Williams Engineering (WE) provided a building energy model for the Centennial Planetarium located in Calgary, Alberta. This iconic building is a planetarium which was opened in 1967 for the Canadian Centennial, and was constructed of raw concrete and features non-orthogonal design. The building will be changing from a planetarium and science centre to a museum and art gallery.
The energy study was performed to quantify the energy impact of the proposed renovation. Two energy models were generated: one of the existing buildings with the new usage and one of the proposed buildings with the planned improvements. The models were generated based on existing and proposed design drawings and information provided from the design team. The energy models were created using EE4 , a program developed by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).
Based on the results of the energy model, the proposed improvements are expected to decrease the annual energy use of the building by 1,214,365 kWh/year or approximately 29%. Not only making the building more sustainable and energy efficient, but also contributing positively to the environment that surrounds it.
