Award

DECEMBER 2018 | 65 Baytex Energy Centre by LAURIE JONES F or residents of the Peace River Region, the Baytex Energy Centre will be a welcome addition to the Peace regional recreation system. With a 900-seat NHL-sized rink, a multi-use field house, a three-lane walking track, a fitness area, three multipurpose community rooms, and an indoor chil- dren's play space, options for fitness and entertainment in the region have expanded significantly. Autumn Hulme, communications co- ordinator for the Town of Peace River explains that the previous arena had reached the end of its lifecycle. "The foundation was shifting and sinking so it needed to be replaced," she says. "So with a regional analysis, we took the opportunity to evaluate the recreational needs of not only our community, but also the neighbouring communities." With the expected opening being in the late fall of 2019, the project has become a focus for many stakeholders in the area. Colin Needham, councillor for the Town of Peace River, says, "Five years ago, the initial vision of the town council was to build a second ice sur- face. After an engineering report and extensive consultation, we discovered it did not make sense to add onto or repurpose that building. Now, in addi- tion to the arena, the field house can accommodate anything from pickle ball games to a concert. This is a won- derful new facility and really speaks to the needs of the people. It will also serve the region well next year during Peace River's 100th anniversary." He adds that in larger cities, such as Edmonton or Calgary, a $24-million project would not seem substantial. But in a region with a population of 6,000, it is a significant undertaking. "As this was a regional needs assess- ment, it has regional money in it from the County of Northern Lights, and the Northern Sunrise County. The project would not have happened if we didn't have these contributions. It's a huge economic driver for us and is supplying work for many trades and businesses, directly and indirectly." Shaun Visser, partner with BR2 Architecture, says the complex will be home to many sports and service clubs, so facilities such as a commercial kitchen for the concession and a large function room with movable walls to divide the space were important to the design. "The field house component will provide for groups like basketball, volleyball, pickle ball, and badminton, among other things. We included the running track and workout area as alter- native fitness components for all ages." Visser says as much natural light as possible enters the building. "We added some translucent glazing to the fitness centre so there is a natural transition of light through the windows to the exte- rior, but no one can actually see in to the people who are working out," he says. "We also added those panels to the field house for privacy at ground level, but natural light can still come through." Because the building is in a neigh- bourhood that is surrounded by residential on one side and a school on the other, Visser wanted to diminish the size of the Baytex Energy Centre. "We broke the facade into vertical stripe patterns to visually reduce some of the massing. We also set the complex on the site so it was as far away from the edge of the road as possible. This allows for scale change between the residential street and the building itself." He says when the existing arena comes down, there will be green on both sides of the new facility. "One side will have an outdoor recreation rink, and the other side will be a big grassy area. Both of those are designated for future expansion of the facility." Taking on the interior design responsibilities, Visser says the team went with a neutral colour scheme with blues and greens, adding some trending hues sparingly for efficiency with potential future changes. "We also used wood-look aluminum soffits and natural stone on exterior vertical elements to soften the appearance and provide some warmth to the personal scale areas of the building," he says. Jim O'Callaghan, project manager at Marshall-Lee Construction, says the build has been challenging with two northern Alberta winters to contend with, but the process has been rewarding. "The con- struction is slab-on-grade, and the field house and arena are underneath a pre- engineered building, so it's almost like a big warehouse. The pre-engineered building is sandwiched between two con- ventional structures – the first being a fitness centre, with multipurpose rooms above that. The other conven- tional structure houses the mechanical rooms and refrigeration plant." Because the facility is so large, it can accommodate a great number of people coming from various regions for sporting events, exercise, and other functions. Overhead doors will allow for moderately sized farm equipment and RVs at trade shows or other events. Another challenge for the build was considering the brace requirements for the wind load and earthquakes. "In case of a catastrophe, this facility will be used as an emergency shelter while residents of the region can get help," says Ichiro Watanabe, principal, Protostatix Engineering Consultants. Cory Zakowsky, mechanical asso- ciate, Smith + Andersen, says even though there are multiple facilities under the one roof, each space operates as its own independent zone, includ- ing having their own HVAC systems to address ventilation and temperature. "All of the air systems at the facility use air-to-air heat recovery. The arena air system has both a desiccant wheel and a heat recovery wheel so it will recover energy from the exhaust air, and it will also de-humidify the air." He notes the ice plant has a unique low ammonia system with approximately one-tenth of the ammonia charge compared to a traditional system. "This is not com- mon but it has been used in several other arenas in Alberta. The lower lev- els of ammonia reduce risks." Stefan Luchinger, principal at Design North Landscape Architecture Inc., says while the project's comple- tion is still months away, his design intentions include an entrance gather- ing plaza with benches and concrete paving in a sawcut pattern. "Visuals for the entrance area include bol- lard lighting, ornamental trees, mass plantings of shrubs, and drought toler- ant ornamental grasses that will add pedestrian scale elements to the front entrance plaza," he explains. A LOCATION 9810 – 73 Avenue, Peace River, Alberta OWNER/DEVELOPER Town of Peace River / Northern Sunrise County / County of Northern Lights / Municipal District of Peace ARCHITECT BR2 Architecture GENERAL CONTRACTOR Marshall-Lee Construction Corp. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Protostatix Engineering Consultants Inc. MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Smith + Andersen ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Concept Engineering LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Design North Landscape Architecture Inc. TOTAL SIZE 96,090 square feet TOTAL COST $24 million Baytex Energy Centre RENDERINGS COURTESY BR2 ARCHITECTURE 9:53 AM 8:49 AM

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