Humber Deep Energy Retrofit

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The Humber Campus has pursued a series of deep energy retrofits as part of its Integrated Energy Masterplan. Building N, Nx, and H are the latest examples of achievement in sustainable architecture and engineering, with building Nx recently becoming the first retrofit building in Canada to achieve Zero Carbon Building (ZCB) certification, and is currently pursuing Passive House certification. Involved as a key member of the design team (building N, Nx, H) and technical lead on building Nx, the collaboration between Humber College, B+H Architects, Morrison Hershfield (structural, mechanical, electrical and envelope specialists), and RDH energy modelling groups led a building retrofit that resulted in a 70% reduction in annual energy use (64 kWh/m2), making it one of the most energy efficient buildings in Canada and the world. The difficulty of the existing condition and its landlocked arrangement with adjacent campus buildings was overcome by approaching the design from the principles of Passive House envelope criteria: air tightness, thermal continuity, energy use, and most importantly, occupant comfort. The replacement of glass block, removal of external vestibules, and removal of an atrium skylight allowed for a reduction in external surface areas, a reduction in window-to-wall ratio from 40% to 15%, and an increase in usable floor area. With it's ultra high performance envelope and integrated design approach, the building is not only able to improve occupant comfort, but it has also become a net energy producer for the campus with its photovoltaic roof system. Together with the rest of the high efficiency building upgrades on the campus, building Nx has become a symbol of what is possible to help meet the global call to reduce energy use and green house gas emissions (GHG).

Project Role: Technical Design Lead (Concept to Construction)

Location: Toronto, Canada

Client: Humber College