New Industrial Building Tackles The 2030 Challenge

The CANMET Materials Testing Laboratory at McMaster Innovation Park in Hamilton, Ontario opened today. Natural Resources Canada’s (NRC’s) new metals research facility is targeting LEED-Platinum certification—something its designers believe more industrial spaces should do.

“It is still the exception that industrial facilities are adopting a rigorous commitment to sustainable design and in this sense, CANMET is a cutting-edge model of what is possible,” said Donald Schmitt, principal with Diamond and Schmitt Architects.

This football-field sized facility will allow NRC staff to conduct metallurgical research in an environment filled with natural light, fresh air ventilation, planting gardens and a host of renewable and passive initiatives

Renewable energy sources at CANMET include 209 rooftop solar thermal collectors that provide radiant heating and the building’s entire annual domestic water heating requirements, with on site storage in solar cisterns for unused solar heat. An 80-hole borehole thermal energy field complements the renewable thermal energy sourcing while a 6000-square-foot solar wall preheats incoming air to further reduce reliance on conventional heating systems.

The building systems are fully automated, which means data will be available to provide real-time feedback on performance—that should tell building managers whether the facility is on target with the projected 70 per cent improvement in energy efficiency (compared to the Model National Energy Code for Buildings).

Rainwater from the expansive roof will be collected and stored in underground cisterns to serve the building’s water needs and for irrigation.

The building is also targeting the 2030 Challenge, a design-sector initiative to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of new and renovated buildings in Canada.