The University of Calgary’s Energy. Environment. Experiential. Learning (EEEL) Building has recently been certified with LEED Platinum status. The EEEL building was designed by the architectural and interior design team led by Perkins+Will and Dialog. EEEL is one of the largest LEED platinum certified laboratory buildings in North America.
“The design of EEEL centres around a grand ‘social stair’ and five-storey atrium, which brings an enormous amount of daylight into the building,” says Peter Busby, principal of Perkins+Will, the design architect of the project. “This not only plays into the energy efficiency of the building but also creates an inviting space that the students have embraced.”
Says Jim Goodwin, principal at DIalog and project architect for EEEL.“The building incorporated many architectural and engineering strategies to increase energy efficiency. The LEED Platinum certification is certainly a great recognition and credit to all the hard work of the project team.”
EEEL is a student-centric building designed to provide opportunities for hands-on and experiential learning in both individual and collaborative settings. Situated on the north end of the University of Calgary campus, the EEEL building brings together multiple departments in the Science and Engineering faculties, promoting cross-pollination, integration, and collaborative research. The building features a modular lab and classroom layouts that put science on display: the interior glass corridor walls allow students a view into the labs, classrooms, and theatres to observe and develop curiosity about what is being taught.
“We are extremely proud of the EEEL building,” says University of Calgary VP Bob Ellard. “The EEEL building is a perfect example to showcase the university’s commitment to sustainability, and we are very happy to receive LEED Platinum status for the building.”
Administered by the Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), is an internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED Certification is based on performance in five key areas of human and environmental health, including sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. There are four possible levels of certification, certified, silver, gold and platinum.
ABOUT PERKINS+WILL
Established in 1935, Perkins+Will is a global interdisciplinary architecture and design firm founded on the belief that design has the power to transform lives and enhance society. With a staff of 1,500 in 22 locations worldwide, the firm serves clients across a broad range of project types and grounds its work in deep research. Perkins+Will ranks among the world’s top design firms and is the recipient of hundreds of awards. Social responsibility is fundamental to the firm’s outlook, work, and culture, and every year Perkins+Will donates one percent of its design services to non-profit organizations. With pioneering tools to advance sustainable design practices, the largest green building portfolio in North America, nearly 1,000 LEED® Accredited Professionals, and a commitment to the 2030 Challenge, Perkins+Will is recognized as one of the industry’s preeminent sustainable design firms.
Perkins+Will is a multi-disciplinary design firm with over 29 years of experience in Western Canada. The firm is known for design excellence and innovation, approaching the challenges of architectural, interior and urban design with a global vision and unmatched resources. Led by a strong leadership group who provide a range of expertise and diverse perspectives, Perkins+Will Vancouver is able to maximize its clients’ vision, transforming ideas into built excellence, on time and on budget.
As a testament to their commitment to excellence, Perkins+Will Vancouver has received more than 150 design honours, including 6 Governor General’s Medals in Architecture, 13 Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia Awards in Architecture, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Firm of the Year Award, numerous Canada’s Greenest Employers by the Globe and Mail, a 2013 BC Top Employer award, and recently one of the World’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Architecture for 2013 by Fast Company.
For more information, visit perkinswill.com
ABOUT DIALOG
Dialog has a track record of award-winning integrated building design and planning with a focus on the success of our clients and our communities. Working from studios in Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver, Dialog credits this success to its multidisciplinary teams who employ a unique, collaborative approach to the provision of architectural, engineering, interior design, planning, urban design, and landscape architecture services.
For more information, visit designdialog.ca,
