A Grander View, Canada’s most energy efficient office and Enermodal’s new headquarters

Our Kitchener team has moved into A Grander View, the new headquarters of Enermodal Engineering. A Grander View is predicted to use 82% less energy than a conventional office while achieving three LEED Platinum certifications: New Construction, Commercial Interiors, and Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance.

This office joins Enermodal’s LEED-CI Platinum certified office in Calgary, LEED-CI Platinum candidate office in Toronto, and LEED-NC Platinum candidate office in Denver.

Platinum is the highest designation in the Canada Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system. Enermodal’s 3-storey, 22,000 ft² office will be the first LEED Platinum building in Waterloo Region. The projected total building energy use is 65 kWh/m² of floor area compared with the Canadian average of 400 kWh/m².

The building site is a dramatic one, with wide-angle views over the Grand River. And it was respect for this precious resource that led to many development decisions. Stormwater from the site will pass through a vegetated swale and water treatment system before being released to the storm sewer (and hence the Grand); these measures will remove many pollutants and even out storm surges. The beauty of the night sky over the river will be protected by exterior lighting that will not “spill” off the property and is directed toward the ground, not up into the sky. Wildlife habitat will be enhanced through landscaping composed entirely of plants native to the region.

Employees are encouraged to appreciate the out-of-doors through a third-floor terrace and gazebo on the riverbank, as well as adjacent garden plots. And Enermodal is working with the City to extend the Walter Bean Grand River Trail through the property.

Enermodal Engineering is widely respected for highly energy efficient building designs. The buidling's heating and cooling is provided by the latest technology in which many small heat pumps are connected together by a loop that circulates refrigerant. The refrigerant flow is varied to meet the heating or cooling demand. This arrangement allows the heat pumps to operate continuously at low speed instead of cycling full on and then off.

Ventilation air is delivered separately from heating and cooling functions (a departure from typical designs) to ensure occupants receive excellent indoor air quality without over- or under-heating. Another energy-saver is the ICF (insulated concrete form) construction technology Enermodal selected, in which the building walls are a “sandwich” of concrete and insulation (the insulation replaces traditional wooden forms). The result is an airtight and well-insulated building.

Lighting is often the largest energy operating cost in office buildings. In the Enermodal office, vacancy sensors will automatically turn off lights when a room is not in use, while daylighting sensors will automatically close exterior blinds to decrease glare and cooling loads. The building features a central atrium topped by photovoltaic (PV) cells that will generate electricity. Also, a narrow building footprint (only 12 metres across) will maximize natural daylight and minimize electricity use. The minimal amount of energy Enermodal’s office will consume is to be supplied by green power, while offsets will be purchased to cover employee transportation – making Enermodal’s operations truly carbon neutral.

Office designers paid particular attention to selecting building components that reduce resource consumption—the amount of raw materials used to build the office. The building will be clad with stone salvaged from a demolished church. Other resource-wise materials include recycled paint, countertops of recycled paper, and slag (a by-product of steel manufacturing) as a replacement for energy-intensive cement.

Not a drop of water is wasted by the Enermodal Head Office. Through the use of ultra low-flow plumbing fixtures and a rainwater cistern to supply water for toilet flushing, water use will be reduced by about 80% compared with a conventional building.

To arrange a tour of A Grander View, please contact