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gardens; a car co-op with Smart Cars; and, additional energy-saving features, including ENERGY STAR appliances, heat recovery ventilations units, low-e double-glazed windows and exterior blinds

Sitewide StrategiesThe master plan of the Dockside Green community uses site-wide strategies including a biomass gas-ification plant completed in 2009 and a wastewater treatment facility completed in 2008.

The biomass gasification plant converts locally sourced wood waste into a clean burning synthetic gas (syngas), which is used to produce heat and hot water. Clean wood waste (made up of local trim-mings, land clearing, and waste from construction/industrial uses) is supplemented by wood from for-estry projects in the northern part of Vancouver Island, to supply all of the fuel for the biomass plant.

The biomass gasification system (see sidebar) makes the devel-opment carbon neutral on a net

annual basis without the purchase of green power certificates. This is made possible by selling heat to a neighboring building (outside of the Dockside development).

This sale of heat is equal to the electrical profile of the current buildings at Dockside, but each project did purchase green power certificates from the local utility for LEED purposes.

Dockside’s on-site tertiary (final stage) wastewater treatment will save more than 50 million gallons of water annually when the devel-opment is fully built out (Synergy alone is calculated to save more than 2 million gallons of water annually based on LEED water cal-culations). One-hundred percent of all sewage will be treated onsite at the wastewater treatment facil-ity. Also, water is reused for toilet flushing, green roof irrigation and to replenish the greenway.

A series of waterways in Dockside’s central greenway assist in on-site stormwater storage while the greenway itself provides public amenity space.

Other sustainable features for Dockside Green include rooftop

D O C K S I D E S Y N E R G Y A T D O C K S I D E G R E E NC A S E S T U D Y

B U I L D I N G AT A G L A N C E

Name Dockside Synergy at Dockside Green

Location Two kilometers from downtown Victoria, British Columbia

Owner VanCity Credit Union

Principal Use Multi-Unit Residential

Employees/Occupants 170 (95 units)

Occupancy 100%

Gross Square Footage 178,498

Distinctions/AwardsLEED for Neighbourhood Development Platinum Certification, 2009

LEED® Platinum Certification, Canada Green Building Council, 2008

Top Ten Green Projects – American Institute of Architects/ Committee on the Environment, 2009

Total Cost $24 million

Cost Per Square Foot $132

Substantial Completion/Occupancy January 2008

Opposite Synergy is the first phase of Dockside Green, the largest development of city land in Victoria, British Columbia’s history. When complete, Dockside Green will total 26 buildings constructed over 10 years. Synergy includes four detached buildings: a nine-story and a six-story resi-dential tower with commercial units on the ground floor, and a two-story and four-story residential building with townhouses.

Dockside Green, a development of 1.3 million square feet of mixed residential, office, retail and industrial space, is one of the first projects to achieve LEED Neighborhood Development (ND) Platinum certification. The first phase was Synergy, a 95-unit residential building. It was completed in 2008 and is serving as a testing ground for innovative products, construction methods and technolo-gies used in the rest of Dockside Green, especially Balance, a residential devel-opment that was completed in 2009.Synergy

B Y M I C H A E L D R I E D G E R

Developing

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This article was published in High Performing Buildings, Fall 2011. Copyright 2011 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. Posted at www.hpbmagazine.org. This article may not be copied and/or distributed electronically or in paper form without permission of ASHRAE. For more information about High Performing Buildings, visit www.hpbmagazine.org.

H I G H P E R F O R M I N G B U I L D I N G S Fa l l 20114 4

on the west and south faces of each building.

Due to the global economic crisis and a resulting surplus of residen-tial suites on the market in Victoria, construction on Phase 3 (residen-tial) has been postponed. The first two phases of the development are more than 99% sold.

Analysis completed by the firm’s in-house cost consultant showed that being able to sell the units quickly and reducing condominium

Synergy The first phase of Dockside Green, Synergy, was completed in 2008 and achieved LEED Platinum by the Canada Green Building Council at 63 points, making it the highest-scoring LEED Platinum certified project in the world. Sister project Balance tied that record in 2011.

Synergy is a 178,680 square foot project with 95 residential units and approximately 170 residents. Most of the residents are between

fees helped offset any capital costs associated with green features. The success of the marketing and positive media the project has received (both locally and inter-nationally) has helped make the residential portions of the project a financial success.

The two mixed use commercial developments Inspiration (LEED Platinum) and Insight have leased well. Farmer Construction, the con-tractor for the project, purchased the third commercial building for its head office.

Annual Water Use 793,000 gallons

W AT E R AT A G L A N C E

Annual Energy Use Intensity (Site) 27.6 kBtu/ft2 Biomass 13 kBtu/ft2 Electricity 14.6 kBtu/ft2

Annual Source Energy 66 kBtu/ft2

Savings vs. Standard 90.1-2004 Design Building 73%

Heating Degree Days 5,494

Cooling Degree Days 1,286

E N E R G Y AT A G L A N C E

RoofType VariesOverall R-value R-40Reflectivity Emissivity of 0.9

WallsType Varies Overall R-value R-29Glazing percentage 42%

Windows U-value 2.11 W/m²·°CSolar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) VariesVisual Transmittance 0.7

LocationLatitude 48° 25'55"Orientation East/west

B U I L D I N G E N V E L O P E

Rainwater entering the greenway. 100% of all sewage will be treated on-site at the wastewater treatment facility.

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30 and 60 years old, and most of the units have one or two bedrooms. Synergy has also been designed to meet adaptable housing guidelines, allowing for aging in place. In addi-tion to attracting a range of ages, affordable housing units (rental) in Synergy are aimed at those with incomes of $30,000 to $60,000.

Synergy was constructed for an approximately $24 million

Synergy townhouse patios, as seen from the greenway. The project uses rainwater leaders to direct building runoff to the cen-tral greenway. The greenway is designed to mimic natural systems by keeping water on land for as long as possible. The greenway also polishes and conveys the treated efflu-ent from the wastewater treatment plant.

DOCKS IDE B IOMASS GAS IF ICAT ION PLANT

Clean wood waste

Peak of 1.1 tonnes /hr

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+Sale to Hotel

District Energy SystemThe district heating strategy was a concept that came out of initial master planning discussions. The vision statement for the project meant that the cleanest, most cost-effective solution for energy produc-tion needed to be found. Without access to reliable wind power and a long payback for solar technologies in the overcast Pacific Northwest, a waste-to-energy plant became the obvious choice.

Initial costing suggested that the economy of scale for district energy was most fea-sible using clean wood waste, as it was plentiful in the region. Gasification technol-ogy had been successfully implemented and improved upon in Sweden over the past 30 years. And, waste-to-energy gasification technology had become the cornerstone for Sweden’s greenhouse gas reduction and

would prove to be the most environmentally and economically sound means for heat production at Dockside Green.

The thermo-chemical process of gas-ification uses heat to convert a carbon-containing fuel into a cleaner burning gas. Gasification differs from combustion (or incineration) because it uses just 20% to

30% of the air or oxygen needed for com-plete fuel combustion. During gasification, the amount of air supplied to the gasifier is controlled so only a portion of the fuel burns. This reduced air combustion pro-cess provides sufficient heat to chemically break down the balance of the fuel into synthetic gas (syngas).

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Water Conservation•�Uses�no�municipal�potable�water�for�irrigation; rainwater or reclaimed site black water is used instead

•�100%�of�all�sewage�will�be�treated�on-site�at the wastewater treatment facility

•�Water�is�reused�for�toilet�flushing,� green roof irrigation and to replenish the waterway and pond features

•�Achieves�a�67%�reduction�in�potable� water use over baseline by using dual flush toilets, low flow sinks, showers, and by providing greywater from the wastewater treatment facility

Recycled materials•Recycling�is�easily�accessible

•Achieved�a�96.02%�construction�waste�diversion rate

•�Achieved�an�average�of�17.08%�recycled�content in the building materials

•�Achieved�an�average�of�23.9%� local/regional materials

•�Renewable materials�incorporated

Daylighting•�Provides�daylight�for�99%�of�regularly�occupied spaces and views for 97%�of spaces

Operations•�Implements�a�green�housekeeping� plan, developer provided six months of eco-certified cleaning products

•�Green�guidelines�and�product�literature�are distributed

•�Offers�site�tours�and�on-site�signage

•�Uses�operable�windows,�temperature� and lighting controls

Other Major Sustainable Features•�Meets�the�requirements�of�ASHRAE�Standard 62-2001�

•�Smoke-free�in�all�common�areas�of�the building�

•�Monitors�carbon�dioxide�(CO2)

•�Follows�a�stringent�IAQ�plan�and�testing�

•�Uses�low�VOC�adhesives,�paints,�coatings�and sealants in addition to low emitting carpet and urea-formaldehyde free composite wood products

•�In�compliance�with�ASHRAE�Standard�55-2004

•�Erosion�and�sedimentation�control�plan�was developed

•�Site�is�on�former�industrial�brownfield�land�

•�Provides�site�density�of�over�23,000 m2/ha (5,280 ft2/acre)

•�Located�within�800�meters�of�area amenities�

•�Walking�distance�to�public�transportation�

•�Bicycle�storage�and�change�rooms�are provided�

•�Two�high-efficiency�fuel�vehicles�are�provided

•�Has�a�29%�reduction�in�parking�requirements

•�Restores�open�space�through�use�of�green roofs

•�Total�site�area�restored�is�184,697�ft2 and is 53% of the remaining site area (excluding the building footprint)

•�Rainwater�management�visibly�demonstrates rainfall capture on buildings and flow from the buildings to the central waterway and to the harbor

•�Rainwater�harvesting�is�used�for�site irrigation�

•�Approximately�90%�of�all�parking�located underground.�

•�Combines�green�roofs�with�high�albedo�roofing materials for 76% of roof surfaces

KEY SUSTAINABLE FEATURES FOR DOCKSIDE GREEN

Balance

Insight

Farmer Construction Inspiration

Water Treatment Plant

Synergy

Biomass Plant

DOCKS IDE GREEN OVERALL S ITE PLAN

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The building has a recycling room for organic waste collection and strategic partnerships have been forged with local organizations for material diversion. The compost-ing plan meant that sink garbage disposals were unnecessary, saving

with reclaimed water from the site in the summer.

Three distinct construction types were used at Synergy. Due to con-struction schedule and contractor familiarity, one townhouse building used traditional wood frame con-struction. The nine- and six-story buildings used cast-in-place con-crete, while the four-story building piloted the use of insulated concrete forms (ICF).

The use of ICF was piloted on Synergy as its use was new on Vancouver Island. The design and development team wanted to show-case an emerging technology; how-ever, due to the increased cost of construction on the Island, ICF won’t likely compete financially with cast-in-place concrete on future phases.

Diversion of waste during con-struction (greater than 95%) was augmented by an organics compost-ing program. Workers composted the leftovers from their lunches. This organics collection and composting was integrated into the project.

(Canadian). From north to south, there is a nine-story residential tower with allowance for commercial units on the ground floors; a two-story townhouse building; a six-story build-ing with minor commercial units on the ground floor and a second four-story residential building.

Synergy has access to the green-way and the footpath that crosses the Dockside Lands from south to north. A naturalized creek at the center of the greenway is charged

Above Synergy tower shading devices. Additional energy-saving features include ENERGY STAR appliances, heat recovery ventilation units, low-e double glazed win-dows and exterior solar shades on the south and west faces of each building. Interior blinds are provided in each unit.

Right Townhouse decks as seen from the greenway. The Dockside Green community and Synergy buildings function as an entire ecosystem: all systems are fully integrated and interdependent. The greenway itself provides significant public amenity space as well as habitats for local wildlife.

S Y N E R G Y E N E R G Y U S E

Heat Electricity (kWh) (kWh)*

Jan 92,209 19,133

Feb 70,749 110,212

Mar 72,149 31,124

Apr 55,530 100,993

May 38,970 29,125

Jun 28,030 91,553

Jul 25,000 31,190

Aug 23,700 87,012

Sep 27,290 29,689

Oct 46,740 88,121

Nov 92,979 32,507

Dec 104,009 113,167

Total 677,355 763,826

2010 Total 1,441,181

* Data shown is actual BC Hydro billing data. This billing data does not represent usage during the given months shown, only the amount billed

during that monthly utility billing cycle.

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water. Clearly labeled and acces-sible bins make it easy for residents to separate waste for recycling.

Energy Reduction StrategiesCentral to Synergy’s energy effi-ciency are a selection of high per-formance building strategies cou-pled with district energy efficien-cies. The design of a high perfor-mance envelope along with passive solar oriented buildings ensured that the heating and ventilation sys-tems could be right sized. Daylight penetration through the whole site is enhanced by the stepped and bro-ken building forms.

penetration typically minimizes shadowing. However, sometimes shadowing is desired. To accom-modate this and to reduce solar heat gain within buildings, horizontal sun shades and deciduous trees are used on south and south/west fac-ing façades. Shading devices are designed to reflect light in winter and to provide shade in summer.

Through a combination of ther-mally broken double glazed low-e

The building masses have been oriented in an east/west direction to maximize the spaces between for light penetration while minimizing east/west building faces and solar heat gain. Open plazas are placed to maximize sun exposure while landscape is developed to maximize winter solar penetration while pro-viding shading during the summer.

Shadowing goes hand in hand with light penetration. Maximizing light

Above Green roof overlooking Victoria’s downtown core. Green roofs are used exten-sively throughout Synergy. They provide residents with amenity spaces, and garden plots reduce storm water runoff and urban heat island effect.

Below Synergy towers provide shade for adjacent townhouses. Taller buildings are oriented on an east/west axis to take advantage of passive solar gains. The shades are designed to automatically retract during a windstorm to ensure the fabric does not get damaged.

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(DHW) for heating, and domestic cold water makeup for summer cool-ing preheats the DHW.

While this system does not provide year-round cooling, a system to chill water could be added for a full cool-ing system. In winter, the district heating system provides all DHW.

A reduction in overall lighting power density (average of 0.6 W/ft²), and use of ENERGY STAR labeled appliances throughout, contributed to overall electrical savings. Energy

The buildings use two condensing 90.5% efficient boilers as backup to the district energy plant. Boilers were initially installed as the project was completed before the construction of the district heating system. The exhaust air from the washrooms is centrally exhausted through a heat recovery wheel with an effectiveness of 81%. There is no vapor-compression cooling equipment, but a four-pipe fan coil system using domestic hot water

argon-filled glazing, and a doubling of insulation values over code requirements (average of R-29 for walls and R-40 for roof), the project significantly reduced heat gains and losses compared to a baseline building. Operable shading devices were also used to limit south and west solar heat gain. The supplied shades are designed to automati-cally retract during a windstorm to ensure that the fabric does not get damaged.

B I O M A S S G A S I F I C AT I O N A N D W A S T E W AT E R T R E AT M E N T S Y S T E M

GREY/BLACK WATER

TREATED WATER

MUNICIPAL WASTE WATER

MUNICIPALWASTE WATER

DOCKSIDEWASTE WATER

UV BANK

AEROBICDIGESTER

DEWATERINGEQUIPMENT

SETTLINGTANK

MEMBRANE/ FILTER BANK

TREATED WATERSTORAGE TANK

TOILETIRRIGATION SYSTEMSGREEN ROOF

TYPICAL BATHROOM

WASTE WATER TREATMENT FACILITY

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SCRAP WOOD IS DELIVEREDTO THE BIOMASS GASIFICATION PLANT

UNTREATED WOODAND MILL RESIDUE

BIOMASS GASIFICATIONCONVERTS SCRAP WOOD TO PROVIDE USABLEGRADE HEAT

HEAT

HARBOUR ROAD

100% OF ON-SITE HEAT AND HOT WATERFOR DOCKSIDE

District energy and water systems. Dockside uses bioreactor tanks and filter membranes to treat all sewage on-site, making it virtually drinking water quality. Treated water is used for irrigation and flushing of toilets, reducing the project’s potable water consumption by 67%. Synergy received all Energy + Atmosphere credits under LEED NC Canada.

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from the cost effectiveness of the centralized wood-powered biomass gasification plant. Synergy was completed in 2008, but the district energy system didn’t come online until early in 2009, so the project ran for a short time on the backup natural gas boilers.

Actual PerformanceSynergy’s overall energy performance in 2009 was 29.2 kBtu/ft², with con-sumption going down in 2010 to 27.6 kBtu/ft². These values are based on electrical utility readings (British Columbia Hydro) and biomass central plant readings (Corix also included the small amount of natural gas from early 2009).

This energy performance is con-sistently better than the LEED compliance energy model assump-tion of 32 kBtu/ft². While the actual electrical performance was close to

metering and monitoring equipment was installed in all suites giving resi-dents real-time energy information about their unit and allowing for con-trol or shut off of suite energy sys-tems remotely. Studies have shown giving residents access to monitoring information typically reduces energy use by up to 20%.

The combination of a high per-formance envelope and HVAC efficiencies suggested that the building would perform 58% better (by cost) than the Canadian Model National Energy Code for Building (MNECB). This is roughly equivalent to 52% better than ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-1999 and was good enough for eight out of 10 Optimize Energy Performance points under LEED Canada NC 1.0.

The final two energy points and all onsite renewable energy credits (three out of three credits) came

B U I L D I N G T E A M

Building Owner/Representative VanCity Credit Union

Architect Perkins+Will Canada

General Contractor Farmer Construction Inc

Mechanical Engineer Stantec

Electrical Engineer Stantec

Energy Modeler Stantec

Structural Engineer Read Jones Christoffersen

Civil Engineer Worley Parsons Komex and RCL Consulting

Environmental Consultant Aqua-Tex Scientific Consultants

Landscape Architect PWL Partnership Landscape Architects

LEED Consultant Perkins+Will Canada

The green roofs and rooftop gardens were a huge success. However, the northern-most gardens are shaded during the sum-mer by the mechanical penthouse, so most of the gardeners found that area to be a less desirable location.

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what was predicted in the energy model, the biomass gasification heating system was either more efficient than anticipated or heating demands were lower than predicted.

It was anticipated that Synergy would use 919,000 kWh of biomass energy whereas only 764,000 kWh was required of the central plant in 2009 and only 677,000 kWh in 2010.

ConclusionWhile the design of Synergy has helped contribute to the energy performance of the project, it has become evident from actual energy consumption data and the level of engagement the residents have taken, that behavior cannot be ignored in high performing build-ings. The real-time energy and water data available to residents on their personal computers has helped them make good choices about their usage.

The project has seen lower than modeled energy use with the num-bers continuing downward in 2010. While commissioning, weather and operational factors are likely at play, there is no question that the residents at Synergy deserve some of the credit for its success as a high performing building. •

A B O U T T H E A U T H O R

Michael Driedger, LEED Canada AP BD+C, is a sustainability building advi-sor at Perkins+Will Canada.

L E S S O N S L E A R N E D

As Synergy was the first phase in this multi-phased development, many of the lessons learned have already been applied to Phase 2 (Balance).

While the angled awnings at Synergy func-tion well, they are more sensitive to wind conditions and frequently retract into a pro-tected position. As a result, during windy days that also see direct solar gain on glaz-ing, the shades often automatically retract to protect them rather than shield the building from solar gain. Vertically mounted horizontal blinds were used at Balance with a greater number of days of direct solar protection achieved.

The first phase of Dockside was an oppor-tunity to use some innovative materials such as wheat board and bamboo. Due to warranty callbacks from delamination in some units, these products were not used at Balance.

In an attempt to right size mechanical equipment, fan-coil terminals were largely selected as one roll row coil units. In retrospect, the negligible cost increase of two roll coils would have allowed for extra system capacity should additional heating or cooling capacity be necessary.

Synergy was designed with only a minor amount of mechanical cooling, relying on passive strategies involving oper-able windows and seasonal free cooling. Residential buildings without cooling are the norm in the mild climate of Victoria, however, the realities of climate change

may necessitate some form of mechani-cal cooling. In addition, code require-ments (which only allow a 4 in. opening due to fall hazards with children), along with some residents requesting operable windows with manual controls on the clearstory level rather than the view level (making them higher than 7 ft from the floor level), has limited the ability to use natural ventilation in some suites.

The project’s green roofs and rooftop gardens were a huge success, with all the garden plots being claimed before all units were sold. However, the northern-most gardens are shaded during the summer by the mechanical penthouse. While there are some shade plants that grow well in shady areas, most of the gardeners found this area a less desirable location. Greater consideration for rooftop garden-ing would have created a more democratic distribution of plots.

While not necessarily a lesson learned on Synergy, there was a missed opportunity with the recycling room (made evident by its innovative use on Balance). Because of the larger recycling area and large invit-ing loading area, the space has become the social hub at Balance for residents and non-residents. The tenants received a grant to install millwork and paint a mural in the windowless space. This sorting area is also used as an educational space for neighborhood recycling programs, and has made our design teams reconsider these often forgotten spaces.

Interior view of typical Synergy suite. Throughout the design process an emphasis was placed on regional natural materials for all interior finishes. The quality and amount of natural light was central to all space design.

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Airtightness testing of homes has been around for more than 20 years. Various energy programs and fluctuating energy bills have provided homeowners an incentive to improve the airtightness of their homes. Energy tax credits can also be received by the homeowner but only if the house airtightness has been verified that it is less leaky after remodeling than before.

Efforts to make commercial buildings more energy efficient in the US has only recently been incorporated into various “green” initiatives. Tests of commercial buildings show that they tend to be more leaky than the average house, based on air leakage per square foot of surface area. That means that commercial buildings are less energy efficient than the average house.

To measure the actual airtightness of a large building means more air is needed to maintain a reasonable test pressure. The Energy Conservatory, a leader in airtightness testing, has kits available to directly measure more than 18,000 cubic feet per minute of airleakage. Multiple kits and fans can be used simultaneously to generate

more air for accurate and reliable measurements of air leakage for testing before and after retrofitting.

For more information on multi-fan systems, contact:The Energy Conservatory612-827-1117 or visit our website at www.energyconservatory.com

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