Vancouver Studio's Connect Research Gazette - Volume 2, August 2020

Connect Vancouver Studio ― August 2020

Research Gazette

Practice-informed research for a research-informed practice.

Largely driven from a desire to advance the performance and execution of our designs, research is at the heart of the Vancouver practice. Our commitment in research has fostered a culture of investigation and advancement of knowledge, with a goal to enhance our project work and transform the broader industry.

We are often asked: What does Research mean for Perkins and Will? Why is it important to our practice?

Research can take shape in many forms. It can involve a small investigation into a new product or tool, or can be as far reaching as third party, academically peer reviewed investigation. No matter the scale of investigation, the research always maintains a focus on application. Asking questions and diving deeper into a subject allows our teams to meet our greater studio aspirations for our projects.

Research opportunities exist in many forms at Perkins and Will from our extensive firmwide Research Labs network, micro Innovation Incubator grants to the Vancouver studio’s Researcher-in-Residence program. At a firmwide level, Perkins and Will produces a Research Report, and we are excited to be a meaningful contributor and help lead the firm on its journey in becoming a research driven practice.

In the spirit of sharing efforts underway in our studio and linking to firmwide research lab projects, CONNECT research gazette will serve as an update for our Vancouver practice. We encourage you to read, question and engage with local and firmwide research lab leaders, and consider how this knowledge or new tools can advance your projects.

Kathy Wardle

Yehia Madkour

Director of Sustainability

Director of Innovation

For general research inquiries, please contact Yehia or Kathy.

Connect

Research Gazette

Confidentiality Disclaimer The information contained in this documents is confidential, privileged and only for the information of the employee of Perkins and Will and may not be used, published or redistributed without the prior written consent of Perkins and Will Canada Architects Co. The information expressed is in good faith and while every care has been taken in preparing these documents, we make no representations and give no warranties of whatever nature in respect of these documents, including but not limited to the accuracy or completeness of any information, facts and/or opinions contained herein.

Connect

Research Gazette

Design Process LENS*

6

Design Space Construction (DSC)­

8

Crowd Simulation Form Generation*

10

Embodied Carbon

12

Life Cycle and Praxis*

14

Design for Manufacture and Assembly**

16

Human Experience Take the Stairs!* IoT (Internet of Things)*

18 20

Energy Thermally Broken Balconies Design Guide

22

Building Technology Prefabricated BRT Platform System*

24

Prefab Modular**

26

Life Cycle Assessment

28

Resilience Resilient Future*

RESEARCH LABS REPORT 2019

30

Material Performance Material Health

32

Social Responsibility Perkins and Will Research Labs Report 2019

Social Equity Indicators*

34

Affordability and Transit-Oriented Development**

36

* Innovation Incubator ** Researcher-in-Residence

LENS Design Process Team: Kai Chang, Cheney Chen Links: Link to Innovation Incubator report For more information: Contact the team.

Mitigating Potential Glare Issues

― WHAT’S THE ISSUE

Glare can cause frustration and discomfort.

How can measurements, simulations, and renderings help designers understand, interpret, and eventually mitigate glare in buildings?

Although it has been studied extensively in the medical context, evaluating and mitigating the consequences associated with glare has been largely neglected in architecture. The LENS (Lighting-simulations, Evaluative-rendering, Nodemeasurements, Systematic-workflow) workflow addresses the issue through an exploration of measurements, simulations, and renderings that architects can utilize to address potential glare issues in both new construction and retrofit projects.

Project Goals � Examine daylight conditions, especially the potential glare issues, within the Vancouver studio (case study). � Explore the glare issue in 3D formats using High Dynamic Rang Image (HDRI), simulations, and renderings. � Establish a workflow that can quantify the potential glare issues systematically.

Above: Field measurement images.

Left: The “Glare Tracer”, an apparatus consisting of two light meters and a 360° camera mounted on a rotating stand.

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Vancouver Studio ― August 2020

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LENS (Lighting-simulations, Evaluative-rendering, Node-measurements, Systematic-workflow)

LENS workflow

Methodology

Project Findings

1. We created a glare tracer using two light meters, a

� Different types of glare, ranging from imperceptible to

rotating stand, and a 360° camera. We mounted them

intolerable, could be observed in the office.

together with a dual mount bracket on a compact

� There is significant debate regarding 2000 lux as an

tripod to capture potential glare scenes and produce

‘upper threshold’ above which daylight is not wanted due

multi-angular HDR images within the office (filed

to potential glare or overheating. Our measurement results

measurement).

indicate 2000lux is too low as the upper threshold.

2. Modeling/rendering tools, HDR generation tools, glare

� Changing the orientation/angle of your personal position/

simulation tools and panorama stitch/viewing tools

work area is the key strategy for avoiding glare within a

form the software components of the research (cross

space.

comparisons among HDRIs, renderings and simulations).

� HDRI, renderings, and simulation can all generate

3. The final workflow consists of three sub-workflows, which

accurate DPG results, provided the calibration is made.

guide field measurement, simulation, and rendering respectively. The glare evaluation approaches for new construction and retrofit project are then proposed.

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Design Space Construction (DSC) Design Process Team: Cheney Chen, Mohamed Imam, Victor Okhoya ― Marcelo Bernal (Atlanta), Shauna Bryce, Eli Wolpin [Ashley Mar] ― Adrien Pratlong [Brightside] For more information: Contact the team.

― WHAT’S THE ISSUE

A Framework for Design Exploration

How can a multi-objective, performance simulation tool guide design decisions on large scale projects?

Design Space Construction (DSC) is a framework for design exploration.

It can be used to evaluate the performance of multiple design options in the early stages of a project. This has the benefit of improving the accuracy of the design and reconciling contradictory objectives—such as increasing daylighting while reducing energy consumption.

Methodology The DSC simulation process uses the energy simulation tool ‘EnergyPlus’ and the daylight simulation tool ‘Radiance’. It interfaces with these tools using the ‘HoneyBee’ and ‘LadyBug’ plug-ins to the ‘Rhino + Grasshopper’ computational interface.

Once generated, the simulation results are expressed two ways: the DSC report that describes the optimal solution for balancing energy consumption with daylighting, and a parallel coordinates plot (PCP) that

On Ashley Mar, we achieved a 10-15% performance improvement over the baseline while maintaining optimum daylighting levels.

provides access to all previously simulated data for a project helping create a custom design solutions based on the team’s design decisions.

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Vancouver Studio ― August 2020

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Design Space Construction (DSC)

Ashley Mar

Brightside

Project Goals

Project Goals

Utilize the DSC process on a large scale

Utilize the DSC process on a large scale

project while maintaining:

project while answering key design

� quick response and feedback to the design team, � accurate reflection of the design and clear visualization of the results, and � multi-objective optimization capabilities for energy consumption, daylighting, and other metrics such as cost.

Project Findings We were able to provide feedback quickly to the team and optimized the outcome by evaluating window-towall ratios, wall assembly R-values, and solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC).

questions, such as: � What is the effective R-value threshold necessary to achieve Step 3 of the BC Energy Step Code? � Can the DSC process verify the Energy Consultant’s claim that Step 2 can be achieved with non-thermally broken balconies by augmenting the heat recovery system?

Project Findings By evaluating window-to-wall ratios, wall assembly R-values, window U-values, and SHGC we were able to see the required design changes necessary to achieve each step of the BC Energy Step Code.

The DSC process also proved the consultant’s claim and demonstrated the potential of an effective heat recovery system.

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↓ The PCP for Brightside helped inform design decisions based on a variety of parameters and resulting outcomes.

Crowd Simulation Form Generation Design Process Team: Mahdiar Ghaffarian, Hannah Gibson For Links: more information: Contact the team.

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Vancouver Studio ― August 2020

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Crowd Simulation Form Generation

Design by Movement Designing public spaces is a much different exercise than designing buildings or interior spaces. The urban realm is less encumbered by physical design interventions and therefore the movement of people less controllable. By simulating the movement of people, we can help shape urban spaces to flow in harmony with human movement at various scales.

Our goal is to introduce a dynamic analysis technique so designers can move away from generic, rigid forms and explore the benefits of organically shaped public spaces.

― WHAT’S THE ISSUE

How can human movement help inform design decisions for the public realm?

Methodology With this Innovation Incubator research, we explored a design methodology and analysis technique using the crowd simulation tool we developed through Grasshopper and Rhino. It’s an “agent-based” system, meaning it can simulate the actions and interactions of individuals or groups to assess their effects on a given space. An agent-based system provides insight into the collective behavior of ‘agents’ (people) while obeying simple rules and parameters. It can help us measure, track, and understand human movement and relationships by mapping and generating crowd patterns based on the environmental stimuli set by the designer.

Project Findings Mapping and illustrating crowd patterns against different environmental and behavioural parameters helps us develop a better understanding of human movement and can inform design decisions.

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Embodied Carbon Design Process Team: Manuela Londono, Sindhu Mahadevan, Kathy Wardle Research Review Committee: Cheney Chen, Cillian Collins, Susan Gushe, Aaron Knorr, Mona Lemoine, Derek Newby Links: Link to executive summary ― Link to the primer For more information: Contact the team.

Understanding Total Carbon As we embrace higher operational performance standards and cleaner fuel sources, we must also acknowledge the up-front environmental impact the buildings we create. Accounting for embodied carbon is the first step towards making informed material choices, implementing environmentally responsible design strategies, and achieving carbon transparency.

This research initiative complements our robust understanding of operational carbon by building on our existing embodied carbon knowledge, with the intent of enhancing our carbon literacy and better understanding the carbon footprint of our work.

Research Questions � What are the emerging best practices for benchmarking and reporting embodied carbon in our projects? � What are key design strategies and opportunities that can reduce embodied carbon in our projects?

Above: Carbon life cycle of the building industry.

Left: Embodied carbon in a building.

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Embodied Carbon The primer introduces and outlines our carbon initiative. ― WHAT’S THE ISSUE

We need to start measuring the embodied and operational carbon on all our projects.

→ APPLICATION

Project Goals

Progress Update

This research will be applicable

� Understand embodied carbon for

� Completed literature review.

to all projects in our portfolio, as we aim to report on the total

key practice areas � Identify embodied carbon reduction

� Conducted several in-house education sessions , including a

carbon footprint of our work. The

targets and strategies for key

Green Lunch with guest speaker Phil

projects that have been modelled

practice areas

Northcott, founder of C-Change Labs

to date are: � UVic Student Dining and Housing � VIU Health Sciences Centre � Bellevue Residence (confidential) � 8th and Pine Commercial Scheme (confidential) � Great Northern Way � Bosa Brightside Development � Kabam L7 � Cambie and 43rd

� Develop content to improve carbon

and developer of the EC3 tool. � Participated in several training

literacy � Develop framework to integrate low carbon strategies into our design process

sessions to broaden our understanding of embodied carbon analysis. � Become a member of City of

Methodology

Vancouver’s External Technical

� Conduct a literature review

Advisory Committee advising

of emerging best practices for

on embodied carbon policy and

calculating and reducing embodied

reduction targets for the 2021 update

carbon in the built environment.

to the Green Building Policy for

� Model key practice area projects. � Review modelled projects and other case studies to understand the carbon impact of specific design decisions.

Rezonings. � Modelled the total carbon impact of six Vancouver studio projects as part of the 2019 DEAR submissions. � Completed life cycle assessments

� Establish carbon goals for our projects.

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for 8-10 additional projects that are underway.

Life Cycle and Praxis Design Process Team: Elton Gjata, Jesce Walz (Seattle) For Links: more information: Contact the team.

― WHAT’S THE ISSUE

Walk the Talk

We need to integrate LCA and EPDs in our design process to better understand how we build and reduce our environmental impact.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) incites innovation by re-framing our understanding of building materials within the context of their ecological sources and impacts. Of these impacts, embodied carbon, or the carbon dioxide equivalent of greenhouse gas emissions over a material’s life cycle (CO2e), is a primary contributor to global warming. CO2e can be measured and reduced via Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) data. As architects incorporate LCA and EPDs into the design and project delivery process, we gain leverage to demand emissions reductions in manufacturing.

Our firm is a in position to serve as a catalyst for adoption of carbonresponsive design across the built environment. Together, we can learn to make decisions based on EPD data, activating the latent potential of supply-chain conscious specification. In turn, we will develop a lens for

EPDs were identified as a key leverage point in the relationship between embodied carbon, supply chain, and our built work.

engaging the myriad nature of the materials that constitute our designs.

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Life Cycle and Praxis

Project Goals � Develop a practical guide to help teams understand and achieve embodied carbon optimization throughout the design process on each and every project in the firm.

Project Findings � We created the Carbon Practice Guide within our Digital Practice Site. � The guide includes resources for speaking about and reducing embodied carbon and a road map for incorporating LCA into the design process. � In examining the relationship between embodied carbon, supply chain, and our built work, we identified EPDs as a key leverage point to making a difference throughout a larger system. � Material impacts are significant. They can be reduced by selecting products that take less energy to make. This involves shifting our ask for sustainability up the supply chain and pressuring industry to clean up their processes.

Nest Steps A key next step for our efforts is to share ideas with internal forums and gather feedback for refinement of the Carbon Practice Guide.

We hope to facilitate conversation about and action around embodied carbon among our network and to engage in strategic follow-up to inform carbon-responsive design.

↑ Embodied Carbon Engagement at Perkins and Will.

← The Carbon Practice Guide offers resources for speaking about and reducing embodied carbon and a road map for incorporating LCA into the design process.

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Design for Manufacture and Assembly Design Process Team: Mahdiar Ghaffarian, Elton Gjata For more information:

Research Questions

Contact the team.

In a future with more automation in fabrication, how can we be the best design partner for builders across our market and practice areas. � How can we adapt our workflow and

Future Ready

design process for the future of digital

Automation is happening. While other industries have

manufacture and assembly?

already been enjoying increased productivity as a result,

Project Goals

the construction sector has been lagging behind. While the

� Explore and understand what digital

reasons for this are varied and complex, one we can address

handshake must occur between

is a lack of knowledge and internal capacity. As part of the

designers and fabricators.

production chain, designers must understand what processes

‒ Understand how do we can

are up and downstream from us. Recent estimates suggest that in the next 15 years, we will be transitioning from primarily

surpass BIM and adopt a more

site build production to prefab.

agile process. � Develop and outline a process for

As our manufacturing partners and subtrades further commit to digital workflows and prefabrication, we must better

collaborating on innovative projects

understand and optimize for the design-to-manufacturing

with a digital fabrication component,

chain. Some firms are doing this through vertical integration.

that is specific to our office and region.

For us, this means having robust processes in place that are

� Develop our capacity and reputation

adaptable to any fabricator and any client.

as leaders in design for digital fabrication—opening us up for more of this type of work in the future. � Contribute to building capacity for digital design, fabrication, and

The collaboration with the fabricator was integral to the process for the GNW Pavilion.

delivery in the lower mainland. ‒ Establish relationships and workflows with local fabricators.

― WHAT’S THE ISSUE

As the construction sector increasingly adopts automation, designers must understand these processes.

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Design for Manufacture and Assembly

Methodology Literature Review/Industry Survey: Review existing literature and best practices on digital designto-fabrication workflows through researching, exploring and identifying strong examples in our industry and academia.

Projects like the GNW Pavilion have already positioned us as a leader in this space. In anticipation of more such work, we should review lessons learned and document them.

partner in computational design and digital fabrication projects in the region, including design workflow, communication strategies, 3D model exchange protocols, available design tools, etc.

� Literature review and research of academic research, industry case

teams for completed projects—like the

studies, and international standards.

gone well in the past, and what could be improved.

consultant teams. � Coordinate with typical consultants on an LOD standard for working collaboratively in BIM. � Study local industry partners

Progress Update

Interviews: Gather feedback from GNW Pavilion—to establish what has

� Coordinating the DxP process with

� MRAAD/robotic fabrication training and use, as well as staff

Next Steps � Reach out to (interview) and document the processes of other firms selected in phase 1. � Write and diagram draft processes,

outreach (Making Series) to increase

then evaluate and compare

Workshops: Host workshop(s) with

understanding of automation

outcomes.

our fabrication partners. Understand

concepts in construction.

their perspective on the future of digital fabrication and gather input on preferred workflows.

Guideline Document Development: Develop a document identifying ways of being the best architectural

� Refining the UI for easier interaction with the platform. � Developing process maps to better understand how this affects the design-fabrication process.

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� Gather feedback on the proposed processes through workshops with consultants and local fabricators. � Design, document and diagram the process and guidebook. � Research to be completed Q4 2020.

Take the Stairs!

Human Experience Team: Alysia Baldwin, Derek Newby For Links: more information: Contact the team.

Promoting Physical Activity by Design We often take the built environment for granted, seldom considering how a building’s design influences our behavior. Purposefully or not, the buildings we live, work, and play in support some behaviours while discouraging others, but it turns out we can harness the power of design to encourage healthier decision making. By creating easy and attractive opportunities for people to increase their physical activity, architects can promote health and wellbeing within the buildings they design.

Research Questions � How can we design to encourage physical activity? � How do things like daylight, fresh air, and views influence behavior? � What role do social rewards play in influencing behavior?

Above: Simple counters were employed to measure door use into stairwells in three separate buildings.

Right: Ponderosa Commons’ exit stair offers no glazing.

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Take the Stairs!

Orchard Commons’ exit stairs offer light, views and social reward.

Project Goals � Understand the influence our design decisions have on the behavior of inhabitants. ― WHAT’S THE ISSUE

How can we design to encourage physical activity?

� Identify specific influential characteristics of exit stairs such as daylight, views, and social factors.

Methodology We compared the exit stairs in three similar student residences at UBC, each with different stairway characteristics. Using simple door counters we recorded the frequency of use in each stair over a uniform time period.

Project Findings Our research revealed that exit stairs featuring daylight and views have significantly higher use, and stairs that further add a ‘social reward’ (interior windows) are even more significantly used.

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IOT (Internet of Things) Human Experience Team: Mahdiar Ghaffarian, Elton Gjata, Yehia Madkour Links: For more information:

Creating a Vision Internet of Things (IoT) systems promise to seamlessly connect

Contact the team.

the physical world to the digital world. IoT is a system of interrelated computing devices, sensors, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people with Unique Identifiers (UIDs). It enables real-time extraction of information generated by sensor data, monitoring, and interactions with physical objects in the physical world through digital technology platforms.

Our survey of the IoT industry reveals that the current discourse

― WHAT’S THE ISSUE

Architects can bring a lot of positive change to the IoT world.

around IoT is dominated by the product and technology industries. The innovations are often siloed, focusing on devices, and lacking a broader vision of how IoT based systems might work together to address the larger challenges in the world.

A catalogue of IoT solutions for improving workplace

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.1

6.2

6.3

7.

8.

9.

10.

Automated Generative Daily Seating Plan

Perkins and Will Employee Wearable

Human Interaction Sensor

Autonomous Mobile Pedestals

Autonomous Mobile Chairs

Real-time Building Performance and Utilization Data Collection

Dynamic Spatial Feedback and Utilization Data

Environmental Friendly Behaviour Challenge

Shared Resources Management

Personalized Smart Desks & Work Spaces

Building Performance Control

Adaptable Flexible Spaces

AGILE OFFICE SOLUTION GAMIFICATION SCENARIOS BUILDING INTEGRATED SENSORS 20

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IOT (Internet of Things)

Smart personalized desks and work spaces

Research Questions

Project Findings

Next Steps

� How can IoT solutions improve or

� Based on the problems associated

It’s all about finding the right use

solve open office or agile office

with open office plans we identified

cases. The discussion around IoT

problems by altering behaviour?

three board areas for intervention:

should not be centered on the

agile office solutions (physical work

technology, but rather the value it

space), gamification scenarios

is able to generate, and the specific

At present there is an immense

(behavioual), and building

applications.

opportunity to learn more about

integrated sensors (building/

IoT and prove its ROI in practice.

infrastructure).

Project Goals

This requires finding IoT use cases in our industry.

Larger questions beyond the scope of the current project:

� Technology can be used to better understand behaviour and changes

With this project we are focussing on

can be implemented based on how

the typical open office workplace and

people actually interact within the

the potential for IoT solutions.

space.

� What are the big challenges of society? � Can we drive solutions through smart cities and buildings to address those challenges?

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Thermally Broken Balconies Design Guide Building Technology, Energy Team: Cillian Collins, Marc Haberli, Derek Newby, Kathy Wardle; Graham Finch (RDH Building Science) For more information: Contact the team.

― WHAT’S THE ISSUE

Balconies typically represent a significant thermal bridge, and pose particular difficulty for designers and builders between competing structural, fire, and thermal requirements.

Balcony Best Practices

Research Questions

In recent construction there have been many advances

� What design strategies or balcony typologies

in building envelope performance but the balcony

mitigate thermal bridging?

connection detail, and associated thermal bridging, is

‒ How do these reconcile competing

often overlooked. The impact of thermal bridging on overall

functional requirements?

building performance has been the focus of a number of

‒ How do they perform against new,

studies and reports but the design and construction industry has been reticent to address this connection detail for a

more stringent energy performance

number of reasons. As new building performance standards

requirements?

and requirements such as the BC Energy Step Code are

Project Goals

introduced, the impact of the balcony connection detail

� Educate the design team (architect in

must be considered to achieve the increasingly stringent

particular) on the prevalence of thermal

performance targets.

bridging in balcony design. � Identify different balcony typologies and construction methodologies available and compare their requirements and benefits.

Research Funding: A $30,000 grant was provided by BC Housing Research Grant Funds.

� Demonstrate performance through case study analysis.

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Vancouver Studio ― August 2020

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Thermally Broken Balconies Design Guide

Methodology Literature Review: Review and summary of previously published research in this area.

Policy Overview: Review and summary of policies requiring increased thermal performance.

Balcony Types/Options: Identify different balcony typologies. There are a variety of architectural solutions available, each with a different aesthetic, performance, and construction implications.

Expert Workshop: Host a workshop with key industry experts to review balcony design options.

Performance and Construction Impact: Summary of construction methodologies and their impact on thermal performance, fire resistance, durability, cost, and ease of construction.

Case Study: using 5055 Joyce Street, explore how different balcony typologies impact thermal performance. This section will also demonstrate how balcony performance is entered into an energy Top: Our 5055 Joyce Street project was used as a case study to help explore typologies and develop the guide.

Bottom: Example of a thermally broken balcony typology.

model for code compliance purposes.

Summary Report: Our team will assemble a “How To” guide including a summary of key findings, recommendations for the building industry, and possible recommendations for future research.

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Prefabricated BRT Platform System Building Technology Team: James McGrath (Nelson\Nygaard), Soren Schou

― WHAT’S THE ISSUE?

For Links: more information:

Implementing Bus Rapid Transit systems is costly and time consuming, disrupting cities and existing infrastructure.

Contact the team.

Project Goals The BRT Platform System: � Deploys quickly and cost effectively with minimal traffic interruption. � Sits lightly on the existing pavement. � Doesn’t cause storm water and utility impacts. � Fits in a variety of urban street contexts.

Transit Infrastructure is at Capacity

� Provides a variety of accessible routes.

There are over 500 miles of bus rapid transit and enhanced

� Allows for a variety of heights and lengths.

bus corridors in development in North America—over 3,000 bus stops. On average, a single stop costs $250,000 to design,

� Is durable and structurally self-contained.

build, and furnish.

� Can be fabricated locally in controlled environments.

Increasing congestion is compromising transit efficiency,

� Is made with readily available materials. � Allows customization for individual transit providers.

reliability and ridership. Transit agencies are unable to make improvements alone, but government involvement is costly and slow. Transit infrastructure isn’t keeping up with demand and budgets are being overextended on stations alone. Major arterials are unsafe for almost every user and many need costly improvements.

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Prefabricated BRT Platform System

Project Findings The Innovator Incubator allowed us to develop a number of concepts and deployment methods. These concepts were presented to several clients to test the idea, confirm the degree of interest, and identify areas for refinement based on real-world challenges. After involving local engineers and fabricators, a concept was developed that met the needs of potential clients. The cost of our concept was estimated at US$60,000 per standard 48ft platform.

So far we’ve spoken with LA Metro, King County Metro, the City of Portland and TriMet. The response has been overwhelmingly positive; LA Metro and City of Portland want pilot projects.

Next Steps � Engage clients in solution development and seek funding and partners for prototyping and piloting. � Approach regional prefabricators and further develop the product while understanding and respecting local permitting pathways. � Further develop the design of amenity elements and engineering of footing and safety features. � Advance the branding and wayfinding and license the design and deployment method.

↑ The number of BRT systems in North America is rapidly increasing with most major metropolitans implementing some form of bus rapid transit.

← The deployment method of the BRT platform system is integral to the project. Having a simple and fast deployment method is key.

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Prefab Modular Building Technology Team: Sindhu Mahadevan For more information: Contact the team.

Regaining Momentum Prefabrication and modularization are regaining momentum in the world of design. Recent advances in BIM and automation, the growing emphasis on sustainable design, and the pressure to deliver high quality architecture on shorter construction schedules are some of the key factors contributing

― WHAT’S THE ISSUE

to the re-emergence of prefab modular in BC and beyond. This

What are the challenges and opportunities with prefabrication and modularization?

research project investigates prefab modular opportunities using a 12-storey student housing case study.

Project Goals � Assess current prefab modular opportunities and anticipated future growth relevant to our studio’s portfolio. � Identify strategies to leverage prefab modular to achieve low-carbon/high-performance construction for select building typologies, including mass timber and highperformance enclosures. � Identify challenges and opportunities for wider adoption of prefab modular and areas for future research.

BCIT Student Housing case study project

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Prefab Modular

NeoPod’s 70,000 square foot prefab factory

Research Questions

Methodology

Progress Update

� What are the current opportunities

� Conduct literature review of prefab

� Literature review is complete.

for prefab modular design and

modular and its current market share

construction relevant to our practice?

in North America and beyond.

� How can we use prefab modular

� Investigate key design opportunities

strategies to achieve low-carbon/

for modular mass timber and

high-performance design and

high-performance enclosure using

construction?

a benchmark and proposed case

� What are the challenges and opportunities surrounding the adoption of prefab modular within our practice?

study of a 12-storey student housing project..

� Benchmarks and design strategies have been developed for proposed prefab modular case study. � Ongoing work includes refinement and evaluation of proposed prefab modular, and summary of interviews with industry stakeholders to identify key barriers and opportunities.

� Connect with industry stakeholders to identify challenges and

� Research to be completed Q4 2020.

opportunities in North America and

→ APPLICATION

around the world.

This research will be applicable to all projects in our portfolio that have a repeatable modular program, such as student housing, hotels, and select multi-unit residential buildings.

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Life Cycle Assessment Building Technology Team: Kaz Bremner, Manuela Londono, Alex Minard, Kathy Wardle For more information: Contact the team.

Carbon—A Holistic Approach Fueled by increasingly stringent building codes and energy regulations, the building industry has made great strides in reducing operational energy consumption (operational carbon).

― WHAT’S THE ISSUE

What are the environmental impacts of construction materials and which materials offer the most significant reductions in the categories we analyze?

However, the largest portion of a building’s carbon impact is attributable to the extraction, manufacture, transport, and disposal of its construction materials—these emissions collectively make up a material’s embodied carbon.

Project Goals � Quantify the environmental impacts associated with the embodied carbon of the structure and enclosure materials. � Understand which design choices have the largest impact on embodied carbon. � Conduct a Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (WB-LCA) to meet LEED v4 WB-LCA credit requirements.

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Life Cycle Assessment

Project Findings The WB-LCA analyzed the material contributions of structure, envelope, roof, and stair construction over a 60-year period— comparing a reference building to the proposed design at the end of Design Development (DD). � The reference building is a concrete structure, while the proposed building uses a hybrid wood and concrete structure. � The reference building assumes a concrete mix that does not maximize the use of Supplementary Cementitious Material (SCM). This accounts for our decision to maximize the SCM material content in the proposed design. � The goal of Passive House certification, while having a positive impact on operational carbon, has a negative impact on embodied carbon due to limited options and additional materials required to achieve certification.

The results of the WB-LCA show potential reductions in all impact categories we studied: 6% in global warming potential, 19% in acidification, 16% in GHG formation, and 10% in depletion of non-renewable resources.

Next Steps � The WB-LCA will be updated at the end of construction to show the results of the project as constructed. � Future WB-LCA work will analyze the use of software other than Athena— specifically Revit plugins. � Further research is needed on low-carbon building materials that meet performance requirements, such as emerging insulation products.

← The hybrid wood and concrete structure helps reduce the carbon impact of the proposed design compared to the reference building.

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Resilient Future Resilience, Energy Team: Cheney Chen, Mohamed Imam, Tyrone Marshall (Atlanta) Links: Link to Innovation Incubator report For more information: Contact the team.

― WHAT’S THE ISSUE

Proactive Design

We need to incorporate climate change projections into energy simulations.

When integrated early in the design process, building simulation tools enable us to evaluate and optimize the performance of our designs. A critical piece of this simulated environment is the historical weather file. However, weather files don’t include climate forecasting or any risk assessment for potential climate hazards such as increased intensity/frequency of extreme weather events. We need to incorporate climate change projections into energy simulations to better understand and apply proactive design strategies in different climate zones.

Research Questions

Project Goals

� How will climate change impact cities in the

To better understand the implications of climate change in the context of current building design practice.

future? � How will climate change impact buildings in the future? � How do current design strategies address climate change from the perspectives of building energy use and resiliency?

→

Methodology

Progress Update

Our future climate and thermal

With five typical building types,

Study is complete. Some of our

comfort analyses were applied to

17 different weather files, and 51

findings are being published in a

the Ashely Mar project; a mixed-

climate change files, the research

2020 SimBuild Conference paper.

market, residential building in

provides 340 energy model

Future explorations will consider

Vancouver, BC.

simulations in which thermal

additional building typologies and

comfort (both indoor and outdoor),

resilient design strategies.

APPLICATION

energy, and heating/cooling balance are explored.

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Vancouver Studio ― August 2020

Connect Research Gazette

Resilient Future

Project Findings � There were periods where the mechanical system did not adequately manage heating or cooling setpoints. � The mechanical systems struggled to remove heat gain through glazing systems. There were periods where the mechanical system did not adequately manage heating or cooling setpoints. � There were periods where the mechanical system did not adequately manage cooling setpoints, and it failed to reduce the moisture content of the indoor air to target levels. � There were issues with excessive solar heat gain from the fenestration. � Buildings in temperate climate zones are more sensitive to climate change and more vulnerable to changes in heating/cooling loads. � In Vancouver, high-rise apartments, hotels, and offices are more likely to switch the heating/cooling systems (which is challenging for the current system design). � Even with different heating/cooling systems, no significant energy use increases are observed in the future climate simulations (further investigation is required). � Passive cooling strategies are important, but mechanical systems are more reliable in extreme climate conditions.

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Material Health Material Performance Team: Mona Lemoine, Mauela Londono, Max Richter, Kim Stanley, Rufina Wu Links: transparency.perkinswill.com ― www.mindfulmaterials.com For more information: Contact the team.

― WHAT’S THE ISSUE

The products and materials we specify have lasting impacts on the end users of our projects.

Healthier Buildings Too often, our most consequential decisions are made without enough information. Only in the last few years have we really started to appreciate the role our built environment plays in our health and well-being, so if we want to create healthier buildings, we first have to specify healthier building materials.

For years, our designers at Perkins and Will have practiced informed decision making by working with clients and manufacturers to investigate building materials, and when necessary, find alternatives with the fewest possible toxins. Vancouver Studio Material Health Champions are working with project teams to galvanize ingredient transparency in the industry. We are working to identify safe products and materials, and wherever possible, present our clients with healthy alternatives to conventional, toxic materials. We also help educate our clients about known or suspected issues related to human or environmental health, as well as cost, performance, and life cycle information.

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Vancouver Studio ― August 2020

Connect Research Gazette

Material Health

Research Questions � What ingredients are in the products we specify? � How can we provide our architects and designers with transparent product information to help them avoid specifying materials with known or suspected environmental and health concerns?

Project Goals � Reward transparency through inclusion of products in our Interiors and Architectural libraries. � Provide a database of products to make it easier for architects and designers to make informed choices. � Broaden our efforts and lessons learned by sharing our process and resources firmwide.

Methodology � Reach out to companies whose products lack transparency and asking them to upload the appropriate documents to the Mindful Materials database.

Progress Update

� Inform them that if they fail to do so, their products will be removed from our library.

The Vancouver Studio is the first office across

� Ask product reps to book an appointment with our librarian to complete the labelling process.

the firm to implement transparency thresholds within an existing materials library. The effort to identify products listed in the Mindful

� Review the transparency documents and categorize each product as ‘Good’, ‘Better’, or ‘Best’ based on the ingredients list.

Materials database is well underway for the Interiors Library and is getting started in the Architectural Library.

� Complete a Precautionary List review.

� Interiors Library ‒ End of June 2019: All products in the library will have Mindful Materials labels. ‒ End of September 2019: The interiors library will be 100% transparent. � Architecture Library ‒ Summer 2019: Label Mindful Materials products. ‒ Fall 2019: All products that do not have Mindful Materials labels will be removed. The architectural library will be 100% transparent.

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Social Equity Indicators Social Responsibility Team: Aidan Carruthers For Links: more information: Contact the team.

Building for the Greater Good While our studio has done an amazing job of measuring and tracking environmental goals using numerous metrics and indicators, there is little emphasis placed on social equity and virtually no associated targets or metrics. Growing inequality and affordability issues are some of the top concerns in cities around the world. In order to build for the greater good and advocate for our communities, we need to develop a way of measuring social equity and affordability.

Research Questions � How do we define social equity and affordability? � How does our industry currently measure Social Equity? � What are the Key Performance Indicators for Social Equity that Perkins and Will should track?

Project Goals � Identify existing metrics for social equity and responsibility. � Compare these metrics to project data we are already collecting. � Determine whether there are new data sets we should add. � Set minimum social equity standards and studio goals based on these metrics.

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Vancouver Studio ― August 2020

Connect Research Gazette

Social Equity Indicators

― WHAT’S THE ISSUE

Social equity and affordability should be measured and tracked in an effort to build for the greater good.

→ APPLICATION

Methodology

Project Findings

Living Design Framework—social

In order to develop a set of key

If we are to address inequities in

equity lens and indicators in

indicators for Perkins and Will, a study

our built environment we need to

development to be applied to

of existing definitions, frameworks,

collect data about the community we

projects firmwide.

and indicators will be collected and

are building for. Census and socio-

collated. These indicators will then

economic data needs to be followed

be compared to data we are already

by an engagement process with the

collecting on our projects in order to

community and project stakeholders.

see which metrics might be the most conducive to measuring social equity.

Finally, we will develop a framework to measure, track, and report out on social equity Indicators.

� Needs Assessment—Was a needs assessment conducted? � Engagement—How many engagement sessions did your project undertake? � Affordability—What percentage of the built area is affordable, including housing, commercial and public space?

Together these indicators should help us to adjust how we perceive the design process and prioritize buildings that are accessible and inclusive of the entire population, particularly those most in need.

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Affordability & Transit-Oriented Development Social Responsibility Team: Aidan Carruthers, Hannah Gibson For more information: Contact the team.

Research Questions

Change Is In The Air

� How do we define affordability?

Along with climate change, affordability is one of the biggest threats to

� What are key contributing factors? � What can Vancouver learn from

the development of an equitable global society. The City of Vancouver is preparing a City Wide Plan to address the affordability and climate crises that will determine how we build moving forward. We need to be part of

existing affordable housing

this conversation. As city builders it is our moral and ethical responsibility

development models?

to advocate for a more equitable future. In order to provide direction and

� As architects and designers, what role do we play in the affordability crisis?

take action on this issue, we must first understand the unique context and factors at play in Vancouver.

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Vancouver Studio ― August 2020

Connect Research Gazette

Affordability & Transit-Oriented Development

― WHAT’S THE ISSUE

Cities around the world are looking to solve the problems of inequality and affordability. We need to be part of this conversation.

Project Goals � Define ’affordability’ and identify key factors that form a framework for affordable housing. � Analyze and describe 3-5 case studies of successful affordable housing projects from other cities.. � Explore whether any of those approaches could work in Vancouver. � Create connections with local affordability specialists and experts.

Methodology (Proposal) The initial research phase will include a general literature review in order to define affordability and identify preliminary factors. 3-5 case studies will be pulled from review and explored. Each example will be studied in detail to understand the circumstances contributing to that particular context. These finding will be mapped and diagramed for comparison and information sharing. Next, we will contact local and international specialists to confirm findings, which will then be mapped onto the Vancouver context. A final report will be produced outlining key principles for providing affordable housing in Vancouver.

Progress Update This Researcher-in-Residence project is planned to start in Q1 2021.

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1220 Homer Street Vancouver, British Columbia CANADA V6B 2Y5