Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1274063
J U LY 2 0 2 0 | 49 P H OTO G R A P H Y BY J EF F T E SS I ER + R EN D ER I N G/CO U RT E SY I N V IZI J A RC H I T EC T S I N C . Hughson Indwell Building T he new mixed-use development at 500 James Street in Hamilton, Ontario, is not only breaking new ground with its innovative part- nership and function, but is, in the words of local non-profit housing pro- vider Indwell's director of projects and development Graham Cubitt, "proof that big dreams are possible." When Hughson St. Baptist Church approached Indwell to discuss ways in which to support the neighbour- hood, it sparked an idea that now has the rest of the country considering as a possible new model for mixed- use buildings. "Hughson St. Baptist Church already had plans to build a new church, so when we suggested building 45 affordable apartments on top of the church and using the same site on which the church currently sits, they were extremely enthusias- tic," says Cubitt. As Rev. Dwayne Cline explains, the concept would align with the church's commitment to its community. "This church was originally established in 1887 and in the 25 years I have been here we have always worked hard at caring for the marginalized. Over the years we saw them getting pushed out as the neighbourhood became gentri- fied and we wondered how we could care for the people that we loved. This made sense. Also, a lot of our cities are landlocked, so why not build up if you can?" And so a unique and forward- thinking partnership was formed. Early on in the process it was decided that the four-storey, mixed- use church and housing development would pursue Passive House cer- tification, thanks to input from a passionate member of the congrega- tion. "We believe in being stewards of this planet and leaving as little a footprint as possible. This way it not only decreases the footprint of the building but also utility costs; the tenant will be spending on average around $30 annually on their heat bills," explains Cline. Having the right team onboard was key due to the nature of the project and the intense collaboration involved. For the new design, Invizij Architects was brought in, who had previous expe- rience working with Indwell, and Schilthuis Construction Inc. came onboard as the construction man- ager, while Kalos Engineering Inc. was hired to be the structural engineers. To prepare the site, Schilthuis was tasked with demolishing the original two-storey building, and as with any site of this age, there were a few sur- prises. "We discovered the water table was quite high, so that restricted the depth of the basement, and being on a fairly tight site required some just-in- time delivery right at the beginning," explains Josie Costantini at Schilthuis. For the design, Emma Cubitt, archi- tect at Invizij, explains they wanted a building that "would stand out as a beacon of hope for the north end of Hamilton. There hasn't been a lot of new construction in this neigh- bourhood and so the idea was to set the tone for the direction of what the area would look like in the future. We wanted a building that would last and would combine a modern esthetic with some traditional church elements." Brick and Alucobond were cho- sen for the exterior that provide a beautiful contrast, while inspiration was also drawn from the waterfront located just a few blocks away. "We incorporated a nautical theme with panels that are white and some that are corrugated to resemble a ship. Some of the panels change colour as you walk past, altering subtly from blue-green to blue," says Cubitt. Being a Passive House building required the careful orientation of windows and mullions to ensure nat- ural light could stream into the space, while at the same time ensuring the highest thermal performance. "As the church wanted big windows we used thermally insulated translucent pan- els that bring light in yet work against heat loss. We used special clips to hold the shelf for the brick and behind each clip we had to put a thermal break and Blueskin barrier system over the top," adds Costantini. The high thermal performance level also required some creativity on behalf of Kalos Engineering Inc. This included the use of Fero FAST brack- ets and thermal isolators for the brick shelf angles, thermally isolated par- apet structures, and a freestanding isolated double cantilever canopy. "The nature of Passive House con- struction required us to consider thermal bridging and the build- ing envelope in nearly every detail throughout the design phase and in changes during construction," says Grant Finlay of Kalos. "The founding soil was also quite soft and required that a fully isolated raft slab be used for the foundation." Heading inside you are greeted by a double-height atrium with a skylight that uses Kalwall, a high-performance translucent building system, to allow a great amount of daylighting into the space. From here there is access to the church and community space on the ground and basement level, and sepa- rate access to the apartments above. The offices on the ground level that adjoin this space feature windows that allow the flow of light. Moving from the atrium into the main space you enter into the gymna- torium, a gathering place for worship on Sundays and a gymnasium dur- ing the rest of the week. This area features big glulam beams, a wood ceiling, and wood acoustic panels as well as skylights. "It's a beautiful bal- ance between the sacred space for the church and the functionality of the gym," explains Cubitt. HUGHSON INDWELL BUILDING by NATALIE BRUCKNER LOCATION 500 James Street, Hamilton, Ontario OWNER /DEVELOPER Hughson St. Baptist Church / Indwell ARCHITECT Invizij Architects Inc. CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Schilthuis Construction Inc. STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT KALOS Engineering MECHANICAL /ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT CK Engineering AIR BARRIER CONSULTANT Fourth Pig Green & Natural Construction TOTAL SIZE 62,570 square feet TOTAL COST $22 million 2:15 PM 2:31 PM