Award for Developer of Langara’s Sustainable Heating and Cooling System

Vancouver, BC, October 31, 2011  – The BC engineer who developed a groundbreaking heating and cooling system for Langara College has been recognized by a prestigious award for sustainability in construction.

The first operating Thermenex System was installed in Langara’s newly renovated C Building, along with the Students’ Union, in 2009. The system was developed by engineer Jeff Weston and his team at Vancouver-based firm IMEC Mechanical. On October 19 IMEC was recognized with the Gold Award for Sustainable Construction and Innovation by the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA).

Mr. Weston said, “Receiving gold recognition by the VRCA will help change the way buildings are designed in the future. Langara College in Vancouver, BC, which installed the first Thermenex system in 2009, deserves recognition for its willingness to use an emerging innovation, which was unproven at the time.”

The installation of the Thermenex system is part of an ongoing effort to transform Langara into a sustainable campus, and has so far yielded great results. Langara’s Director of Facilities and Purchasing Jay Strachan said, “Langara has been working for years at becoming a truly sustainable campus, and we’re proud to be the first to pilot this innovative system.”

The goal of Thermenex is to minimize the creation of heat and maximize the reuse of thermal energy for both the heating and cooling of a building. The name stands for Thermal Energy Exchange, and employs the use of fluid-filled piping with a temperature gradient to perform as a thermal energy hub. A Thermenex pipe – known as a header – is not a loop, but simply features one end that is warmer than the other. This header is then connected to the mechanical heating and cooling system of a building, thereby managing its thermal energy. No heat is rejected from the system until there is more thermal energy than the building needs, and therefore no energy is wasted. Additionally, no heat is added to a system until all of its thermal energy has been consumed. The effect is a sort of energy “recycling” that results in a rise in energy savings and a significant reduction of greenhouse gases.

Keith Sashaw, president of the VRCA, said, “The Gold Award winners are truly leaders in the industry, and great examples of world class projects around the Province built by VRCA members.”

About Langara College
Langara College, located in beautiful Vancouver, BC, Canada, provides University, Career, and Continuing Studies programs and courses to more than 20,000 students annually. The College’s expansive academic breadth and depth allows students to choose their own educational path.