Known tolocals as “Abby Senior,” the new Abbotsford Senior Secondary School hasachieved such a high standard of sustainability that the school districtdeveloped a special “Green Tour” just to show off its state-of-the-artengineering and technology – including technology suggested by BC Hydro’s NewConstruction Program, which has helped make the building a whopping 33 per centmore energy-efficient than it might otherwise have been.
TheNew Construction Program provides funding for an energy-modelling study, whichis a simulation of how a building might function if it were designed and builtwith a number of energy-conservation measures. The program also providesfinancial incentives for implementing those measures.
“Doingan energy-modelling study with BC Hydro made us think in a different way,” saysRick Walker, who is in charge of energy management for theAbbotsford School District. “We were able to ask all of the ‘what if’questions: What if we turn the building this way? What if we add triple glazing?What if we go to three storeys instead of two?”
Theenergy-modelling study enabled the project’s design team to compare variouslighting, heating and cooling systems, as well as windows, roofing, wall andother products. It also allowed it to determine the most energy-efficientdesign for the building’s location.
Rebuiltschool contemporary in design and features
Therebuilt Abby Senior is very different from the original building, which wasbuilt in 1952.
Insteadof a two-storey building in a standard V-shape that directly faces the front ofthe property, the new design turned the building slightly to situate iteast-west, in order to capture the most light and heat. And it added athree-storey, cast-in-place, concrete, steel, glass and wood rotunda.
Offthe main floor of the rotunda radiate a teaching kitchen, a community libraryand an arts area.
Otherfloors include classrooms and laboratories, and a number of what the architectscall “bright gathering pockets, pull-out spaces and corridor seating areas,”where students can gather.
Inaddition to its position on the site, other energy-conservation measuresinclude natural “stack effect” ventilation techniques within the rotunda,increased roof and wall insulation, heat recovery ventilator, low-flow fixturesand occupancy and daylight sensors.
Newdesign saves water, uses less energy
Oneof the most innovative energy conservation measures is an open-loop groundsource heat pump system that uses well water for all space/ventilation heatingand cooling.
“AbbySenior sits right on top of an aquifer that feeds into the Fraser River,” says Walker.“We drilled some test wells and found there was so much water that we could usethe aquifer for our heating and cooling source year-round, for both Abby Seniorand Abby Middle, which is located on the school campus.”
Everydrop of water that is pumped out of the ground and around the buildings isreleased back into the aquifer. And it is perfectly clean.
Bycombining a range of energy-conservation measures, BC Hydro estimates that AbbySenior will save, year after year, over 258,300 kilowatt hours of electricity.That means it will use about 25 per cent less energy than a similar buildingconstructed without those measures. With natural gas savings of about 58 per cent,the overall combined building energy savings is a total of about 33 per cent.
Agathering place for the whole Abbotsford community
Locatednear the centre of downtown Abbotsford, the main body of the original AbbySenior had been deteriorating rapidly, says Bob Mainman, AbbotsfordSchool District’s assistant director of facilities.
“Itturned out that it was more economical to retain a few of the newer sections,two gyms and some classrooms, and build the rest new and better,” Mainman says.“We had the opportunity to make the new school a school to be proud of, thatthe students would really like to come to every morning.”
Butthe school district had even bigger ideas for the Abby Senior campus.
Thenew building houses not only the secondary school, but also a public library, acommunity arts centre and offices for a variety of community services,including a health clinic and the United Way.
“Wewanted the new Abby Senior to be a gathering place for the whole community, aplace where everyone would feel they belonged,” says Mainman.
“Igot a lot of joy out of this project. It was great seeing it all come together.It’s a beautiful building.”
