Avison Young tracked operational costs over 4 years for 5 comparable office buildings in Toronto, including their "Duncan Mill" building. Duncan Mill uses an underfloor air distribution (UFAD) system and had the lowest HVAC operations and maintenance costs per square foot at $2.66. The next best building was $1.23/sf higher. Avison Young finds UFAD systems provide flexibility, low maintenance costs, and fewer occupant complaints compared to traditional overhead systems.

1. UFAD: Affecting Building Operation Costs . . .
Avison Young’s Duncan Mill Office Building
CASE STUDY

2. DESCRIPTION:
180 DUNCAN
MILL BUILDING "A" BUILDING "B" BUILDING "C" BUILDING "D"
Size 145,060 s.f. 150,071 s.f. 99,084 s.f. 94,225 s.f. 94,225 s.f.
Vacancy 25.29% 11.21%
Normal Bus Hrs/Day 18 9.00% 12.00% 10 10
Occupancy Load Full 70% 95% 95% 80%
Floor Plate 21,251 s.f. 10,696 s.f. 8,251 s.f. 6,300 s.f. 22,380 S.F.
Construction 2001 1974 1958 1996 1974
Heating Natural Gas Natural Gas District Steam District Steam Natural Gas
Cooling Chiller - Electric Chiller - Electric Chiller - Electric Chiller - Electric Chiller - Electric
Upgrades:
Chiller 2003 Original Original
BAS 2000 2003 Original
Boilers 2001
Lighting Controls 2000 2003
Air Distribution Method
Underfloor w/
compartmental unit on
each floor
Dual-Duct High Pressure Constant Volume Zoned Fan-Coil Dual-Duct High-Pressure
Case Study: Avison Young
Avison Young tracked the operational costs of 5 of their buildings
located in the Toronto Regional Area to compare operational costs and
best practices. Each of the buildings were comparable in overall square
footage, regional climate and reasonable occupancy load and monitored
over a 4 year period:
COMPARITIVE BUILDING PROFILES:

3. “DUNCAN MILL”
BUILDING A
BUILDING B
BUILDING C
* BUILDING D
0 2 4 5 7
CA$6.49
CA$3.89
CA$4.93
CA$5.00
CA$2.66
Case Study: Avison Young
Avison Young’s “DUNCAN MILL” Building is still considered to have the
best operational cost and ease of maintenance for it’s HVAC related
functions:
BUILDING HVAC OPERATIOINS & MAINTENANCE COST/SF :

4. Case Study: Avison Young
Comparing DUNCAN MILL to the next best building (BUILDING “C”) still
reveals a $1.23 / sf savings in operational cost and maintenance for
HVAC :
DETAILED BUILDING HVAC OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE COST/SF :
$2.66
-$3.89
-$1.23/ SF

5. Case Study: Avison Young
“ We’ve found our maintenance
costs for air distribution
equipment is next to nothing with
UFAD compared to other buildings
we have with traditional overhead
systems. . . there are very few
moving parts with UFAD . . . We
have far less occupant
complaints”.
VP Operations - Avison Young
Avison Young employs Raised Access Floors & UFAD systems in their Headquarters
office whenever possible because the combination of UFAD & Raised Access Floors
provide the best overall flexibility & long-term functionality for both tenant
construction and operation cost management. Occupant comfort and tenant fit-out
savings in time and costs make the building more marketable.
Pri c e Wa t er hou se Co ope r s, 1 8 Y ork S tr e e t Tor onto