CASE STUDY NO.

1: Kathy Hrabovsky – 3-2-09

PROJECT NAME: NK’MIP DESERT CULTURAL CENTER
(Some areas requiring information in the Case Study Template seemed repetitive. I found it necessary to repeat information in order
to fulfill entries in the template.)

CASE CATEGORY:
COUNTRY/CITY: OSOYOOS, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
BUILDING TYPE: INSTITUTIONAL – CULTURAL CENTER
CLIMATE ZONE: 6B (ASHRAE) – BSk (Koppen Classification) mid latitude – dry – semiarid - highlands
NEW/RENOVATION: NEW

BUILDING SUMMARY:
BUILDING SIZE: Gross flr area: 1,115 square meters

Net floor area:

Usable floor area:

Gross volume: slab to slab height 4.6 meters, volume = 5,129 cubic meters
# OF STORIES: 1

OCCUPANCY: 7-10 typical staff, depends upon number of visiting scientists in rattlesnake program,
theater seats 80, so the tourist load is 80-100 on a busy day.

LOT SIZE: not available

SITE CONTEXT: The site is located at the northern tip of the Great American or Great Basin Desert, which extends
from the Sonoran Desert in Mexico to Osoyoos. The Osoyoos Indian Band, part of the Okanagan Nation, controls
approximately 32,000 acres of land and has preserved 1,600 acres of desert land as a conservation area, the largest, intact
parcel of this unique, endangered environment in Canada. NK’MIP means “bottomland” and refers to where the Osoyoos
River meets Lake Osoyoss and contains rich, agricultural soil, scenic views and desert. Adjacent to the conservation area,
the Osoyoos Band has Master Planned 200 acres to include a golf resort, ski resort, winery, resort hotel and campground.
These businesses have budgets in excess of $14 million and they are all run with sustainable practices.

The NK’MIP Desert Cultural Center is located on the eastern shore of Lake Osoyoos, in a mid-latitude, semi-arid climate,
where it is extremely hot and dry in the summer and relatively cold and dry in the winter. Temperatures range from -18
degrees C to +33 degrees C (sometimes going as high as +40 degrees C) or -1 degrees F to + 91.4 degrees F (sometimes
104 degrees F). Heat gain and water conservation are the main concerns. Due to the topography, between mountains and
lake, the building is oriented along a north/south axis. The Architect sited the partially submerged Cultural Center to
focus the views away from the encroaching development of the town of Osoyoos and toward Lake Osoyoos. Partially
submerging the building mitigates extremes in temperatures from one season to the other and from day to night in the
summer months. The orientation of the western, rammed earth wall is an integral part of the entry sequence to the
Cultural Center as it insulates the Center from the summer sun and as it retains heat during the cool nights and cold
winters. Minimal glazing on the south and west sides of the wall, reduces heat loss and gain while framing specific views
to Lake Osoyoos. There is a southern courtyard, shaded by a curve of the rammed earth wall, which provides protected
daylighting, natural ventilation and views for the office and service areas. The original design called for glazing along the
entire northern façade. The glazing area is protected from the weather by a deep roof overhang or recess. Budget

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prohibited the installation of extensive glazing on the north side, but provisions were made to install it in the future. In the
future, the entire gallery area, except the theater and “black box” exhibit space, will be daylit. A future trellis shading
device will protect the outdoor amphitheater in the summer. The green roof, covering the entire building, provides
efficient insulation, reduces the heat island effect, reduces stormwater runoff, retains water in the desert, restores desert
habitat by permitting the replanting of native species displaced during construction, and renders the building practically
invisible in the landscape.

BUILDING OWNER: OSOYOOS INDIAN BAND

Contact: Ms. Charlotte Sanders-Stringham – Osoyoos Band
Mr. Bruce Haden – Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden - Architects

TIME OF COMPLETION: June 2006

RATING SYSTEM APPLIED: none

COST: Construction not available

Technical system not available

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The Osoyoos Band, of the Okanagan Nation, is a unique group of aboriginal people who have lived, symbiotically, on
their desert land for thousands of years.

Their Vision Statement is “Community coming together, and working towards healthier lifestyles that encourage
compassion, respect and accountability to one another, while incorporating traditional beliefs, values and principles.”

Their Mission Statement is “To support, advocate, promote and provide for the physical, mental, spiritual and social well
being of our community members. This is accomplished through consulting, planning and prioritizing health and social
issues.” Curiously, their Mission Statement includes methods for carrying out the Mission and is not simply a
broad, theoretical statement.

The Osoyoos provide health services, employment, municipal services, education and counseling for their Band members.
They are stewards of the land, wisely realizing that they depend upon nature for their livelihood. As survivalists, they
make their own medicine from roots, herbs and balsam wood. They believe in the Great Spirit and were traditionally
leaders in the Okanagan Valley. In building the NK’MIP Desert Cultural Center, they still serve as leaders, educating
other aboriginal peoples and the general public. The Cultural Center’s educational programs focus on “Lands, Legends
and People”, introducing others to their sustainable way of life. Aboriginal groups travel to NK’MIP for retreats to learn
how to balance their way of life with the economic sustainability of their people.

According to the director of the NK’MIP Desert Cultural Center, the Center has been well received by the Osoyoos Band
and by the general public. The building costs more to run than their original facility due to the fact that it is larger than
their original building, but the director feels that it is quite efficient in relation to its size. The Band had to carefully
consider the costs of the sustainable features of the Center: the rammed earth wall, the green roof, the radiant
heating/cooling, because these features did represent higher initial construction costs, but, in the interest of not
compromising their principles, the Osoyoos Band financed the project and are working to relieve the debt.

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BUILDING SYSTEM FEATURES:
The NK’MIP Desert Cultural Center is not seeking LEED certification, but does include the following, primarily passive,
Sustainable Features:

Siting and Orientation

• The building is partially buried on the eastern side as it nestles into the highlands.
•Partially submerging the building mitigates extremes in temperatures from one season to the other and from day
to night in the summer months.
• The orientation of the western, rammed earth wall is an integral part of the entry sequence to the Cultural Center
as it insulates the Center from the summer sun and as it retains heat during the cool nights and cold winters.
• Minimal glazing on the south and west sides of the wall, reduces heat loss and gain while framing specific views
to Lake Osoyoos.
• A curve in the rammed earth wall provides protective shading for a courtyard on the south side. Office and
service areas open onto the courtyard for daylighting, natural ventilation and views.
• The original design called for glazing along the entire northern façade. The glazing area is protected from the
weather by a deep roof overhang or recess. Budget prohibited the installation of extensive glazing on the north
side, but provisions were made to install it in the future. In the future, the entire gallery area, except the theater
and “black box” exhibit space, will be daylit. A future trellis shading device will protect the outdoor amphitheater
in the summer.
Rammed Earth Wall
• The wall is 80 meters long (262.5’), 5.5 meters high (18.04’) and 600 mm thick (23.6”). It’s three wythes consist
of steel reinforcing, two layers of rammed earth (a mixture of compacted earth, sand, dry concrete and color
additives), 250 mm thick (9.8”) with one layer of 100mm thick (4”) insulation sandwiched between for an R-
value of R33. The wall retains warmth in the winter and insulates the building against the summer heat.
• The soil used is local. Rammed earth is an intelligent choice to conserve wood in a climate where wood is scarce.
The earth and concrete mix was layed down in reusable forms and tamped with a pneumatic tamper to
approximately 50% of its original height.
• There is no off-gassing from the wall.
• The wall did not require additional interior or exterior finish to complete it. The horizontal pattern of the
formwork and the layers of the soil express the geological sedimentation of the desert land.
• Osoyoos Band members were trained in the construction process and can now contribute to the long-term
economic and ecological stability of their community.
• The wall has created a new vernacular for the region which was beginning to express a “Santa Fe” or
“Disneyland” aesthetic.
Green Roof
• The green roof, covering the entire building, provides efficient insulation, reduces the heat island effect, reduces
stormwater runoff, retains water in the desert, restores desert habitat by permitting the replanting of native species
displaced during construction, and renders the building practically invisible in the landscape.
Water Efficiency
• Stormwater runoff from the roof and site is collected in a retaining pond on the site and in an underground cistern.
The retaining pond is used to support native plant and animal species for education. Water from the cistern is
piped to a water channel which runs along the rammed earth wall in the entry sequence to highlight the
importance of water in the desert.

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 • Demand on a site fed well is reduced by 40% by utilizing low flow faucets, waterless urinals and dual flush
toilets.
• There does not appear to be irrigation due to the use of native desert plants, xeriscaping.
• All paving around the Center is porous to allow water to percolate into the soil and feed the aquifer.
Energy & Atmosphere
• Radiant, in-slab heating and cooling is used in concrete ceiling and floor slabs.
• Ventilation is 100% outdoor air displacement.
• There is no dust, noise or blasts of air from the system and a savings of 50% is anticipated.
Materials and Resources
• There is a surplus of “blue-stain” pine in Canada due to an infestation of pine beetles which affect this species.
“Blue-Stain” pine is structurally sound, but is not considered desirable, as a finish material, by the general public
due to a “blue” wash that appears in the finished product. The Canadian market is also flooded with inexpensive
Japanese yellow pine. NK’MIP seeks to educate the public on the beauty of this locally available material by
using it for virtually all public wall finishes.
Education
• The desert conservation area surrounding NK’MIP is home to an endangered species of rattlesnake. The Osoyoos
Band maintains an award winning rattlesnake research project.
• The general public can view the capture, tagging, microchipping, study and release of the rattlesnakes at the
Cultural Center.
• The Center includes educational hikes and walking tours of the landscape on raised walkways to protect the
landscape.
• The “Lands, Legends and People” programs educate aboriginal peoples and the general public on the symbiotic
relationship of the Osoyoos Band with their land.

ENERGY: Unfortunately, the Owner and Building Engineer are not collecting performance data at this time.
They cannot compare their new facility to their original facility due to the fact that the new facility is much larger than the
original.

Brief description of strategies and technologies in load reduction (demand side), efficiency applications (supply side) and
renewable/alternative energy generations:
Load reduction is achieved by employing passive features: partially submerging the building along the north south axis so
that the thermal mass of the rammed earth wall (R33) mitigates temperature extremes between seasons and from day to
night in the summer months; minimizing glazing on the southern and western sides to minimize heat gain; deep recesses
for entries and deep overhangs protect glazing and exterior observation areas; shading a courtyard on the southern side to
allow daylighting, views and natural ventilation for office areas; glazing along the entire northern façade, which is well
protected from the weather by a deep roof overhang, will provide daylighting for the gallery space in the future, budget
prohibited the installation of the northern glazing during, but provisions were made to install it in the future; providing a
green roof for efficient insulation, reduction of heat island effect, reduction of stormwater runoff, and water retention in
the desert.

Efficiency had to be balanced with budget. The Engineers claim that the system achieved a 50% reduction over ASHRAE
90.1, but in updating their computer software, they are no longer able to access the data. There is radiant heating and
cooling. The radiant heating is supplied by a high efficiency condensing boiler. The gas fired boiler is 95%-98% efficient
due to the fact that it uses the hot flue gasses to heat the return water from the system – extracting heat from otherwise
wasted flue gasses. The only negative result of this is the condensation which forms on the water pipes. The
4
condensation must be collected and drained. The radiant cooling is done with an air cooled chiller in a mechanical room
which uses outside air for the chilling. There is natural ventilation in the offices. There is constant volume, 100%
displacement air ventilation throughout the building. There is no energy recovery on the system due to budgetary
constraints. The building is so efficient that the Owner did not believe that the cost of the energy recovery system was
justified. The HVAC system is not individually controlled. The control system senses the current building temperature
and the past building temperature over a three day period and adjusts the system according to an analysis of the three day
results. The office areas have operable windows to allow individual occupant control for thermal comfort. Energy is not
expended on humidification or dehumidification. The Owner reports that the building is not overly dry or humid.

The engineering firm that supplied and installed the specified controls, commissioned the building and now monitors the
building, on a quarterly basis, to make sure that the equipment is performing as it should. The engineer does not collect
data, just maintains the equipment on a performance and experience basis. Occasionally a pump or motor goes down, but
the building is largely maintenance free. The engineer feels that the building is so efficient that he would like to shut the
system down completely to see if the passive features would heat and cool the building largely on their own. The
engineer states that the earth seems to maintain the masses at approximately 50 degrees F. Of the 100 (+-) buildings that
the engineer maintains in the area, none have monitoring or metering systems. In the last few months, 50 owners have
requested monitoring or metering. He feels that the demand is based on the rising cost of energy. Utility costs are going
up and the economy is failing so owners are trying to cut costs any way that they can. The upfront control, equipment and
monitoring costs are always a hard sell for his company, but he sees a change coming.

WATER:
Annual total potable water consumption (gallon/m2 yr) based on net usable area and (gallon/person yr):
1. Indoor 42% reduction
2. Landscaping xeriscaping

Annual total water source

1. municipal site fed well
2. storm water collection percolates to aquifer, green roof, retaining pond to feed water channel.
3. grey water recycled none

Brief description of onsite water treatment technologies:

All paving is porous which allows the stormwater to percolate to the aquifer. The green roof prevents stormwater runoff,
retains water in the desert and permitted the relocation of desert plants displaced during construction. There is a storm
water retention pond on site which is fed by the landscaping and which feeds a water channel on the face of the building.
The water channel is intended to draw intention to the importance of water in the desert. Xeriscaping is used throughout
the site.

The water is supplied from a site fed well. The engineers state that the sewage is routed to an Osoyoos Band operated
sewage treatment plant. All low flow, dual flush and automatic fixtures were used on the interior to reduce potable water
consumption by 40%.

1. Recycled Materials
Building Material Percentage Recycled Content

Surplus material used for most

Bluestain pine
finishes
Excavated earth
for

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Rammed earth wall
Reusable forms for
Rammed earth wall

The Osoyoos Band has a general program of recycling at all of their properties. They did recycle during the building process but
they did not follow LEED or any other rating system guidelines.

INDOOR ENVIORNMENT QUALITY (IEQ): DESCRIPTIVE ISSUE

Indoor air quality is not monitored, but is reported to be favorable due to the 100% fresh air displacement ventilation
system. Due to budgetary constraints, no energy recovery system was used for the ventilation system. A humidification
system was originally recommended by the engineers, but it was eliminated due to budgetary constraints. The monitoring
engineer states that there has not been a need for humidification or dehumidification, either for occupants or artwork.

The blue stain pine used for interior finishes is a soft wood which helps with sound absorption. The radiant
heating/cooling system is silent. The air displacement system is low velocity and is virtually silent.

The architect used deep recesses to protect entries and deep overhangs or wall shading to protect glazing and exterior
observation areas against heat gain. There is shaded daylighting where needed for office use and provisions have been
made to install shaded glazing on the northern façade in the future for more daylighting in the gallery space.

SERVICE QUALITY: DESCRIPTIVE ISSUE (GB TOOLS???)

6
Efficiency had to be balanced with budget. The Engineers claim that the system achieved a 50% reduction over ASHRAE
90.1, but in updating their computer software, they are no longer able to access the data. There is radiant heating and
cooling. The radiant heating is supplied by a high efficiency condensing boiler. The gas fired boiler is 95%-98% efficient
due to the fact that it uses the hot flue gasses to heat the return water from the system – extracting heat from otherwise
wasted flue gasses. The only negative result of this is the condensation which forms on the water pipes. The
condensation must be collected and drained. The radiant cooling is done with an air cooled chiller in a mechanical room
which uses outside air for the chilling. There is natural ventilation in the offices. There is constant volume, 100%
displacement air ventilation throughout the building. There is no energy recovery on the system due to budgetary
constraints. The building is so efficient that the Owner did not believe that the cost of the energy recovery system was
justified. The HVAC system is not individually controlled. The control system senses the current building temperature
and the past building temperature over a three day period and adjusts the system according to an analysis of the three day
results. The office areas have operable windows to allow individual occupant control for thermal comfort. Energy is not
expended on humidification or dehumidification. The Owner reports that the building is not overly dry or humid.

The engineering firm that supplied and installed the specified controls, commissioned the building and now monitors the
building, on a quarterly basis, to make sure that the equipment is performing as it should. The engineer does not collect
data, just maintains the equipment on a performance and experience basis. Occasionally a pump or motor goes down, but
the building is largely maintenance free. The engineer feels that the building is so efficient that he would like to shut the
system down completely to see if the passive features would heat and cool the building largely on their own. The
engineer states that the earth seems to maintain the masses at approximately 50 degrees F. Of the 100 (+-) buildings that
the engineer maintains in the area, none have monitoring or metering systems. In the last few months, 50 owners have
requested monitoring or metering. He feels that the demand is based on the rising cost of energy. Utility costs are going
up and the economy is failing so owners are trying to cut costs any way that they can. The upfront control, equipment and
monitoring costs are always a hard sell for his company, but he sees a change coming.

SITE: DESCRIPTIVE ISSUE (GB TOOLS???)

The NK’MIP Desert Cultural Center is located on the eastern shore of Lake Osoyoos, in a mid-latitude, semi-arid climate,
where it is extremely hot and dry in the summer and relatively cold and dry in the winter. Temperatures range from -18
degrees C to +33 degrees C (sometimes going as high as +40 degrees C) or -1 degrees F to + 91.4 degrees F (sometimes
104 degrees F). Heat gain and water conservation are the main concerns. Due to the topography, between mountains and
lake, the building is oriented along a north/south axis. The Architect sited the partially submerged Cultural Center to
focus the views away from the encroaching development of the town of Osoyoos and toward Lake Osoyoos. Partially
submerging the building mitigates extremes in temperatures from one season to the other and from day to night in the
summer months. The orientation of the western, rammed earth wall is an integral part of the entry sequence to the
Cultural Center as it insulates the Center from the summer sun and as it retains heat during the cool nights and cold
winters. Minimal glazing on the south and west sides of the wall, reduces heat loss and gain while framing specific views
to Lake Osoyoos. There is a southern courtyard, shaded by a curve of the rammed earth wall, which provides protected
daylighting, natural ventilation and views for the office and service areas. The original design called for glazing along the
entire northern façade. The glazing area is protected from the weather by a deep roof overhang or recess. Budget
prohibited the installation of extensive glazing on the north side, but provisions were made to install it in the future. In the
future, the entire gallery area, except the theater and “black box” exhibit space, will be daylit. The green roof, covering
the entire building, provides efficient insulation, reduces the heat island effect, reduces stormwater runoff, retains water in
the desert, restores desert habitat by permitting the replanting of native species displaced during construction, and renders
the building practically invisible in the landscape.