Greening the Chiropractic Practice Building an environmentally friendly wellness centre W Dr. Tanya graduated with a Bach- elor of Kinesiology from McMaster University in 1997. She graduated from the Canadian Memorial Chi- ropractic College in 2003.She has also completed a fellowship in Pediatrics and Pregnancy from the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association. She teaches a prena- tal course called ‘Soul to Soul’,and is always looking to educate new moms and children about natural health and nutrition. hen the time came to expand their wellness centre, Drs. Mike and Tanya Cham- bers, of Stratford, Ontario, had a vision to not only grow their team of natural health professionals, but also to build an offi ce that would be economical to run and environmentally friendly, or “green”. On a physical level, the undertaking has been a success but, more importantly, the project has served as an excellent example of professional collaboration. Most notable, perhaps, was the infl uence and assistance of Dr. Mark Foullong, a chiropractor from Orangeville. While visiting several offi ces to collect ideas for the design of their own practice, the Chambers’ were impressed by the layout of Dr. Foullong’s office, in that it allowed for growth and effi ciency in a multi-DC offi ce. Dr. Foullong graciously shared his architectural plans with them. These served as a tremendous starting point for the Chamberses’ own vision and design. Foullong’s offi ce also served as a resource, to them, on many occasions throughout the building process. The project has served as an excellent example of professional collaboration. BUILDING THE DREAM Dr. Mike holds Bsc (Hon) and MSc (Human Physiology) degrees from the University of Waterloo and graduated from CMCC in 2002 with the four year award for top technical profi ciency. He returned to his home town to spearhead the Stratford Chiropractic & Well- ness Centre, which has now grown to be Stratford’s largest multidisciplinary health centre. Excavation and thermal systems After months of designing, researching, and refi ning the plans for the practice, the 7,000 square foot project began with an environmental clean-up of a former industrial site. This was the fi rst project in Stratford, Ontario, to utilize the city’s Brownfi eld Development Program, which is a municipal program designed to assist in the clean-up of contaminated sites. Given the extent of the excavation required for the soil remediation, this was an ideal op- portunity to install nearly 4,000 feet of piping for the geothermal heating and air-condition- ing system in the space under the would-be parking lot. The system uses no hydrocarbon fuels and provides in-fl oor heat to the basement and main fl oors as well as forced-air heat and air conditioning to all three fl oors of the offi ce. The system, itself, is nearly 40 per cent more effi cient than a high effi ciency gas furnace, and its effi ciency is further enhanced by having the ability to heat, or cool, each floor independently. Framing The walls of the practice building were built using insulated concrete forms (ICF). While initial construction using ICF is more expensive than traditional wood framing, it makes the resulting building 30-50 per cent more energy effi cient. This, alone, is projected to lead to total cost recovery in just fi ve to eight years. Floor system The fl oor system utilized in the offi ce is called Insul-Deck and is a fairly new system. It is designed for easy installation, while providing exceptional sound reduction as well as insula- tion between floors. The insulation factor is an R-35, which is more than most traditional walls. 28 • CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR | DECEMBER 2008 For this reason, it is easier and more effi cient to heat or cool fl oors independently because there is less heat loss between floors. As well, the floor system was designed to allow for a four inch www.canadianchiropractor.ca Dr. Mike Chambers, DC Dr. Tanya Chambers, DC feature
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