Sewell’s Landing

Sewell’s Landing is a 12-story development, with 158 terraced residential units, split between six buildings. The buildings, all with heating and cooling, are served by a centralized ocean source heat-pump-based mechanical system. The ocean-source configuration is a closed loop system with a stainless-steel heat exchanger submerged in the ocean water of Horseshoe Bay, which provides a low-grade heat source and sink to the central heat pump plant.

Working with the dive team and installation contractors, we designed and oversaw the installation of the stainless-steel heat exchanger and associated pipework, valves, and manifolds. Working in the ocean can be a challenge not only due to the natural and man-made physical elements at the bottom of the bay, but also due to navigating the regulatory requirements with the associated federal government departments, such as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada.

Installing pipework and the heat exchangers on the ocean bed and developing the optimal route to the mechanical plant room was challenging as it transitioned different sensitive marine habitats and had to be visually appealing for the development.

More than 90% of the development’s thermal energy is delivered from the closed-loop ocean-source heat pump system, while high-efficiency boilers provide the remaining 10%. The use of the ocean-source system has the added benefit of allowing development to avoid the installation of cooling towers, maintaining the community’s scenic beauty.