The new LEED Gold certified Activa Group Sportsplex will provide Kitchener with an enviable facility complete with a world class twin pad arena and boxing training resources and the first LEED certified arena in Canada. In terms of sports facilities, this facility received the highest LEED rating in the country.
“Ice rinks are typically big energy users and present difficulties when attempting to “green” an arena. This fact makes Activa Sportsplex’s LEED Gold certification that much more exciting,” says Stephen Carpenter, president of Kitchener-based Enermodal Engineering, the LEED consultant on the project. PBK Architects Inc. served as the architect on this City of Kitchener project.
The City of Kitchener set lofty goals for the building design team, for in addition to innovative green design, the building had to be functional, aesthetically pleasing, energy efficient, durable, accessible, and a joy to use. The 10,250 m2 building is expected to achieve a remarkable 72 per cent energy cost savings.
Perhaps the greenest feature of the sportsplex came as the result of the most energy-intensive requirement of the building: the ice rink. The unique HVAC system uses waste heat produced by the ice-making refrigeration plant in several creative ways.
- To heat the building
- To radiantly heat the stands
- To preheat water for ice re-surfacing
- To heat the snow melting pit
- To heat water in the change rooms
The building has many other energy-conserving features:
- A reflective ceiling in the rink area that helps keep the ice cool
- Energy-efficient lighting fixtures, including fluorescent lamps in the arena
- CO2 censors that control building ventilation
- Energy recovery ventilators
- Occupancy sensors that turn lighting off when a space is not in use
The sportsplex goes beyond energy savings, though, saving 1.2 million litres of potable water annually thanks to low-flow fixtures, no-irrigation landscaping, and a 30 m3 cistern that supplies water for ice resurfacing and toilet flushing. The facility also features a green roof.