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Autism centre in Richmond designed to limit noise and energy use

The Pacific Autism Family Centre in Richmond, B.C.

‘Premium’ heating/cooling system made affordable with BC Hydro help

The new Pacific Autism Family Centre will include spaces for counselling, assessment, treatment and research.

Building a better world for people with autism is a priority, and the Pacific Autism Family Centre Foundation reminds the community of this with a three-storey facility that caters to the needs of those affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder

The Pacific Autism Family Centre Foundation estimates that there are at least 69,000 people in B.C. affected by autism, and that number is growing.

According to a March 2014 study released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in every 68 American children is currently affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), with boys five times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with ASD.

Canadian experts believe the numbers are about the same here.
Fortunately, organizations like the Pacific Autism Family Centre Foundation are finding creative new ways to help people with ASD and their families.

Autism is a life-long disorder
In December 2014, the Foundation broke ground on a three-storey, 60,000-square-foot facility in Richmond that will provide a customized, energy-efficient environment for British Columbians of all ages with ASD.

“There are approximately 80 children a month newly diagnosed in this province alone,” says Sergio Cocchia, co-founder and chair of the Foundation. “But you also have to remember that autism does not end at age 18–it’s a lifelong disorder. If we do not figure out meaningful inclusion for these people, we will be in trouble.”

Centre designed to limit noise, with BC Hydro’s support
BC Hydro, Cocchia says, was instrumental in ensuring that the new Pacific Autism Family Centre, scheduled for completion in summer/fall 2016, was designed specifically for the autistic community.

Research suggests that many people with ASD find noise unpleasant and even shocking. “Street noises, the noise from furnace ducts, even a whistle coming from an air conditioner can be so distracting it means the end of the ability to learn for someone with autism,” says Cocchia.

But designing a building to be quiet–especially one on a busy street near a major international airport–can be very expensive. The incentives offered through BC Hydro’s New Construction Program, says Cocchia, allowed the Foundation to opt for the quietest HVAC system possible, one that also happens to be the most energy-efficient.

“Without their help, we would have had to look at more traditional systems, which would not, quite frankly, have been as good,” says Cocchia.

The New Construction Program provides funding for an energy-modeling study, which is essentially a simulation of how much energy a building will use day and night over the course of a year. Through the energy-modeling study, designers can compare various lighting, heating and cooling systems as well as windows, roofing, wall and other products, and even look at how the building is situated on the site, to determine the most energy-efficient design.

The program also helps builders pay for a portion of the costs associated with installing the measures identified in the energy-modeling study.

‘Premium’ heating/cooling system made affordable with BC Hydro help
“The goal of building sustainably and energy-efficiently fit well together with the goal of reducing noise,” says Peter Osuchowski, senior project manager and principal with MMM Group Limited. “We went with a hydronic system for the Centre, in-floor radiant heating and cooling, which provides low temperature heating, and saves substantial amounts of energy, but also reduces background air noise.

“It’s a system that’s also very well-suited to our specific, low-humidity climate.”

The HVAC system alone, according to BC Hydro’s energy-modeling study, will save in the region of 381,000 kilowatt-hours of energy every year. That’s about 36 per cent less electricity than a similar baseline building with a traditional heating and cooling system.

“It’s a premium system,” says Osuchowski, who’s a mechanical engineer. “And that does not come without a price attached to it. What saved the concept was the BC Hydro New Construction Program.”

The financial reality of the project
“Our intent is to build a better world for people with autism and their families,” says Cocchia, “but we have to be realistic about money, too.

“This is largely a philanthropic endeavour. The Centre is being built with support from the B.C. government and private donors. The incentive from BC Hydro made it possible for us to be as energy efficient and green as possible, while creating a Centre that will work for our community.”

Cocchia knows first-hand how difficult an ASD diagnosis can be. His son was diagnosed as “on the spectrum” about 18 years ago, a time when finding local support and therapy in Vancouver was all but impossible. He and his wife were fortunate enough to be able to afford to hire private therapists from the U.S., but they are very aware that this is not an option for most B.C. families–and that families from outside major centres find it even harder to access essential services.

The new Pacific Autism Family Centre will include spaces for counselling, assessment, treatment and research. It will also act as a hub for eight smaller clinics around the province, to elevate the level of diagnosis and therapy outside Vancouver and Victoria.

Contributions from the autism community
“A building designed for people with autism does not exist in too many places in the world,” says the Centre’s architect, Larry Adams, of NSDA Architects in Vancouver. “We found very little formal information on how to create spaces for people with autism, but did get vital input from the autism community about how to set the right tone, the right spaces.

“They stressed to us that it needs to be welcoming and comfortable and quiet. We hope, when it is finished, that the Centre will be a place where anxieties are reduced.”

Other energy-conservation measures
In addition to an extremely quiet HVAC system that includes in-floor radiant heating and cooling, as well as central air handling and air source heat recovery, other energy-conservation measures identified for the Pacific Autism Family Centre by a BC Hydro energy-modeling study include: increased roof insulation; increased wall insulation; low-e windows; low-flow fixtures; and an energy-efficient lighting system.

While LEDs are used extensively throughout the Centre, the classrooms and treatment rooms will instead have T8 luminaires with electronic ballasts. These lamps minimize flicker–like noise, flicker can be an unpleasant trigger for many people with autism–while saving substantial energy.