Manitoba Hydro

Architects
Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (Design Architects) /
Smith Carter Architects + Engineers (Executive Architects) /
Transsolar (Climate Engineers)

Location
Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Category
Office Buildings
Manitoba Hydro
Manitoba Hydro is the major energy utility in the Province of Manitoba, the fourth largest energy
utility in Canada and offers some of the lowest electricity rates in the world. Owned by the
provincial government, nearly all of its electricity comes from self-renewing water power. Its new
headquarters tower, Manitoba Hydro Place, is the first of the next generation of sustainable
buildings integrating time-tested environmental concepts in conjunction with advanced
technologies to achieve a “living building” that dynamically responds to the local climate.

Located in downtown Winnipeg, the city is known for its extreme climate, with temperatures that
fluctuate from -35ºC (-31 ºF) to +34ºC (95 ºF) over the year. The 64,500 m² (695,000 ft²) tower is
targeting less than 100 kWh/m²/a compared to 400 kWh/m²/a for a typical large scale North
American office tower located in a more temperate climate. The architectural solution clearly
responds to the client’s vision, and relies on passive free energy without compromise to design
quality and, most importantly, human comfort.
Manitoba Hydro
 Manitoba Hydro

A 115 metre (377 foot) tall solar chimney marks the north elevation and main entrance on Portage Avenue,
and establishes an iconic presence for Manitoba Hydro on the skyline. The solar chimney is a key element
in the passive ventilation system which relies on the natural stack effect. The chimney draws used air out
of the building during the shoulder seasons and summer months. In winter, exhaust air is drawn to the
bottom of the solar chimney by fans, and heat recovered from this exhaust air is used to warm the
parkade and to preheat the incoming cold air in the south atria.

In contrast to conventional North American office buildings which use

recirculated air, Manitoba Hydro Place is filled with 100% fresh air, 24 hours a day,
year round, regardless of outside temperatures. Within the splay of the two
towers, a series of three, six-storey south atria, or winter gardens, form the lungs
of the building, drawing in outside air and pre-conditioning it before it enters the
workspaces through adjustable vents in the raised floor. Depending on the
season, a 24 metre tall waterfall feature in each of the atria humidifies or
dehumidifies the incoming air. During colder temperatures, recovered heat from
exhaust air, and passive solar radiant energy are used to warm the fresh air. The
conditioned air is drawn through the raised floors into the office spaces through
under floor fan units. Building occupants, computers and other sources of heat
cause the air to rise, which is then drawn north and exhausted by the solar
chimney. In the shoulder seasons, the building relies solely on outdoor fresh air
through the use of automatic and manually operated windows.
 Manitoba Hydro

Manitoba Hydro Place also has the largest closed loop geothermal system in the province. 280 boreholes, each 150 mm (6”) in diameter,
penetrate the site 125 meters (400 ft.) underground, circulating glycol which is cooled in the summer and heated in the winter by the ground
source heat exchanger. Water is circulated through the heat exchanger and distributed through thermal mass of the concrete structure which in
turn heats or cools the space consistently.