Decentralized Ventilation Retrofit | Lunos e² Installation | Edmonton, Alberta

This project documents the deployment of a decentralized ventilation strategy across three high-rise student residence towers at the University of Alberta’s Lister Centre in Edmonton. Delivered in three phases and encompassing more than 2,000 individual ventilation units, the project demonstrates how suite-level heat recovery ventilation can be executed, controlled, and operated at institutional scale in a cold-climate retrofit environment.

Location: Edmonton, Alberta

Building Type: Student Residence Retrofit (Multi Use Residential Building "MURB")

Buildings: Mackenzie Hall, Kelsey Hall, Henday Hall

Product Installed: LUNOS e² Standard

Suites Ventilated: Over 1,000

Total Units Installed: 1,023 pairs (2,046 individual units)

Control Type: Custom centralized control solution

Project Delivery: Phased (3 phases)

The University of Alberta undertook a comprehensive retrofit of its Lister Centre student residences as part of a broader effort to modernize aging campus housing. The scope of work included upgrades to major building systems—lighting, heating, fire suppression, ventilation—as well as interior renovations within student suites and shared spaces.

The Lister Centre retrofit spanned more than 1,000 student suites across three high-rise residence towers: Mackenzie Hall, Kelsey Hall, and Henday Hall. Each suite required a dedicated approach to ventilation as part of the overall building strategy, with particular attention paid to constructability, long-term operability, and performance in Edmonton’s cold climate.

Rather than introducing new centralized ductwork or expanding existing mechanical infrastructure, the project team pursued a decentralized ventilation approach. This decision shaped not only the ventilation design itself, but also the installation strategy, controls architecture, and phased rollout of the project.

In total, the Lister Centre retrofit included the installation of 1,023 pairs of LUNOS e² units, or 2,046 individual decentralized heat recovery ventilators, making it one of the largest decentralized HRV projects undertaken in Canada.

Retrofitting ventilation systems in existing high-rise residential buildings presents a familiar set of challenges: limited ceiling space, structural constraints, coordination with other trades, and the cost and disruption associated with installing new ductwork.

For the Lister Centre project, a decentralized strategy offered several clear advantages:

• Fresh air could be delivered directly to each suite, rather than relying on shared ducted systems.
• Installation could be completed through the exterior wall, minimizing disruption to interior layouts.
• The approach eliminated the need for new mechanical rooms, shafts, or bulk duct runs.
• Ventilation capacity could be distributed and repeated consistently across all suites.

LUNOS e² units were selected as a solution well-suited to these constraints. Their compact, through-wall design and regenerative heat exchanger allowed each suite to receive continuous, balanced ventilation with heat recovery, without introducing centralized ducting or complex air distribution systems.

At the suite level, each dorm room was equipped with one pair (two units) of LUNOS e² Standard, operating in synchronized regenerative mode. In this configuration, airflow alternates direction between the paired units, allowing heat to be stored in the regenerative heat exchanger material and on its surface, and released as airflow reverses, maintaining balanced ventilation with heat recovery.

This paired configuration was applied consistently across more than 1,000 dorm rooms, forming a repeatable system architecture that could be deployed floor by floor and replicated across all three residence towers. Rather than relying on a centralized air distribution network, ventilation capacity was distributed throughout the building envelope while remaining coordinated through a centralized control and operating framework.

By maintaining a uniform suite-level configuration throughout the project, the decentralized system functioned as a cohesive, building-wide ventilation strategy, while remaining physically distributed at the point of use.

The bulkhead-based installation approach used at Lister Centre reflects one project-specific method of deploying decentralized ventilation at scale, developed in response to the building’s existing construction, phasing requirements, and coordination constraints.

The Lister Centre retrofit was executed through a phased rollout, beginning with Mackenzie Hall as Phase 1. This initial phase established the installation sequence, trade coordination approach, and detailing strategy that were subsequently replicated across Kelsey Hall and Henday Hall.

Rather than treating each suite as a unique condition, the project team adopted a standardized integration approach that could be repeated reliably across floors and towers. This allowed installation activities to be coordinated efficiently with electrical, interior, and fire-protection work, supporting predictable sequencing and reducing disruption in an occupied residential environment.

By standardizing the installation logic early, the project team was able to scale deployment across more than 2,000 individual units while maintaining consistency in execution and performance expectations throughout all three buildings.

With the physical installation standardized at the suite level, electrical power and system control could be coordinated in parallel using a similarly repeatable approach.

Once construction was complete, the ventilation system was fully integrated into the finished dorm room environment. The bulkhead assemblies align with the window header and surrounding architectural elements, preserving room proportions and usable floor area. From the occupant’s perspective, the system is present but unobtrusive, delivering continuous ventilation without introducing visible mechanical equipment or in-room controls.

The scale of the Lister Centre project required more than individual suite-level ventilation—it demanded a control strategy appropriate for institutional operation.

As part of the project’s operational requirements, ventilation control was managed exclusively at the building level. In-suite or occupant-accessible controls were intentionally excluded, allowing facilities staff to maintain consistent ventilation performance across all suites and floors. This approach reflected the scale and use of the residence buildings, where centralized oversight was preferred to support stable operation, simplified maintenance, and system-wide consistency.

To meet these requirements, LUNOS Canada developed a custom centralized control solution that provided building operations staff with structured oversight of the decentralized ventilation system. The system was designed to support hierarchical management of ventilation across the residence towers, rather than relying on individual suite-level adjustments.

The control architecture allowed ventilation to be managed at multiple levels, including:

• Individual rooms or paired units
• Suites
• Entire floors
• Larger groupings such as wings or zones

Beginning with Mackenzie Hall as Phase 1, the Lister Centre retrofit was deliberately executed in stages. This phased approach allowed installation practices, electrical coordination, and control strategies to be validated before being replicated across the remaining towers.

Subsequent phases—Kelsey Hall and Henday Hall—followed the same core deployment model, resulting in:

• 363 pairs (726 units) installed in Mackenzie Hall
• 330 pairs (660 units) installed in Kelsey Hall
• 330 pairs (660 units) installed in Henday Hall

This repeatability was a key factor in delivering a decentralized system at scale while maintaining consistency across all buildings.

Located in Edmonton, the Lister Centre project required ventilation systems to operate reliably during prolonged periods of extreme winter conditions. Cold-weather performance was therefore a primary design consideration from the outset, rather than a secondary feature.

To support stable operation under these conditions, the LUNOS e² units installed at the Lister Centre were configured with project-specific cold-weather control logic, developed to maintain consistent airflow and heat recovery during extended cold weather operation.

This approach ensured that ventilation performance could be maintained throughout the heating season without reliance on additional mechanical complexity.

Exploring Decentralized Ventilation in Multi-Unit Residential Buildings?

This project demonstrates one approach to deploying decentralized heat recovery ventilation at scale within a cold-climate, high-rise retrofit. While system configuration and installation details will vary by building, the underlying strategy—delivering ventilation directly at the suite level while maintaining centralized oversight—offers a viable alternative to conventional ducted systems.

LUNOS Canada works with architects, engineers, and building owners to assess how decentralized ventilation can be incorporated into new construction and retrofit projects.

Reach out to LUNOS Canada to discuss system planning, integration considerations, and project suitability.

The University of Alberta Lister Centre project focuses on how decentralized ventilation can be deployed and operated at institutional scale. For additional context on ventilation principles, room-level air delivery, and why ventilation matters—particularly in sleeping and living spaces—the following articles may be of interest: