Issues

One of the design goals for the 300-bed acute care facility was to meet sustainability standards such as the LEED green building rating system and to obtain Natural Resources Canada's commercial building incentive program, all in a cost-effective manner. To meet those goals, the hospital's P3 design/construction team rethought typical hospital design practice and created cost effective, energy-efficient solutions.

Solution

The HVAC design greatly contributed to the hospital's energy-saving strategy. The system includes two high-efficiency gas-fired hot water boilers and a flue gas heat recovery system. A high-efficiency chilled water generation system with two Daikin 900-ton centrifugal chillers configured in series counter-flow, allows for energy recovery on both chillers at peak efficiency throughout various load ranges. The system also incorporates special air handling units which were custom designed to meet stringent indoor air quality requirements, as well as Daikin air handlers for make-up air in the mechanical room and heat recovery of exhaust air.

Outcome

Combined with other sustainable design efforts, the hospital consumes approximately 28% less energy than a code-compliant hospital. This translates to 3,120 metric tons of CO2 savings annually and an equivalent energy operating cost savings of approximately $480,000 CAD per year which can be redirected into providing healthcare.