University of Victoria, Student Housing and Dining, Victoria Canada

University of Victoria Student Housing and Dining, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

The University of Victoria Dorms and Dining project comprises two buildings, Cheko’nien House and Sngequ House. Both buildings are designed to Passive House Institute (PHI) standards. The facility is a model for residential life, organized to emphasize social connection and engagement as part of the academic experience.

Centralized ventilation

The project is designed with the centralized ventilation concept, providing fresh outdoor air to nearly 800 dorm rooms, a 600-seat dining hall, and conference, academic, and common spaces. Swegon GOLD RX energy recovery ventilators provide the required ventilation each serve multiple spaces.

Demand control ventilation

Demand control ventilation optimizes energy savings throughout the project. Integrated VRF temperature control is only activated when the HRV heat recovery rate has reached its peak.The airflow to each dorm varies in accordance with temperature and CO2 requirements. The HRV flowrate automatically adjust the Supply Air and Exhaust airflow rate to maintain pressure balance in the building. Duct pressure is maintained by the HRV to support variable airflow into each zone. Windows open automatically when outdoor conditions are ideal for free cooling.

Customer needs in focus

The design team sought to meet the owner requirements for high quality, environmental responsibility and occupant comfort. Swegon supported the design team with application engineering, including optimized product selections, VRF integration and controls configuration.