Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning Awarded LEED Gold

The Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning project has recently been awarded LEED Gold Certification for Commercial Interiors. This $400M high-rise medical research and education facility is believed to be among the largest child-health research tower in the world, and with 17 floors of dedicated lab space, it is also believed to be among the largest laboratories located within a high rise building. Different areas of research are reflected in seven “neighborhoods” of science that span two to three floors which are connected by atrium spaces to encourage cross-collaboration. The Centre also houses new learning and teaching facilities for SickKids™ Learning Institute including a 250-seat lecture theatre, flexible learning spaces, and display area. The facility also includes a tele-education area, meeting rooms, two new pathways to connect the Research and Learning Tower to SickKids™ McMaster and Atrium buildings.

Integral Group was retained as sustainability and energy modeling consultants for this 750,000 ft² state-of-the-art facility. Integral Group also provided LEED Consulting & Facilitation services for this challenging project. Since research laboratories usually expend large amounts of energy, extensive planning was required to reduce energy consumption. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling of lab ventilation systems were performed to demonstrate the viability of displacement and variable refrigerant flow ventilation systems in labs. By using these innovative ventilation systems, energy efficiency was significantly increased.

Learn more about this innovative project here.