Join PUMA’s Spring Workshops

There are a several events coming up in the next few months that we are hosting and participating in.

• May Workshop: Burnaby, BC on May 16th, 2019
• EFMA-BC Tradeshow: Penticton, BC May 28th to 30th
• BOMA QBT: Lunch presentation June 5th, 2019

Please contact duncan@prismengineering.com for more information or details of how to join us.

At Prism, we understand that supporting health and wellness is an integral part of managing a company and enabling staff to thrive. Research shows that investing in health and wellness programs leads to better employee retention, productivity and even sense of purpose. While Prism offers comprehensive extended health benefits to employees, “We knew more could be done, and at the same time wanted to provide opportunities for our staff to be part of leading new initiatives in the office,” says Sarah Smith, Prism’s Sustainability Team Leader and Director of Employee Experience.

Sparking new ideas

In 2017, several Prism staff led a ‘spark group’ to help jumpstart and pilot a few ideas towards health and wellness. With folks from different teams in the company, the group started things off by coming up with a collective understanding of what health and wellness meant. Out came the flipcharts, and in the discussion, the group gravitated towards two areas, physical health and mental health, while acknowledging this was just one way of linking things together.

Learning new techniques to reduce stress

When sustainability leaders from local post-secondary institutions met to learn and share insights at the Energy Wise Network Summit on November 15, little did they know they would be working together to launch a new collaborative campaign to save energy. The idea for the BC Cool Campus Challenge arose in response to the natural gas pipeline rupture near Prince George which led FortisBC to ask everyone across the province to conserve wherever possible.

While the pipeline has since been repaired and the crisis has lifted, the BC Cool Campus Challenge is helping people rethink how we use energy. Organizers aim to use this challenge to start a conversation on energy dependency and resiliency and see it as an opportunity to demonstrate climate leadership.

With the majority of energy consumed on campuses going towards heating and cooling buildings, turning down the heat even slightly can have an impact. “More heat and hot water means more natural gas use, which means more greenhouse gas emissions,” explains James Gordon, Environmental Programs and Research Coordinator at TRU. “Although BC is blessed with relatively clean power, using natural gas is still burning a fossil fuel. We can all do more to do our part and reduce our use.” Along with adjusting the thermostat, the campaign is also focusing on gathering pledges and encouraging simple actions like wearing warm layers, taking shorter showers, and washing clothes in cold water.

The BC Cool Campus Challenge launched on January 7 and runs to the end of February. Participating institutions include: Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia, University of British Columbia Okanagan, British Columbia Institute of Technology, Selkirk College and Thompson Rivers University.

The winner will be the institution that collects the highest percentage of energy-saving pledges from staff, students, and faculty, and the winner will receive a branded clothing item from each of the participating institutions and be crowned ‘BC’s Coolest Campus!’. To help keep more people warm this season, on behalf of the participating institutions, the winning team will donate all the warm clothing items to a local charitable organization.

Over 2000 online pledges have been collected to date. While the campaign introduces some friendly competition, organizers say it’s really about collaboration and working together towards a common goal. James adds, “We’ve been able to exchange tips and it’s been helpful to think about how we can support each other’s efforts in the future.”

Follow the hashtag #BCCoolCampus for more updates and photos!

Photos: top – Students hold up their pledge actions at an event at UBC; bottom – students tabling at an event at SFU.

Did you know?

Small steps can make a difference. Here are a few ways small changes can add up (via FortisBC):

Residential

• Turning down the thermostat an additional three degrees when you need heat, can save an average of eight gigajoules of natural gas per year. If 11 households did this simple action it could equal enough natural gas to heat one home for a year.¹
• If each member of a four-person household shortens their daily shower time by two minutes, almost five gigajoules of natural gas will be saved annually. If a community of 100,000 households did the same, it could save enough natural gas to provide space heating for almost 5,000 homes for a year.²

Commercial

• If a 23,000 square foot office lowered its thermostat during office hours by three degrees, it could save enough natural gas to provide space heating for one household for a year.⁵
• If just one per cent of BC’s restaurants (about 140 restaurants) turned off their decorative natural gas fireplaces during the heating season, it could save enough natural gas to heat about 156 homes for a year.⁴

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¹Savings are approximate, assuming a thermostat setback of an additional three degrees for when heat is needed in a natural gas heated 2,300 – 2,600 square foot home located in a FortisBC service area. On average, a home this size consumes 90 gigajoules of natural gas annually for space heating.

²Savings are approximate, assuming a 7.6 litre per minute showerhead in a four person home with a standard efficiency natural gas storage tank water heater. Assumes a home consumes 90 gigajoules of natural gas annually for space heating.

³Assumes additional setback of three degrees for 10 hours each weekday, saving 90 gigajoules of natural gas over the heating season, enough to heat one average sized home for a year.

⁴A natural gas fireplace turned on 13 hours per day during the heating season would use 100 gigajoules of natural gas per year. Savings achieved when 140 restaurants turn off fireplaces saving approximately, 14,000 gigajoules of natural gas, enough to provide space heating for 156 average size homes in a FortisBC service area.

⁵Assumes additional setback of three degrees for 10 hours each weekday, saving 90 gigajoules of natural gas over the heating season, enough to heat one average sized home for a year.

Led by our intrepid Casey Gaetz, who recently celebrated 25 years since joining Prism when it was a wee startup, Prism’s electrical team is full of characters. The team helps clients with everything from hospital lighting upgrades to designing solar photovoltaic systems. Over the years they’ve worked together to help keep us humble as a company and strive for innovation.

To keep up with the growing diversity of projects and technologies, Casey is always on the lookout for talented people to bring new energy and insight to the team. “The industry is constantly evolving,” says Casey. “And it’s always exciting to have new people join our team who are as passionate as we are about saving energy and making a difference.”

We are pleased to introduce our newest electrical team members who shared with us what they enjoy about their work and what keeps them going outside of the office.

As a CAD specialist, Kaan Ertan has been immersed in a mix of projects, including improving designs for coffee shops, bank branches and government. Kaan completed his Bachelor of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Commerce at the University of British Columbia. His talent extends beyond design to music. Fluent in Turkish and Spanish, he loves to play flamenco guitar, graduated from the Royal Academy of Music, and won 2^nd place in the Salsa World Tournament.

Kaan says he was drawn to working at Prism because of our purpose extends beyond, “the business aspect,” and that this is reflected in the work environment and the projects. “I like the idea of being able to learn different things every day and apply them in a variety of projects,” he says.

Jacky Wang is also a new addition to the electrical team having recently graduated with distinction from BCIT’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology Diploma program. Since joining he has been immersed all facets of lighting projects including site audits, database management, design, and reporting for clients. Reflecting on what he’s most excited about, Jacky says people are what he values most and that, “The electrical team in my pod, as hectic as timelines get, makes the space entertaining and light-hearted.”

Sustainability is also something Jacky takes to heart, from wearing down his basketballs before finally replacing them, to taking steps to avoid food waste. He adds, “The part I’m electrified about is making an impact. ‘Saving you energy’ is great to carry forward to the future generations.”

Top photo: Andrew, Adam and Faisal of Prism’s electrical team reviewing new luminaire models.

Then and Now

Prism was founded in 1990 by Brian O’Donnell who saw an opportunity to bring Energy Management and existing building upgrades at the start of the first BC Hydro Power Smart program.

Robert Greenwald joined the firm in 1991 and became President in 2006. Under Brian and Robert’s leadership, Prism has grown from a small handful of engineers to a company of over forty-five engineers, designers, and sustainability professionals, passionate about making a difference. We are proud to still be working with many of our clients who have been with us since our early years. We continue to work with passionate people across all sectors who share our vision for reducing environmental impact through technology, people and organizational change.

Photo: Prism Founder Brian O’Donnell talking with a client in Prism’s original Hastings office in Burnaby and with Robert at our 25^th anniversary celebration in 2015.

Looking toward the future

Now nearing three decades in business, we have transitioned our leadership to give additional transparency and clarity to the roles, and to further build resilience into our company. Going forward, Brian will continue to play a key role in our Account Management and Client Relationships efforts.

We are pleased to introduce to you our Leadership Team, many of whom have been a part of Prism for many years and have been instrumental in stewarding our work and deepening our impact. Prism’s Principals provide strategic vision and leadership for the company. Associates have specialized knowledge and provide mentorship for key aspects of the company to ensure that we continue to deliver quality services to our clients.

Principals

Robert Greenwald, PEng, MBA continues as President with responsibility for operations, stewarding the leadership team, and providing the strategic direction of the firm. He brings passion and drive to the company’s long term success.

Casey Gaetz leads our electrical team and brings over forty years experience in the design of lighting, electrical distribution, metering systems, fire protection, and voice and data systems.

Iram Green, P.Eng., recently became the energy team lead with over ten years of experience in managing energy efficiency retrofit projects as well as training new energy professionals.

Sarah Smith leads our sustainability team and also has responsibility for the overall employee experience at Prism. Sarah is a sustainability strategist, facilitator, and engagement specialist.

Stephen Kooiman, P.Eng., leads our mechanical team and is experienced in designing HVAC, plumbing and fire suppression systems, chillers, and boiler plants, and low carbon designs.

Sam Thomas is branch manager for the Kootenays Office and is also leading our work in Alberta. Sam works alongside clients through all aspects of energy management and engineering projects.

Associates

Ken Holdren, P.Eng., has extensive knowledge of building systems and energy engineering. As Prism is OQM (Organizational Quality Management) certified with EGBC, Ken oversees compliance and quality assurance for our projects.

Duncan Wilcock leads our PUMA team including operations, development and marketing. PUMA is web-based software and services that help organizations get a grip on their energy costs by better monitoring and analyzing their utility use.

Our commitment

As we move into the next decade, energy management and sustainability and reducing our environmental footprint are more important than ever. We are inspired by recent developments in addressing climate change. In addition to reducing waste and improving efficiencies, we are expanding our design services to include the low carbon systems and applying renewables to offset energy use. We are also increasing our efforts to help organizations adapt to climate change and build resilient systems.

Part of a growing community

We are incredibly grateful to our staff who make Prism’s mission come to life. We value being a workplace that is fast-paced and highly collaborative with hundreds of projects on the go at any one time. Our staff is hard-working and motivated to continually strive for better, whether researching the latest technologies or helping mentor co-op students as future innovators.

We are also thankful to all of the people who we have had the pleasure of working with along the way–from the elementary school students who participate in ‘Lights off Lunches’ to the building operators learning how to optimize digital controls systems. And from the Property Managers upgrading their building systems to the Energy Managers developing strategic programs for energy management at a mine site.

We are excited about the future. Stay tuned.

If you have any questions, please contact Robert at Robert@prismengineering.com.

A bitter-sweet event for Prism Engineering: Senior Mechanical Engineer Duane Mattson, who has helped make Prism a driving force in our industry, has decided to start to enjoy life at a more leisurely pace.

Duane decided to join Prism after retiring at the age of 65 from his work in government. No one would have guessed that Duane would have a whole second career of 17 years with us.

Over the course of his time at Prism, Duane worked on all kinds of mechanical projects that helped shape our company. One of his biggest projects at Prism was leading a $4.5 million retrofit over the tight 5-month construction period of the Air Canada Operations Centre. Duane stepped up to coordinate and determine ways of addressing site conditions, which included both asbestos and lead removal, adding complexity to the project.

With decades of experience in mechanical engineering, and a remarkable work ethic, Duane was an incredible resource for the company. When we sat down in December, Duane reflected back on being in a mentorship role, “(In the past) people helped me out, now it’s my turn to pass that information on to new employees so that they can have the same good life I’ve had and enjoy working.”

Duane plans to embark on new adventures in traveling, lawn bowling and hobbies, along with his wife. We wish him all the best and thank him for his invaluable contributions to our culture and expertise.

Best wishes from all of us!

Photos: Top – Duane and the mechanical team reviewing drawings, Bottom – Tribute and celebration for Duane with all Prism staff

Wishing every one a Happy New Year!

Building companies and organizations: Roadmap to zero carbon by 2050 needed for certainty

VANCOUVER / MUSQUEAM, SQUAMISH & TSLEIL-WAUTUTH TERRITORIES — Fourteen leading companies and organizations working in B.C.’s building sector say the province’s new climate and clean growth plan lays down a solid foundation for the decarbonization of our homes and buildings.

The CleanBC strategy, released last week, outlines an ambitious suite of measures projected to cut carbon pollution from the built environment by 40 per cent by 2030. Notably, through the BC Energy Step Code, the Province is the first in Canada to define a clear path for all new buildings to be net-zero energy ready (ultra energy efficient) by 2032.

The Province is investing in training for our trades workers and professionals, and in new incentives to upgrade our homes and businesses to make them less polluting. The plan also creates an energy rating requirement to ensure that everyone investing in real estate, whether buying a home or leasing an office, has information on building energy performance whilst weighing their options. Transparency will be a key driver of innovation for the sector.

The climate plan, however, leaves some critical questions unanswered, particularly with respect to preparing our existing homes and buildings for the clean future. It’s estimated 70 per cent of buildings standing today will still be in use as of 2050. By 2050, we need to eliminate carbon pollution coming from buildings. Between now and then, we will have only one or two can’t-miss opportunities to retrofit each of these buildings. (How do we ensure these upgrades result in a low to zero carbon building? And how do we ensure new buildings are not only more efficient, but also heated by low carbon sources?)

Today, we’re calling for more clarity in Phase 2 of the climate plan, expected next year, on the roadmap for buildings beyond 2030 and all the way to 2050 — particularly concerning electrification, fuel choices, and the role of utilities in this transformation. To establish a steady retrofit economy, we also need new financing tools and a sustainable source of public funding, such as green bonds, to avoid the boom and bust of incentive programs. We look forward to working with the Province on this next iteration of the plan.

By pursuing these opportunities, we can reduce our carbon pollution while saving money, creating local jobs, and opening export markets for B.C.-made components and designs. We can also ensure all British Columbians live and work in buildings that promote better health, well-being, and productivity.

Quotes

“BCIT’s School of Construction and the Environment supports the needs of industry in advancing the state of practice in sustainable construction through education and trades training. We look forward to working with the Province to advance the CleanBC vision of a zero carbon building sector.”
— Wayne Hand, dean of the School of Construction and the Environment, British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)

“DIALOG is committed to improving the well-being of our communities and the environment we share. As such, it is our goal to work with all stakeholders to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment, both new and existing.”
— Rod Yeoh, principal, DIALOG

“Provincial programs that pave the way to net-zero energy ready buildings — including important sources of incentives and funding — are key to making the transition to low-carbon communities. We are excited to be a part of the movement towards a clean energy future in British Columbia.”
— Lisa Westerhoff, associate, Integral Group

“With this plan, British Columbia is reclaiming its leadership position in clean energy and climate responsibility. We believe that this will prompt further innovation in the tech and clean energy sectors in this province.”
— Donovan Woollard, CEO, OPEN

“British Columbia’s leadership in building standards not only improves affordability for homeowners, but offers economic opportunity and better, healthier, and more resilient buildings for everyone. We look forward to working with our industry and government partners to ensure the required skills and technologies are available throughout the province.”
— Rob Bernhardt, CEO, Passive House Canada

“In the next 30 years, British Columbians need to work together to eliminate carbon pollution from all of our homes and buildings. This is your friendly neighbourhood megaproject — one that will create jobs in every community and leave a legacy of safer, healthier, and low carbon homes.”
— Tom-Pierre Frappé-Sénéclauze, director of buildings and urban solutions, Pembina Institute

“CleanBC shows important leadership by the Province to commit to meaningful carbon reduction measures that will provoke a true shift in the design and construction industry, resulting in more sustainable buildings that will benefit us all.”
— Susan Gushe, managing director, Perkins+Will

“We are pleased to see the Province listing quantifiable actions towards 2030 emission reductions. In our 30 years of industry experience, we have seen proven results from energy efficiency retrofits that have achieved near net zero carbon. Further support for existing commercial and institutional buildings through EfficiencyBC could help address the gap towards the CleanBC plan targets.”
— Robert Greenwald, president, Prism Engineering

“At RDH, we have a passion for making buildings better, and we know that significant greenhouse gas emission reductions can be realized through the building sector. We therefore fully support the principles of energy efficiency and sustainability introduced in British Columbia’s new climate strategy, and we look forward to working with the industry and the provincial government to achieve this vision.”
— Brittany Coughlin, principal and energy and sustainability specialist, RDH Building Science

“The measures outlined in the CleanBC strategy demonstrate a clear path forward to addressing the serious issue of climate change. This is a big undertaking, but it is doable; we are working on building projects that already meet the 2032 energy performance goals today. It is encouraging to see leadership at the provincial level. Let’s get on with it with the urgency this issue deserves!
— Jason Packer, principal and senior green building strategist, Recollective Consulting

“This is a pivotal opportunity to reimagine the purpose and potential of our built environment — our buildings, infrastructures, systems, and cities — and how we define, procure, design, develop, measure, value, and adaptively evolve them over time. This task demands proactive, regenerative approaches — integrated across sectors and disciplines — to leverage synergies and create stacked values for the holistic benefit of people, place, and planet. The great news is we have enormous capacity in B.C. to do this — the task ahead is to further empower it!”
— Jennifer Cutbill, regional director for B.C.-Yukon and founding chair of the Committee on Regenerative Environments, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC)

“We are entering an ‘existing building revolution’ which will transform the way we use energy in all types of buildings. Technology retrofits with ultra efficient lighting, low carbon heating sources, and automated cloud connected controls with data analytics will transform everything. Decarbonizing will be a byproduct of the renewal of virtually every structure in our society with energy efficiency technology, fuelling job growth, savings, and entrepreneurial opportunity.”
— Scott Sinclair, CEO, SES Consulting

“Climate change is the biggest challenge facing the human race today, and we all have a role to play in addressing it. B.C.’s new climate plan sends a clear message that our province is taking a leadership role in tackling climate change. This in turn provides opportunities for sustainable industries to grow and flourish, for citizens to take action, and for all of us to maintain hope that humanity will rise to challenge. It’s not too late!”
— Maeri Machado, director of the sustainability and energy team for B.C. and Yukon, WSP

“With buildings contributing roughly 56 per cent of Vancouver’s overall carbon emissions, it is critical that the province and the local building industry work together to innovate towards meeting higher design, construction, and operating standards. Zero emission buildings are the future of Canadian infrastructure and the key to meeting B.C.’s climate targets. ZEBx commends the province for the launch of the CleanBC Strategy, and commits to supporting the province by continuing to develop programming that accelerates market implementation of zero emission buildings.”
— Christian Cianfrone, executive director, Zero Emissions Building Exchange (ZEBx)

Quick facts

• The Pembina Institute estimates B.C. must reduce carbon pollution from homes and buildings by 80–100% in order to meet the province’s legislated climate target for 2050.
• Accordingly, B.C. needs to retrofit 30,000 houses, 17,000 apartment units, and three million square feet of commercial space each year between now and 2050.
• This megaproject could create 10,000 sustainable jobs across the province and generate $4–8 billion in economic growth.
• Buildings and communities are responsible for 22 per cent of B.C.’s carbon pollution.

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Join the conversation on Twitter: #CleanBC

Contact

Stephen Hui, Pembina Institute
778-987-7654, stephenh@pembina.org

Eva Schacherl, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC)
eschacherl@raic.org

Sacha Sauvé, Passive House Canada
778-265-2744, sacha@passivehousecanada.com

Rod Yeoh, Dialog
604-909-1629, RYeoh@dialogdesign.ca

Marissa Clark, Integral Group
510-663-2070 x2017, mclark@integralgroup.com

Melissa Sachs, Perkins+Will
604-727-4920, Melissa.sachs@perkinswill.com

Robert Greenwald, Prism Engineering
604-298-4858, Robert@prismengineering.com

Sunita Bassra, RDH Building Science
604-873-1181, sbassra@rdh.com

Jason Packer, Recollective Consulting
604-669-4940 x203, jason@recollective.ca

Micheal Fountain, WSP
micheal.fountain@wsp.com

An energy-efficient Passive House apartment building under construction in Vancouver. Photo: Stephen Hui, Pembina Institute

Originally published by Pembina Institute

Prism’s Mechanical Team has had a busy summer. Not only has the team been managing its typically full plate of renovations and mechanical system upgrades in buildings across BC and Alberta, but they’ve also taken on low carbon electrification upgrades and capital renewal planning projects.

To keep up with this demanding workload, Mechanical Team Lead Stephen Kooiman says the secret is having great people with the right experience and attitude on your team. “We’ve been fortunate to have real depth of experience on our team,” says Stephen. “And we’re equally fortunate to have added some talented new members this summer.”

Pursuing passions in and out of the office

We caught up with two of Prism’s newest mechanical engineers to find out what they’re most excited about in working with Prism and what they enjoy doing when they’re not poring over mechanical drawings at the office.

In addition to being a CAD specialist and a plumbing and HVAC designer at Prism, Jan Luechachandej is currently learning Spanish and is fluent in Thai. She can also be found settling into a new book, and being a foodie around the city.

Reflecting on what drew her to Prism, Jan says she feels most connected to the value of making buildings greener and more efficient. “I feel that as a designer you can contribute directly to this item,” says Jan, “and improving the efficiency of a building means you also help the occupants increase their performance as well.”

Recently hailing from Montreal and his hometown of Calgary, Dave Roberts has jumped right in to coordinating new renovation projects at Prism. While he brings a background in commissioning, he is also an amateur astrophotographer (taking photos of space using telescopes), which he admits is, “an annoyingly expensive hobby that requires very clear nights to do… which Vancouver is not exactly known for!”

Dave is eager to expand his design capabilities and was drawn to Prism’s emphasis on working together as a team towards environmental sustainability. He adds, “It’s been a great opportunity meeting and working with everyone on the Prism team, and I’m already thrilled about everything I’ve learned so far. Looking forward to the future!”

We’re delighted to have these two on board and will introduce more new staff in the coming months. We’re always on the lookout for talented people who share our core values. Find our latest postings here.

Top photo: Prism’s Mechanical Team Lead Stephen Kooiman meeting with Alvaro Sandrin on the Energy Team.

Last month industry leaders from across Canada gathered to celebrate the inaugural BOMA Canada Net Zero Challenge Awards at BOMEX 2018 in Calgary. Sponsored by Natural Resources Canada and Bullfrog Power, the Net Zero Challenge Awards help acknowledge buildings in Canada that are working towards being net zero energy and/or emissions. Buildings are awarded in three categories: Best in Class, Most Improved, and Innovation. Learn more at BOMA Canada.

Prism Engineering is pleased to work as Technical Advisor to the National award program in partnership with BOMA Canada. It has been a pleasure to work with BOMA Canada to develop the award over the past year and we will continue to support in various areas, including technical scores assessment.

Photos: top left/right – Opening the Awards Ceremony; bottom left – ‘Best in Class’ Award Recipients; bottom right – the BOMA Canada Award team: Hazel Sutton, Victoria Papp, Debbie Prince and Prism’s Ainaz Bozorgzadeh.

Shifting towards Net Zero buildings

This year’s winning buildings all had impressive Portfolio Manager scores over 85. Ainaz Bozorgzadeh, one of the engineers on Prism’s Energy Team who led the analysis and attended the awards ceremony, added, “Learning from buildings that compete for the Net Zero Challenge will help carve a pathway to net zero for existing buildings in Canada. This complements the national targets set by the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, for all new construction to be net zero ready by 2030.”

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2018 BOMA Canada Net Zero Challenge Awards:

Interested in the 2019 Challenge?

Look for application details and learn more about the challenge at bomacanada.ca/awards/netzerochallenge.