The University of Victoria(UVic)is with a project poised to draw attentionin the architectural and engineering communitywell beyond B.C.’s capital.
Designed by DIALOG, thedevelopmentincludes a six-storey expansion to the EngineeringandComputer Science (ECSE)buildingandthepurpose-built High Bay ResearchandStructures Lab (HBRSL).
While the two buildings will be constructed of mass timber and target net-zero goals, what is novel is the architect’s “deep collaboration”with numerous professors and research staff to devise a network ofabout1,000 sensors tomeasure building performance in real time, saysEsteban MatheusofDIALOG.
The instrumented “living labs” will play a role in the academic curriculum and climate research at the university, he says.
The sensors measure areas such as the foundation for settlement, stormwater management, people movementin the building, indoor airqualityand radiative temperature.
Real-time temperature and humidity data will berecordedacross the entire building envelope, says Matheus.
Thestructural mass timber will be measured for stress and humidity.
“You can get a trend (stress patterns) over the building’s lifespan…to help structural engineers regrade that member for use in future structures.”
Martin Nielsen,apartneratDIALOG, says while engineers model building performance, researchers at UVic will also measure,correlateand verify the data.
“Imagine when the wind blows or there is a minor seismic event,they’llactually beable to see what impact that has on the building.Wearelearning from the building.”
Nielsensays heisnot aware of any buildingsthat have“gone to this level”of design.
TheECSE expansion is a mass timber hybrid, consisting ofCLT floor panels and a steel structure.Almost entirelymass timber, theresearchand structures lab includes glulam beams and columns, CLT floorplates and a steel and concrete seismic brace system.
KalesnikoffMass TimberandLumber supplied the material installed by Kinsol Timber Systems Ltd. for both buildings.
Matheus says theECSE’sexisting atrium was extended and vertically connected on the six floors to theaddition. It wasa difficult taskthatrequiredalternative solutions because of building code restrictions.
Tyingthemass timber expansion to the concrete building while allowing them to moveindependently (especially important in an earthquake)was “a huge challenge,” says Matheus, pointing out at the roof seismic separations are up to 450 millimetres.
“Almost every other week I got a call from the contractordealing with this.”
Thenearbyresearch buildingwill feature exposed mass timber on all sidesandcontaintwo 10-tonne gantry cranes witha15-metre clearanceforstructural testing. Seismic research will includemock-upsof buildings up to three storeysinstalled on a seismic table and shaken against a 1.6-metre-deep high-tolerance flatconcrete wall, says Matheus.
Otherresearch will includebeamstress testsconducted on thebuilding’s1.2-metre-thick concrete floor.
Nielsen says completing the strong wall and floor isprobably themost difficult construction aspect to the project.
“The floor flatness and the wall flatness are at a very high level.”
Bird ion Inc. is the construction manager.
Being lab settings, the buildings are energyintensiveprimarily because of the constant air exchangesrequired. The solar arrays on the roofs ensure the projects meet net-zero energy.
There will also begreenroofsections, bioswales and Indigenous planting systems.HVAC systems are fully electrified.
“They (UVic) want to have whole building zero carbon, not just embodied or operational carbon,” saysMatheus, adding low-carbon concrete has been specified.
Nielsen says in the last few years the industry,which is “really goodat energy performance,is now moving to carbon accounting. That is a huge change.”
DIALOG architect RishiNandi saysthe buildings are among the most advanced science tech facilities he has worked on over the past 25 years.
About two thirdscompleted,the project has challenged the contractor witha number ofdelays due to university operations.
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