Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1355728
M A R C H 2 0 2 1 | 53 Edmonton Police Service Northwest Campus P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E SY P C L CO N S T RU C T I O N M A N AG EM EN T EDMONTON POLICE SERVICE NORTHWEST CAMPUS by ROBIN BRUNET A s is the case in so many other North American locales, there are various components of Edmonton Police Services (EPS) that up until recently were located in dif- ferent areas of the city, with some buildings leased rather than owned, and no opportunities for expansion. The $119.7-million LEED Silver northwest police campus changes all that, and the 183,000-square- foot facility incorporates five key departments: Recruit Training, Employee Development, the Detainee Management Unit, Information Management functions, and the new Northwest Division Station. Designed by Teeple Architects and IBI Group, the campus also makes a bold visual statement with the com- plex curves and angles of its building envelope and a soaring two-storey stretch of glazing resembling the crest of a wave, on a 15-acre site that was once farmland but is rapidly trans- forming into an urban area. Stephen Teeple, principal, Teeple Architects, says, "When the City of Edmonton asked us to create a new home for the EPS northwest division, we developed a concept that brings multi- ple facets of policing needs together into one integrated facility that works in fel- lowship with the service. "The project opened the opportu- nity for us to create a unique building close to growing communities in Northwest Edmonton with an unusual form that stretches around its corner site and reaches towards downtown. The building establishes a welcoming public face on one side, while creating a protected court that safeguards daily police activity on the other." Trish Kuffler, general supervi- sor at City of Edmonton, notes that the need for such a facility dates back to 2012. The facility design was guided by the need to create a sustainable, effi- cient space for a modern police force to serve a growing City of over one million people. "After lots of program- ming considerations and stakeholder engagement, the design was com- pleted in 2016." IBI and Teeple were retained to design the building col- laboratively, with IBI serving as the architect of record. Paul Hobern, construction manager at PCL Construction Management, notes that virtual modelling proved to be a useful tool in allowing Edmonton police to visualize what the proposed design would look like. "They basically put on goggles and could navigate the interior spaces," he says. "This technol- ogy was also useful in helping us with clash detection." Chelsea Burden, project manager at City of Edmonton, says, "Construction began in 2016, and COVID-19 meant the need for enhanced security clearances for workers during the turnover period. With the exception of the roof, we man- aged to maintain our target schedules." Site conditions required water and sewer hook-up and then the installa- tion of 806 piles, but the real challenge of the project, according to Hobern, revolved around the building enve- lope. "It was an incredible design, but creating it required a significantly increased level of communication between the detailers, fabricator, erector, and supplier. One side of the building required 700 tons of precast panel, each weighing several tons and each uniquely shaped. Some of the unique steel features of the facility include a dynamically designed roof just under three acres in size, with each assembly a unique geometric piece requiring special attention at the modelling, connecting, and detailing stages due to the curves and flowing lines of the building. The secondary steel supporting the massive glazing at the north, east, and south walls curved in two differ- ent planes and required reinvented build-up profiles to suit the glazing needs. Also, an 8.5 tonne Toblerone- shaped truss had to be painstakingly detailed and connected due to its geometry and weight. While Hobern was restricted for security reasons from describing some details of construction, he noted that over 132,000 masonry blocks were used for the detention centre wing of the facility, and special millwork with acoustic attributes was required in the atrium to minimize noise spill-over between departments. Kuffler adds, "Altogether 2,616 pieces of steel were used on the project along with 20.8 kilometres of piping. Since this was a LEED project, 4,383 trees and shrubs were planted on the site, and about 47.84 metric tons of waste was recycled." Augmenting the new EPS's entrance is an art piece, 'Agent Chrystalline,' a matrix-like urban arch that acts like a beacon standing at attention. Burden summarizes the signifi- cance of the EPS project. "We've spent years in development, and now we have a facility that not only brings added efficiency and cost savings to our police force, it's an incredible- looking structure. And, with plenty of expansion spaces within the building, it will be a hub for multiple services for decades to come." A LOCATION 18350 127 Street, NW Edmonton, Alberta OWNER /DEVELOPER City of Edmonton ARCHITECTS Teeple Architects / IBI Group GENER AL CONTR ACTOR PCL Construction Management STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT Protostatix Engineering Consultants MECHANICAL /ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT WSP TOTAL SIZE 183,000 square feet TOTAL COST $119.7 million