ASHRAE Journal - November 2022 - 41

SECOND PLACE | 2022 ASHRAE TECHNOLOGY AWARD CASE STUDIES
FIGURE 2 Heat extraction from NEU.
FIGURE 3 Heat injection to NEU.
Cooling
Heating
Heat Pumps
Hot
Tank
HP
Cold
Tank
Hot
Tank
Cooling
Heat Pumps
HP
Cold
Tank
Winter
Summer
Vancouver District Heating
This was the fi rst time an energy user had proposed
rejecting heat to NEU . They saw the environmental
potential and accepted the proposal. During the last year
of operation, twice as much heat has been rejected to the
loop than the building heating requirements, making it
the fi rst building that is an energy producer to NEU. The
MEC Vancouver building results in a reduction of 6 tons
of CO2 yearly.
Introduction
The Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) retail building
is located at the gateway of the Olympic Village
neighborhood in Vancouver, Canada. The project was
conceived to embody the brand and values of the client,
with sustainability at the forefront as LEED Gold and
Salmon-Safe.
The building includes two stories of retail and offi ces
on the third fl oor and three levels of underground parking.
The total area of these fl oors is 9 972 m2 (107,300 ft2).
Parking and all back-of-house services (loading and
garbage) were intentionally moved underground to
reduce operational impact on laneway traffi c. The three
levels of parking below grade include spots for 148 cars,
two Class B loading bays and one Class A loading bay.
There are 129 bicycle stalls and 16 charging stations for
electric vehicles.
The building aboveground has a wooden structure and
large and open main stairs to access the retail second
fl oor. This two-story interior atrium provides expansive
views of the structure.
Above the two-story retail spaces are administrative
offi ces with generous fenestration and a terrace. These
offi ce spaces have high ceilings, and radiant heating
and cooling panels act as a ceiling to increase occupant
comfort.
Vancouver District Heating
The high-performance building has high insulation
and air tightness, designed to use 1/3 less energy than
the National Energy Code for Buildings (NECB). This
allows the building to sell excess energy to the NEU
heating network-the fi rst to do so in Vancouver. A fl at
central blue roof for water collection is used in the
graywater system. Water-effi cient landscaping strategies
include two green roofs and a bioswale fi ltration
system.
The building was designed with an integrated design
process, which involved having the entire design team,
owner and contractor around the table before any lines
were drawn. The objective of the client was clearly
expressed: to design an effi cient building that would
offer customers and employees an environment with
thermal, visual and acoustical comfort, high indoor air
quality and energy effi ciency within a defi ned construction
and life cycle budget.
The following outdoor design conditions were used:
* Heating outside condition: -7.0°C (19.4 °F)
* Cooling outside condition: DB 25.0°C (77.0°F)/
MCWB 18.2°C (64.8°F)
The following inside design conditions were used for
the design of the electromechanical systems and are
consistent with the ASHRAE Standard 55 -2004 values
for summer and winter comfort temperature.
* Winter: minimum 21.1°C (70°F)
* Summer: maximum 26.7°C (80°F)
The assumed air speed was ≤40 fpm (0.2 m/s) for people
wearing 1.0 clo (winter) and 0.5 clo (summer) clothing
during primarily sedentary activity (≤ 1.1 MET).
The result of the energy performance of the building
considering the heat supplied to the city heating network
(NEU) that will be used by the neighbors for their
domestic hot water needs, the net energy consumption
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ASHRAE Journal - November 2022

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