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FEBRUA RY 2019 | 51 Rocky View County Hall PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL WACH/COURTESY GROUP2 ARCHITECTURE INTERIOR DESIGN Rocky View County Hall by NATALIE BRUCKNER LOCATION 262075 Rocky View Point, Rocky View County, Alberta OWNER/DEVELOPER Rocky View County ARCHITECT Group2 Architecture Interior Design Ltd. GENERAL CONTRACTOR Bird Construction Group STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Entuitive MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Remedy Engineering ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT SMP Engineering CIVIL CONSULTANT Veritas Development Solutions TOTAL SIZE 9,667 square metres TOTAL COST $42 million A fter almost 62 years in Calgary, Rocky View County's municipal office finally moved last year to a brand new building in Rocky View County, Alberta, and staff couldn't be more thrilled. The new three-storey, LEED- shadowed municipal building not only eliminates the time County adminis- tration staff spend in Calgary traffic and improves overall operational efficiency, but also improves the ser- vice provided to Rocky View County residents and provides greater oppor- tunities to share building amenities with County-based community groups. "The original building no longer met building codes or standards for energy efficiency, disabled access and more," Grant Kaiser, director marketing and communications at Rocky View County told local media. "It is undersized, and for more than a decade, the County has been using trailers and rented space to accommodate its needs." The brand new County Hall will become one of three initial buildings on the Rocky View campus, and will act as a centrepiece in the County Campus. Located on a sloping site, Rocky View County, the architect Group2 Architecture Interior Design Ltd., and general contractor Bird Construction Group took this as an opportunity to dictate the design. "As the site gradient proved a lit- tle challenging, we decided to take the unevenness and turn it into an opportunity for a walk-out base- ment," explains Ian Washbrook, senior associate at Entuitive. "In fact, the basement on the south elevation has full windows." Group2 and the team also wanted to ensure the building character- izes both the land and the people of Rocky View County, while creating a comfortable scale of City Hall for the community, and a place that connects the community occupants with their municipal services. "Flexibility in the design was essential to allow for future growth of services and stormwater requirements," says Keir Stuhlmiller, associate at Group2. While construction of the facility was slated for the Fall of 2016, a new focus on managing Radon gas risk in Alberta resulted in Rocky View County's proactive decision to include the neces- sary measures required into the new build. "Due to a change in the build- ing code, we put a mitigation system into the building, which is a three- membrane system with ventilation to the roof that will allow for continuous monitoring for Radon. This happened after we started the job, so phasing on the job was revised to keep us moving through the winter," says Mike Napper at Bird Construction Group. Despite facing temperatures of minus 30, the team continued full steam ahead, as Napper explains it was imperative to guarantee cold weather concreting took place. "We had to ensure there was proper hoarding and heating so that the concrete and soil didn't freeze," he adds. For the design of the building Group2, working closely with Rocky View and the stakeholder groups, wanted to ensure the building met the varying requirements, while being in and of itself a timeless structure. Rocky View County was also very open to suggestions to improve on the design, so when Washbrook suggested ahead of construction that the use of woodframe at the main entry level would add a warm feel to the public realm, it was well received. "It worked out to be cost neutral, and the archi- tecturally exposed glulam and timber framing really helps create an invit- ing space," says Washbrook. Napper agrees, adding, "As three quarters of the building is cast-in-place concrete, the glulam in the entrance was a nice feature that adds character to the northwest corner." Stuhlmiller says that on the exte- rior, wood and concrete panels are complemented with large format brick, reflecting natural materials of the area and a warmth reflective of the prairies, while glass allows deep penetration of natural light into all of the occupied spaces in the building. The architectural form steps down toward the front entrance creating an intimate entry condition that opens on the interior to a larger scale public space. "The three-storey office portion, visible from the front of the building, opens onto a protected walk-out con- dition at the back that services field departments and staff Civic Campus access requirements," says Stuhlmiller. "The project massing is legible and illustrates the location of Council Chambers within the building and a clear sense of connection to the resi- dent arriving at the facility." Stuhlmiller explains that in addi- tion to the impressive glulam, large format porcelain tiles were used in the public areas to provide an iconic sense of space on all floors. "These 1,000- by 3,000-millimetre tiles provide a stunning scale with an intimate and natural feeling, texture, and coloura- tion," she says. Inside, Group2 designed the build- ing to eliminate redundant spaces, and to provide a sense of place and views

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