Data-Driven Smart Buildings
DDSB
The Varennes Net-Zero Energy Library is a 2,000 m2 municipal library building located in the town of Varennes, about 40 km away from Montréal. This library, developed through an initiative of the municipality of Varennes with the collaboration of CanmetENERGY (Natural Resources Canada) and Concordia University, was designed through an integrated design process (“design charrette”) that brought together a strong team of architecture and engineering professionals from the Montréal region. The building was inaugurated in 2014. Technologies integrated into the design of the building include ground-source heat pumps (GSHP), hydronic radiant slab, electric vehicle charging stations, motorised windows for natural cooling, horizontal exterior louvers on south façade for daylight control. One of the key technologies featured is a 110 kWe building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system; 1/6 of the roof area also works as a building integrated photovoltaic thermal (BIPV/T) system that preheats the ventilation air. These systems, along with energy efficiency measures and a design made to optimise solar energy utilisation, has led to a near net-zero energy performance.
Model predictive control (MPC) for preheating/precooling the building to reduce energy consumption during peak demand periods and enhance energy flexibility.
Limited dataset available online.
Although the library is a net-zero energy building (NetZEB), the focus is also shifted to the interactions between renewable production, energy storage, self-consumption and grid needs. This case study demonstrates that through a better integration of the different building subsystems, system components would perform efficiently and can be sized smaller, reducing investment and operation costs. Another objective of this project was to transfer acquired knowledge to the building design sector, convince other municipalities to adopt the integrated design process method, reduce the perception of high-performance buildings having a higher life-cycle cost, and to educate and showcase to the public the library’s various net-zero energy enabling technologies (particularly their integration).
V. Dermardiros, A.K. Athienitis, S. Bucking. (2019). Energy performance, comfort, and lessons learned from an institutional building designed for net zero energy. ASHRAE Transactions, 125, 682-695.
