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OCTOBER 2018 | 73 Kal Tire Place Expansion PHOTOGRAPHY BY PRIME LIGHT MEDIA/COURTESY MQN ARCHITECTS Kal Tire Place Expansion by ROBIN BRUNET O ne of the many interesting aspects of the Kal Tire Place expansion in Vernon is how quickly locals embraced the original 3,008 seat facility, which opened in 2001 as the Greater Vernon Multiplex: it enjoyed solid bookings throughout the week and weekends, and the upper con- course was used year round by walking enthusiasts and to house additional exhibits during trade shows. But when Vernon's equally cov- eted Civic Arena, which opened in 1938 and contained the first artificial ice rink in B.C.'s interior, was deemed to be beyond its useful life, the City determined in 2012 that replacing the facility would be more feasible than renovating it – and focus shifted to the prospect of twinning Kal Place. The new Kal Tire Place North is con- sidered a fabulous addition to Vernon's inventory of amenities and creates opportunities for rentals, tourna- ments, and events (both on ice and dry floor) that are not possible with two standalone facilities. Even though the original intent was to have the new arena and ice surface located adjacent to the original facility, the final in tandem format (neces- sitated by property ownership) has proven to be an architectural benefit. "The facility in total now has a very nice massing that brings down the overall scale, and instead of seeing the back of the original arena you now see the front of the new one – two fronts," says Brian Quiring, partner at MQN Architects, which had designed the original Kal Tire Place. Doug Ross, director, recreation ser- vices for the City of Vernon, notes that the timing for the twinning couldn't have been more appropriate, as the site was owned by the Regional District of North Okanagan and scheduled to be transferred to the City. Plus, zon- ing allowed for the twinning, and the existing Kal Tire Place ice plant could accommodate additional ice sheets. Moreover, a feasibility study showed that a twinned facility would supply significant savings to operating costs compared to the cost of operating two standalone facilities; and twin- ning construction could be completed without creating any disruption to Kal Tire's ice and dry floor users. With the help of public input, it was determined that the expansion would consist of a regulation-size 200-feet by 85-feet sheet of ice, seating for 400 spectators, a lobby, change rooms, washrooms, and mechanical rooms. In addition, the facility would also fea- ture spaces requested by major user groups and the public, including a dry- land training facility, multipurpose room, additional office space, and a new parking area. Ross says, "We were fortunate to retain MQN and relied on them for the architectural vision as well as to deliver the program requirements. The community was adamant about getting a building it could be proud of, and while we initially toyed with the idea of build- ing a wood structure, we opted for steel – with a lot of beautiful touches throughout the facility, such as curved glass on the ice rink corners, NHL-style." Equally important, MQN Architects was able to achieve considerable effi- ciencies when it became apparent that the new facility would have to be built in tandem with the original one, to the north. "Initially, designing in tandem was a challenge, because for exam- ple there was a well used delivery bay at the north end of the original facil- ity that we didn't want to lose," says Quiring. "Also, the original facility is bowl-shaped with the concourse on top, but the new building isn't a bowl, therefore the concourse was lower – and we had to link the two." Quiring ensured that the facility could be accessed from the side instead of head on, and he also added a delivery door to the north; as for linking the two buildings, because the budget pre- cluded constructing the new facility at a higher level, "we built on grade and added stairs and a wheelchair accessi- ble ramp as the connectors," he says. This resulted in one of several unex- pected benefits for the owners. "The stairs and ramp reduced the size of the building we needed to construct, thus saving hundreds of thousands of dollars," says Ross. "Also, instead of covering existing stairs on the north, we relocated them to the west and wound up getting 600 square feet of storage space as a result." Additionally, thanks to MQN study- ing turning radiuses of trucks, it was decided to locate the new facility fur- ther north than originally intended, "and this not only increased the size of the transitional space but also gave us enough space to develop a multi-pur- pose room for the public with décor that will pay homage to the old Civic Arena," says Ross. To complement the original facility, MQN ensured that the roof form was similar. "We also used injected foam panel for the exterior cladding with different tones collaged together for a playful dynamic," says Quiring. VVI Construction Ltd. commenced construction on the twinning of Kal Tire Place in April of 2017. "The slab pour was very successful and within one centimetre of being completely flat, which will result in much more efficient ice making," says Ross. Andrew Stringer, principal, Falcon Engineering Ltd., says construction "went extremely smoothly due to a really great team. Questions to the architects and owners were answered quickly, and decisions were made unhesitatingly." The all-important HVAC for the arena consisted of one large air han- dler with refrigeration. "We had to accommodate 22 to 24 Celsius con- ditions for trade shows and 10 to 15 Celsius for sports," says Stringer. "We also developed radiant heating in the stands and, to avoid blowing cool air off the ice, installed diffusers according to air circulation patterns that we had studied." The lobby, change rooms, and other areas would each have their own air handling systems, and the facility's many energy saving features would include high efficiency hot water tanks, all LED lighting, and two brand new plate and frame chillers in the ice plant. Achieving occupancy in September was an especially exciting event for Vernon because value-added spaces in the facility allowed for Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy and the Training House (formerly Excel Fitness) to become tenants. "Both tenants are extremely well respected in their fields and will generate additional rentals for non-prime time ice," says Ross. The facility will also be home to the Greater Vernon Minor Hockey Association. Ross concludes, "This is one of those rare projects where everything clicked and the outcome was even better than we'd hoped for. It's a beautiful hub for sport in our community." A LOCATION 3445 43rd Avenue, Vernon, B.C. OWNER/DEVELOPER City of Vernon ARCHITECT MQN Architects GENERAL CONTRACTOR VVI Construction Ltd. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT R&A Engineering MECHANICAL/ ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Falcon Engineering Ltd. LANDSCAPE/ CIVIL ENGINEERING CONSULTANT CTQ Consultants Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 52,141 square feet TOTAL COST $13.8 million 2:59 PM 2:49 PM

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