The GTA Construction Report – January 2009 – PAGE B1
Historic building provides
unique opportunities for the
Jacques Whitford team
into consideration. They were able to focus solely on
MATTHEW DESROSIERS – The GTA Construction Report Special Feature
what they fixed or changed inside the space.
Your average environmental consulting company
“Every LEED
®
project has a different profile,” said
looks at a century-old building and sees a list of chal-
Brown. “Because it was a CI, we weren’t touching the
lenges. The team at Jacques Whitford Ltd., on the other
building façade in any way, shape or form.”
hand, sees opportunity
There were two major priorities for this project. The
.
In December 2006, the consulting firm signed on
first was to use as much natural daylight as possible to
with figure3, an interior design company based in
the light the space.
Toronto, to work on a Leadership in Energy and Envi-
“Lighting was a key part of the strategy for this
ronmental Design (LEED
®
) for Commercial Interior
showroom,” said Brown. “Typically, these spaces are
(CI) project, on behalf of Allsteel Inc. The project was
severely overlit, because they want the product they’re
a renovation in Liberty Village, a historic part of
trying to sell to pop. This project shows that you can,
Toronto that used to be an industrial hub. The building
through proper strategies, in actual fact light a show-
itself was built in 1899 and housed the Toronto Carpet
room space without having excessive lighting require-
Manufacturing Company’s factory
ments.”
.
Now, more than a century later, this unique space
The historic building already had massive, operable
has been redesigned and remodeled as a one-of-a-kind
windows, allowing the natural light to infiltrate a large
showroom.
portion of the showroom. It was designed in such a way
“This project was done in what was originally the
as to allow daylight to reach 75 per cent of occupied
old boiler house of the carpet factory,” said Sheila
spaces.
Brown, senior consultant with Jacques Whitford. “It has
Although the project did not receive all of the points
some very unique architectural features to it, and the
available for lighting, it did receive the maximum of
carpet factory is a designated historical building.”
three points for lighting power in a showroom. In order
From the outset, the client asked for a LEED
®
CI cer
to achieve those points, the project had to show a 35 per
-
tified space. As LEED
®
facilitators on the project,
cent improvement over the American Society of Heat-
Jacques Whitford consultants met with the project team
ing, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers
to determine what points they wanted to go after
(ASHRAE) 90.1 standard, which is a standard to which
.
“You cannot incorporate the LEED
®
process into a
buildings can be designed or measured, Brown said.
project unless you consider it right from the start,” said
The second major priority of the project was the use
Brown. “If you come in when the project is already un-
of low-emitting materials.
derway, it’s too late. Anything that you’re going to need
“These materials provide improved indoor air qual-
to consider in the design of that space has to be ad-
ity,” she said. “They don’t off-gas into the space.”
dressed with that LEED
®
filter.”
Not only is it a case of carefully selecting the mate-
Because the LEED
®
CI certification program only
rials, but also monitoring the build team to ensure the
addresses ‘fit up’ issues, the team did not need to worry
specified materials were used. The way materials were
about how the base building uses energy, heating, or
disposed of was also a concern.
other issues that construction projects normally take ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Continued on page B2
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