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DECEMBER 2019 | 51 Surrey Courthouse Expansion And Renovation PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID CLUSIAU/COURTESY NORR Surrey Courthouse Expansion And Renovation by ROBIN BRUNET A s one of Canada's fastest-growing cities, Surrey's capacity to accom- modate the efficient provision of justice is of paramount importance. Hence, considerable fanfare accompa- nied the grand opening in June of the $33.5-million expanded Surrey pro- vincial courthouse, designed to handle that city's criminal and civil caseloads (said to be among the largest in B.C.). The existing 14 courtrooms of the facility have been augmented by three new courtrooms and two hearing rooms, including a high-security court- room for "special-situation trials" and a high-volume courtroom for prelimi- nary and bail features. To boost security, metal detectors and a walkthrough personal screener have been added to the courthouse's entrance. Also, a ballistic glass wall in the high-security courtroom divides the public gallery from the main court- room. This is in addition to touchscreen monitors and other technological ele- ments throughout the facility. Raj Goyal, senior development manager at the Ministry of Citizens' Services, says early on it was deter- mined that an expansion rather than a new courthouse was definitely the preferred option. In fact, a 2011 facil- ity assessment prepared by NORR Architects & Planners described the condition of the existing courthouse as being 'generally good.' "Also, we had worked in the past with NORR as well as RATIO Architecture Inc., and we were confident that the former under- taking, the expansion, and the latter handling the renovation would lead to a good outcome," says Goyal. When funding for the project was approved in 2015, it was decided that the expansion of the concrete and glass brutalist facility would be seamless. "We didn't want visitors to feel any transition from the existing space to the new one," says Goyal. However, the project provided ample opportunity to improve the flow and appearance of the original building. NORR designed a large, south- facing, three-storey atrium facade to capitalize on site orientation, with a horizontal terracotta sunscreen that mitigates heat-loading effects of the sun in summer and exposes the inter- nal concrete mass in the winter for passive heating. This, combined with the first Canadian use of a courtroom IT, power and AV underfloor plenum for displacement air supply created a more energy efficient solution, which in turn allowed for a smaller, more cost-effective mechanical plant. NORR reused and enriched the existing building's material vocabulary by embedding the courts and secure holding areas within a two-storey con- crete mass. The public atrium and third floor judicial functions were in turn housed in a three-storey glass vol- ume that intersects the concrete mass. Additionally, Douglas fir sleeves were used to mark entry points, and the wood was also used in the form of horizontal micro perforated bands com- bined with horizontal cement panels, providing acoustic performance as well as warmth to the courtroom walls. The architects designed the ceiling to be inflected, to focus attention on the dais as well as allowing sunlight to penetrate deep into the courtrooms through an opening in the concrete shell. At the same time Ratio proceeded with internal renovations of the exist- ing building bringing the support spaces up to contemporary standards. Goyal says, "the combined expansion and renovation made the facility more transparent and welcoming." Yellowridge Construction Ltd. broke ground in July of 2016. "All work had to be undertaken without affecting the operation of the existing court- house," says Steve Hawboldt, president at Yellowridge. "So we scheduled reno- vation of the common areas to be done at night, while the expansion was done during the day. Sometimes our crews worked literally on the other side of the wall of an operating courtroom, and frequently we would take advantage of lunch breaks or days when court wasn't in session to perform some of the noisier work." Crews also had to contend with a particularly harsh 2016/17 winter. "We couldn't even get concrete deliv- eries because the plants weren't set up for operating in this kind of weather," says Hawboldt. "Fortunately, we had great subtrades, and thanks to them and weekly meetings we focused on other areas of construction and stayed on schedule. "I can't say enough good things about the subtrades. A build like this requires a highly organized and dynamic team. The subtrades helped us co-ordinate just-in-time deliveries, because there was little room for form- work or staging." Although all parties are bound for security reasons not to discuss par- ticulars of the project, Hawboldt notes that, "We used interesting building techniques and technologies. It was a very memorable project." Goyal concludes, "The expansion of the courthouse in Surrey was much needed. Now that it is complete, we're very happy with the outcome." A LOCATION 14340-57 Avenue, Surrey, B.C. OWNER/DEVELOPER Ministry of Citizens' Services ARCHITECTS NORR Architects & Planners (expansion); RATIO Architecture Interior Design + Planning Inc. (renovation) GENERAL CONTRACTOR Yellowridge Construction Ltd. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Fast + Epp MECHANICAL CONSULTANT AME Consulting Group ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT AES Engineering TOTAL SIZE 117,550 square feet (existing) 40,000 square feet (addition) TOTAL COST $33.5 million 1:47 PM

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