When it bought a three-year-old building that had never been used and converted it to a municipal hall, the Township of Langley took a giant step towards environmental awareness.

It has given that same attention to environmental stewardship in the building of the Langley Events Centre, and the first example of this is, appropriately, at the facility’s front door where a garden has been developed around an area where rooftop water is gathered before it filters into the ground.

Inside, a state-of-the-art system keeps the NHL-size ice rink frozen. CIMCO’s EcoChill technology allows the recovery of 100 per cent of the heat energy coming from the refrigeration system’s process of making ice and keep the ice frozen, and this recovered energy is then recycled back into the building for these measures:

• Space heating for the arena area through hydraulic heating coils inside rooftop units;

• Heating in the winter and cooling in the summer through water-to-air heat pump units located within the offices and fitness areas;

• Heating within dressing rooms, team rooms, washrooms and the recreation centre by using a radiant floor heating system;

• Space heating within the commercial retail units, entry and loading areas utilizing hydraulic unit heaters;

• Incorporating pre-heat domestic hot water;

• Melting the ice removed from the skating surface within an ice melt pit, and

• Operating an energy efficient de-humidification system tied into the EcoChill loop.

The process dramatically reduces the use of natural gas and is projected to reduce approximately 1,100 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year. The savings are the equivalent to what would be needed to heat 40 houses per year, or take 350 cars off the road, said Jason Winslade, the Township’s general manager of corporate administration. He was the Township’s project manager for the Langley Events Centre.

Still inside, low-flush toilets, low-flow shower heads, and low-flow electronic faucets are featured throughout the building.

The Township has installed timers, motion sensor controlled lighting systems and monitoring to minimize electricity consumption.

The Events Centre is an environmentally sustainable site because it harvests storm water from the building roof, and redirects this water to a landscaped ‘Rain Garden’ located along the front of the facility, allowing increased water filtration back into the ground.

Enhanced storm water management includes the incorporation of bioswales throughout the parking areas. This mitigates storm water surge, augments site drainage and provides water filtration through pervious material and enhanced landscaping areas.

The use of high reflectance and emissivity roofing materials to minimize impact on microclimate and human and wildlife habitat reduces the ‘heat island’ effect, Winslade said.

To encourage users to leave their vehicles at home, the LEC was built on 200 Street. For those who still want to use their vehicles, there are stalls especially for small car models. Bicycle storage areas and a number of walking paths make the venue ideal for the environmentally conscious.