BOMA sustainability award goes to Gatineau, QC preservation centre

Gatineau Preservation Centre, Gatineau, Quebec (CNW Group/Library and Archives Canada)

The Library and Archives Canada (LAC) Preservation Centre in Gatineau, QC received the 2018 Outstanding Building of the Year award at a recent ceremony hosted by BOMA Canada.

Awarded first place in the national BOMA Best – Gold “Corporate Facility” category, the distinction accounts for energy conservation, environment and sustainability, among other criteria.

Managed by Brookfield Global Integrated Solutions Canada, LP, the centre has used the same mechanical systems for more than two decades, modifying some components to meet the federal government’s environmental targets.

The main mechanical and electrical systems are located in a separate building adjacent to the main building, outside the archive’s thermally neutral environment. According to LAC, this allows for maintenance and renovations to systems with minimal risk to the laboratories or vaults.

Heating is supplied by two Volcano (now Indeck Boiler Corporation) steam boilers, each of which is fired on natural gas and uses a dual fuel burner with heating oil as a backup fuel source. Two McQuay chillers and one York chiller provide cooling for the building. The ventilation system for the building consists of 16 air-handling units (AHUs) as well as return ventilation fans.

A Building Automation System (BAS), meanwhile, reports on temperature, humidity and air pressure within the building.

“This recognition is an acknowledgement of Library and Archives Canada’s efforts to preserve Canada’s documentary heritage under optimal conditions, while making effective use of the financial resources at its disposal,” said Guy Berthiaume, librarian and archivist of Canada. www.lac-bac.gc.ca