Award

FEBRUA RY 2019 | 53 Rocky View County Hall out to the land. "The views of the hori- zon, the surrounding wetlands, and remarkable changing of the seasons as orientation features for the occupants were meaningful influences. Bringing natural materials through the interior where natural light can highlight them aided in the comfort of the interior and intimate feel of the public spaces," adds Stuhlmiller. Storage rooms are located in the centre of the building, which again helps natural light stream into the offices around the perimeter. "We also opted for a demountable wall system to create all offices and meet- ing rooms within the open floorplate design. These floor-to-ceiling glass panels bring the light through the open workstation areas into the very core of the building. One can be in the inner- most meeting rooms of the building and remain fully illuminated in natural light," explains Stuhlmiller. "Most of the building is cubicle office space, but it's space with proper power, lighting, washrooms and heat- ing," adds Kaiser. "That may sound basic, but these are things that have been lacking in many County work- spaces for some time." As the building is reinforced con- crete a flat slab system was used. "At each column there is a drop panel and we co-ordinated closely with the mechanical consultant, Remedy Engineering, and Group2 to ensure the drop panels didn't project too much into the corridor spaces, allowing the main service runs to be as tight to the ceiling as possible. This resulted in a good ceiling space," says Washbrook. The electrical systems were all designed in accordance with LEED Silver requirements to achieve maxi- mum energy efficiency. "For instance, the lighting and controls are big con- tributors to the low energy usage of the building," says Jos Brinkhof at SMP Engineering. He adds that the new building will also function as the Rocky View County command centre in case of emergen- cies and as such includes a new main data centre. "To provide these services, it is crucial that continuous power for the building is available, also in the event of a local power outage from our utility company. To achieve this, a standby generator has been installed. This generator will activate when nor- mal power to the facility fails." The building features LED lights throughout and uses motion sen- sors to detect occupancy and vacancy. "Daylight sensors will automatically lower the luminaire output when enough daylight enters the building. Special lighting, power, communi- cations and sound provisions were installed in meeting rooms and the Council chamber," says Brinkhof. Outside, lighting is Dark Sky Compliant and "creates a safe and inviting environment for staff and citi- zens," adds Brinkhof. "All systems were designed to keep the operational and maintenance costs low, and we used as many Canadian manufacturers as pos- sible for this project." Today, the staff and community of Rocky View County are enjoying a ultra-modern, sophisticated build- ing. "It was phenomenal to work with Howard and the team at Rocky View County. He valued everyone's opinion and Rocky View County was a great cli- ent," says Napper. A PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL WACH/COURTESY GROUP2 ARCHITECTURE INTERIOR DESIGN 10:45 AM Congratulations to Penn-Co Construction on another successful project! We are honoured to be part of the Lake St. Martin School project. 1266 Border Street | Winnipeg, MB 204.788.0648 | www.silexfiberglass.com FM36647.indd 1 2019-01-21 3:05 PM Maximum Waterworks.indd 1 2019-01-31 7:30

• Cover