Divine Mercy Catholic Elementary School is a newly constructed K-6 School located in southeast Edmonton, Alberta. Accommodating roughly 600 students, Divine Mercy School opened its doors to welcome students in the Edmonton area in September 2020.
Williams Engineering (WE) provided mechanical and electrical consulting services for this new facility targeting LEED® Silver Certification. WE’s mechanical team provided designs for the heating, ventilation, plumbing, fire protection and control systems, sufficient for effective and reliable facility operations. Energy conservation measures include heat recovery on-air systems, high-efficiency condensing heating water boilers and motors, DDC controlled shutdown of fan systems during unoccupied periods and unoccupied space temperature setbacks.
The electrical designs included power distribution, lighting, communications, fire protection, and security systems. These systems were designed to reflect a prudent blend of life cycle cost considerations, including capital costs, utility consumption costs and simple, straightforward systems that could be understood and operated effectively. In an effort to minimize and control energy consumption and to provide a sustainable, efficient and functional system for the facility which is consistent with LEED criteria, designs incorporated energy-efficient light fixtures utilizing LED technology, multi-level local lighting controllability, BMCS control of car park receptacle operation and parking area lighting and occupancy sensor control of lighting in all washrooms and storage rooms. The electrical design also included a roof-mounted PV array for the school and educational tools for students to learn about solar power.
This new school provides increased capacity and relief for the surrounding Catholic elementary and junior high schools that have enrolled a growing number of students over the years, effectively alleviating the pressure of increased classroom sizes for staff and faculty. WE will continue to support the design and development of schools in our communities, which ultimately help students of all ages thrive and excel in safe and reliable spaces.
