The idea of integrating the PV system was initiated in May 2013 while the building was already under construction. Just two months were available to design the PV system. First, the DC part of the system was designed so that the array construction could start as soon as possible. Then, they proceeded with the AC part of the system. As a result, the construction schedule was pushing the design process, which is not the preferable way for any project since so many key elements of a BIPV system are interrelated. During the design process, time should be allocated to simulate the hygro-thermal performance of the BIPV envelope. However, for this project there was no time for such analysis and the design decisions taken were simply based on experience.   

Integrating 488 standard off-the-shelf PV modules to seemingly fit the building and form its rainscreen had its challenges. The flashing between the modules was tailor-made. The purpose of the flashing was to prevent insects and birds from building nests in the insulation or between the modules and the insulation.

Initially, the installation contractor did not completely follow the string connections to the inverters as per the drawings. The inverters were single‑phased whereas the building was on three phases. The incorrect wiring could have led to voltage imbalance in the building. At the end, the wiring was corrected.

Also, the Canadian Electrical Code changed in the middle of the BIPV system construction. The new code required arc-fault protection for the inverters. The inverters initially selected did not have arc-fault protection. Knowing that the manufacturer would eventually discontinue the inverter model with no arc-fault protection, a new one was chosen. The new inverters were of smaller capacity than originally planned, so the BIPV system ended up having a larger number of inverters. (Gordon Howell, Howell-Mayhew Engineering and Michael Versteege, Manager, Energy Management & Sustainable Operations, University of Alberta)
Designing a PV system with sub-arrays facing different directions was challenging because the sub-arrays are exposed to different irradiance levels throughout the day. As a result, the methods used to size the BIPV system's breakers and panel boards had to be adapted from standard electrical design practices. Another lesson learned from this project is that when designing a BIPV system, appropriate ventilation at the back of the PV array should be provided to reduce its operating temperature and improve the array efficiency. Allowing for ventilation should not compromise the building aesthetics, however, and care should be taken to ensure that the layers under the array remain invisible to the outside.