Sponsored Content: The Pacific Autism Centre - "Building a better world for people with autism"

The numbers are staggering. The Pacific Autism Family Centre Foundation estimates that there are at least 69,000 people in B.C. affected by autism, and that number is growing. Fortunately, organizations like the Pacific Autism Family Centre Foundation are finding creative new ways to help people with ASD and their families.

In November, a 3-storey, 60,000 square foot facility in Richmond opened that will provide a customized, energy-efficient environment for British Columbians with ASD of all ages, from children to seniors.

"There are approximately 80 children a month newly diagnosed in this province alone," says Sergio Cocchia, co-founder and chair of the Foundation. "But you also have to remember that autism does not end at age 18 – it’s a life-long disorder. If we do not figure out meaningful inclusion for these people, we will be in trouble."

BC Hydro, Cocchia says, was instrumental in ensuring that the new Pacific Autism Family Centre was designed specifically for the autistic community.

Research suggests that many people with ASD find noise unpleasant and even shocking. "Street noises, the noise from furnace ducts, even a whistle coming from an air conditioner can be so distracting it means the end of the ability to learn for someone with autism," says Cocchia.

BC Hydro’s New Construction program provided funding for an energy-modeling study, which is essentially a simulation of how much energy a building will use day and night over a full year. Through the energy-modeling study, designers can compare various lighting, heating and cooling systems as well as windows, roofing, wall and other products, and even look at how the building is situated on the site, to determine the most energy-efficient design.

"The goal of building sustainably and energy efficiently fitted well together with the goal of reducing noise," says Peter Osuchowski, senior project manager and principal with MMM Group Limited. "We went with a hydronic system for the Centre, in-floor radiant heating and cooling, which provides low temperature heating, so it saves substantial amounts of energy, but also reduces background air noise.

"A building designed for people with autism does not exist in too many places in the world," says the Centre’s architect, Larry Adams, of NSDA Architects in Vancouver. "We found very little formal information on how to create spaces for people with autism, but did get vital input from the autism community. We hope that the Centre will be a place where anxieties are reduced."

To learn more about the new Pacific Autism Family Centre or for more info on ways BC Hydro can help you build better, visit bchydro.com/construction.

This content is sponsored by BC Hydro in collaboration with ConstuctConnectTM Media. To learn more about BC Hydro visit www.bchydro.com/construction.