Bone Yard Operations Centre Office Expansion

Location

North Vancouver, British Columbia

Expertise

Buildings – Building Structures

Infrastructure

Infrastructure – Sustainable Design

The Bone Yard Operations Centre is a field office and storage facility for Metro Vancouver’s Watershed Management Division.

It is located in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve and is surrounded by forest on three sides with an easterly opening to the valley.

Metro Vancouver retained Associated Engineering as prime consultant for the design of the Office Expansion project. Our multidiscipline design team comprised structural, mechanical and electrical designers. Matthew Woodruff Architecture and Levelton Consultants completed the team as our architectural and geotechnical sub-consultants.

Project Highlights

150m2

new office space

The office expansion involved the design of 150 m² of new office space and the reorganization of part of the existing building to incorporate a female locker room. While the project was not targeting LEED^® Certification, the design team maintained a sustainable approach to the project and worked to achieve the most sustainable building practicable.

Some key features include:

A clerestory was incorporated into the roof as a result of the shadow analysis, which allowed the building to be orientated and designed to optimize natural day-lighting.
Operable windows were included to encourage natural ventilation from the cool forest breezes in through the low level windows and out the clerestory louvers.
Heat pumps were used to heat and cool the building.
Low flow-rate faucets and WCs conserve water consumption.