Tour - Joyce Centre for Partnership and Innovation

Summary

The Joy Center for Partnership and Innovation, Hamilton's first zero-carbon institutional building, exemplifies sustainable design. Built in 2018, it features a high-performance envelope, triple-pane windows, and solar reflective ceramic frit. Powered by 1980 solar panels, it utilizes natural light, solar thermal systems for hot water, and an airtight design with a single air handling unit. Geothermal wells and heat pumps provide heating and cooling, with a rainwater harvesting system for non-potable use, demonstrating a commitment to energy efficiency and environmental responsibility.

Takeaways

• 🏢 The Joy Center for Partnership and Innovation, built in 2018, is Hamilton's first zero-carbon institutional building and one of the largest in Canada.
• 🌿 It was one of the 16 pilot projects for the zero carbon building standard by the Canada Green Building Council, emphasizing its role in environmental leadership.
• 💰 The Center, costing 54 million dollars and spanning 96,000 square feet, represents a significant investment in sustainable infrastructure.
• 🔋 The building meets the zero-carbon standard by being highly energy efficient and offsetting its annual carbon emissions with on-site or procured renewable energy.
• 🛡️ A high-performance building envelope, including triple-pane glass windows filled with inert gas like argon, minimizes thermal energy demand while maximizing heating, cooling, and natural light.
• 🐦 The architectural ceramic frit on the windows helps birds avoid collisions and provides a solar reflectance of about 5% to reduce heat gain.
• ☀️ The Joy Center is powered by a rooftop photovoltaic system consisting of 1980 solar panels, feeding into an inverter for on-site power generation.
• 💡 Natural lighting is utilized to reduce energy needs, with sensor-controlled LED lighting that adjusts based on available sunlight.
• 🌳 The interior finishes, designed by local architects, use all-natural materials that do not emit harmful gases.
• 🔥 A solar thermal radiation system with five panels heats all domestic hot water without using natural gas, instead relying on a glycol water mixture warmed by the sun.
• 🏭 The building's airtight design requires only one air handling unit, which uses 100% dedicated outside air and heat recovery from exhaust air to preheat incoming cold air.
• 🔄 32 heat pumps are used for heating and cooling, working similarly to a refrigerator by transferring heat and producing warm water for geothermal wells.
• 🌡️ An electric temperature amplifier serves as a backup system for the heat pumps, capable of injecting a large amount of heat into the building quickly.
• 🌱 The geothermal system with over 600-foot deep wells and aSlinky system for excess heat dissipation works in tandem with heat pumps for efficient heating.
• 💧 A rainwater harvesting system with two storage tanks collects and filters rainwater for non-potable uses, such as flushing toilets and urinals.

Q & A

When was The Joy Center for Partnership and Innovation built?

The Joy Center for Partnership and Innovation was built in 2018.

What makes The Joy Center a zero carbon building?

The Joy Center is a zero carbon building because it is highly energy efficient and produces or procures carbon-free renewable energy to offset its annual carbon emissions.

How many square feet does The Joy Center encompass?

The Joy Center is 96,000 square feet in size.

What is the cost of constructing The Joy Center?

The construction cost of The Joy Center was 54 million dollars.

What type of windows does The Joy Center have, and how do they contribute to energy efficiency?

The Joy Center has triple pane glass windows filled with an inert gas like argon, which minimizes thermal energy demand while maximizing heating, cooling, and natural light.

What is the insulation value of the windows at The Joy Center?

The windows at The Joy Center have an insulation value of around R8.

How does The Joy Center utilize solar energy for power?

The Joy Center is powered by a rooftop photovoltaic system consisting of 1980 solar panels, which feeds into an inverter allowing the building to use power generated on-site.

What is the purpose of the architectural ceramic frit on the windows at The Joy Center?

The ceramic frit pattern on the windows helps birds avoid collisions and provides a solar reflectance estimated to be about 5% to reduce heat gain.

How does The Joy Center use natural light to reduce energy consumption for lighting?

The Joy Center uses large insulated windows, a central light well, and sensor-controlled LED lighting that dims or turns off when there is plenty of natural light available.

What system does The Joy Center use for heating domestic hot water without using natural gas?

The Joy Center uses a solar thermal radiation system with five solar thermal panels on an adjacent roof to heat domestic hot water.

How does The Joy Center manage air quality and temperature without traditional heating and cooling systems?

The Joy Center uses a single air handling unit with an enthalpy wheel, 32 heat pumps, and 28 geothermal wells, along with a variable refrigerant flow system for heating and cooling.

What is the purpose of the electric temperature amplifier in The Joy Center?

The electric temperature amplifier serves as a backup system for the heat pumps, used to pump a large amount of heat into the building quickly, such as in a vestibule on a cold day.

How does The Joy Center handle rainwater for non-potable uses?

The Joy Center uses a rainwater harvesting system with two storage tanks holding 228,000 liters of water, filtered through a series of filters and disinfected with UV light before use in non-potable fixtures.

What is the significance of the slinky system installed at The Joy Center?

The slinky system is installed to absorb excess heat from the geothermal system, allowing the heat to dissipate out of the ground as a safety precaution.

Outlines

00:00

🌿 Zero Carbon Innovation at The Joy Center

The Joy Center for Partnership and Innovation, established in 2018, is a pioneering zero carbon building in Canada. With a 96,000 square feet footprint and a $54 million investment, it is one of the largest of its kind. The center's design prioritizes energy efficiency and carbon offset through on-site renewable energy. Key features include triple-pane windows filled with argon gas to reduce thermal demand, architectural ceramic frit for bird protection and solar reflectance, and a 1980-panel rooftop photovoltaic system for power generation. The building maximizes natural light through large windows and a central light well, complemented by sensor-controlled LED lighting. The interior boasts natural finishes designed by local architects, avoiding materials that emit harmful gases. A solar thermal radiation system heats all domestic hot water without natural gas, using solar thermal panels and a heat exchanger. The building's airtight design requires only one air handling unit, which uses heat recovery and an enthalpy wheel for efficient air temperature regulation. Additionally, 32 heat pumps and 28 geothermal wells work in tandem to provide heating and cooling, while an electric temperature amplifier serves as a backup system.

05:00

💧 Sustainable Systems at The Joy Center

The Joy Center operates without natural gas-fired equipment, relying instead on a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) geothermal exchange system. This system includes heat pumps and geothermal wells that reach over 600 feet deep, regulating the building's temperature by exchanging heat with the earth. A slinky system installed underground absorbs excess heat as a safety measure. The center also employs a rainwater harvesting system, with two tanks capable of storing 228,000 liters of water for non-potable uses. The water undergoes a filtration process and UV disinfection before being used in toilets and urinals. Although the building utilizes rainwater for non-drinking purposes, it still receives municipal water supply for potable water needs.

Keywords

💡Zero Carbon Building Standard

The Zero Carbon Building Standard is a set of guidelines and criteria aimed at minimizing the carbon footprint of buildings. It involves designing and constructing buildings that are highly energy efficient and produce renewable energy to offset their carbon emissions. In the video, The Joy Center is highlighted as one of the pilot projects for this standard, emphasizing its commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.

💡High Performance Building Envelope

A high performance building envelope refers to the external shell of a building, designed to minimize energy loss and maximize energy efficiency. This includes features like insulation, windows, and the building's overall structure. In the context of The Joy Center, its envelope includes triple pane glass windows filled with inert gas like argon, which significantly reduces thermal energy demand while allowing natural light in.

💡Triple Pane Glass Windows

Triple pane glass windows are a type of window construction that consists of three layers of glass separated by two spacers, often filled with an inert gas like argon. These windows provide superior insulation and reduce heat transfer, which is crucial for energy efficiency. The script mentions these windows at The Joy Center, indicating their role in the building's commitment to being a zero-carbon facility.

💡Rooftop Photovoltaic System

A rooftop photovoltaic system, or PV system, is an array of solar panels mounted on the roof of a building to convert sunlight directly into electricity. The Joy Center is powered by 1980 solar panels, one third of which are on the roof, demonstrating the building's use of renewable energy to achieve its zero-carbon status.

💡Natural Lighting

Natural lighting refers to the use of sunlight as a primary source of illumination in a building, reducing the need for artificial lighting and thus saving energy. The Joy Center utilizes large insulated windows and a central light well to maximize natural light, which is then complemented by sensor-controlled LED lighting that adjusts based on the available sunlight.

💡Solar Thermal Radiation System

A solar thermal radiation system uses solar energy to heat a fluid, which is then used to produce hot water or space heating. The Joy Center uses this system with five solar thermal panels to heat domestic hot water, illustrating the building's innovative approach to energy use and conservation.

💡Air Handling Unit

An air handling unit is a critical component of a building's HVAC system, responsible for managing and distributing air throughout the building. The Joy Center's airtight design requires only one air handling unit, which uses 100% dedicated outside air and an enthalpy wheel to preheat or precool incoming air, thereby reducing energy consumption.

💡Heat Pumps

Heat pumps are devices that transfer heat from one place to another, and can be used for both heating and cooling. The Joy Center utilizes 32 heat pumps, which work similarly to refrigerators by transferring heat and producing warm water that is stored in geothermal wells for later use, showcasing the building's innovative heating and cooling solutions.

💡Geothermal Wells

Geothermal wells are deep boreholes that tap into the earth's stable underground temperature to provide heating and cooling. The Joy Center has 28 geothermal wells that are over 600 feet deep, which store heat in the summer and provide heat in the winter, contributing to the building's energy efficiency.

💡Rainwater Harvesting System

A rainwater harvesting system collects and stores rainwater for non-potable uses, such as flushing toilets and urinals. The Joy Center has a system with two storage tanks that hold 228,000 liters of water, demonstrating the building's comprehensive approach to water conservation and sustainability.

💡Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) System

A Variable Refrigerant Flow system is an advanced HVAC technology that efficiently manages heating and cooling by varying the flow of refrigerant to meet the demands of different zones within a building. The Joy Center uses a VRF Geo exchange system with heat pumps and geothermal wells, highlighting its state-of-the-art approach to energy management.

Highlights

The Joy Center for partnership and Innovation is Hamilton's first zero carbon institutional building and one of the largest in Canada.

The building was a pilot project for the zero carbon building standard by the Canada Green Building Council.

Highly energy efficient design with on-site or procured carbon-free renewable energy to offset annual carbon emissions.

Triple pane glass windows with inert gas filling for minimized thermal energy demand and maximized heating, cooling, and natural light.

Architectural ceramic frit pattern helps birds avoid windows and provides solar reflectance to reduce heat gain.

Rooftop photovoltaic system with 1980 solar panels powers the building and feeds into an inverter for on-site power use.

Natural lighting reduces energy needed for lighting with large insulated windows and sensor-controlled LED lighting.

Interior finishes designed with all natural materials that do not off-gas.

Solar thermal radiation system heats all domestic hot water using solar thermal panels without natural gas.

Air handling unit designed for airtight building to minimize air leakage with 100% dedicated outside air.

Heat pumps and geothermal wells used for heating and cooling instead of conventional boilers and furnaces.

Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) Geo exchange system with heat pumps for efficient heating.

Electric temperature amplifier as a backup system for heat pumps to quickly reach code temperatures.

Rainwater harvesting system for non-potable water use with two storage tanks and filtration.

Municipal water supply for potable drinking water separate from rainwater harvesting system.

Building envelope and systems designed for energy efficiency and carbon emissions offset.

Innovative use of solar power, natural lighting, and geothermal energy for a net-zero carbon building.

Transcripts

The Joy Center for partnership and

Innovation was built in 2018 and was one

of the 16 Canada Green Building councils

pilot projects for the zero carbon

building standard

at 96 000 square feet the 54 million

dollar Center is Hamilton's first zero

carbon institutional building and one of

the largest in Canada

The Joy Center was built to the zero

carbon standard this means that it is

highly energy efficient and it produces

on-site or procures carbon-free

renewable energy to offset the annual

carbon emissions associated with the

operations how does the building do this

a high performance building envelope the

windows in the joy Center are triple

pane glass windows which means they are

three panes of glass side by side

separated by a spacer

and the center is filled with an inert

gas such as argon helping to minimize

the thermal energy demand intensity or

Teddy while maximizing heating cooling

and natural light

the windows have an insulation value of

around R8 and these white hexagons you

see here are an architectural ceramic

frit the pattern helps Birds avoid the

windows and it provides a solar

reflectance estimated to be about five

percent to reduce heat gain a rooftop

photovoltaic system or a PV system

The Joy Center is powered by 1980 solar

panels one third of them are on the roof

and the other two-thirds are on the rest

of the campuses flat roofs

this solar array feeds into an inverter

that allows the building to use the

power generated on-site

natural lighting

The Joy Center uses natural light to

reduce energy needed for the lighting

large insulated windows allow sunlight

to illuminate classrooms labs and

hallways

specially designed Central light well

allows natural light to flow through all

five floors sensor controlled LED

lighting detects sunlight and will dim

or turn off when there's plenty of

sunshine available

natural finishes

the interior finishes were designed by

local Architects McCallum say their

architects in partnership with b h

Architects using all natural materials

that don't off gas

solar thermal radiation system

all of the domestic hot water in the joy

Center is heated through the sun we're

not using any natural gas to produce hot

water instead the building uses a solar

thermal radiation system with five solar

thermal panels on an adjacent roof these

solar thermal panels help produce

domestic hot water for the building

occupants

these solar thermal panels look like

photovoltaic panels but instead have

tubing that goes through them containing

a glycol water mixture which warms up

and gets very hot on a sunny day

this hot mixture comes into the building

and goes through a heat exchanger for

safety reasons

hot water is produced in a preliminary

tank that contains a coil that heats up

the water and then it is stored in a

separate tank for distribution in the

building

air handling unit

Net Zero buildings need

s need the walls roof and the floors

have virtually no air leaking in or out

in a traditional building a building of

this size would need two to three air

handling units to be able to supply all

of the fresh air required throughout the

building

but because this building is designed to

be so airtight we only need one

in order to keep the air in the building

fresh 100 dedicated outside air is used

all of the air gets brought in through

this duct no matter the temperature

outside

in the winter heat exhaust from the

inside of the building is collected and

used to preheat the cold air that is

brought in

all the existing warmer air gets

captured and pumped through the air

handling unit they go through high

efficiency filters pumping in through

this enthalpy wheel which then warms it

up even further

this saves energy when heating or

cooling the air we bring in which

minimizes the need for natural gas

heat pumps

to heat and cool the building 32 heat

pumps are used a heat pump works like

your fridge the fridge produces the cold

temperatures inside but if you go to the

back of the fridge it gets warm in the

summer as the building is being cooled

these heat pumps work similar to your

fridge to cool the building and

producing warm water that we pump into

the 28 geothermal Wells to warm up the

ground below for storage and use in the

winter to heat the building

templifier electric temperature

amplifier

as a backup system for the heat pumps an

electric temperature amplifier was

installed this is used to pump a large

amount of heat all at once into the

building to reach temperatures up to

code

an example of one this is needed is in a

vestibule when you enter a building from

outside on a cold day

to combat the cold air being let in the

templifier will then kick on to balance

it out with hot air

geothermal Wells The Joy Center has no

natural gas-fired equipment that means

no conventional boilers and hot water

tanks and no furnaces instead it uses a

variable refrigerant flow or vrf Geo

exchange system with heat pumps and

geothermal Wells these Wells go down

over 600 feet the supply and return

pipes lead from the wells into the

building and all of the supply from the

bore field comes here

we track the temperature to see that the

supply to the bore field is higher in

the summer and lower in the winter

this system is similar to the solar

thermal system where the glycol solution

comes into these heat exchangers and is

returned out

from here the water is pumped up to the

penthouse

to those heat pumps to be warmed even

further

so this paired with the heat pumps and

the air handling unit all combined to

give us the heating for the building

there's a balance though and for the

geothermal system you can't overdo it

and try to store too much heat as a

safety precaution a slinky system was

installed a few feet below ground this

will absorb the excess heat allowing the

heat to dissipate out of the ground

careful operational oversight avoids

this potential problem

rainwater harvesting system

the building uses rainwater harvesting

for all non-potable water with two

storage tanks holding 228 000 liters of

water the tanks are right here behind

this wall

you can see the pipe where it comes from

it comes in and is then pumped into our

filter system

there's two sets of filters the first

one 100 microns takes out all of our

seeable grit and the second one five

microns takes out anything that is

bacteria sized that you can't see

from here it goes to the UV disinfectant

which disinfects it and then goes to the

storage tank

this water goes to non-potable fixtures

so toilets and urinals

we do testing for the water at each

stage as well just to check up on it and

see the difference

there is still municipal water that

comes in for the potable drinking water

foreign