North Saanich Middle School

North Saanich Middle School

SECTOR

Education K-12

Year

2012

Location

North Saanich

Awards

LEED Gold Certified

Highlights

  • Green design passive design and construction.
  • Solar collectors are employed for additional building heating, domestic hot water pre-heat, and field heat re-charge during the summer unoccupied months.
  • Energy and water meters are installed to support energy management and continuous optimization.

North Saanich Middle School is a significantly upgraded replacement facility of the existing middle school located next door. The two-storey serves as an environmental showcase of the practices it teaches.

The mechanical heating/cooling plant includes heat pumps connected to a ground exchange loop beneath the play field with high-efficiency condensing boiler back-up. Ventilation air heat recovery, demand control ventilation and displacement ventilation are other strategies used to reduce energy consumption. Rain water is reclaimed for flushing of toilets and low-flow plumbing fixtures are installed throughout. Thermal and Energy modelling were conducted by AME Group to analyze the design of the thermal chimneys and determine annual energy use. Energy and water meters are installed to support energy management and continuous optimization.