hydro Place utilizes many cutting edge pas-

sive and active systems to lower the energy consumption of the building. The designers and engineers of this building went to great lengths to develop and innovate and utilize many systems to make this tower the success which it is. The building has received many accolades for its design in relation to its energy efficiency and use of innovative design principles. The building was awarded the prestigious LEED Platinum award making it the largest building to recieve this award at the time. The utilization of a the solar chimney, atrium, water feature, geothermal heating, automatic blinds, double skin facade, and more distinguish this building a great example of energy efficient design. This building achieved new levels of sustainability for an office tower of its size and reduced energy consumption by over 60% compared to the standards of this building typology.

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F8.

Harnessing Climate. (Fall 2011. ). High Performance Buildings.

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Baird, G. (2013). Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects. Basel: Birkhäuser.

Kwok, A., & Grondzik, W. (2017). The green studio handbook : environmental strategies for schematic design (Third edi tion.). New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Manitoba Hydro Place. American Institute of Architects. [www.aiatopten.org/node/110].

Manitoba Hydro Place. Building Facts. [www.hydro.mb.ca/corporate/mhplace/quick_facts_building].

Manitoba Hydro Place. (1 January, 2009). Energy Performance Sustainable Design. [www.hydro.mb.ca/corporate/mhplace/

quick_facts_building].

Manitoba Hydro Place. KPMB. [www.kpmb.com/project/manitoba-hydro-place/].

Manitoba Hydro/KPMB Architects. (24 December, 2009). Arch Daily. [www.archdaily.com/44596/manitoba-hydro-kpmb-ar chitects].

Manitoba hydro place gets LEED platinum certification. (2012). Professional Services Close - Up.