Blog

October 7, 2014

Project Blog – a Highly Sustainable TD Bank Branch

TD Bank put into motion the design and construction of a new, highly sustainable and highly energy efficient branch, which was constructed in Mississauga. Their goal was to build a bank branch which could potentially become a net zero energy building. To design, construct and operate such a building takes assistance from the entire team, including the design and construction teams, building operators as well as the building occupants. The latter two are essential to ensure the building continues to operate under the strict design conditions, after construction and commissioning have been completed. One of the major differences for the building occupants would be the indoor design temperature setpoints. To optimize energy efficiency, the building mechanical systems would be designed to maintain 23.9°C in the cooling season and 21.1°C in the heating season.

Throughout the design and construction, CFMS was involved with reviewing design drawings to ensure the design meets Owners requirements, and performing installation reviews. We assisted the contractors understand the commissioning process which was being implemented on the project. As with many projects, the schedule was very tight and meeting deadlines was a necessity to ensure the scheduled branch grand opening was met. Although some deficiencies remained, the majority of the building was complete and operational for the grand opening in October of 2013.

Next came the tough Canadian winter. We can all remember the many days of -20°C weather and the ice storm which shut down much of Toronto. Although the temperatures were not something many residents of Mississauga looked forward to, for CFMS, the winter of 2013/2014 was optimal for verifying the performance of our projects during the winter heating season and verifying whether the mechanical systems are able to meet the design day criteria. Before the deep cold settled in, building occupants at the branch were providing feedback that the building was too cold. Operation of the mechanical systems, performance of each piece of equipment and design criteria were reviewed to ensure the systems were operating and performing as intended. Minor adjustments to temperature setpoints and time of day schedules were made to provide a better level of comfort for the occupants while still maintaining the energy efficiency requirements. Soon after, the cold -20°C days arrived, and with little complaints the building passed through the winter heating season.

Finally came the summer of 2014. This year was not as hot and humid as years past, but we did have a few +30°C days, and  these are the summer days that CFMS employees (somewhat) look forward to. Once again, feedback of the building heating up were received from occupants and had to be reviewed. Cooling performance of all the mechanical equipment was verified to ensure the design performance was being attained. A few issues were discovered and scheduled for repair. The building had survived its first heating and cooling seasons, and with some adjustments to the building automation system and work on mechanical equipment, the building operations team is ready to take on the next winter and summer.

Although some problems were discovered during the first year of operation, the essential part of discovering, repairing, adjusting system operations to meet the building and occupant needs was completed. Through this, we were able to show that the post construction commissioning process is equally as important as the design stage commissioning and construction stage commissioning processes. It is important to remember that although buildings are designed to meet certain conditions, review and adjustment of the mechanical systems through the first year of operation is essential to meet the actual building operation requirements.

Why Commissioning