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Post Occupancy Evaluation of Aquatic Ecosystem Research Laboratory

University of British Columbia. Sustainability Office

This Post Occupancy Evaluation was performed as a requirement for the completion of MECH 550G/CIVL 598C. The purpose of this POE is to deliver a detailed report in order to provide UBC Campus Sustainability Initiatives with recommendations for improving the performance of the Aquatic Ecosystem Research Laboratory. Based on AERL’s trouble log history, we focused on evaluating the open-plan and private offices. The data collected consisted of measurements of the physical environment (thermal, acoustic, air quality, and lighting) at representative locations, a questionnaire administered to all occupants about satisfaction to current indoor environment, and monthly utility data supplied by the building owners. Physical and questionnaire data were collected in March, 2012. Key findings and recommendations are as follows: •Water consumption has always been above the design goal and MNECB baseline. •Energy consumption is below the MNECB baseline but further improvements are still needed to get closer to the design goal. Windows glazing can be replaced with ones that have higher R value. •The open-plan offices have excellent speech intelligibility but poor speech privacy. Furthermore, noises from the atrium propagate easily into the offices. Installing more acoustic baffles within the atrium and open-plan offices can minimize the discomfort. •The CO₂ level within the open-plan and private offices were well below the 1075 ppm limit set by ASHRAE 62 – 2007 •There is insufficient illumination within the open-plan offices. Higher wattage light bulbs or LED lights may be used on replace existing light bulbs. •The current control algorithm for space heating does not promote optimum heat transfer rate into the offices. Flow rate of hot water need to be controlled by automatic flow control valves instead of by manually controlled valves. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”

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University of British Columbia. CIVL 598; UBC Social Ecological Economic Development Studies (SEEDS) Student Report

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0108599

Applied Science, Faculty of; Civil Engineering, Department of

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