Open Submission

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)
2. REQUIRED GRAPHIC ELEMENTS – INCLUDED ON PAGES 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
3. SCOPE OF THE PROJECT
The 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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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 PLANNING
The 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. IMPLEMENTATION
To 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, DesignBuilder 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. RESULTS
Building 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.
Green Roofscape Concept
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ALGONQUIN CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCITON EXCELLENCE
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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.
Public Routes through Building
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ALGONQUIN CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCITON EXCELLENCE
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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 Students
Sustainability Metric:
Targeting LEED Platinum: Submitted to CaGBC on January 24, 2012
Summary of Credits: Project Total: 55 credits
Sustainable Site: 12 credits
Energy and Atmosphere: 12 credits
Water Efficiency: 5 credits
Materials and Resources: 8 credits
Indoor Environmental Quality: 13 credits
Innovation & Design Process: 5 credits
7. FIVE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT DROVE PROJECT DECISION-MAKING
Issue 1 & 2: Academic Program Requirements of Flexibility/Adaptability and Structural Issues
To 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
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ALGONQUIN CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCITON EXCELLENCE
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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 Parking
The 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: Sustainability
The 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 Schedule
To 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 DesignBuilder.
8. INSTITUTIONAL STATEMENT – ON THE LAST PAGE
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ALGONQUIN CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCITON EXCELLENCE 5
Landscaped Plaza over
Transit Tunnel
NAVAHO DRIVE
Future Bridge Link
COLLEGE AVE
Future
Transit
Station
West
Entrance
Arrival
Plaza
Green Roof
North
Entrance
Future Bridge Link
South
Entrance
Outdoor
Amphitheatre
Green Roof
Green Roof
Bridge Link
WOODROFFE AVE
Site Plan
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Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence
Bridge Link across Woodroffe Avenue
Main Campus
Plaza over underground Transit Way
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Partial Campus Map
ALGONQUIN CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCITON EXCELLENCE
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Ground Floor
12
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Second Floor
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Great Hall
Atrium
Multi-Purpose Room
Learning Street and Workshops
Outdoor Construction Area
Loading
Seating Pods
Terraced Seating
Cafe concourse
Classrooms
Bridge Link to Main Campus
Future Bridge Links to Transit
Station
13. Workshops
Longitudinal Section through Great Hall and Workshops
ALGONQUIN CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCITON EXCELLENCE
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Third Floor
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Fourth Floor
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Fifth Floor
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Atrium
Studios / Labs
Outdoor Amphitheatre
Green Roof
Classrooms
Staff Lounge
Offices
Section through Atrium
ALGONQUIN CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCITON EXCELLENCE
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1. East Elevation
2. South Elevation
3. Southeast Elevation
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Photography: Tom Arban
ALGONQUIN CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCITON EXCELLENCE 9
1. West Elevation
2. Northwest Elevation
3. North Elevation
(computer generated image)
Photography: Tom Arban
Computer Rendering: Dalibor Cizek
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ALGONQUIN CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCITON EXCELLENCE 10
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