On September 16, the ASHRAE BC Chapter hosted a tour of the new Vancouver Convention Centre. Ross Alger, Jacob Allen, Dr. Nima Atabaki, and myself were priveliged to take part in this tour as representatives of the UBC Student Chapter.
The evening began with a social mixer, followed by presentations on the building architecture and mechanical systems, and finally a behind the scenes tour. The mechanical systems were designed to improve building efficiency by only heating and cooling the areas that are being used. For example, when we moved from the hallway where the social mixer was being held into the conference room, the system closed the damper in the hallway and opened the damper in the conference room. Although this is a simple concept, the controls behind this operation are relatively complex.
Another key feature of the Convention Centre was the green roof, which was irrigated by treated black water. This green roof is the largest non-industrial living roof in North America, and it helps to reduce the thermal load on the building. Other features we were impressed with were the open loop sea water heating and cooling, and the fish habitat that was built into the foundations. All in all, we were very impressed with the whole event, and I strongly encourage everyone to take part in the next ASHRAE BC meeting which will be held on October 14 at the Croatian Cultural Centre.
Best Regards,
Jeff Snow
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