Le Colibri - New Net-Zero Marina Office - Lac-Mégantic

In a partnership with the town of Lac-Mégantic, Le Colibri-Lac-Mégantic, a non-profit organization, plans to build a net-zero building on a newly decontaminated downtown lot. This building, named "Le Colibri", will demonstrate the best environmental construction practices in North America. This application is for funding to develop a feasibility study and related preliminary design studies. This project stems from the July 6, 2013, railway accident and is aligned with the town’s 2015-2020 Action Plan. Le Colibri will be a net-zero-objective building that will generate as much energy as it uses because of the energy-efficient building envelope and the generation of renewable energy. Energy storage and control facilities will also make it the control centre for Lac-Mégantic’s downtown micro energy network. The centre will control energy distribution between the buildings. Part of a France-Canada innovation and collaboration partnership, Le Colibri aims to obtain three top-level building-environment certifications: LEED V4, HQE and BREEAM. Le Colibri-Lac-Mégantic will study the feasibility of achieving these certifications and assess their technical and economic impact on the project. The Lac-Mégantic Reconstruction Office, dedicated to restoring the town after the tragedy, supports developers and encourages the community to become involved with inspiring presentations and community activities. Le Colibri-Lac-Mégantic hopes to enhance community awareness and engagement with this project. The building will showcase energy technologies and promote awareness and environmentally responsible conduct. The objective is to operate a marina and food services while demonstrating energy technologies in a community venue. The building will also restore public services to users of the municipal marina. Le Colibri has a multidisciplinary design team to conduct this feasibility study. An integrated design process will ensure that all project issues are considered, including usage, the environment and the budget, with the following sub-studies: - Studies of nature-related risks, water management, drainage and ecological engineering - Energy performance study to achieve Net Zero - Dynamic thermal simulation - Thermal comfort study - Ventilation design - Engineering and interior layout studies - Preliminary design and architecture studies (Project description from original funding application)