$750 Million Mixed-Use Project in Vancouver Will be Waste-Heat Powered Via Innovative System
Canadian-based telecommunications company Telus recently announced FortisBC would operate a regulated utility within the $750 million, 1-million-square-foot Telus Garden mixed-use development in downtown Vacouver.
By Gabriel Circiog, Associate Editor
Vancouver—Canadian-based telecommunications company Telus recently announced FortisBC would operate a regulated utility within the $750 million, 1-million-square-foot Telus Garden mixed-use development in downtown Vacouver. The utility will recycle heat at the mixed-use development and will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1 million kilograms a year through the capturing and re-distribution of low-grade heat.
The innovative District Energy System, created in partnership with Telus and Westbank, is among the first systems in Vancouver to use waste heat from a neighboring building to heat and cool a new development. The Telus Garden community will be powered by waste heat from the company’s adjacent data center and the cooling system of the new office tower. “The TELUS Garden District Energy System represents a shift in how we think about and utilize energy,” says Andrea Goertz, senior vice-present of TELUS Strategic Initiatives and Communications. “By recovering energy that would normally be lost and putting it to good use, we are innovating through design to create one of the most environmentally friendly urban communities in North America. It’s a powerful and unique system, and we are so pleased to be undertaking this landmark project with FortisBC, a company that shares our commitment to environmental sustainability and building healthy communities.”
Located in the center of downtown Vancouver, adjacent to Sky Train, the Telus Garden was designed by Henriquez Partners Architects. The development will feature a LEED Platinum 24-story office tower, a LEED Gold 53-story residential tower, which will include more than 425 green homes, and retail space. Upon completion Telus Garden will utilize at least 30 percent less energy than a standard development of a similar size. The office tower is scheduled to be ready for occupancy in June 2014, while the residential segment is scheduled for occupancy in May 2015.