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72 | OCTOBER 2018 Ti'nu – Deer Lane Aordable Housing designed a series of separate buildings for a variety of living experiences and opportunities for social engagement. The larger part of the development is comprised of three apartment build- ings connected by a single roof. The largest of the three buildings, located along the southern edge of the site, contains a core elevator for access to the parkade below. At the heart of the three buildings is a central outdoor plaza space containing a fire pit and terraces that facilitate gathering. On the west side of the plaza are five two-unit A-Frames, designed to provide a natural transition to the sur- rounding community of single family houses. Because of their design flexibil- ity, these A-Frames allowed GEC to use the geometrically challenging south- west corner of the site. Following Town Council's approval of the proposal and an environmen- tal assessment review, ground broke on the project in April of 2017 – and by all counts the construction pro- cess was exceedingly smooth. "It was very straightforward, with minimum disruptions thanks to clear commu- nications and all parties carefully sticking to their budgets," says Oakley. Materials were chosen to con- nect to the craftsman history of Banff architecture. Plank and shake siding, along with a dry stack rustic stone, would provide relief and texture and give the impression of the buildings being constructed by hand. Natural stone and timber landscape details and accents would ground the proj- ect within the natural environment, thereby reinforcing the mountain style. Doug Reinbold, principal, Reinbold Engineering Group, adds that despite the complexity of elements making this a LEED Platinum project, "everything went very smoothly. Banff wanted to avoid an affordable housing look, so we had to reconsider air distribution and plumbing fixtures. The site is on a slope, so we created lots of drains and barriers to deal with water issues. Also, normally for housing we would have gone with a hydronic heating system, but we chose electric due to budget and the fact it lent itself to suite layout flexibility." Reinbold notes that the builders were limited with what they could install on the roofs. "Instead of natu- ral gas fired equipment for ventilation or generating domestic hot water, we chose hydronic air handling units and indirect hot water tanks served by high-efficiency condensing boilers, thus avoiding the need for lots of flues and chimneys," says Reinbold. Smart landscaping and massing by O2 Planning + Design Inc. allowed for easy access to each units' porches from the access muse. Cascading ramps and stairs would draw residents up towards the entries of the A-frame cot- tages and the community plaza space. In July of 2018, the three primary buildings were occupied, and the A-frames were scheduled to be completed by November. Oakley concludes, "Ti'nu is absolutely beautiful, we couldn't be happier with the outcome. This is a great start to fulfilling Banff's housing needs." A PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL WACH/COURTESY GEC ARCHITECTURE Bay #2, 102 Bow Meadows Crescent Canmore, AB T1W2W9 403.678.3416 reception@carignanmechanical.ca www.carignanmechanical.ca We are proud to be part of the Ti'nu – Deer Lane Affordable Housing project. Carignan Mechanical.indd 1 2018-09-26 10:58 AM Right.indd 1 2018-09-20 1:15 PM Kellam Berg.indd 1 2018-09-05 2:59 Proud to have been involved in Ti'nu – Deer Lane Affordable Housing project. #1 - 8555 Greenall Ave., Burnaby, BC V5J 3M8 P: 604-254-3999 F: 604-254-5222 Femo Construction.indd 1 2018-09-19 2:49 December 2018 ANNUAL INDUSTRY FEATURE: Green Building Design Book your ad space now: Dan Chapman 604.473.0316 Alexander Sugden 604.473.0358

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