Andy Song
The Granite Club, a high-end club in midtown Toronto, has always maintained an “Above and Beyond” mindset in all their endeavours. The main focus of this blog post will be the Shiftingravity project at the Granite, a LEED Gold Certified expansion of the club which concluded in 2015 (more information can be found on the official website of Montgomery Sisam -- the architecture firm which designed the project).
Conversation with Building Operations Manager
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Matt Walter, Building Operations Manager at the Granite. We talked about topics ranging from the Granite’s current building management policies, to construction materials in Shiftingravity, to specific mechanisms and technologies that the Granite is proud of. Matt says:
There is a fine trade-off between system efficiency and client satisfaction.
The Granite Club strives to perfect this balance through constantly improving their systems with state-of-the-art technology.
Building Materials
The Shiftingravity project was built with traditional but reliable materials, using reinforced concrete and structural steel, with corrugated metal roofs and special glazed windows. As can be seen on the right, over half of the front facade of Shiftingravity is covered with these windows, which keep heat inside and have special film to cut down on incoming UV rays.
The slant of the rooftops allows for rainwater to run down the eaves and into a gravel drainage system. Furthermore, underneath the driveway of the Granite lies a cistern/overflow basin for when there is a massive amount of rain; this works to hold water and release it slowly into the city system to not overwhelm and damage it.
Fluorescent Bulb Disposal
While only the Shiftingravity project is LEED-certified, I won’t hesitate to highlight other parts of the club which I find fascinating. For example, take the Granite Club’s solid waste management policies (falling under the “Materials” component of LEED certification), specifically lightbulbs. The Granite responsibly disposes of their fluorescent light bulbs (which contain toxic chemicals mercury and phosphorus) in weighted bins collected by the city, showing them how much phosphorus they are cutting. Matt says the club plans to transition completely to LED lights within 10 years; LED lights are both more efficient and environmentally sustainable than fluorescent lights. What interested me about this particular policy is just how massive but subtle of an impact it will have -- think of how many light bulbs are in a club as big as this:
Conclusion
In the photo above, you can see how the Shiftingravity project distinctively stands out from the rest of the club. People might criticize this juxtaposition, but I think it shows how the Granite is changing and improving over time. For instance, the Granite has shifted from a traditional sports club of predominantly white members to a modernized, diverse club with an array of activities.
I wasn’t a member at the Granite long enough to experience the full “before and after” transformation which Shiftingravity brought. However, from the multi-faceted terrace to the majestic second floor hallway, I believe Shiftingravity really adds that extra cresting to the Granite Club.
I fell victim to the common assumption that LEED certification is about things like traditional green energy, planning the building so it maximizes the exposure from the sun, using sustainable building materials and such. My meeting with Matt helped me learn that there is much more to it; minute details like transitioning to LED lights, taking steam boilers offline, or planning no-smoking zones all contribute to LEED. All in all, I'm glad I picked Shiftingravity as the focus of my first blog post.
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