Tags: report

18 Jun 2009, Comments Off

CFC Reviews CMHC Design Report: IDP — Means

Author: admin

The Direction: Green Buildings Rating Systems

Beyond Bruntland and The Natural Step, a strategy for achieving sustainability goals is still needed. We can develop strategies by imagining future success and then take the actions needed to get there.
In the building industry, much preparatory strategy work has been done by the various green building rating systems and energy and environmental assessment methods.
These systems categorize and detail the impacts, actions and indicators required at a building level. LEED® Canada,10 Green Globes, Go Green and other rating systems give us the compass we need as we steer towards sustainability, and as they are refined over time, they will become more effective. And, as we work to refine our building practices, our buildings will also become more sustainable.

The Instrument: Integrated

Design Process as a Tool:
Even with rating systems and energy design tools spelling out the actions needed to proceed, it is still not always clear where to start and what tools to use. IDP is one of the best tools we have to help define the most appropriate design path. It provides the means to apply the design strategies and move society towards sustainability, one project at a time. Reviewed by Moishe Alexander.

17 Apr 2009, Comments Off

CFC Reviews CMHC Design Report: GUIDELINES FOR DELIVERING EFFECTIVE AIR BARRIER SYSTEMS

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ABSTRACT

The negative impacts that can be attributed to air leakage through the building envelope are primarily threefold:

  1. damage to the building envelope components;
  2. increased heating and cooling loads resulting in excessive energy consumption and a subsequent increase in greenhouse gas emissions; and
  3. occupant health and comfort issues caused by drafts, the entry of dust and pollution into residential living quarters, and wetting of materials which can stimulate the growth of mold and mildew.

The growing North American concern in these regards is the driving force behind the development and implementation of more stringent government regulation for air barrier systems in buildings, including those buildings classified within Part 3 of the National Building Code of Canada. As it is only recently that air barrier system technologies have begun being applied on a widespread basis in North American buildings, it can be reasonably expected that flaws would exist in the current ‘process’ of air barrier system design and installation. The prevalence of premature building envelope failures, increasing levels of energy consumption, and health concerns would suggest that the quality of air barrier installation is questionable. While air barrier system failures are most commonly the result of installation deficiencies, there are instances where material and/or design flaws are factors contributing to the system failure.
This article presents a methodology to help both designers and installers deliver an air barrier system that meets the requirements and recommendations of the National Building Code of Canada and any specifications particular to that project. Common design and installation flaws will be identified, and a protocol for the inspection and testing of the system, as it is being installed, will be documented. Reviewed by Marty Lapedus.

11 Apr 2009, Comments Off

CFC Reviews CMHC Design Report: IDP — Objections to IDP

Author: admin

It is worth discussing some of the standard objections that are raised to the Integrated Design Process. The objections usually are phrased as the following: “We’ve always done IDP” – That may be true, and if so, keep doing it. Usually the people who say this, however, have remarkably few green buildings to show as evidence.
“If you want me to do something different, that implies I’ve been doing it wrong all these years” – Well no, it doesn’t. This is the 21st century, with an entirely new situation for human society, and new problems and demands for the profession to respond to. Think of IDP as a new tool to add to the toolbox to address this new situation.
“The client won’t pay for it” – Possibly not, especially the first time when the value has not been demonstrated to the client, but that’s exactly what is the intent of NRCan’s Commercial Building Incentive Program.
“It affects the schedule and budget” – It may do, but the benefits should more than outweigh the impacts. Experienced teams are finding that the time spent is merely shifted from the latter stages of the design process to the earlier stages. Design costs may or may not be greater. It depends on how well the team manages the project and captures inherent synergies. It is not as if traditional projects always come in on time and under budget. The BC Cancer Agency’s new laboratory in Vancouver, a LEED Gold building, was designed with an IDP process and came in on time, and $10 million under the $100 million budget.
“It means a loss of creative control as an architect” – Not from what I have observed. After all, what generates more creativity—a blank sheet of paper or fitting the program to a tricky site? An integrated design process often generates more creative ideas and solutions. A good analogy is that the architect goes from being a soloist to being the conductor. In any performance the conductor is always visible, and wears a different suit and often his name is in the spotlight. Reviewed by Moishe Alexander.

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