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Designer revives old ideas in new, greener buildings.
Designer revives old ideas in new, greener buildings. Building green means everything old is new again
Christopher Hume/toronto star
Though he calls himself a "climate engineer," Thomas Auer claims no godlike powers.
His firm, Transsolar, which has completed projects around the world, specializes in designing buildings that use natural processes to perform functions we now assign to mechanical systems. That can mean anything from heating and cooling to lighting and air supply.
"Our philosophy is that the building itself should do the work," the affable Auer explains. "Mechanical systems should be supplemental. Our buildings interact with the outdoors."
These sorts of things, he reminds us, are as beneficial to the people who live and/or work in his buildings as to the planet.
"We provide a better environment for people," Auer says. "If you're losing 10 per cent productivity because of a bad building, which is typical, that can cost more than the energy bill."
In Canada, Transsolar's most important project to date is the deeply impressive Manitoba Hydro headquarters in Winnipeg. The tower, which opened late last year, was designed by Toronto architectural firm Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg and Smith Carter of Winnipeg. Though a certain amount of tweaking remains to be done in the 22-storey glass tower, it already uses 65 per cent less energy than its conventional counterparts.
"It was enjoyable to work on this project," Auer says. "KPMB is one of the best firms in the world. We're not architects. Our intention is not to go back to the way things were done in the past, but to integrate old techniques from hundreds of years ago with modern architecture. People have used these techniques for centuries.
"Daylight is the most obvious thing," he says. "In New York City, for example, one-half of all electricity is used for lighting, and half of that is during daylight hours."
That no longer makes economic or environmental sense. Though some complain about the initial cost of building green, Auer insists sustainable construction doesn't need to cost more than ordinary, old-fashioned development.
The Manitoba Hydro tower sits on top of 300 bore holes, each 90 metres deep. That increased the price, but on the other hand the usual expense of air conditioning and heating was much lower. Auer estimates it will take a maximum of eight years for the geothermal system to pay for itself; after that, the savings will come right off the bottom line.
"The people at Hydro educated themselves," Auer says. "The client was always by our side."
That, however, remains the exception; too many builders look no further than the next quarter, which is itself a variation of the same problem.
For Auer, in town from Stuttgart, Germany, to address a conference on the world without oil, Toronto represents a city of opportunity. So far, his only completed scheme here is the Earth Rangers Centre, a small but much admired project.
More significant, perhaps, will be the study he's preparing on the Lower Don Lands precinct for Waterfront Toronto, the public agency created to revitalize the city's neglected former harbour lands. Given that the new mixed-use neighbourhoods will be built on what is now vacant land, they offer a rare chance to plan literally from the ground up.
"The intention is to build a carbon-neutral neighbourhood," Auer says. "There is a commitment from Waterfront Toronto and there is a commitment from the city. That's good because the neighbourhood will still be there long after the oil is gone. The potential on the waterfront is enormous."
Auer calls Toronto "exciting and innovative" and likes its "creative mindset." Let's hope his words aren't just another case of distant cities looking greener.
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'We shape our buildings and then they shape us. They capture the Zeitgeist, the spirit of their time.'
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Can Winnipeg get more of these? K thanks.
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