Contract - September 2011 - (Page 46)

sustainable model sustainability Touted as the most energy efficient office building in Canada, Enermodal establishes a benchmark By John Czarnecki Photography by Shai Gil An engineering firm’s office may not seem to be the type of space that thrills, it’s true. But that’s not why the office of Enermodal, a leading engineering consulting firm dedicated to green building, is profiled here. Enermodal’s headquarters in Kitchener, Ontario, just west of Toronto, is considered the most energy efficient office building in Canada. It’s a model, really, for an office building and interior that can be designed and built sustainably with a wide range of unique features from the exterior structure to the interior finishes. Founded in 1980, Enermodal Engineering is Canada’s largest consulting company exclusively dedicated to green buildings and communities. The firm assists and leads design teams through the process of LEED® certification. For example, Enermodal consulted on the sustainable design of Corus Quay (featured on page 36) in Toronto, and was instrumental in that project attaining LEED Gold. When Enermodal needed a new headquarters, company president Stephen Carpenter knew that his building would need to be an exemplar of sustainable design. Carpenter was the first chair of the Canada Green Building Council’s technical advisory group, after all, and co-authored the original LEED Canada Reference Guide. He hired Robertson Simmons Architects of Kitchener to design the new headquarters, a reversal from the norm of the engineer acting as consultant to the architect. “It’s unusual for us to be The building’s length and large windows (top) allow a generous amount of daylight to penetrate the interior. In the reception (above), the flooring is composed of beech reclaimed from a demolished Toronto building. The reception desktop is constructed of Richlite, a paper-based composite. An interior stairwell in the atrium (opposite) connects all three floors, and its skylights supplement daylight filtering in through the windows of offices and meeting rooms. Near the skylight, an automated louver exhausts hot air from the building in summer. Inspired by the Grand River, a kiln-fired glass sculpture called “A Grander Flow” was created for the atrium wall by California-based artist Deanna Marsh. 46 contract september 2011 www.contractdesign.com http://www.contractdesign.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - September 2011

Contract - September 2011
Contents
Editorial
Industry News
Product Briefs: Sustainable
Product Focus: Here Comes the Sun
Product Focus: Cream of the Crop
Memory Museum
Triple Threat
Mission Sustainable
Model of Sustainability
Desert Oasis
LEED by Example
Cooking Light
Trends: The Resilient Workplace
Ideas: Chair History
Designers Select: Boardroom Furnishings
Sources
Ad Index
Perspectives: Steven M. Davis, Faia, Aedas

Contract - September 2011