Kennedale Eco Station
The future is green with this leader in urban waste management
Civic & Culture
The Kennedale Eco Station transforms an underused brownfield site into a state-of-the-art recycled materials drop-off centre. As well as a functional building and operations yard, the site is a visually attractive destination. The design focused on strategic landscaping and incorporating low impact development (LID) strategies, promoting a sustainable use of the land that complements the function of the Eco Station. The project also integrates unique public art to capture the imaginations of all visitors.
- Location
- Edmonton, AB
- Size
- 26,479 sq ft
- Client
- City of Edmonton
- Completion
- 2015
- Sustainability LEED® Gold certified
- DIALOG Services
- Collaborators
Al-Terra Engineering
Chandos Construction
Acumen Cost Consulting
Architecture
Electrical Engineering
Landscape Architecture
Mechanical Engineering
Structural Engineering
Interior Design
Sustainability + Building Performance Consulting
Over ten acres of land were fully developed. A Reuse Building, two cash kiosks, and the Eco Station building make up the project.
Over ten acres of land were fully developed. A Reuse Building, two cash kiosks, and the Eco Station building make up the project.
One challenge was the long, rectangular shape of the site. Another was the control of stormwater released from a local basin. The solution: buildings cover less than 10% of the total site area.
Green is the defining colour for the City’s Eco Stations, and it’s used to identify publicly accessible areas. Remaining cladding is silver metal as a nod to the surrounding industrial community.
The foreman needs to have clear visibility of the main operation yard. Large open areas make full use of the spacious rectangular site and allows traffic to flow easily.
Outdoor amenity spaces offer breathing room from the industrial character of the neighbourhood. The play between screens and planting provides a visual break.
A linear bioswale along three edges provides drainage as well as visual charm, and could potentially be an educational tool for sustainable landscape practices.
Public art murals by artist Brandon Blommaert depict characters created from found objects interacting with Canadian landscapes.
The murals are intended to be thought-provoking in regards to our use, and disposal, of manufactured goods.
The Team
It all started with a sketch.
Patron traffic was carefully designed to maximize flow and minimize confusion. The placement of buildings provides efficiencies for the visitors as well as the operations of the eco station.
Building materials and design options were chosen to complement neighbouring buildings in the industrial area.
The geothermal system, which uses heat pumps, is approximately 1.5 times more efficient in cooling compared to conventional rooftop units. Because the mean ground temperature stays consistent year-round, a ground heat transfer loop is installed to withdraw or reject energy back to the ground depending on the season. Rooms needing heating can use the rejected energy from rooms requiring cooling, with high efficiency condensing boilers in place to supplement the system during peak heating times.
Approximately 25% of the site drains directly to an on-site storm sewer through roof drains and catch basins. The remaining 75% of the site contains no underground storm sewer system. Instead, runoff is directed to a low-gradient, vegetated channel and into a naturalized stormwater wetland along the east boundary of the site. With emphasis on stormwater conveyance and treatment, the overall site permeability was increased to approximately 35% from its previously estimated 5%.
