Award

AUGUST 2018 | 51 Technology, Education and Collaboration (TEC) Hub – Confederation College RENDERING COURTESY STANTEC Technology, Education and Collaboration (TEC) Hub – Confederation College by SUSAN PEDERSON W hen it came time to choose the design concept for the new extension to Confederation College's (CC) McIntyre Building, the design team not only drew upon their creativity, but also consulted the expertise of an Indigenous Elder. With a large population of Indigenous students, CC wished to ensure its student body was not only comfortable in the new space, but that the Indigenous culture was celebrated in everything from the colour palettes to the building materials throughout the space. Jim Madder, president of CC says, "Our Thunder Bay campus is on the traditional lands of Fort William First Nation, so it was important for us to honour that in this new facility. Of course it was also important for us to celebrate and support our growing Indigenous student population, while providing a comfortable environment for all of our learners." Mark Greatrix, architect/associate with Stantec says, "Our mandate was to respond to that in our selection of colours and materials, even in elements such as the lighting – anything that would improve the experience of learn- ing in the space." He adds that it was sometimes a challenge to provide an experience that is more natural in a building that is designed to express a very modern esthetic. The design-built structure includes three main clusters: industry skills and sustainability instruction; advanced manufacturing technology; and innovation and incubation. "Our architectural response was to express wood and steel, which con- nected to the environment. Inside we incorporated a lot of patterning in the floors, as well as a sculpted feature wall," says Greatrix. The wall introduces a linear wave pattern created out of wood, with a show-stopping 3D carving atop the waves of the Sleeping Giant (an island on nearby Lake Superior and one of the seven wonders of Canada). It's a com- missioned work by Indigenous artist Eugene LeFrancois. "We ran a lot of schemes by the Elder advisor to make sure we were representing the community in a thoughtful way. Circles are prominent symbols, so we used a lot of circu- lar patterning in the floor and added things like circular light fixtures," says Kaley Lawrence, interior designer with Stantec. These circular elements, plus flow- ing lines symbolize where people gather and helps with wayfinding. It also informed the layout of the flexible furniture in the common areas. "There is a lot of wood, adding warmth to the feel and tone of the esthetic with added pops of colour," says Lawrence. Other visual pops include glass encasements to allow visuals of mechanical/electrical operations, and exposed structures and installations that are ordinarily hidden. Wendy McLean, project manager, Colliers Project Leaders, explains, "These exposed interior components will serve as learning aids for students and continue to intrigue people as the TEC Hub is opened to the community." Russell Lavitt, associate, senior mechanical engineer, and buildings mechanical team lead at Stantec, adds, "Designing the mechanical systems to be exposed meant working closely with the architectural and design team to determine where they wanted those exposed systems to be located, and tying into the glulam beams and other architectural components." That meant locating the mechanical systems out of the main line of sight, by tucking the larger components into corners and around the exposed beams, and also designing them to be as slim as possible. "It's not just a building, but also a teaching tool. You can actually see these exposed systems functioning, and students can see inside from an architectural side window, into the electrical room where there are dis- tribution panels and other elements," explains Leo Korenbaum, senior asso- ciate, electrical team leader at Stantec. LOCATION 1450 Nakina Drive, Thunder Bay, Ontario OWNER/DEVELOPER Confederation College PROJECT MANAGER Colliers Project Leaders ARCHITECT/INTERIOR DESIGN/ STRUCTURAL/MECHANICAL/ ELECTRICAL/CIVIL/SUSTAINABLE/ LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Stantec BRIDGING CONSULTANT Keewatin-Aski Ltd. GENERAL CONTRACTOR Penn-co Construction Canada (2003) Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 43,400 square foot TOTAL COST $19 million 10:07 AM 7:53 AM 2:23 PM

• Cover