The Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation was conceived to meet the urgent need for tradespeople, site managers and construction workers who are skilled in the practices of sustainable building.

The building’s design realizes one of the most advanced sustainablility standards in the world: the Living Building Challenge version 1.3 (LBC). It is the largest building to date to do so. The integrated design team recognized that achieving a facility with net-zero energy and water consumption, as required for Living Building certification, requires a three-pronged approach to energy and water use: conserve, capture and create. Additionally, the design had to be highly adaptable, so that as time passes, new technologies can easily replace old, ensuring relevance and currency with the changing curriculum. All project features are designed around these realities.

The most exhilarating aspect of the Centre of Excellence is that the building itself will be used extensively as part of the teaching curriculum. The design allows most aspects of the building and its systems to be accessible and demonstrable, and live building data will be available to learn from. To encourage conservation and behavioural adaptation, energy use will be metered at each classroom, workshop, office and other areas. Real-time energy usage will be demonstrated in each space using red/yellow/green indicators and full LED displays showing comprehensive data.

The Centre of Excellence is a living experiment in sustainable innovation, and a testament to the power of integrated design. We hope the lessons learned from its design, construction and ongoing operations will educate its students and inspire other communities to follow suit, resulting in a building that lives up to its name.

Energy Conservation Features

Other Sustainability Features

Drawings

96%	ESTIMATED REDUCTION IN ENERGY USE	National Average Energy Use Intensity (EUI): 1,696 MJ/m2 (471 ekWh/m2)
		Building's EUI: 70.18 MJ/m2 (19.49 ekWh/m2)



	natural stack effect A series of five 14-metre high ventilation chimneys along the spine of the building use the natural stack effect of warm buoyant air to draw air through the building. [ CLICK FOR DETAILS ]



	timber frame construction The building is timber-framed, thereby significantly reducing the embodied energy, and uses nearly 100% BC sourced wood. In response to the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic, much of the wood is from beetle-infested forests in the BC Interior. [ CLICK FOR Products & Materials ]



	Solatubes Vertical light pipes illuminate deep plan spaces such as washrooms, store rooms and parts of the workshops. [ CLICK FOR Solar Shading, Daylight & Lighting ]



	photovoltaic solar panels The Jim Pattison Centre has the largest array of photovoltaic solar panels for a non-utility organization in Western Canada. [ CLICK FOR Other Features & Measures ]



	composite concrete and glulam wood panels These innovative panels contain piping for heating and cooling and are the first of their kind in North America. [ CLICK FOR Heating, Cooling & Ventilation ]



	site plan The entire Penticton site was reconfigured to remove vehicles from the heart of the campus and create a vibrant new entrance with priority access to pedestrians and cyclists. [ CLICK FOR drawing ]

Annual Energy Consumption – Energy Use Intensity (EUI)

Energy Sources for Building’s Energy Use

The rooftop first phase photovoltaic array is calculated to generate 43 kWh/m2/yr. The energy demand for the building is calculated at 63 ekWh/m2/yr (IES energy model).*

* Energy data is currently being measured and has yet to complete a full seasonal cycle.

Frame Construction and Carbon Footprint

Wood construction of the Jim Pattison Centre results in a relatively low carbon footprint compared to an equivalent steel or concrete framed building.