Economics, energy efficiency and geography influence construction in the West Kootenay

The key to conserving both energy and dollars lies in the creative use of technology, said architect Steven Kaup

by Colin Payne — February 20, 2012

1 of 5Steven Kaup is principal architect at Studio 9 Architecture in Nelson. — Colin Payne photo

2 of 5This shows the connection between the new dorm at Baldface Lodge and the existing timber-frame building. — Photo courtesy Studio 9

3 of 5The Baldface Lodge project was a fast-track design-build hybrid project completed in four and a half months. — Photo courtesy Studio 9

4 of 5This private residence in Rossland was completed in the summer of 2011. It has an EnerGuide rating of 88. — Photo courtesy Studio 9

5 of 5This home on Trevor Street in Nelson is of hybrid steel-frame and wood-frame construction and has an EnerGuide 81 rating. — Photo courtesy Studio 9

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New buildings in the West Kootenay are trending toward energy efficiency and modular construction, while the renewal of older buildings is also on the rise in the region, said Steven Kaup, principal architect at Studio 9 Architecture in Nelson.

Kaup, whose firm has been established for five years now and undertaken a number of large, innovative projects in the area, said green building is no longer as prevalent in the area since the economic downturn of 2008. But the current trend is toward buildings that meet and exceed standards for energy efficiency.

“People are excited about energy efficiency and governments are providing more incentive to programs like EnerGuide and Energy Star,” Kaup said. “The trend is toward modest, high-end, performance-based construction that goes beyond the prescriptions of the minimum building standards. It’s trying to create a more environmentally efficient building that doesn’t cost more.”

He added that the Province is expected to update its building code this year to include more energy-efficient standards, so he and some others in the industry are already creating buildings that meet the anticipated new standards.

Kaup said the key to conserving both energy and dollars in building lies in the creative use of technology.

“We have a keen interest in using the highest level of technology to make energy-efficient buildings,” Kaup said, adding that this has to be done while working with the materials and expertise available in the region, as well as the geography.

“We have to adapt our designs to the region," he said. "We have mostly wood framing and steel construction. So you take a standard like EnerGuide . . . a difficult site, apply advanced architectural techniques . . . and use wood-frame construction with pre-fabricated steel that’s bolted together on site. The end result is a beautiful, inspiring building that meets a high-performance criteria.”

Kaup’s firm has applied these techniques to a number of recent projects, including the new 10,000-square-foot dorm building at Baldface Lodge, a 12-unit residential development at Kokanee Springs Golf Resort in Crawford Bay and a number of private residences throughout the West Kootenay.

Kaup added that a large part of building and construction business in the region right now comes from fixing up older buildings.

“It’s the refurbishment, repurposing and revitalization of aging buildings,” Kaup said. “People are looking for more affordable and energy-efficient square footage since the economic downturn.”

Fighting against time on a challenging project

When the guest dorm building at Baldface Lodge near Nelson collapsed in May 2011, things looked uncertain for the 2012 season at this high-elevation cat-skiing destination in the Selkirk Mountains.

But with speedy architectural design by Studio 9 Architecture and rapid construction by Maglio Installations that began in September 2011, the 10,000-square-foot building was ready to go for this winter.

Steven Kaup of Studio 9 Architecture said there were many factors stacked against the people responsible for creating the building, but they managed to overcome them in the end.

“It was complicated by the geography and the location—the elevation change and the climate,” Kaup said. “We were working to beat the clock on winter.”

Kaup said that ordinarily it would take six to eight months to design such a project and then 10 to 12 months to build it. His firm designed the building over the summer and construction began in mid-September and finished in mid-December 2011.

“When I look at the disparity of the dates, it was a heroic effort on the part of the builder,” Kaup said. “On many levels, it sets a new precedent for delivery of a large-scale project in a short time. There was very efficient communication and partnering involved.”

Kaup added that the successful operation of Baldface hung in the balance of the project, because without the dorm building the company would not be able to operate in the winter season.