Using an overhead high-volume, low-speed (HVLS) fan’s bi-directional airflow and elevated air speed is a powerful way to improve ventilation, thereby reducing the concentration of airborne pathogens through dilution. Occupant comfort can be assured in applications ranging from non-conditioned industrial spaces to commercial buildings.
Ryder Architecture has received unanimous approval from the Vancouver city council for their Passive House affordable housing development in Vancouver for the non-profit organization Brightside Community Homes Foundation. The development’s design is in response to the foundation’s ideals, namely the mandate to build and foster resilient communities for those who struggle to meet the demands of market housing.
Performing airtightness testing on Part 3 buildings has been limited to high-performance projects. However, there is now a trend of mandatory airtightness testing in North America. With the third version, the Toronto Green Standard (TGS) almost catches up with industry peers in Europe, Washington State, and British Columbia in requiring whole-building airtightness testing of Tier 2, 3, and 4 buildings.
Adequate ventilation is necessary to ensure acceptable indoor air quality (IAQ) and remove pollutants originating from building materials, consumer products, and human activities.
Not long ago, design drivers focused on esthetics and price when it came to the selection and specification of floorcoverings in healthcare facilities. Floors are a vital part of the palette supporting interior designers’ visions and allowing them to adhere to project budget constraints.
The largest chain of health clubs in Canada understands the benefits of high-volume, low-speed (HVLS) overhead fans. In the last seven to eight years, Goodlife Fitness has installed them in 90 per cent of its facilities across the country, viewing the slow-moving air-circulators as an essential piece of exercise equipment.
What could be more fundamental than the air we breathe? As it is invisible and a part of everyday life, people can sometimes take the quality of air for granted. Indoor air in Canadian buildings may contain hundreds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—a diverse group of chemicals emitted as a gas at room temperature that often reach higher concentrations than outdoors.
Google has earned Silver under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program’s Interior Design + Construction (ID+C) category for Phase 1 of construction on its Kitchener, Ont., offices.
Growing up in a small town in Northern Ontario, this author was exposed to only one true rivalry—the one between the Montréal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Mid-rise construction has taken hold as cities across Canada seek new ways to accommodate growth in urban populations. Recent provincial and municipal codes and pending national code changes are allowing a more affordable path for mid-rise construction. Specifically, codes are innovating fire-protected wood frames (timber) for five- and six-storey buildings.
