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Exterior daytime view of Northern Lights College Energy House showing Douglas-fir and western red cedar glue-laminated timber (glulam) mass timber, millwork, and exterior paneling

Northern Lights College Energy House

Location: Dawson Creek, B.C.
Architect: McFarland Marceau Architects
Completion: 2011
Photo courtesy of Northern Lights College

Size
802 square metres

Owner
Northern Lights College

Structural Engineer
Equilibrium Consulting Inc.

Structural systems
Hybrid / Other
Low rise
Passive House / High performance
Post + beam
Prefabricated

Project materials
Glue-laminated timber (Glulam)
Millwork
Panelling
Siding

Designed to showcase the warmth and beauty of exposed wood

A visit to Energy House on the Dawson Creek campus of Northern Lights College is like a trip to the future of green energy. It also shows the current and future benefits of building with wood.

Energy House at Northern Lights College is a multi-use facility that demonstrates clean energy technology and enlightens students and visitors on the efficiency, effectiveness and beauty of wood products. Energy House is the focal point of the school’s Centre of Excellence that provides training in clean energy technology, and it is located in Dawson Creek where the winter months dip to minus 40°C and energy efficiency is crucial. Wood construction is an ideal choice for education institutions that want to set a good example by moving toward a more environmentally responsible approach to design and construction.

The wood medium was the message

All the wood used in the project was locally sourced and contributed to the provincial economy, including the tongue-and-groove ceiling millwork, wood-finished walls and glulam cabinets and counters. Concrete shear walls were used to deal with seismic loads but all other structural components are wood with the exception of a few steel columns and steel connectors necessary for the glulam connectors. All walls are wood stud construction infilling between the shear walls and the glulam post-and-beam construction.

Showcasing the latest in green technology

The building was built to LEED Platinum standards. Its heating system produces enough energy to heat the main campus. Pine beetle affected wood from the area is used in pellet form to fuel the building’s biomass boiler, which heats the main campus. A geo-exchange system provides heating and cooling for Energy House.

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