Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1433288
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 1 | 61 Haldimand County Central Administration Building P H OTO G R A P H Y BY TO M A R BA N /CO U RT E S Y T H I ER + CU R R A N A RC H I T EC T S I N C . HALDIMAND COUNTY CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION BUILDING by ROBIN BRUNET W ith its massing of dynamic forms and careful use of materials that at once seem traditional and yet distinctly modern, the Haldimand County's new Central Administration Building is appropri- ate for a rural Ontario community that is slowly evolving due to its proximity to the Greater Toronto Area. Development of the facility was approved by Haldimand County Council in February of 2016, after thorough evaluation and commu- nity consultation; Haldimand County mayor Ken Hewitt told media of the design by Thier + Curran Architects Inc. (TCA), "It's pragmatic, cost-effec- tive, and supports the advancement of our corporate pillars." Indeed, the building would replace several outdated facilities across the munic- ipality that were in need of major capital work, in addition to a rental space that was costing the county considerable expense yearly. Bill Curran, principal at TCA, added, "It's a state-of-the-art build- ing for 2050. We were looking ahead, trying to make sure we have a good building that will endure." The building centralizes municipal services from surrounding communi- ties and is organized to provide Council and Provincial Offences Act functions as well as customer service needs on the main floor. The second floor provides all of the functions associated with devel- opment and business services, and the third floor houses divisions that provide support functions. Kyle Slote, senior associate at TCA, says the design arose from the three programming elements: the court/ council chambers, the lobby, and the office space. The building's appear- ance was also painstakingly scaled and massed to respect the rural ambiance of the community and adja- cent single-family dwellings. "With regards to our three programming elements, the all-important council chamber was designed as a triangu- lar component with a dramatic sloped metal roof," says Slote, adding that limestone cladding would augment the gravitas of the chamber. TCA created an upward-swooping steel frame canopy with wood deck- ing on the underside to highlight the main entrance and provide a welcom- ing amenity for visitors. Although the site was fairly narrow, a civic plaza was created by reclaiming an exist- ing driveway, and defined by new brick walls and paving, plus planters, benches, and light bollards. Inside, the two-storey lobby/atrium organizes the building's circulation with overlooks from the second floor. "Large overhangs provide sun con- trol, and the ceiling features the same exposed wood deck as the entry can- opy," says Slote, referring to Douglas Fir structural wood decking left exposed and supported by steel beams for the lobby ceiling. A public stair with an illuminated "lantern" reaching sky- ward is the building's tallest element. The stakeholders and architects quickly found that colour usage and lighting would be the most effec- tive (and inexpensive) tools to impart warmth and dynamism to the inte- rior spaces. "Wood – including birch and zebra wood – was also effective, such as a wood ceiling for the coun- cil chambers and oversize wood doors in the lobby," says Slote. Eventually, the interior ambiance would be aug- mented with colourful murals created by Hamilton artist Jamie Lawson of Poly Studio. A productive open format on each level of the office wing was achieved by creating closed offices in the mid- dle of the floor plate and arranging work pods of differing scales around them. "We developed a series of spaces ranging from quiet to collaborative, an example of the latter being ground floor staff space spilling out onto a patio, with a kitchen island and booths along one wall," says Slote. Generous access to daylight and views for staff was achieved with shared circulation and informal meeting spaces along the perimeter of the building. Operable windows carefully patterned in varied sizes provide natural ven- tilation for greater thermal comfort, further augmented with localized zon- ing of the HVAC (an energy-efficient heat pump system) to allow greater control and temperature response. Matheson Constructors broke ground on the project in May of 2018. Construction consisted of a steel framed superstructure supporting precast hollowcore slabs with a cast- in-place reinforced concrete core for lateral stability. Following the archi- tect's specs, Matheson lined the ground level exterior with charcoal brick and made extensive use of Prodema wood panels of varying colours and widths for the upper levels. The new Haldimand Central Administration Building opened in February of 2020, and Slote gives full credit to the Haldimand County stake- holders for the success of the project. "They were hands on in the best sense of the term," he says. "They cared deeply about the project and trusted us, and we were inspired to bring their programming requirements to life in an exciting way." A LOCATION 53 Thorburn Street S., Cayuga, Ontario OWNER /DEVELOPER Haldimand County ARCHITECT Thier + Curran Architects Inc. (TCA) GENER AL CONTR ACTOR Matheson Constructors STRUCTUR AL /CIVIL CONSULTANT Strik Baldinelli Moniz Ltd. MECHANICAL /ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT JAIN Sustainability Consultants L ANDSCAPE ARCHITECT PMA Landscape Architects TOTAL SIZE 43,000 square feet TOTAL COST $21 million