During the winter conference of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) in Chicago, a prestigious award was presented to Pageau Morel on January 20. Pageau Morel received a first-place Technology Award in the New Commercial Buildings category for the construction of the Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) Head Office in Vancouver.
The international ASHRAE Technology Awards recognize outstanding achievements by members who have successfully applied innovative building design for effective energy management and indoor air quality.
This is Pageau Morel’s second award for this project. In May 2017, the firm received an Énergia Award from the Association québécoise pour la maîtrise de l’énergie (AQME).
The MEC head office, located southwest of downtown Vancouver, is a brand-new construction composed of a wood structure and abundant fenestration. The 109,275 sq ft building, hosting more than 375 employees, includes a 4-floor main wing, a 3-floor secondary wing and a roof terrace. The building also includes administrative offices, a call centre, a sewing room and laboratories.
Last November, this project achieved a LEED-NC Platinum certification, the highest level of distinction for a sustainable building.
“An exceptional project starts with an exceptional client who has strong environmental values and clear goals—that makes our work easier. In this case, MEC was already convinced that they wanted to build an exemplary head office,” says project manager Roland Charneux.
The new head office integrates a series of energy efficiency and sustainable development measures. Among these, there is wind-assisted hybrid natural ventilation, abundant fenestration with triple-glazed windows and motorized blinds, a grey-water recovery system for toilets, heat recovery systems on shower drains to preheat domestic water, as well as eight heat pumps with geothermal wells for heating and chilling. The new head office thus offers a reduction in energy consumption of around 43%.
“The MEC head office is one of many projects carried out by our firm that have received international recognition,” explains Nicolas Lemire, president of Pageau Morel. “Our tradition of excellence continues with this spectacular project. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Roland Charneux’s contribution. Once again, as always, he brought vision to the entire team to make the new headquarters an exemplary project. The award received in Chicago on January 20 was in fact his 8th Technology Award—a remarkable achievement for a remarkable engineer!