High Performing Buildings - Fall 2011 - (Page 46)

Synergy townhouse patios, as seen from the greenway. The project uses rainwater leaders to direct building runoff to the central greenway. The greenway is designed to mimic natural systems by keeping water on land for as long as possible. The greenway also polishes and conveys the treated effluent from the wastewater treatment plant. 30 and 60 years old, and most of the units have one or two bedrooms. Synergy has also been designed to meet adaptable housing guidelines, allowing for aging in place. In addition to attracting a range of ages, affordable housing units (rental) in Synergy are aimed at those with incomes of $30,000 to $60,000. Synergy was constructed for an approximately $24 million D o c k s i D e B i o m a s s G a s i f i c at i o n P l a n t Electrostatic precipitator © Perkins+Will Canada Architects Co. Oxidizer Gasi er Boiler Clean wood waste Peak of 1.1 tonnes /hr Clean gas District energy system The district heating strategy was a concept that came out of initial master planning discussions. The vision statement for the project meant that the cleanest, most cost-effective solution for energy production needed to be found. Without access to reliable wind power and a long payback for solar technologies in the overcast Pacific northwest, a waste-to-energy plant became the obvious choice. initial costing suggested that the economy of scale for district energy was most feasible using clean wood waste, as it was plentiful in the region. gasification technology had been successfully implemented and improved upon in sweden over the past 30 years. And, waste-to-energy gasification technology had become the cornerstone for sweden’s greenhouse gas reduction and would prove to be the most environmentally and economically sound means for heat production at dockside green. The thermo-chemical process of gasification uses heat to convert a carboncontaining fuel into a cleaner burning gas. gasification differs from combustion (or incineration) because it uses just 20% to 30% of the air or oxygen needed for complete fuel combustion. during gasification, the amount of air supplied to the gasifier is controlled so only a portion of the fuel burns. This reduced air combustion process provides sufficient heat to chemically break down the balance of the fuel into synthetic gas (syngas). 46 HigH Performing Buildings fa l l 2 0 1 1 Heat Exchanger Heat for Dockside +Sale to Hotel

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of High Performing Buildings - Fall 2011

High Performing Buildings - Fall 2011
Commentary
Contents
Manitoba Hydro Place
Maplewood Police and Court Building
Omega Center for Sustainable Living
Dockside Synergy at Dockside Green
Golden Hill Office Center
Letters to the Editor
Products
Advertisers Index

High Performing Buildings - Fall 2011