The University of Western Ontario - Faculty of Engineering
4th YEAR ENGINEERING DESIGN PROJECT
Green-Building Design Project
“Designed by students for students”
Background and Location
The existing Biochemical Engineering Building at The University of Western Ontario
(Figure below) was built some 30 years ago to provide temporary laboratory space (3
years) for the Biochemical Engineering research. It is an energy inefficient building with
inadequate insulation; poor climate control, and a leaky unattractive roof. The building
has needed frequent repairs over the years, proving to be expensive to operate and
maintain.
The goal of this capstone design project is to develop a sound design alternative for
replacing the aging Biochemical Engineering Building with a modern, state of-the-art,
environmentally friendly, and energy-efficient building designed by students with the
help of Engineering faculty and external advisors (engineers, architects, landscape
experts, green construction experts, etc.). This is a particularly exciting project since the
most successful student design is likely to be implemented in the real world construction
of the new building.
Function of Western Engineering Students Green Building
The new building will be used as a Western Engineering Students Centre with facilities to
meet the needs of present and future students. The Students Centre will serve as the focal
point for students’ life at Western Engineering. It will provide a special place where
Engineering students can learn, study, and interact with one another on both academic
and social levels, in an environmentally and ecologically minded atmosphere. The
building should be a sustainable development education initiative that is unique in
Canada, utilizing groundbreaking conservation concepts and practices, and future
technologies. It should integrate technological and environmental aspects of Engineering
to serve a vision and a purpose; it is not just another green building!
Building Requirements
The building shall be comprised of four floors with no basement, 1048 m2 per floor
(11275 ft2 per floor). It will be located adjacent to Western’s main Spencer Engineering
Building and the new Thompson Engineering Building. It will be connected to both of
these buildings via a 2nd floor passageway, therefore greatly enhancing ease of movement
between key areas of Western Engineering. The road running between the Thompson
Engineering Building and the proposed Green Building shall remain. In addition, the
green-building shall be designed to allow future extension to its northern face. It should
provide for wheelchair and elevator access and a public building efficiency viewing
station. Features of the Building should also include the following (the design team may
propose a different layout it is believed to be advantageous):
•
First Floor: student club and team space as well as a cafeteria and social space
that opens to an atrium (greenhouse/biosphere).
•
Second Floor: graduate student office space
•
Third Floor: laboratory and office space to replace existing Bio-Engineering
Building space.
•
Fourth Floor: Library: Green energy and technologies laboratory. Laboratories
will include a novel materials and green polymers laboratory, a green energy
laboratory, air and water pollution treatment laboratory as well as a fuel cell and
bio fuel laboratory.
Issues to be Considered in Design of Green-Building












Demolition of existing building and possible recycling of materials.
Use of green materials, type of construction and type of insulation.
Structural, foundation, structural frame, building envelope.
Operational issues
Minimum energy consumption, increased energy efficiency and use of renewable
energy sources.
Minimum (zero, if possible) storm water runoff.
Minimum ecological footprint, use of renewable energy sources, eco-efficiency.
Waste management and waste reduction.
Indoor air quality.
Esthetics, social impact, ecological significance to community.
Educational value of the building.
Other.
Design Project and Design Competition
The green-building will involve multidisciplinary teams comprised of students from the
engineering programs. Students from engineering programs will be involved in the
green-building project through their respective 4th year design courses.