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J U N E 2 0 2 1 | 83 DeCew Student Residence Renewal – Brock University R EN D ER I N GS CO U RT E SY A RC H I T EC T S T I L L M A N N RU T H RO B I N S O N ; P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E SY B RO C K U N I V ER S I T Y DeCEW STUDENT RESIDENCE RENEWAL – BROCK UNIVERSITY by ROBIN BRUNET S ometimes, the most effective renewal projects take place in buildings that are solid and sound. This could definitely be said of the DeCew Student Residence at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario. The residence consist of 10 housing complexes designed in the late 1960s by John Andrews and Salter Fleming Secord; they exhibit a brutalist esthetic, with the monolithic five- storey concrete structures arranged in the shape of two crosses, each anchored by a central "knuckle." While the residences have been home to thousands of students over the decades, Brock University acknowl- edged that judged by 21st-century standards, their limited exposure to natural light, unusual interior layouts, and overall ambiance were detract- ing from a positive campus lifestyle experience. So in 2016, the univer- sity retained architects Tillmann Ruth Robinson to examine refresh/renova- tion opportunities at DeCew. Principal McMichael Ruth recalls the feasibility study as a process of discovery. "The interior layouts were almost like a jigsaw puzzle and could be confusing and inconvenient to new students," he says. "Also, the HVAC was original from the 1960s, with a massive, 50-year-old boiler in the basement. "The project evolved from being a simple refresh to a more holistic attempt to improve student living and give the buildings another 20 to 50 years of life." In 2018, the University's Board of Trustees approved a major self-funded infrastructure plan, which included the DeCew Residence renewal project. Work began in April 2019 to revitalize the residence that has been home to an estimated 17,000 students over the years. Architects Tillmann Ruth Robinson was ultimately selected to implement the programmatic requirements for DeCew and tasked with renovating the main corridors, common lounges, and offices. Student spaces would be expanded on the main level and include study areas, music rooms, and other gathering zones. Equally important, the renewal project would include completely ren- ovated bathrooms, hence the gutting of all washrooms on the site. "Given that our new washroom design would have to be replicated over 80 times throughout the residences, we created a full scale mockup and set it up in one of the student lounges to get feed- back from the students and builders Aquicon Construction Co. Ltd.," says Ruth, adding that certain details and materials were tweaked before the design was approved. Similarly, a mockup was created of bay window spaces the architects had created for the upper residence levels. "Again, we needed to make sure the design pleased everyone before rep- licating it throughout the buildings," says Ruth, adding that an iteration of the bay windows – new large glass bump-outs – were added to the main floor public corridor for student col- laboration and social space. The bay windows between the bedrooms of the upper levels were important not only as a place for stu- dents to pause and study outside of LOCATION 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catherines, Ontario OWNER /DEVELOPER Brock University ARCHITECT architects Tillmann Ruth Robinson GENER AL CONTR ACTOR Aquicon Construction Co. Ltd. STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT VanBoxmeer & Stranges Engineering Ltd. MECHANICAL /ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Chorley + Bisset Consulting Engineers TOTAL SIZE 147,000 square feet TOTAL COST $26.5 million their rooms; the fan coils that were previously located in each bedroom closet were relocated and hidden underneath the window benches, thereby radically reducing main- tenance requirements (because maintenance personnel wouldn't need to be granted access to private rooms). The biggest challenge of the entire upgrade proved to be fitting the new infrastructure into the existing build- ings. "There was twice as much piping and ductwork to install, and noth- ing added to the rooftops, so Aquicon wound up tearing out large portions of flooring in each building," says Ruth. A phased construction period began in April 2019, with the first phase consisting of the installation of new HVAC and electrical systems, plus the renovation of five build- ings. "We removed existing windows in order to remove old components and bring in new components," says Robert Aquino, Aquicon's senior proj- ect manager, who credits senior site supervisor Joe Capobianco for ensur- ing that both phases were completed on time and on budget. Aquicon undertook substan- tial renovation of the two knuckles anchoring the residences. "The upper level of each knuckle contained a stu- dent lounge accessed via a circuitous route, so Aquicon demolished the cen- tre core of the knuckle in order for the lounge to be seen from below, and they added a skylight for natural light to fill this previously enclosed and very dark space," says Ruth. Millwork was used extensively to spruce up the appear- ance of the lounges; exposed concrete was painted white; and red was used as a way-finding accent colour. By late May of 2021 construction was nearing completion, and Aquino echoed the sentiments of his design and construction colleagues by saying of the finished product: "The students are going to love the refreshed DeCew residences, they look terrific. Any parent would be proud to send their kids there." A 2:27 PM 3:19 PM