Canal Academic Building – Carleton University

Country Canada
City Ottawa
Customer Carleton University
Surface area 9,000 m²
Year 2011

This academic building consists of laboratories designed to promote graduate student research.

Sited along the Canal on the Carleton University campus as part of the Faculty of Engineering, the building houses programs in Biomedical Engineering Sustainable Energy, Environmental and Aerospace Engineering.

Exterior of the Canal Academic Building – Carleton University, close-up view

Its cutting-edge sustainable design features have become part of the research conducted at Carleton, where students are piloting and assessing green building standards in order to push the boundaries of energy efficiency in our built environments. The building features research and teaching laboratories, case classrooms, breakout rooms, workspace/collaboration rooms, graduate studies, faculty and administrative offices and a tunnel connection to McKenzie Building.

Interior of the Canal Academic Building – Carleton University, view of a classroom

Interior of the Canal Academic Building – Carleton University, view of a table.

The “Intelligent Building” integrates all systems through a single Building Automation System (BAS). This also allows the building to run more efficiently through real-time metering and adjusting, reducing the building’s carbon footprint. The Canal Building achieved a 5 out of 5 “Green Globes” rating. It was published as one of the most sustainable structures in Canada by the Ottawa Citizen.

Interior of the Canal Academic Building – Carleton University, view of a corridor

Interior of the Canal Academic Building – Carleton University, view of the stairs

On the rooftops, there is a 10-kilowatt array of solar panels, and a “green roof” landscaped with sedum, a native drought-resistant plant, photovoltaic solar energy and occupancy-controlled lighting. The solar-electricity system was installed mainly for research and teaching purposes but will feed a small amount of power into the university. The green roof captures rainwater, eliminating the storm water flow and insulating the space below it, and reducing energy requirements. The west-facing wall sports an array of metal-sheathed angled “fins” designed to shade windows from the afternoon sun, reducing the need for air conditioning.

Aerial view of the Canal Academic Building – Carleton University

The interior planning of the building optimizes the magnificent panoramic views and natural light where possible, creating a healthy teaching and learning environment.