Energy House, phase 1 of the ambitious sustainability program of the Dawson Creek Campus of Northern Lights College, was conceived as a new ‘front door’ for the campus. The program consists of a 750 m² building, connected to the existing Campus Centre via an enclosed walkway. The building includes two lab-type classrooms for solar and wind power technology training, a meeting room, washrooms, kitchenette, multipurpose room and a transparent mechanical / electrical room that highlights the advanced sustainable systems employed in the project. The project showcases biomass, photovoltaic, solar hot water, geothermal and wind turbine technologies.

Linked to the main campus centre via underground servicing conduits, the new Energy House heating plant combines ground source heat pumps, using geothermal energy from 46 deep vertical wells, with a large wood-pellet biomass boiler designed to serve a campus energy system for the major buildings at the heart of the campus. These systems are visible through the glazed wall of the multipurpose room, which is used for both college and public events. Real time performance can be seen on a digital dashboard, reaffirming the college’s position on the leading edge of renewable energy research and education.

Related work: Higher Education