WIRL Sets Canadian Record

Another feather in the cap for UNBC and the Wood Innovation Research Lab, being built in the downtown.

The goal is to have that facility certified as a Passive House, which means its energy consumption rates for heating and cooling are reduced by 90%. As part of the certification process, it underwent testing this week to assess how airtight it is. The minimum air tightness score for a Passive House is 0.6 air changes per hour at 50 Pascalls pressure. The WIRL scored seven times better. 

“It is certainly one of the most challenging projects I’ve worked on,” says Dr. Guido Wimmers, the Chair of the Master of Engineering. “We have several different things coming together. First of all, it’s an industrial-type of building, it’s basically like a workshop. So the gates for the trucks have to be absolutely airtight, they have to be well-insulated. It’s very difficult to find those components. And then the other challenging thing is the climate itself. Prince George is certainly one of the cooler climates.”

He says the facility, once completed, will be one of a kind and will serve as a model for future Passive House construction in Northern climates.