Celebrating Retrofits for the Common Good

To celebrate our involvement with Common Good, a new film series presented by B Lab Global and produced by BBC StoryWorks, we’re proud to highlight some of our building retrofit work.  

Rather than demolishing and rebuilding, retrofitting an existing building preserves not only its embodied carbon but also its cultural value. Retrofits consider the building asset as an integrated whole, upgrading all systems together to minimize on-site energy usage, improve overall performance, and ensure occupant health and comfort. They are ideal for minimizing the carbon footprint of construction, especially that associated with new builds.

We’re proud to be a B Corp Certified business, redefining what it means to do business for good.

IPD Canada Games Aquatic Centre Infrastructure Upgrades 

The Canada Games Aquatic Centre is Kamloops’ main indoor pool, originally constructed for the 1993 Canada Summer Games. While the building had been well maintained, it had seen little to no upgrades or improvements over the years. The existing building envelope, mechanical, and electrical system were showing their age and were at, or past, their anticipated service life.

This unique project included the renovation, reprogramming, and capital repairs on the existing facility. Entuitive provided building envelope and energy modelling consulting as part of an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) team. An analysis of existing utility consumption was conducted, and a detailed energy model developed to represent the existing facility. Entuitive worked with the design team to evaluate the GHG emissions impacts of various design options to ensure the best value for the city. 

Avenue Living

Entuitive is the prime consultant for the IREE Certified Energy Audits and retrofits of nine multi-unit rental apartment buildings in Avenue Living’s portfolio across southern Alberta. 

Avenue Living, an owner and operator of residential properties, is seeking to retrofit many of its properties to lower greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption. Our team's scope includes the energy analysis, energy conservation measure option analysis (including window retrofits), Investor Ready Energy Efficiency certified analysis, and the design work associated with the retrofits.

Dominion Centre Conversion 

The Dominion Centre Residential Conversion project involves the conversion of a commercial office building in Downtown Calgary into residential suites. This was a pilot project for the City of Calgary’s residential conversion program and was used to demonstrate how to develop a high-performance residential building from an older commercial building. 

Entuitive was engaged to provide energy modeling, building envelope consulting, life cycle analysis, and climate resiliency services for the project. Our integrated, multidisciplinary approach enabled us to deliver a clear understanding of the building's current performance needs as well as long-term sustainability throughout its lifespan.

SaskTel Head Office Renewal 

The SaskTel Head Office Renewal project involved creating a master plan that outlines a series of steps for renewing the building. This plan offers a comprehensive assessment of the current performance of the building's systems. The new design includes significant upgrades to the building's exterior, mechanical, and electrical systems to extend its lifespan by 40-50 years while achieving ambitious sustainability goals. 

Our team modelled a complex double façade system that significantly reduced the heating loads in the building, as well as a highly efficient HVAC system that recovers heat from the data center's cooling load and from exhaust air. This approach achieved 60% energy savings compared to the current derated baseline. 

To learn more about how Entuitive can work with you on your retrofit project, reach out to Samantha Lane.