Cobalt Engineering: Turning Building Design On Its Head

Publish Date: October 2009

A Vancouver engineering consulting firm has helped the Millennium Water design team turn the heating system for the project on its head. Literally.

Cobalt Engineering, which provided mechanical engineering consulting for the development that will house athletes during the 2010 Winter Games, worked with the design team to find the most sustainable mechanical systems for the buildings.

The company was involved in master planning and facade design for all of the buildings on the site. It also provided building energy modeling during the project development stage. Every piece of the design was carefully considered to make the most of the natural features of the site and to reduce energy use, from the size of the windows to exterior shades to keep the units cool, according to Goran Ostojic, one of the founding partners of Cobalt Engineering.

"The modeling tools allow us to see how different elements will change the energy use of the buildings," Ostojic said. "The next step is finding the systems that go well with the sustainable approach of the project."

The heating system is one of the features residents will notice immediately, he said. The housing units will all have a radiant system, but instead of the typical comfort of heated floors, this system will be installed in the ceiling, he said.

"It’s relatively new to North America, but it is used in Europe and it is a very energy efficient system," he said. "People usually think that since hot air rises, you heat the floor, but radiant heating actually heats you, not the air."

Hot and cold water will be distributed through capillary mats mounted in the ceiling and residents will feel the difference.

"The system is not heating the air - it’s heating the objects in the room with radiant energy," Ostojic said. "It heats the surfaces around you so you won’t feel the discomfort of cold surfaces in the room. The walls, furniture, windows and floors will be warm and there will be no drafts or blasts of heat."

The company researched the technology for the heating system, as well as other mechanical engineering systems and presented the recommendations to the design team. Cobalt Engineering has focused on sustainable solutions for mechanical and engineering systems for the past 10 years, Ostojic said, but when it is finished, the Millennium Water community will be its largest project.

He said working with the design team for the development gave the company an opportunity to participate in the creation of what will be the most sustainable community in North America.

"It will definitely move us, and many others, onto the global stage."

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