Donation fuels student research, reduces energy consumption

At the northeast corner of the Burnaby Campus sits a low-slung, wood-shingled building ringed with green space. Home to the Centre for Architectural Ecology, building NE3 is a hub of activity. Under the direction of Dr. Maureen Connelly, graduate students engage in applied research, using the centre as a living lab for integrating building science and living architectural systems (green roofs and walls, and building acoustics). But it wasn’t always this way. Built in 1971, NE3 was, until recently, a glorified storage shed lacking a proper cooling system and requiring several upgrades.

As part of the Factor Four Area, a sector of the BCIT Burnaby Campus targeted for energy and materials use reduction, NE3 was a prime candidate for energy upgrades. As windows generally have a higher impact on heating and cooling than other building elements, upgrading NE3’s old, single-paned leaky windows was a priority.

Enter Centra Construction Group. An employee-owned company, Centra generously donated and installed 27 double-paned vinyl window—a complete replacement of all NE3’s windows.  Not only did this reduce energy consumption and make the space more comfortable, it also significantly reduced the sound pollution, especially important because the building acts as a living lab for master’s students studying building acoustics.

Centra Construction Group supports BCIT in many ways. In addition to providing new windows in NE3, Centra supports student projects, funds scholarships, provides industry advice to our programs, and hires our graduates.

Thank you, Centra, for all that you do.

– BCIT Advancement

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