Granville Square
 

Project Overview

Client: ​​Cadillac Fairview

Sector: ​​Commercial

Service Type: Mechanical Design & Implementation

Project Summary

First Light Energy partnered with Cadillac Fairview to design and implement a heat recovery system at Granville Square, a 28-level office tower in downtown Vancouver. The project focused on reducing the building's reliance on steam heating, capturing waste heat, and improving thermal comfort within a constrained budget and limited mechanical room space.

The Challenge

Granville Square is a 468,635 sq. ft. office tower built in 1969 and renovated in 1988. The building's heating system was fully satisfied by steam, with no backup. Steam condensate was cooled using domestic cold water. The chilled water plant was shut off during the heating season, causing some areas to overheat on sunny winter days.

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Aside from a constrained budget, challenges included high heating water temperatures, heating systems split across two levels (basement and 14th floor), limited mechanical room space, and high system pressures (~200 psi).

The Solution

Split Heat Recovery Systems

Two modular heat recovery systems were installed — one in the P2 mechanical room and one in the L14 mechanical room — to avoid the need for a costly riser installation and to work within the building's spatial constraints.

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Modular Heat Recovery Chillers

High-pressure-rated modular heat recovery chillers were selected to withstand the building's ~200 psi system pressure, providing a reliable low-carbon heating source.

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Temperature Reset Sequences

A temperature and reset sequence of operations was implemented to reduce system heating water temperatures, improving overall system efficiency.

Onsite Disassembly & Assembly

Because the L14 mechanical room could not accommodate fully assembled units, the contractor disassembled the heat recovery chillers offsite and reassembled them within the mechanical room — a creative workaround to a tight spatial constraint.

Mechanical Steam Condensate Cooling

A mechanical cooling system was designed to replace the wasteful practice of using domestic cold water to quench steam condensate, significantly reducing water waste.

Phased Implementation

Due to budget constraints, the project was value-engineered into two phases, allowing the client to move forward without compromising the overall system design.

Measured Results