Audain Art Museum

The simple, robust, and energy-efficient HVAC system can achieve the stringent space condition requirements of a Class AA Museum. All possible equipment failure scenarios and the corresponding sequence of operations have been considered and incorporated into the building control.

This private museum, located in the heart of Whistler Village in BC, is the permanent home of Michael Audain's personal art collection from the late 18th century to the present day. The museum houses First Nations masks, Emily Carr paintings, and works by some of Canada's post-war artists. This Class AA Museum also receives traveling exhibits and artwork on loan from other institutions.

Due to the museum's location on the flood plain of Fitzsimmons Creek, the entire building is elevated on several columns with access via a bridge. To ensure the system will continue to operate and protect the artwork in the event of a flood, all MEP systems, including all electrical rooms, generators, air intakes, and heat rejection equipment, were designed to be above the flood level. Integrating these systems into the architectural form—which includes a steeply sloping roof with no visible penetrations—required detailed coordination.

To cope with the harsh winter climate, Introba introduced the design team to pre-insulated roof assemblies with “Passive-House Levels” of insulation. Combined with high energy recovery systems, the building experiences very low operational costs for a Class AA Museum.

The light sweep low-voltage lighting control system with BACnet support allows future system web access and integration with BMS. The museum's LED lighting and very low lighting power density contribute to its energy performance. The museum features LED track lighting and architectural lighting throughout the facility. The new center's electrical systems design included distribution, specialized lighting, communication, and the fire alarm system. This project involved careful coordination with museum curators to provide UV protective lighting for the historical exhibits.

This project won First Place in the 2018/2019 ASHRAE Region XI Awards.

Image Credits: James Dow / Patkau Architects