Client

Vancouver City Savings Credit Union

Location

Vancouver, BC

Vancity’s Branch 45 on Dunbar Street in Vancouver was in the design stage for a renovation to expand the branch into the adjacent vacant unit when issues with the existing ventilation system were discovered.

The existing heat pump unit had been unable to deliver sufficient heating.  There were complaints by the tenants above the parkade, where the remote condensers are located, that the parkade, and subsequently their floor, were excessively cold in the winter and hot in the summer.

Prism performed an assessment of the existing HVAC system and provided recommendations to improve system operation and correct comfort issues.  The solution had to meet the requirements of the strata residents, including low noise, removal of condensers in the parkade and no visible HVAC equipment.

Working with the noise requirements and extremely limited space, three options were developed. An air-to-air heat pump with interior ceiling mounted condensers was selected.  New condenser units, integrated with new HVAC supply units, were installed in the ceiling space.  Air was ducted for the condenser through intake louvers on the underside of the building front face overhang, and exhausted on the south side of the building through a discharge louver.