ALGONQUIN CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCITON EXCELLENCE

1. PROJECT DETAILS Category: New Building Project name: Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence (ACCE) Institution name/location: Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Institution type: Public College Campus population: Algonquin College: Total Full-Time Students 18,000 Total Number of Employees: 2,803 Project completion date: October 2011 Project occupancy: September 2011 Project cost: $79,000,000 CDN Construction cost: $65,000,000 CDN Size: Gross: 195,000 square feet Assignable: 121,875 square feet (net)Site area affected by the project: 134,357 square feet Third party sustainability rating: Targeting LEED Platinum Designation by Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC). Submitted to CaGBC on January 24, 2012 (targeting 55 LEED Credits)

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3. SCOPE OF THE PROJECTThe Centre (ACCE); located on a new parcel of land donated by the City of Ottawa, extends the Algonquin College Woodroffe Campus beyond its traditional boundaries and integrates the institution with the public transit system thereby fulfilling elements of the College Campus Master Plan as well as the urbanization plans of the adjacent Centrepointe community.This 195,000 square foot building offers community access to an integrated learning and applied research environment by providing classrooms, studios, laboratories, shops and collaboration spaces for 2,500 students in a highly efficient combination of rigorous structure and flexible space, providing generous public spaces and synergies between professional disciplines. The Centre’s curriculum and architecture are uniquely designed to bring together industry, faculty and students, encouraging a dynamic exchange of ideas that will benefit Canada’s construction industry for decades to come. The new Centre provides an industry hub to train and inspire: construction, architecture and design students, professors, researchers, builders and trades people; it promotes the construction industry as a first choice career destination; it showcases sustainable construction and advances design and building practices; it serves as one-of-a-kind living laboratories.

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©Tom Arban

©Tom Arban

ALGONQUIN CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCITON EXCELLENCE

The building is planned around social spaces that encourage interprofessional and interdisciplinary interaction. The “terraced commons” is an informal work space for students. The “Crossroads Café” is located between the shops and is the bridge between theory and applied education. The “crossroads” also connects the public Transit Station with the main College Campus, providing opportunities for the public to see the activities of the building.4. INTEGRATED PLANNINGThe integrated design process was enthusiastically implemented by the College and the Design Team. The entire College community, the Ottawa Construction Association, the City of Ottawa and the Provincial and Federal Governments were engaged into a passionate conversation about an innovative, cross-disciplinary, Centre for Construction Excellence. The Design Team have benefited from the early contribution of the Owner’s and Constructor’s expertise during the design process. The visual information in the form of computer based 3D Revit models was developed and presented at several stages of the design. Interactive workshops with the College Stakeholders created a true sense of joint authorship.5. IMPLEMENTATIONTo meet the extremely tight schedule the Design-Build Team had to implement a fast-track construction method with sequential tendering which in essence is erecting the building while the design is still on the drawing boards. The Design Team had delivered tender packages, building permit submittals and design review packages continuously for six months. The Foundation Permit Drawings were delivered less than a month after the job had been awarded to the Design-Builder, while architectural, mechanical, electrical, civil and remaining structural drawings were in the early stage of design and IDP Process. The fast-track schedule required a greater than normal effort on the Design Team, Design-Builder and trades part as well as a “two-way” ongoing coordination and cooperation between the trade contractors and the Design Team.Responding to Algonquin’s Program Requirement of creating the building that serves as “living laboratory”, the building showcases many different systems and materials. Exposed structure, plumbing, mechanical and electrical services, combined with wall and floor assemblies are revealed in “cut-away” sections and mock-ups and are exhibited throughout the building to provide learning opportunities for students. The structural, environmental and energy performance of the building is monitored and displayed interactively letting viewers understand the invisible forces and processes taking place inside the building. The architectural details are designed to showcase craftsmanship of the building constructors. 6. RESULTSBuilding as a Landscape:To transform the “frayed” landscape of the suburban, industrial site, the building is conceived as an undulating landscape, linking park, arrival plaza, terraces, shops, classrooms and offices in one continuous form. It connects nature and student commons and public café with south-facing terraces and roof gardens, blurring distinctions between building and nature. While landscape defines its profile, line and colour unify its edges. Vertically banded-storey-high panels and storey-high windows dominate the walls, animated by coloured solar sunshades.

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Green Roofscape Concept

©Tom Arban

©Tom Arban

ALGONQUIN CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCITON EXCELLENCE

Student commons and public amenities are expressed as expanses of glass curtains, with long lines of horizontal mullions. The landscape is a lively interplay of different ecosystems that enriches the bio-diversity of the site and enlivens the urban context. The design explicitly naturalizes the site and increases biodiversity. Vegetative areas over the adjacent transit tunnel are organized into urban ecosystems, each with a dominant biozone. The biodiversity of the site has increased 300%.Gateway and Crossroads: The building is a gateway to the campus and also a crossroads where students, faculty and the public come together. Appropriate space allocation, visibility and ease of access determine the College’s ability to interact with the community. Essential in a building with 24/7 operation and integrated with public transit is the clear planning of zones; zones for the public, those for the public/college interaction and those for private use by student and faculty are clearly delineated and an independent access for transit users is identified. By doing so, the objective of the Centre to inspire and to educate is made possible without compromise to safety or operations.Architecture That Inspires:The design concept for ACCE inspires with its unique form that blends building and landscape, its varied and dramatic interior spaces, and the playful use of colour to animate its facades. At the same time, it is a highly-efficient combination of rigorous structure and flexible space, providing generous public spaces and synergies between professional disciplines. The planning incorporates clear circulation and egress, using visible stairs and elevators that allow users to easily orient themselves. Based on a simple organizational diagram, reflecting patterns of use and movement sequences, the interior provides numerous vantage points and overlooks between different areas and activities.Arrival and Showcase:The great hall, with its two dramatic seating pods floating overhead, welcomes the visitor into the building. Importantly for visitor orientation, the layout of the building is made immediately clear by views to the atrium on the left, to the learning street ahead, an up the terraced student commons to the crossroads on the second floor. The great hall is an ideal place for exhibitions, whether to showcase the work of students or to display the full-scale mock-ups used in the construction process. It can also be used for events by the community or by industry partners.Student Commons:A terraced student commons overlooks the lobby. The work areas created are discretely isolated from transit users with glass walls, and shielded from glare by a wood trellis. Tables are arranged to allow study materials – whether they are drawings or text books – to be spread out to facilitate student-to-student and interdisciplinary learning. Bringing Nature Inside:The design concept explicitly embraces nature. ‘Bio-philic concepts’ support the positive experience of natural systems in the constructed environments. The bio-wall, a focal point of the atrium, is also an active part of the air system, filtering undesirable VOCs and CO2, and improving indoor air quality.

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Public Routes through Building

©Tom Arban

©Tom Arban

ALGONQUIN CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCITON EXCELLENCE

A return bypass is provided to allow regeneration and servicing of the bio-wall, as well as the management of humidification. A Street for Learning:The central, active spine of the shops wing is the “Learning Street” that connects to the crossroads. Lit from above by long, linear skylight and animated by stairs, displays and windows into shops, the learning street is not just a circulation route but a light-filled place that inspires curiosity and innovation. Instructional Spaces; Meeting Students’ Needs:The ACCE includes a wide range of formal and informal instructional spaces, from classrooms and studios to laboratories and shops. As much learning takes place within the classroom as in corridors and public areas, which form part of the “unstructured social classroom” at Algonquin. The design for the ACCE has created a light-filled network of study, lounge, snacking and social spaces at a variety of scales to address this important dimension of student life.In addition to the terraced student commons described earlier, there is a computer access centre with break-out and quiet study rooms; a resource library; exhibition space in the great hall for student projects; two seating pods in the great hall for self-directed learning; and the café and food court at the crossroads.By the quality of the design vision and its execution, the numerous student-focused design features, the quality of informal learning areas, and the student-oriented delivery of instruction we believe the design will play a significant role in attracting student applications to the ACCE.Project Metric:195,000 Gross sf; 121,875 assignable sf; 134,357 sq. ft. site affected area; 2,500 Fulltime StudentsSustainability Metric:Targeting LEED Platinum: Submitted to CaGBC on January 24, 2012Summary of Credits: Project Total: 55 credits Sustainable Site: 12 credits Energy and Atmosphere: 12 credits Water Efficiency: 5 credits Materials and Resources: 8 creditsIndoor Environmental Quality: 13 credits Innovation & Design Process: 5 credits7. FIVE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT DROVE PROJECT DECISION-MAKINGIssue 1 & 2: Academic Program Requirements of Flexibility/Adaptability and Structural IssuesTo meet the requirements of rapidly changing College curriculum the design of the multi-storey portion is a synthesis of planning, space making, social arrangements, structure and building services. The primary structure is a 9m x 12m (29’6” x 39’4”) bay, complemented by a 3.6m (11’10”) wide circulation zone at the edge of a 9m x 27m (29’6” x 88’7”) atrium; the strategy yields 80% column free space on the east, 100% column free on the west. There are no shear walls except at exit stairs. Where cross-bracing is required, chevron braces are used to maximize flexibility.

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©Tom Arban

©Tom Arban

©Tom Arban

ALGONQUIN CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCITON EXCELLENCE

Structure and service layout provide guidance and flexibility for present and future planning: major and minor bay sizes, exposed structure in the halls and concealed structure on the perimeter provide a context for circulation, social and common spaces, program areas and support spaces. Flexibility is demonstrated in the very different room layouts using basically the same structural bay system: Levels 1 and 2 contain the major public spaces; levels 3 and 4 contain alternate classroom layouts; level 5 shows an office arrangement with open and closed offices. While each layout responds to programmatic needs, they also reinforce the overall design concept. Design of the two-storey shop wing is also a synthesis of planning, space, structure and building services. Besides the two bay sizes that provide maximum flexibility, the shop wing also incorporates 7m (23’) wide mezzanines, extending from the interior ‘learning street’ to the exterior walls. The mezzanines function in a number of ways: they contain mechanical and electrical equipment serving the shop areas; they organize storage mezzanines; and they reduce the unsupported height of acoustic partitions between spaces.Issue 3: Access – Pedestrian, Bicyclist, Transit, Vehicular, Service Drop-off and ParkingThe building is a gateway to the campus and also a crossroads. It is interconnected with public transit station, and pedestrian bridge leading to the main campus. It includes public routes through the building at ground and second floors. The 24/7 operation of the building and integration with the public transit and publicly used food court and café was essential to the planning public and private zones without compromise to safety or operations. The project includes only 16 public parking spaces and takes full advantage of public transportation and bicyclist access.Issue 4: SustainabilityThe College vision for a building that showcases its commitment to sustainability (that is understood as triple bottom line “people, profit, planet”) guided the Design Team to implement “Building as Landscape” concept and to make elements of sustainability visible to students and the community; visible monitoring system (living laboratory concept); green roof; innovative daylighting solutions, solar thermal energy, bio-wall, solar photovoltaic, rainwater collection system, and a very efficient (65% better than MNECB) mechanical systems. The building is a LEED Platinum candidate with 55 LEED credits.Issue 5: Other: Project Delivery ScheduleTo meet the extremely tight delivery schedule the Design-Builder had to implement a fast-track construction method with sequential tendering which in essence is erecting the building while the design is still on the drawing board. The fast-track schedule required a much greater than normal coordination and cooperative effort between the Design Team, the Trade Contractors and the Design-Builder.8. INSTITUTIONAL STATEMENT – ON THE LAST PAGE

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©Tom Arban

©Tom Arban

ALGONQUIN CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCITON EXCELLENCE

WOODROFFE AVE

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Landscaped Plaza overTransit Tunnel

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Future Bridge Link

FutureTransitStation

Bridge Link

ArrivalPlaza

WestEntrance

SouthEntrance

NorthEntrance

OutdoorAmphitheatre Green Roof

Green Roof

Green Roof

Site Plan

Partial Campus Map

1. Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence2. Bridge Link across Woodroffe Avenue3. Main Campus 4. Plaza over underground Transit Way

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ALGONQUIN CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCITON EXCELLENCE

Ground Floor

Second Floor

Longitudinal Section through Great Hall and Workshops

1. Great Hall2. Atrium3. Multi-Purpose Room 4. Learning Street and Workshops5. Outdoor Construction Area6. Loading7. Seating Pods8. Terraced Seating9. Cafe concourse10. Classrooms11. Bridge Link to Main Campus12. Future Bridge Links to Transit Station 13. Workshops

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Third Floor

Fourth Floor

Fifth Floor Section through Atrium

1. Atrium2. Studios / Labs3. Outdoor Amphitheatre 4. Green Roof5. Classrooms6. Staff Lounge7. Offices

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ALGONQUIN CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCITON EXCELLENCE

1. East Elevation2. South Elevation3. Southeast Elevation

Photography: Tom Arban

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ALGONQUIN CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCITON EXCELLENCE

1. West Elevation2. Northwest Elevation3. North Elevation (computer generated image)

Photography: Tom Arban Computer Rendering: Dalibor Cizek

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6 February 2012

2012 SCUP/AIA-CAE Excellence in Architecture Award

To the 2012 Awards Jury,

In 2007, Algonquin College developed a vision for the creation of an integrated learning and applied research environment to better address our own academic mission as well as the growing needs of the construction industry for skilled trades and occupations workers. Through strong advocacy with all levels of government, and close partnerships with the construction industry and the surrounding communities, construction began in October 2009 for the Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence (ACCE). The ACCE, located on a new parcel of land donated by the City of Ottawa, extends the Algonquin College Woodroffe Campus beyond its traditional boundaries and integrates the institution with the public transit system, thereby fulfilling elements of the College campus master plan as well as the urbanization plans of the adjacent Centrepointe community.

The ACCE is a $79 million, 190,000 square foot uniquely green and architecturally iconic learning centre that offers state-of-the-art facilities for construction-related skilled trades and occupations education and training. Home to over 2,500 full-time and 5,000 part-time students, the centre uses an integrated learning approach to deliver 24 programs of study covering a wide range of disciplines including architecture, design, engineering technology, building trades, building Science, and construction industry research. The facility has been built to the exacting standards of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Striving to achieve LEED Platinum Certification, the centre is a showcase for sustainable construction practices and superior craftsmanship, and serves as a one-of-a-kind living laboratory that demonstrates what is possible through innovative design, construction, maintenance and operation. Finally, the centre also acts as a hub for the construction industry, allowing professionals in the sector to network and interface with both students and staff, furthering relationships and promoting a vibrant career field.

The ACCE has been the largest and most technically complex academic construction project that Algonquin College has ever undertaken. It presented the Design Team with a number of challenges, all of which were addressed with great enthusiasm, passion, professionalism, and technical depth. Their understanding of our requirements and our desires (both artistic and functional ones) resulted in the creation of an edifice that exceeded our expectations and would stand the test of time for generations, not only showcasing the best the industry could design and build, but also allowing the building to be used as a practical living learning tool on a scale seldom seen in an educational institution setting.

In closing, the architecture of the ACCE is both iconic and significant on many levels: it visually bridges the older part of the campus with the new Centrepointe community urban development; its elegant design belies a complex array of different functions under one roof; its interior features allow for great architectural teaching moments; it is an environmental demonstration centre for sustainable development and building practices; and a showcase for how a professional Design Build team’s attention to their client’s needs can deliver innovation, aesthetics, functionality and value. Their creativity transformed our environment and how we live in it, and for that, the ACCE is deserving of an Excellence in Architecture award from the SPUC/AIA-CAE.

Yours sincerely,

Claude Brulé Dean, Faculty of Technology and Trades Algonquin College, Ottawa