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Technology

Acoustical challenges in green buildings

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Post occupancy evaluations reveal that the acoustics in sustainable commercial interiors are typically worse than that of their traditional counterparts, a deficiency the United States Green Building Council is attempting to address with the introduction of LEED® Pilot Credit 24: Acoustics in November, 2010.

While an acoustic credit certainly helps draw attention to this vital aspect of workplace performance, it is also important to have a firm understanding of the elements involved in providing speech privacy and controlling noise, and why many of the current strategies used to improve airflow, temperature regulation, energy conservation and daylighting tend to lower acoustic performance.

The ABC Rule provides a good framework for this discussion. This acronym stands for the principal methods used by building professionals to achieve effective acoustics: absorb, block and cover.

Many green buildings feature an exposed deck. While it may assist with temperature regulation and day lighting, this tactic also eliminates what is often the most significant source of absorption in a facility: a suspended ceiling. Ideally, open spaces should feature a ceiling tile with at least a 0.75 Noise Reduction Coefficient. Tiles used in closed spaces should have a high Ceiling Attenuation Class, because they will be better at containing sounds.

If this route is not taken, absorption needs to be provided by other means. Even adding absorptive panels to 30 percent of the deck will have some impact. Another option is to use vertical baffles. If a concrete deck is not being used to implement passive heating/cooling, but an open ceiling is still desired, an alternative is to use a perforated and corrugated metal deck with an absorptive material placed behind the perforations before the concrete is poured.

Workstation panels should also be absorptive – at least on the inside, above the work surface – in order to reduce the volume of the occupant’s voice before it is reflected into the space. If the space is narrow in order to promote natural light penetration, absorptive wall panels should also be used in order to prevent sounds from ricocheting between the exterior wall and core.

Soft flooring should be used to reduce footfall or ‘traffic’ noise.

Block

 

Green buildings generally feature a large percentage of open plan. In these areas, the height of workstation panels is essential to blocking noise. Panels should extend beyond seated head height (60 to 65 inches) or they will do little more than hold up the desks. If day lighting is a concern, compromise by using absorptive panels to a 48-inch height and top them with 12 inches of glass or another transparent material. Also ensure that the panels have a high Sound Transmission Class and that they are well-sealed along any joints, with no significant opens between or below them.

In order to reduce waste, many green designs use movable walls to create private offices and meeting rooms. However, these walls may not provide the level of sound isolation needed from one space to another. Gaps along the ceiling, exterior walls and floor should be addressed during installation. A good septum dividing each side of the wall is also advisable in order to prevent sound leakage along any cable raceways.

Cover

Many people believe they will achieve effective acoustics by implementing just these first two strategies: absorbing and blocking noise. While important, these methods simply reduce and contain noise. The final step of the ABC Rule involves ensuring that the background sound level in the space is sufficient to provide speech privacy and reduce the amount of disruption caused by the remaining noises in the space.

The background sound level in most conventional offices is already too low. The use of high-efficiency heating and cooling systems means that it is generally even lower in green buildings. Conversations and noises can easily be heard, even from afar, and are more disruptive. These problems are exacerbated when open windows are used to assist with air circulation, allowing exterior sounds to drift inside.

A networked sound masking system should be used to replenish the background sound level and maintain it at an appropriate volume, which is typically between 40 and 48 dBA in commercial interiors.

This type of system consists of a series of loudspeakers that are usually installed in a grid-like pattern in or above the ceiling. Unlike airflow, the sound they distribute is continuous and has been specifically engineered to increase speech privacy. Masking also covers up intermittent noises or reduces their impact by decreasing the amount of change between the baseline and peak volumes, improving overall acoustical comfort. Finally, by using a networked masking system, users have the flexibility to easily make adjustments to its setup as their needs change (e.g. volume changes in a specific area).

Attention to acoustics does not have to be at odds with sustainability. Indeed, one could argue that providing a fully functional environment is vital to creating a truly ‘green’ space: one that, as the U.S. Green Building Council stipulates, not only wastes minimal resources, but is also healthy and nurturing to occupants. Though applying the ABCs incurs some cost, even a small positive impact on productivity can easily outweigh this initial investment.

About the author

Niklas Moeller is vice-president of K.R. Moeller Associates Ltd., a global developer and manufacturer of sound masking system, LogiSon Acoustic Network (www.logison.com). K.R. Moeller is headquartered in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. He can be reached at nmoeller@logison.com.

Trends

Installing a House

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During winter on January 25, 2012, Nexterra Green Homes installed a house in North York, Ontario in just one afternoon and evening. That’s right, ‘installed’ rather than ‘built.’  It was a modular prefabricated home. The difference between this house in 2012 and prefabs installed during the past 50 years might be the price tag. This Ray Kappe design sells for about $1.7 million. Three more modular homes will be installed on the same site.

For pre-fabs to make a comeback and become the next big thing, you might think they would have to represent a less expensive way to build. In fact, despite the hefty asking price on this first Senlac Avenue home, it is competitive in its neighbourhood, and there are a lot of good reasons to look at factory built construction.

THE NEXT BIG THING?

“I don’t think in the future every house will be a pre-built modular,” says Nexterra’s Gary Lands, “But I think there will be more homes built this way and in particular there will be more modules used, perhaps in combination with site-building.”  He points out several advantages, such as total construction time, reduction of waste material and minimal weather damage during construction.

The house in question was installed in a single day, but of course total construction time is more like six months. It took only about 6 working days for a large team of factory tradesmen in Indiana to build the modules, but this could not begin until all materials and parts had been received at the plant. Ordering and receiving these was a two-month process. In addition, the building site had to be prepared, the basement built, and utility work completed. The difference is that this process could be undertaken simultaneously with the factory creation of the upper floor modules, rather than on the traditional linear construction timeline. You don’t wait for the basement to be complete before starting the upper levels.

BUILT IN HALF THE TIME

In both cases, once the shell is in place, finishing begins and takes months. The first Senlac house will be shown for sale in early April, about 11 weeks after installation. Because the modules arrived with windows already installed and most of the external facing in place, this was faster than usual too. Not bad for a three-storey 2,130 square foot detached house with 10 foot ceilings, four bedrooms, 3.5 baths, finished 9 ft high basement, two-car garage, plus multi-level exterior decks.

“I think if it was not a modular home, this particular house would have taken about a year to build, or about twice as long,” says Lands, “This is significant if you think about the cost of capital.”

SOLIDLY BUILT

“And there are other advantages.  In a climate controlled and quality controlled factory environment, there is less chance of human error caused by bitter cold, high winds or precipitation. Tradesmen are patient and precise. They usually live near the factory so there is reduced cost of travel and reduced worker stress. There is more control over design execution and the geometry of a box provides strength. The result should be a higher quality home. And it has to be solidly built because it is going to be transported by truck to the site, with the windows already in it.” The North York home travelled about 725 kilometres, then was lifted by cranes from flatbed trucks onto the foundation on-site. Modules were nudged into position with a backhoe.

As with any factory process, it gets more efficient over time. Waste material is more precisely calculated and avoided. Leftover material doesn’t sit in the mud for several weeks. The building itself is exposed to the elements for shorter periods and therefore sustains very little damage during construction that might haunt a builder later. And the neighbours complain less.

LEED PLATINUM

The house is extremely energy efficient and Nexterra expects it will be LEED Gold, or possibly LEED Platinum. It will be heated and cooled using a geothermal system of three 300-foot deep wells. It features a white roof, which reduces energy consumption, and it was built to be solar-ready.

The factory-made envelope is super-insulated using soy-based polyurethane foam insulation. Energy Star® certified fiberglass windows and Energy Star® appliances have been installed. Plumbing fixtures are low-flow and much of the lighting is LED. LEED awards four points for off-site fabrication, and the plan scores high for environmentally preferable products and waste management.

One of the unique features of this long-life house design is a special rain screen system that permits rainwater to flow between exterior panels and the building wrap, allowing air flow between structure layers for effective drying. This means less rot over time because water penetration is minimized.

Not all projects are built on prime ravine lots with premium budgets, but if pre-fabs continue to make a comeback, housebuilding might be able to increase efficiency. Perhaps this will permit more designed-in green and long-life features; in other words home building the way we all know it should be.

HVAC

Rebel With a Cause

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Hurtling Toward Tomorrow

Nothing is slowing him down. He may be in his late sixties but after 43 years in business, George Gronwall is still leading Applewood Air Conditioning into the future at blinding speed. Well, maybe not blinding. But growth is brisk for one of southern Ontario’s largest heating and cooling contractors.

That’s because George has continuously found crafty ways to adapt or lead in a changing world. He has mentored his team of 100+ employees with a mix of old fashioned human values, good customer service, contemporary sustainable technology and unfailing determination. The CEO whose email is theboss@applewood likes to think of himself as a tough operator with a rebellious streak, who loves speed. But his grandchildren know him as a softy who will do anything for them; and his numerous long-term employees describe him as generous and easy going.

In the early days NHL hockey legend Paul Henderson asked him for a deal and George spent a weekend with him drinking beer and installing the system together. “Now instead of beer they pay me with money,” he jokes.

Reducing Waste Since the 1970s

He wanted to study architecture, but he and his young wife, Hope, couldn’t afford schooling. So he established the business in 1970 and named it after his Applewood Hills hometown. The industry was competitive and George was looking for ways to serve customers faster and more economically. In1975 he set up an in-house metal shop so that Applewood could order material in bulk, customize systems quickly, use scrap to make cleats and dampers, and save customers time and money. It worked. The company began to grow. By the 1980s he had already diverted tons of waste from landfill sites.

Now more than 200,000 installations later, Applewood has 50+ trucks on the road and serves all the top builders in southern Ontario. Along the way George added a design-build department, gas fireplace mantle shop, and expertise in all of the newest heating and cooling technologies; including heat recovery ventilators, high efficiency furnaces, geothermal and home automation systems.

George Loves Speed

Success in the trade has allowed George to indulge in another passion: speed. He drives a 525 HP Porsche. “It smokes.” He says. He also rides an Indian Chief Vintage motorcycle when he is in Canada and a Harley Heritage Softail when staying at his condo near Sarasota in Florida. He likes speedboats and racehorses. Right now he owns one racehorse but at his peak owned 16 of them.

He still operates an indoor track where his friends in the racing field can run their horses during the coldest Canadian months. It was considered crazy when he first proposed it, but like many of his ideas it turned out to be a good one.

Rebellion

His rebel streak probably restored sanity to an industry. In the 1990s Lennox and other manufacturers began thinking that to maintain market share they should guarantee customer loyalty by buying up the independent contractors. George didn’t think this was a good idea and he turned out to be correct. He liked the personal touch offered by his family-run company and is proud that even with all their success, customers can call up during 2012 and talk to any of the Gronwalls on the phone without a problem. When it was made he resisted a formidable offer made for Applewood and kept growing the business.

The manufacturers soon realized that becoming an installer didn’t make that much difference to market share, and was a tough business to operate. In addition, they were competing with Applewood, one of the largest installers in Ontario. It wasn’t good for sales. After a few years they sold most of the businesses back to local people, including many of the original owners. George was happy to re-engage them as suppliers.

Charity

“He’s easy to get along with and can be very kind,” says Joel Pearce who manages Applewood’s high-rise and non-residential installations. “Sometimes he lets me and my family use his condo in Sarasota. He has a good heart. We’ve done some charity rides together.” Pearce is talking about the Mattamy Homes Ride for Cancer and several other causes supported by Applewood. “George’s Indian is very fast and George likes to be out in front.” Says Pearce, adding that there is absolutely no truth to the rumour that his own modified Electra-Glide Ultra-Classic Harley is faster than the boss’s machine.

“We install HRVs in most of the units and in medium-rise and hi-rise buildings. This means the pretty inefficient make-up air systems for pressurization in corridors are much smaller.”

 

Sustainability and Leadership

The company is also installing more and more radiant floor heating, tankless water heaters and HEPA filters. The Applewood web site notes that radiant systems are 30% more efficient than forced air and that HEPA filters remove 99.9% of particulates as small as .03 microns.

“We’re moving with the trend toward more mid-rise buildings,” says George. “It’s all about greater density and more energy efficiency.” You can be a follower or you can be a leader. I like speed and I like to be out in front.”

Trends

Passive-Aggressive Home Building

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There are no photovoltaic panels on the roof. There are no solar thermal panels either. But the house on the hill near Black Bank, Ontario is designed to use the sun’s energy in a highly sustainable and pragmatic way.

 

When applied to builder-architects Christine Lolley and Tom Knezic, the term passive-aggressive means they are dedicated to achieving excellence in passive solar design. And they aggressively pursue affordable, local-made systems to include in their building projects.

 

This new-build by Solares Architecture is oriented toward the sun, with a deep summer-shade overhang above large south facing, Canadian-made triple-glazed windows and no north facing windows. Its envelope is so well insulated that its air-tightness score is 1.3 air changes at 50 kPa, compared to 2.0 for LEED Platinum (but not reaching Passivhaus standard at 0.6).

Its heating system is in-floor electric cabling encased in polished concrete, which was built at a fraction of the cost of hydronics. Yet it will still achieve impressive operating costs of just a few hundred dollars per year, as the integrated elements of the overall energy-wise design interact to manage heat energy in cool months, and subdue high temperatures during summer.

 

Beneath the 4” concrete slab are 6” of XPS foam insulation providing R-30, 6” of clear stone gravel for drainage and compacted engineered fill, down to undisturbed soil (There is no basement).

 

The walls were built from Durisol insulated concrete forms made of mineralized recycled wood chips and mineral wool insulation. The design of the block with the insulation to the outside of the wall puts more thermal mass on the inside of the home. They also added 1.5″ of soy spray foam, to achieve R-40 in the walls. The insulated attic below steel roofing achieves R-60. “I love steel roofs for several reasons,” says Lolley. “They achieve a very high heat-reflection co-efficient. They recycle easily, unlike several sets of asphalt shingles over the same time period, which would all go straight to landfill. Steel roofs are warranted for about 50 years, but I’ve seen them last for 70 years or more.”

The mechanical design included a Canadian-made energy recover ventilator that performs at 94%, which was custom-retrofitted with a baffle device to avoid the effects of prevailing north winds. It also included an unvented Bosch clothes dryer, usually used in condominiums. It made sense in this structure, because it actually helps heat the house in winter.

The total heating load for a smallish 1700 square foot 4-bedroom home is about 10 kilowatts, which accounts for the affordable electric bill. “It’s important to keep today’s homes fairly small,” she says. “We need to be creative when we are resolving design challenges, rather than just adding space; which is not really a resolution.” It’s passive solar design, and it’s an aggressive effort to conserve energy.

Sustainability

Enbridge as a Leader in Sustainable Initiatives – Launching the Savings by Design Program

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As a leader in energy efficiency, Enbridge Gas Distribution is one of the largest North American gas companies reaching over 1.9 million customers each year. It is through this leadership that Enbridge strives to bring innovative technologies and programs to builders, developers, and owners within the residential and commercial new construction industry.

 

In January 2012, Enbridge presented the innovative “Savings by Design” initiative for new residential and commercial buildings planned for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Ottawa. Launched in collaboration with Sustainable Buildings Canada, Savings by Design is a program that residential and commercial home builders can apply for to maximize the energy efficiency in buildings. The program is available to project leaders to help offset some of the costs associated with the design and development of new high performance buildings.

Through the SBD program, Enbridge challenges the opportunity to highlight simple outcomes that are often overlooked. The goal of Savings by Design is to maximize energy efficiency of buildings by offering incentives and providing an alternative design approach. The synergy of industry experts and support for new technologies presents to shareholders that sustainability does mean better returns.

 

The commercial sector of  Savings by Design program is divided into three portions: 1. The Integrated Design Process (IDP); 2. Project Development; and 3. Commissioning Stage.

The Integrated Design Process is used to establish how higher-efficiency energy performance levels can be achieved in new construction buildings. This is demonstrated through a comprehensive design charrette and energy modeling process where builders, developers, and stakeholders will recognize their project’s true sustainability and energy savings potential. A highly qualified team of technical experts is devised to help achieve the goals set out and to help identify cost-effective incentives. Support is then available during the Project Development and construction phase for the installation of new technologies and to ensure the project meets its energy performance targets.

 

To make achieving energy performance more affordable, Enbridge provides a “performance” incentive of $.20/m3 of natural gas savings based on modeled energy savings for buildings that achieve the 25% better than 2012 OBC code threshold (to a maximum of $50,000.00).

A complete review of the building is conducted towards the end to verify that all systems are working as designed. The outcome of the energy saving strategies implemented during the construction phase will determine the project’s qualification for the Commissioning Stage. Commissioning incentives are available to support post-construction verification activities and provide the client with the confidence that all technologies will perform as intended.

 

There are many benefits for the Savings by Design program. For the builder, it is the ability to design and construct a building that reaches their energy efficiency goals in a cost-effective manner by working with qualified professionals in the field. Enbridge also provides a risk-free environment to explore new concepts, technologies and construction methods supported by the latest research. And, on top of the many financial incentives, the SBD program offers builders the opportunity to market the green features of their building, further contributing to their bottom line.

 

The final outcome of the SBD process is to work with the building as a system, taking energy to the next level of performance and creating new buildings that not only meet, but exceed the Ontario Building Code. To qualify for the program, your project must be a minimum of 100,000 square feet and located in the Enbridge Gas Distribution franchise area, within the GTA or Ottawa.

 

The overall objective of the Enbridge Residential Savings by Design program is to help residential builders, developers and owners design more energy efficient homes. To support this initiative, Enbridge provides the builder the entire cost of the IDP process, incentive of $2,000.00 for the discovery home built (a minimum of 25% better than 2012 OBC within 3 years) plus additional funding of $2,000.00 per home to a maximum of 50 homes within the 2012 year.

 

In order to remain a leader in the industry, Enbridge is always developing new programs, supporting research,  and implementing state of the art methods in providing more efficient, and cleaner, natural gas technologies. The Savings by Design program is just one of the initiatives Enbridge is promoting and delivering to help their customers receive the best value for their energy dollar.

One of the biggest market concerns to date is the instability of utility costs; the economy becomes a huge factor in sustainable growth, and the need to develop more green technologies becomes a greater challenge. To implement new technologies for sustainable growth, Enbridge has invested over a billion dollars in green electricity projects across Ontario.

 

Two of the most recent technologies Enbridge has put into action include a wind farm in Kincardine, Bruce County, Ontario, as well as the world’s largest Solar Farm located in Sarnia, Ontario. The Enbridge Ontario Wind Farm is a 181.5 MW wind farm developed by Enbridge Ontario Wind Power LP. Spanning over 5,600 hectares of farmland along the shore of Lake Huron, the project uses a total of 110 Vestas V82 wind turbines. The entire wind farm generates over 622,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy per year.1
The Sarnia Solar Farm is the world’s largest photovoltaic solar farm, with 80 megawatts of power, the site generates enough energy to power more than 12,000 homes2 – talk about energy efficiency! Enbridge has also applied for a Biogas initiative, focused on approaching the Ontario Energy Board to progress operations for having Biogas injected into the gas distribution system. The company’s investments in green energy are becoming an increasingly important part of their business and the impacts of their recent operations prove Enbridge’s potential in further advancing Canada’s achievements in sustainable technology.

 

The success of Enbridge’s initiatives is a collaborative effort that gives back to all associated disciplines, and most importantly, the customer. Their continued persistence in implementing sustainable projects reaches both the private and public sector, working to establish a common understanding that better energy efficiency really does mean better savings in the long run. Sustainability can be accessible, and companies like Enbridge help make the population more aware of the advantages of investing and focusing on sustainable technologies.

 

Enbridge is recognized as one of the Global 100 Sustainable Corporations, and focuses on safety, reliability, and achieving the best value for its customers. Their mission is to deliver more than the energy people count on, “we deliver on our promise to help make communities better places to live”3.

 

For more information on the Savings by Design Program please contact Mary Harinck, Program Marketing Manager in Residential and Commercial New Construction for Enbridge, at Mary.Harinck@enbridge.com, or visit www.savingsbydesign.ca.

Uncategorized

A Better Built Home Means a Healthier Lifestyle

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For the community in the Yonge and Sheppard area of Toronto, 84 Norton Avenue may become a field trip destination for sustainable living. Homeowner Jason Alleyne, his wife Paula and son Sebastian are comfortable with being the home’s ambassadors.

“We were living in that property for 4-5 years before we began this journey of reconstruction,” says Jason. “The whole living space was challenged. There were three consecutive winters of basement and roof leaks, and then we uncovered an area of asbestos. Bottom-line, it was just a poorly constructed edifice and we needed to build a new home.”

The experience made the Alleynes think about sustainable living. They didn’t want to live in a home for only five years. For Jason, “It’s about a house built for multiple generations and should work as well today as it will 100 years from now.”

Inspired by the David Suzuki documentary Visions of the Future, the Alleynes, who are actuaries by profession, interviewed some of the architects in the program. One of the key takeaways was the importance of putting everything together from the beginning. To achieve sustainable living, it’s not just a checklist of 88 points to achieve LEED Gold certification. The house has to work as a system.

“There was a lengthy integrated design process,” says builder Mike Manning, President of Greenbilt Homes. “Working alongside architect Paul Dowsett of Sustainable TO and the Alleyens, we built a very technologically advanced home. Some of the features include a 10-kilowatt solar collection system that is part of Ontario’s microFIT program. There is also a geothermal system with radiant floor heating.”

For the Alleynes, having a clean and healthy home was important. “Not having duct work and venting in a home was something we stressed when we were first designing the house,” Jason explains. “The home is constructed with Durisol-insulated concrete forms, which means the building envelope is going to be air tight and well insulated.  We also wanted breathable walls, so instead of covering them with drywall,  a clay finish was added. Obviously we chose LED lighting, and we also made sure there was little off-gassing in the materials we used. Most importantly we wanted to make sure to have a net zero home. So our house would still be functioning – no matter the interruption, it would be able to sustain itself.”

Decisions were always based on an integrated design philosophy.

“All the windows will be triple pane and there’s even grey water recycling,” injects Manning. “The floors are polished concrete, and we are going to use an earth plaster finish on the exterior walls to help the house breath better.  It will also have a metal roof.”

Manning suggests most houses in North America are built for a 50-60 year lifespan.  This one is incorporating a better quality designed home with a generational lifespan. “There’s a little bit of a premium that goes into building a better product – but if you spread those costs over a little longer time, then you really see the benefit of why it is better to build a better building in the first place. And when you can live in a better built home and reap the benefits of a healthier lifestyle – all of a sudden it’s a tangible reason to build better in the first place, ”says Manning.

Building green of course has its challenges. The biggest was finding the right people who understood the designs had to work together.

“Mechanically you have geothermal and radiant floor heating, HRVs and air circulation, electrical and plumbing to contend with. But how do you make it all mix and work together?” points out Manning. “Building a sustainable home is new,” says Jason Alleyne. “Dowsett, our architect, was a great find. But we are all at different levels of understanding of what green building and what sustainable living is – but we are learning together.”

“To build green you need an architect who can design the holistic approach to the structure. You need to find a qualified contractor who understands how to put these pieces together. But the core component of green that actually might stop someone is the value proposition,” says Jason.

Jason believes if that’s the hurdle that’s stopping you, an actuary who’s qualified to help you crunch those numbers can help overcome this concern.

“Our architect Paul Dowsett has picked up on that,” says Jason. “Clients are stumbling on the most important pillar – can I actually afford to do this?  If we can get people past that hurdle – sustainable living and building green is attainable for the masses.”

As Mike Manning sees it, “Building green is an à la carte menu – there is no formula that you have to buy into. People can get involved as far as they feel comfortable. But consider the changes to the Ontario Building Code (OBC), as of January 2012. The OBC used to be lower and now it’s come up to the ENERGY STAR level. LEED, as another certification, can go even higher than that. Now people have an opportunity to shop, and compare a conventional built product and a better-built product for really not much more  – it’s a no brainer. People will always go for the better product.”