A Drink from the Fire Hose of Information

When the team agreed to capture stories and lessons learned from the Mosaic Centre project, I had no idea what we were committing to. A project of firsts in many respects; I underestimated the amount of learning required to position the team for success. The first net-zero commercial building in Alberta, the first LEED Platinum attempt for commercial north of Calgary, the first Living Building Challenge Petal Certification attempt in Alberta and the first IPD contract delivery for anyone on our team. We were creating design decision logic at an alarming rate, all the while attempting to record our “breadcrumbs”.

Our brain-trust and evolution as a team has become evident by the Glossary of Terms I must carry with me when explaining the project to most professionals in the construction field. I have caught myself, on occasion, asking my unsuspecting conversation partners, “Are you sure you want a drink from the fire hose of information?” My passion for this project and what it can offer to the city of Edmonton and the construction industry is evidenced in my unwillingness to shut up when describing the project.

We have started to formally record the loops and iterations taken in the design process. Engineering and design philosophies that center around using Photovoltaic Modules as a project “currency” and treating windows as part of the HVAC system are few and far between. With this information documented and available on the project site, my hope is that more professionals will have instant access to the information and need not drink from the fire hose.