Vaughn Urban Design Awards, Award of Excellence (2022)
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Smart development.
The second building in the Smart REIT Vaughan Metropolitan Centre development, PwC-YMCA provides mixed (and much needed) use for the City of Vaughan’s new downtown core. The nine-storey core and shell office building is supplemented by a YMCA facility, a City of Vaughan Library, and ground floor retail.
Mechanically, the design team utilized magnetic-bearing chillers, condensing boilers, and a variable flow outside-air handler – all of which contribute to the development’s target of LEED Gold certification. Cooling towers for the building are capable of operating in “free cooling” mode, meeting the building’s chilled water requirements in shoulder and winter seasons without the need for the chillers.
Smart development.
The second building in the Smart REIT Vaughan Metropolitan Centre development, PwC-YMCA provides mixed (and much needed) use for the City of Vaughan’s new downtown core. The nine-storey core and shell office building is supplemented by a YMCA facility, a City of Vaughan Library, and ground floor retail.
Mechanically, the design team utilized magnetic-bearing chillers, condensing boilers, and a variable flow outside-air handler – all of which contribute to the development’s target of LEED Gold certification. Cooling towers for the building are capable of operating in “free cooling” mode, meeting the building’s chilled water requirements in shoulder and winter seasons without the need for the chillers.
As an office building, occupant comfort was a priority, and the mechanical design prioritized indoor air quality and thermal comfort. This was achieved through underfloor air distribution on the office floors. Low-flow plumbing fixtures, in conjunction with reclaimed rainwater cisterns to minimize potable water usage.
On the electrical side, our team designed the power distribution, fire alarm, and lighting systems with safety and reliability in mind. Power for the building is serviced by two high-voltage transformers, which allow for 100 per cent redundancy.
