Electronic Arts Phase II Expansion + Motion Capture Studio

Built in 1999, Electronic Arts is a campus-style office/studio complex on 22 acres within Discovery Place in Burnaby, BC. In 2006, Electronic Arts built an expansion to the original building to accommodate the business growth in game development. The Electronic Arts Phase II expansion project consists of three components: Phase IIa: An underground parkade with a soccer field above it is built.

Phase IIb houses production for a five-level, 176,000 ft² studio office building with work areas for developing Electronic Arts’ video game software, open office areas, a basketball-sized gymnasium, and other amenities. Phase IIIa, a 26,400 ft² Motion Capture Studio, produces real-life motion videos of characters created for specific video games.

Integral Group provided mechanical services for the expansion project and a two-stage renovation to the data center in the Phase I building. Phase II Studio and Phase IIIa Motion Capture Studio are interconnected mechanically with the common mechanical heating and cooling plant in the Phase II Studio building. This approach reduces the duplication of major equipment and allows for efficient energy recovery, optimal use of the heating and cooling plant, and reduction of standby losses. Other energy-saving features include an underground outdoor air-intake tempering tunnel that takes advantage of the constant ground temperature and pre-tempers the supply air. This reduces the energy required to wither heat and cool the incoming ventilation air. Additional sustainable solutions include low-flow water fixtures, faucets with sensors, and water detention tanks. A Direct Digital Control system continually optimizes building system operations and monitors consumption rates for future analysis.