ARCH 684: Advanced Studies in Canadian Sustainable Design

Winter 2003

Caroline Prochazka
97268438

Solarium Building at Paradise Lake

(near) Waterloo, Ontario

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 1

Solarium Building at Paradise Lake
Table of Contents:

Section: Page:
Quick Facts………………………………………………………………………. 3

Introduction……………………………………………………………………….. 5
Program…………………………………………………………………………… 9
Site………………………………………………………………………………… 13
Sustainable Design……………………………………………………………… 17
Environmental Controls…………………………………………………………. 24
Construction……………………………………………………………………… 21
Integration of Systems………………………………………………………….. 24
Costing…………………………………………………………………………… 31
LEED: Leadership in Energy Efficient Design Certification………………… 33
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………. 34

Bibliography……………………………………………………………………… 35
Endnotes………………………………………………………………………… 36

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Solarium Building at Paradise Lake
(near) Waterloo, Ontario

Quick-Facts:

Building Name YMCA Environmental Learning Centre, Solarium Building

City Paradise Lake, Ontario
Country Canada
Year of Construction 1995-1996
Architect Charles Simon Architect Inc.
Consultants1 Structural / Project Manager / Contractor: Walter Fedy Partnership
Environmental / Energy Engineers: Allen Associates
Mechanical / Electrical Consultant: Peter Meridew
Landscape: Mackinnon Hensel

Program Day Centre, Resource Centre, Assembly Facility

Gross Area2 360m² or 3900sf
Owner/User Group3 Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA / primarily youth programming

Climate Temperate, Cold-humid

Special Site Conditions none
Aesthetics4 Client prioritized functionality and was not seeking a “one and only” style building.

Structural System Wood-frame, Steel truss for glazed greenhouse wall.

Mechanical System Primary: Air pump to circulate heated greenhouse air; Secondary: wood-fired boiler
Special Construction Curtain walled solarium

Daylighting South-facing curtain wall, interior clerestories and north-facing clerestory windows.
Shading Roof overhangs on all sides except at curtain wall; some self shading.
Acoustics Wood finish interior, recycled tire flooring in assembly room.
Ventilation Floor and clerestory vents in greenhouse for summer cooling; operable windows.

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 3

Adaptability Operable windows and louvers
User Controls Occupant control greenhouse vents, operable windows, air pump and boiler.

Estimated LEED rating Certified

Budget5 $400 000 Pre-tender budget

Cost of Constructions6 $575 000 (Approximately $1600/m² or $148/sf)
Annual Maintenance Cost7 Estimated between $600 and $1000 variable by year.
Special Circumstances Cost overrun due to rapidly fluctuating labour costs at time of construction. Extra
capital expenses for living machine and solar water heater (for demonstration
purposes).

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Introduction:
The architectural trends of the 20th century were dominated by a tendency to separate building design from the building
site. With industrialization and mass-production came the dream of a universal architecture. The design field began to
eliminate site-dependence in building design, and express globalization through buildings which could exist anywhere8. In
the 1960’s more ecologically concerned individuals sought to return to vernacular forms of architecture, using more
organic massing and experimenting with materials, though historically they have been perceived as part of a fringe
movement. More recently, however, sustainable architecture has gained the spotlight through some much-lauded ‘green
buildings’. Many of these buildings, however, have demanded new high performance products and have often combined
limited environmental design principles with highly individualized massing and construction technologies.

This case study will review the Solarium building, built in 1996 at the Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA Outdoor Centre at
Paradise Lake. The design of the Solarium Building returns to age-old, reliable, building materials and seeks to re-invest
the building in its site. The site is 15 minutes from Waterloo, in southern Ontario. Local architect Charles Simon designed
two building built at that time as part of the YMCA Environmental Learning Centre (Fig.1). The Solarium building
(Fig.2&3), which is the Day Centre for group activities demonstrates that current technology already allows for sustainable
design. Sustainable design, here, is not a matter of engineering new environmentally sound technologies, but more an
exercise in creating a sensible, comfortable space and maximizing the potential of existing materials. While it is now, more
than ever, possible to build in a sustainable way, some advancement must still be made in municipal building codes to
allow design projects to take full advantage of their available resources.

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 5

The design followed the principle of ‘practice what you preach’9. The goal of the YMCA was to create an outdoor center
which embodied the environmental values to be taught on site10. Charles Simon, architect, was brought into the design

Fig.1 Aerial site photo showing Solarium Building

(circled), new residence (top right) and Paradise
Lake (right)

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Fig.2 Main entry, west side Fig.3 Rear view, bermed northeast side
Photo courtesy of Terri Meyer Boake

discussions early, in a planning capacity, to devise a site strategy11. With the co-operation of Allen Associates and the
Walter Fedy partnership, an outline was generated for building strategy, passive design approach and the general goal.
The design followed the principle of ‘practice what you preach’12. The goal of the YMCA was to create an outdoor center
which embodied the environmental values to be taught on site13. Charles Simon, architect, was brought into the design
discussions early, in a planning capacity, to devise a site strategy14. With the co-operation of Allen Associates, Peter
Meridew and the Walter Fedy partnership, an outline was generated for building strategy, passive design approach and
the general goal. The design team avoided the use of newer (untested) products in favour of more traditional building
materials, from local salvage sources where possible. The success of the new building was crucial to encouraging others

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 7

to delve into sustainable design15. Sustainable architecture in the southern Ontario climate must address both heating and
cooling. The Solarium building is an example of climate sensitive design. Working with air currents, earth-mass and
sunlight, the building is sheltered from northern, winter winds, captures south, summer breezes to ventilate the
greenhouse, uses winter sun to heat itself, and capitalizes on daylight wherever possible. The design also incorporates a
living machine and a solar water heater (both fairly recent technologies). Both of these are highly analogous to natural
systems. The living machine is a condensed version of toxin filtration through a natural wetland (reflecting the nature of
the site to the north of the building). The solar water heater demonstrates principles of convection, radiant heat and
another use for abundantly glazed areas. As all environmental systems are connected to the glazed greenhouse space,
the success of this space directly impacts the success of the entire building. The solarium building is an example of ‘low-
tech’ sustainable architecture.

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Program:

Fig.4 Plan
The day centre provides space and programming for children’s summer camps, church and youth group retreats as well
as occasional conferences. The plan of the building is divided into four principal areas (Fig.4): a foyer and office area of
79m², a large greenhouse of 77m², an assembly room of 105m², and a washroom area of 29m² (Fig.1). Mechanical
spaces occupy an additional 19m². The primary circulation axis runs east-west from the parking area towards Paradise
Lake while the primary program axis, that of the greenhouse and assembly room, is aligned north to south to optimize
ventilation and lighting.

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 9

The section of the Day Centre is dominated by the pairing of the greenhouse and assembly room. These two rooms can
become one large space when the folding doors are opened (Fig.5). The dramatic slope of the glazing emphasizes the
design of the natural ventilation. Access to the mezzanine allows one to experience the significant heat gain at the top of
the solarium. The greenhouse wraps over the assembly room and provides direct light through clerestory windows while
shading the roof of the assembly room to reduce heat gain. The earth on the north side huddles up to the assembly room,
to shelter it from cold winter winds and further insulate it from summer heat (Fig.6).

Fig.5 View from Conference room to Solarium

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Fig.6 Principal N-S Section showing winter sun penetration

A similar section is developed through the office and washrooms (Fig.7). The office receives direct south light in the
winter, and is sheltered from light in the summer by the roof overhang. An additional outdoor trellis could provide shading
if it were hung with vines, but to date the trellis is bare. Clerestory windows provide lighting to the foyer and washrooms.
As the success of this building depends primarily on ample sunlight, it is only suiting that the focal point is a large
greenhouse. The greenhouse alone provides interior climate control for the whole building, including lighting, heating and
cooling, fresh air supply, water purification as well as some water heating functions.

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 11

Fig.7 N-S Section through office and WC showing winter sun penetration

In the office and assembly room, the usable space is relatively unaffected by the environmental strategies which have
been implemented. It is the quality of the spaces which is greatly improved here. The assembly room and washrooms are
well lit and comfortably ventilated. The glazed doors between the assembly room and greenhouse enhance the assembly
space through a visual connection to the sunny, airy, neighbouring space. By comparison, the greenhouse, while
generating these amenities for the rest of the building, is a much less useable space in itself. More than 50% of the floor
area has been devoted to and greatly segmented by the living machine, by the tanks as well as by simulated marsh and
waterfall areas. The usability of the remaining floor area fluctuates dramatically with the season. While summer heat gain
can be vented by stack effect, drawing air in by lower louvers and exhausting hot air out the clerestory louvers, winter heat

12
gain is retained in order to heat the rest of the building. On a sunny afternoon in February, where the exterior temperature
was -4 °C, temperature readings in the greenhouse showed that the temperature ranged from 22 °C in the lower level to
43 °C on the mezzanine. In addition, the presence of the living machine introduces humidity to the room, resulting in a
high (c.60%) relative humidity in the greenhouse16. The hot air is siphoned off at the mezzanine into ducts and
redistributed through the building, warming the other spaces. While part of the floor space of the greenhouse is occupied
by a seating area, the hot, humid, afternoon microclimate results in the entire room being almost unusable. There is,
however, a period of the morning where temperatures drop as low as 12 ºC in the winter, offering a few hours of more
comfortable temperatures. This is unfortunate as the greenhouse would seem to be the most enjoyable space, offering
bright sun and the soothing noise of bubbling water. In this context, the greenhouse is an oversized, though lovely,
mechanical room.

Site:
The Solarium building was built almost simultaneously with the Burrows building, a residence for visiting groups. As a pair,
the two buildings sit at opposite sides of a natural wetland. The Day Centre sits towards the centre of the site facing south
towards the older camp buildings. This location allows the large greenhouse to be unaffected by the shadows of the
surrounding trees. The form of the greenhouse comes from consideration for prevailing winds and sun angles on the site.
Prior to construction, the site was lightly treed and covered in meadow. The site development had only two key
requirements: that all trees should be kept, or if they are obstructing the building, should be transplanted safely elsewhere
on the property; and sod roofing, along with berming would replace some of the meadowland that the building would
disturb.

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 13

The site is harnessed in two primary ways. Facing the large meadow to the south, the building can maximize heat gain in
the green house. The sunlight is harnessed to provide solar heating and cooling, as well as to give light to the water-
purifying plants. The earth-berm up against the north wall uses the earth mass as insulation for the assembly room
(Fig.8). Furthermore, with the raised grade level the summer vegetation of native plants is visible through the north
windows of the assembly room, improving the view from the room.

Fig.8 Bermed north wall

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The orientation of the building is informed primarily by the quantity and quality of light required in each space. The
greenhouse has the greatest light demands and thus faces due south. The office/resource centre is also south facing. The
assembly room requires abundant light, but for the purposes of presentations and children’s activities, indirect light is
preferred, to lessen heat gain and provide even, diffuse lighting. The north orientation promotes such lighting, though
some direct light is allowed through clerestory windows to the greenhouse. The placement of the large greenhouse to the
south of the assembly room results in self-shading - the greenhouse keeps the assembly room in shade, thus further
reducing heat-gain. The washrooms, while of least priority and placed against the north side, also benefit from clerestory
windows to significantly reduce electrical lighting needs.

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 15

Fig.9 View into Greenhouse from south

Initial site work, included burying a cistern to collect storm-water run-off. The intention was that this cistern would then
supply water to a feedpipe at the top of the greenhouse, pouring water over the glass at night. This would absorb some of
the internal heat and provide evaporative cooling of the building. Unfortunately, the piping from the cistern to the roof froze
in the first winter, and the system had to be re-worked to feed from well-water. Fortunately, as the Solarium is a small
building, with a sod roof along with both natural and soft landscaping, storm-water retention without the cistern does not
pose any difficulties.

The use of such a greenhouse (Fig.9) to provide the amenities for this building is a climate specific choice. As the
construction only makes indirect use of the thermal mass (by passing warm air ducts through the concrete floor), it is not
suited to extreme climates, such as hot desert regions or even very cold climates. In a hotter climate, the louvre ventilation
and night time radiant cooling alone will not be adequate to remove the rising temperatures. A significant amount of
thermal mass would be required to slow the rate of temperature increase in the space. This excess heat could then be
removed by night-time evaporative cooling as described above. In a colder climate, summer ventilation would work well,
but winter heating would require a greater contribution from a mechanical heater or, again, direct gain in thermal mass in
order to store heat into the night time hours. As the building exists, with a majority of interiors finished in wood, the range
of temperatures inside the greenhouse function are only comfortable when the vents are open in the summer. In climates
similar to that of Paradise Lake, such as drier regions of similar seasonal temperatures the building might gain more use
of the greenhouse space. In such a case, the relative humidity inside might dissipate, causing less condensation (as well

16
as decreased potential for mold growth) and making the heat in the greenhouse in the winter drier and hence more
tolerable.

Sustainable Design:
The foremost criteria in materials selection for the Solarium building was the 3 R’s principle: Reduce, Reuse, and
Recycle17. Where possible, materials were salvaged from demolition sites in the surrounding cities. Many of the large
structural timbers come from an old factory in Hamilton. Old concrete formwork was reused as sheathing. Other wood was
collected and milled into siding by local Mennonites18. In this way the construction of the Solarium building embodies
significant parts of local history.

The Solarium building contains five primary building materials: wood, concrete, metal (steel and aluminum), insulation and
glass. These all have remarkably different embodied energy coefficients (EEC), all of which are tempered by their use in
the building. Wood, the most prominent material in this building, when managed prudently, is a renewable resource with
very low embodied energy. The wood in the Solarium building is primarily from recycled or salvage sources and was re-
milled on site. Table 1 summarizes the embodied energy of the materials in the Solarium building.

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 17

Table 1. Embodied Energies of Principal Materials
Material Embodied Energy (MJ.kg)
Wood (EE value does not account for salvage and recycling) 1.16
Concrete (reinforced) 1.6
Steel (virgin, galvanized) 34.8
Aluminum (virgin, extruded anodized) 227
Batt Insulation 30.3
EPS Insulation 117
Glass (float) 15.9

Efficient reuse of materials means fewer trees are required to make several buildings and the embodied energy is diluted
over a greater time-period. The balance of the materials is recyclable to varying degrees and contains varying amounts of
recycled content. By far, the curtain wall on the greenhouse has the highest total embodied energy of all elements in this
building. The recycled content of the aluminum is uncertain, although aluminum is lightweight and easy to recycle and this
suggests some benefit to its use in this design. Virgin aluminum consumes great quantities of energy in the smelting
process, though once purified, it takes little energy to melt and reshape old aluminum. There are also very limited
amounts of aluminum in the ducting. Two large ducts carry hot air from the mezzanine back to the main floor level
(Fig.10). Under the assembly room are lengths of downspouts which carry warm air to the north-side floor vents19. As an
indication of the degree of consideration applied to this design, one must consider that aluminum was used only in those

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areas of the building where strength and reliability were important. The steel trusses were also an important selection for
the structure of the sloped glazing wall. The tension cables allowed for a lighter structure, but the galvanized coating on
the vertical members implied virgin content and prevented the use of recycled steel in this instance20.

Fig. 10 Fans and ducting to redistribute hot greenhouse air

The power and resources saved by using the greenhouse to naturally heat the building may offset the embodied energy of
the structure. The glazed greenhouse wall requires a strong foundation to support the weight of the glass and the large
trusses. The use of concrete foundation and slab on grade throughout the building has both benefits and drawback. As a
weighty material, the total embodied energy is quite high. The aggregate, however, is crushed concrete from another
demolition site. A similar reuse can be applied when the Solarium outlives its usefulness. The thermal mass potential of
the concrete was considered as significant to the design21. Unfortunately, due to the number of children using the facility,

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 19

the floor has been covered with recycled tire flooring to provide a softer surface. While this provides a more functional
space, it greatly decreases the thermal storage ability of the concrete floors.

The windows are triple glazed in order to minimize heat loss. Glass, however, is very easy to recycle and depending on
the amount of recycled content, the EEC will decrease. Through an embodied energy analysis, it becomes clear that
several concessions were made in order to provide the greenhouse wall (undoubtedly the most important element) with a
structure which was strong, but not bulky. The design of the Solarium building incorporates conservative use of well
tested, recyclable materials. A long-term benefit of this building is that when it comes to the end of its useful life, it can be
recycled nearly 100%.

The water requirements in the Day Centre are very low. The faucets, low flush toilets and urinals are the only plumbing in
the building. The design aims to purify all water used in the building through a living machine. Municipal bylaws, however,
required the building to have a full septic system regardless of the planned living machine. This duplication of systems
initially allowed for the delay in the installation of the living machine until necessary funds were raised, but at present, with
the living machine installed, the septic tank and bed are redundant.

The living machine (Fig.11&12) is a sequence of closed and open tanks which contain different bacteria, plants and
organisms. Each tank functions like a mini-ecosystem and works to break down the waste products in the water22.
Through a sequence of five tanks and an artificial marsh (Fig.13), waste water is purified and made potable. The waste
water is first pumped into a closed sewage tank where bacteria working through anaerobic (oxygen free) processes begin
to breakdown the harshest toxins. The water is then pumped through three open tanks containing plants and aerobic

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(oxygen needing) bacteria. These tanks contain primarily umbrella plants, red taro, cala lily and yellow iris. The proportion
of plant species, as well as the types of bacteria varies slightly depending on the mineral and toxin content of the water in
each tank. The water is then pumped to a final cleansing tank where snails and fish digest any remaining waste matter.
From this tank, the water is sent through an artificial marsh, in the south-east corner of the greenhouse, planted with
native Ontario plants, for final filtration. The resulting clean water is then stored in two tanks for later use. This clean water
can also be pumped to a small waterfall and artificial swamp in the south-west corner of the greenhouse so that samples
can be taken for testing. The swamp included an additional heat exchanger so some water can be warmed and sent back
into the purification tanks to promote bacterial growth. Callum McKee, the Director of the Outdoor Centre, hopes to add
sand filters to the clean water storage tanks in the near future to remove the risk of e.coli and choliform contamination23.
The Solarium building also employs a solar water heater in the glazed greenhouse wall to generate hot water for the
washrooms. The system is quite small in scale, yet requires a lot of piping. Callum McKee noted that it takes several
minutes to get hot water to flow from the washroom faucets. For this reason, most of the water used at the centre is cold.
While the Day Centre is connected to municipal hydro power, it has been designed to minimize electrical loads. The low
energy light fixtures, and the fans for the air pump together use only 2 kW of power. Discounting the load of the recently
added office components, such as computers, fax and photocopiers, the centre can run on less energy than an electric
tea kettle24. Office computers and appliances additional power, but have been selected for efficiency. The water pump for
the living machine draws 1.8kW but only runs for a few seconds a day.

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 21

Fig.11 Living Machine, primary storage tank Fig.12 Living Machines, plant tanks
Photo courtesy of Terri Meyer Boake Photo courtesy of Terri Meyer Boake

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Fig.13 Diagram of Living Machine system

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 23

While the building aims to primarily use the greenhouse for heating and cooling, a wood-fired boiler was installed as a fail-
safe to supplement the heat from the greenhouse, to ensure occupant comfort. A typical winter temperature cycle in the
building dips to 12 ºC in the early morning, and while this is more than adequate for plant survival, the few hours before
the greenhouse is able to provide significant heat to the human occupant could be uncomfortably cool without the use of
the boiler25. While wood is not the cleanest burning fuel, it is in plentiful supply and a wholly renewable resource soon to
be harvested entirely on site26.

Environmental Controls:
In a climate where the winters are characteristically cold and often sunny, and summers are hot and humid, the significant
loads are winter heating and summer ventilation. As a ventilation scheme, the greenhouse is extremely effective in
summer months. The green house successfully heats the entire building except for a few weeks each year when the
boiler must be fired in the mornings27. Since the addition of the living machine, however, the greenhouse has had very
high relative humidity, and this is a concern in regards to the longevity of the building. With a high relative humidity, the
dewpoint rises and in the winter, exceeds the temperature of surfaces such as the concrete foundation and rear exit door.
The interior lighting of the building is based on a series of clerestory glazing supplemented in the evenings by high-
efficiency light fixtures. The Solarium building demonstrates a very effective lighting scheme for this size of building. The
electrical lighting is rarely used, as the clerestory lighting and greenhouse provide an abundance of natural light
throughout the building (Fig.14) and the building is rarely used after dark.

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 Fig.14 Daylighting in the foyer

The building uses a ventilation system of louvers (Fig.15&16) and operable windows, in combination with a fan for heat
distribution. While a vestibule was included at the main entry, presumably to lessen heat loss through the doors in the
winter and buffer against heat gain in the summer, the exit doors at the east end of the greenhouse are less than
adequate for their task. The wooden door has no weather-stripping and offers a one-inch gap at the threshold for air
leakage. Furthermore, as the air leaks out, particularly in the winter, it condenses on the door, causing harmful mildew on
the wood and ice buildup at the base of the door. While the building was originally tested to perform at 1.2 air exchanges
per hour (better than the C-2000 standard)28, it is unclear how this leaky door would affect the test today.

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 25

Fig.15 Interior view of lower louvers in greenhouse Fig.16 Exterior view of upper louvers, above mezzanine
The environmental design principles incorporated in the Solarium building are primarily passive strategies. The
greenhouse acts as a large solar collector and this solar energy feeds many processes in the moderation of the internal
environment. The building offers few automated functions, relying on the user to take responsibility for the environmental
controls. Operable windows and louvers allow the user to control ventilation. The wood-fired boiler must be fed by hand,
so heat is only produced when the building is occupied. The building employs very few active technological interventions
and in this way manages to save on cost and resources.

When the Day Centre was first constructed, the main office was in another building. The design for the Day Centre
located the resource center in the south west quadrant of the building. As an area for demonstrations or reading or quiet

26
activity, this was appropriate. The adaptation of this space to an office environment has not been entirely successful,
although the occupants seem to enjoy the space nonetheless. The large amounts of light which can enter the space in
winter create severe glare on the computers and result in staff shuffling their workspace to seek a shady patch29.
As discussed previously, it seems the temperature and humidity in the greenhouse make for a space which can be used
for teaching environmental principles, although not a space for long term occupation.
The assembly room, by contrast is a very adaptable space. With a podium style presentation corner and recycled tire
flooring, the room can serve purposes ranging from conferences and presentations, to boisterous youth-group activities.
The air quality can be kept cool for busy activities or the doors can be opened to the greenhouse for more direct heating.
Humidity does not seem to be a noticeable problem in this room. As a building which entertains youth activities which are
inherently noisy, the acoustic treatment is simple and effective. The assembly room and greenhouse are each separated
from the rest of the building by wooden doors. Furthermore, the extensive rough milled wood finish acts as an acoustic
absorber, helping to dull the noise of ongoing activities.

Construction:
The typical wall section (Fig.17) used in the east and west greenhouse walls and around the office has a heat loss
resistance of RSI 5.44 (R=30.89, U=0.03). The north facing wall has a slightly different wall assembly (Fig.18) with an
additional furring space, providing RSI 6.77 (R=38.44, U=0.03). The foundation (Fig.19) is simply concrete with exterior
rigid insulation and performs at approximately RSI 2.08 (R=11.81, U=0.08). The roofing of the Solarium uses two
assemblies: a sod roofing (Fig.20) with calculated RSI 5.81 (R=32.99, U=0.03) and a metal roofing (Fig.21) with RSI 554
(R=31.46, U=0.03).

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 27

Fig.17 Office, South Wall Assembly Fig.18 Conference Room, North Wall Assembly

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 Fig.19 Foundation Wall Assembly

These wall and roof assemblies, though more thoroughly insulated than required by code, are not very different from
those found in conventional building practice. This would appear to indicate that sustainable architecture is not as much a
change in building practice, but a change in attitude. Current construction techniques, if combined with creative planning
and judicious sourcing of materials, can already produce buildings which not only demonstrate a significant reduction in
resource consumption, but which function at a high level of efficiency.

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 29

 Fig.20. Sod Roof Assembly Fig.21 Metal Roof Assembly

Integration of Systems:
All of the systems in the Day Centre interact in the greenhouse. Heating and cooling are both generated in the
greenhouse, with the major ventilation path following the slope of the glazing. Water is heated in a section of the
greenhouse glazing. Water is purified by tanks of vegetation which thrive on the ample sunlight in the greenhouse. The
primary source of light, south light, enters through the greenhouse and is redistributed to the assembly room (and to a
lesser degree, to the foyer and office). The only two redundancies among the systems are the septic bed in addition to the
living machine, and the wood-fired boiler in addition to the passive solar heating of the greenhouse. This building strives to

30
be an example of a design which maximizes the potential of a space, and seeks to integrate environmental control
systems.

The Solarium building seems very rooted in the present. The design does not seem to anticipate much change. Perhaps
the activities in the building may change slightly over time, but with respect to construction there seem to be few areas for
further development. The solar water heater could potentially be replaced as technology advances. Also, if thermal mass
were to be added, perhaps in the greenhouse floor or in part of the wall separating the assembly room and greenhouse,
the wood-fired boiler could be made obsolete. The design seems to have focused on the use of available and reliable
technologies rather than risking speculation on future technologies.

The YMCA site at Paradise Lake is a 15 minute drive from Kitchener-Waterloo, near St. Clements. It is not serviced by the
transit system, and is too far to reach comfortably by foot or bicycle, using current traffic routes. For this reason, all visitors
arrive by motor vehicle: either charter bus or automobile. This seems to be a general trend for environmental education
centres: they are typically located in a naturalized environment, outside of urban centres. As such they are out of reach of
transit systems or more environmentally sound modes of transportation. It is unfortunate that in order to learn the lesson
of environmental awareness, visitors to the centre must engage the least environmentally sound mode of transportation.

Costing:
The Solarium building was built at a cost of $575 000 which corresponds to an average price of $1590/m². Compared to a
standard educational facility, this cost seems high. While initial ‘grunt-work’ was done by Paradise Lake staff, and local
Mennonites provided milling services, the cost over-run, above the initial budget of $400 000, was primarily due to a

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 31

rapidly fluctuating labour market at the time of bidding30. The living machine was installed in 1998 at an additional cost of
$30 00031 or 5% of the total building cost. Economically speaking, this is a great reduction in floor space for a system
which, though functioning well, serves in large part as a demonstration facility. Since the municipality requires that the
building be connected to a septic bed regardless of on-site water treatment, the cost of the living machine will never be
directly recuperated.

Daily maintenance is done by the occupants and requires only a few minutes to adjust ventilation in summer, turn the fans
on and off in winter, run the water pumps and occasionally feed the boiler. The simplicity of controls in this building have
resulted in financial savings where a designated maintenance person was not required on staff. The Solarium building has
an annual maintenance budget of between $600 and $1000 variable by year. Assuming a maintenance staff salary of
$15/hr, working half-time, 50 wks/yr, the Centre saves $15 000 each year. At this rate, the Day Centre will have paid for
the living machine in only two years.

The triple glazed windows were an increased capital cost, necessary in order to decrease heat loss through conduction
and ensure the success of the heating strategy. An additional, though small, capital cost resulted from the solar water
heater, which does not draw on electrical resources, but is quite inefficient. Many of these extra capital costs were offset
by using salvaged (therefore cheaper) materials throughout the building.

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Leadership in Energy Efficient Design Certification:
During the design process, the Solarium building was never subjected to a LEED rating analysis. This is because the
design pre-dates the inception of the LEED program. Table 2 summarizes an estimated LEED analysis. A detailed
breakdown of the point allotment is attached in the LEED spreadsheet.

Table 2. LEED Summary

LEED Category Prerequisites Points
Sustainable Sites Met 7
Water Efficiency N/A 5
Energy and Atmosphere Not met 0
Materials and Resources met 8
Indoor Environment Quality met 8
Innovation and Design Process 1
Total 29 (Certified)

The LEED rating system is heavily oriented towards high density building re-use on urban brownfield sites. For this reason
the Solarium in immediately ineligible for 9 points. Nonetheless, the Solarium succeeds in meeting a LEED Certified
standard primarily through its accomplishments in energy and resource conservation. An additional point in the innovation
and design process category was allotted because the education of the occupants was a significant aspect of the design
intent, aiming to make evident the manner by which the building moderates the indoor climate in response to the

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 33

outdoors. It is the overall simplicity and elegance of the systems which allows the success of the Solarium under the
LEED analysis.

Conclusion:
The Solarium building at the Paradise Lake camp is an example of a true environmental education centre. The building
works in harmony with the surrounding site to adapt to the changing seasons of a Canadian climate and educates camp
participants about the value of sun, wind and light. It demonstrates a means of using simple, tried-and-true technology to
produce integrated building systems in an architectural design. The integrated design process resulted in building services
which are all generated in the greenhouse, but which create a comfortable interior for most of the year. With a few
changes, such as direct thermal mass and reduced water treatment redundancy, the building could set an example for
rural sustainable building. In today’s architecture context, torn between elegant high-tech design and issues of climate
change, the Solarium building is a reasoned response to a question of architecture and education.

34
Bibliography:

Periodical references:

Canadian Architect. Volume 41, No. 7, July 1996. “Green Buildings 1: Natural Harmony.” Bronwen Ledger. p.14-15.

Perspectives: The Journal of the OAA. Volume 5, No. 2, Summer 1997. “The OAA Architectural Excellence Awards
Program.” p.11.

Internet references:

Advanced Buildings Technologies and Practices: Case Study on YMCA Environmental Learning Centre
http://www.advancedbuildings.org/main_cs_ymca.htm

Centre for Building Performance Research

http://www.arch.vuw.ac.nz/cbpr/

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation: Los Altos Project.

http://www.packard.org/pdf/2002Resources.pdf

Embodied Energy Coefficients

http://www.arch.vuw.ac.nz/cbpr/embodied_energy/files/ee-coefficients.pdf

Ocean Arks International

http://www.oceanarks.org/

Which is Better? Steel, Concrete or Wood: A Comparison of Assessments on Three Building Materials in the Housing
Sector. Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Sydney, Fourth Year thesis by Joanna Glover.
http://www.boralgreen.shares.green.net.au/research3/chap3.htm

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 35

Individuals:

McKee, Callum. Manager, Outdoor Services. Interviews and tours at Solarium Building:
January 24, 2003.
February 14, 2003
February 21, 2003

Simon, Charles. Architect. Interviewed March 10, 2003

Endnotes:
1
Canadian Architect. Volume 41, No. 7, July 1996 . Green Buildings 1: Natural Harmony.” Bronwen Ledger. p14-15
2
Canadian Architect. July 1996
3
Interview with Callum McKee, Manager, Outdoor Services, KW YMCA Outdoor Centre. February 21, 2003.
4
Callum McKee. February 21, 2003.
5
Callum McKee. February 21, 2003.
6
Callum McKee. February 21, 2003.
7
Callum McKee. February 21, 2003.
8
The David and Lucilie Packard Foundation: Los Altos Project. http://www.packard.org/pdf/2002Resources.pdf
9
Callum McKee, January 24, 2003.
10
Advanced Buildings. YMCA Environmental Learning Centre Case Study. http://www.advancedbuildings.org.main_cs_ymca.htm
11
Interview with Charles Simon, Architect. March 10, 2003
12
Callum McKee, January 24, 2003.
13
Advanced Buildings. YMCA Environmental Learning Centre Case Study. http://www.advancedbuildings.org.main_cs_ymca.htm
14
Charles Simon. March 10, 2003
15
Canadian Architect. July 1996
16
Caroline Prochazka. Site visit February 14, 2003. Air temperature and RH readings taken with handheld meter c/o Terri Meyer Boake.
17
Callum McKee. January 24, 2003.
18
Canadian Architect. July 1996.
19
Callum McKee. February 14, 2003
20
Charles Simon, March 10, 2003
21
Callum McKee, February 21, 2003

36
22
Ocean Arks International. http://www.oceanarks.org/
23
Callum McKee, January 24, 2003.
24
Callum McKee, January 24, 2003.
25
Callum McKee, January 24, 2003.
26
Callum McKee, January 24, 2003.
27
Callum McKee, February 21, 2003.
28
Callum McKee, January 24, 2003.
29
Callum McKee, January 24, 2003.
30
Callum McKee, January 24, 2003.
31
Callum McKee, January 24, 2003.

YMCA Paradise Lake, Solarium Building 5/11/03 37