Award

June 2022

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J U N E 2 0 2 2 | 69 TELUS World of Science – Edmonton, The Aurora Project P H OTO G R A P H Y BY M ER L E P ROS O F S K Y/CO U RT E S Y T ELUS WO R L D O F S C I EN C E – ED M O N TO N TELUS WORLD OF SCIENCE – EDMONTON, THE AURORA PROJECT by NATALIE BRUCKNER T he name alone is enough to con- jure up a sense of awe, but it's not until you really dive deep into the new Telus World of Science – Edmonton, The Aurora Project that you understand just quite how exciting it is! Back in 2014, Telus World of Science – Edmonton finished an ambitious expansion by adding a 12,000-square- foot travelling exhibition hall and the conversion of the centre's IMA X the- atre to digital projection. "Building on that momentum and the excitement, The Aurora Project was developed as the next step in the reimagining of the entire science centre," explains Alan Nursall, president and CEO at Telus World of Science – Edmonton. This next step would be a mam- moth task: completely renovating all public spaces in the science centre and adding 20,000 square feet of space for science experiences. The renovation of the Cardinal building included the S.P.A.C.E. Gallery and the addition of two new galleries – CuriousCity and the Nature Exchange. "Those first three phases were the easy part," Nursall says. "Phase 4 is the construction of the new space that will be fully complete in September 2022. We broke ground on the expansion three weeks after the science centre closed its doors in response to the arrival of COVID. So, for the next two years, we juggled construction, gallery design, and exhibit fabrication through the disruption and uncertainty of COVID. We are finally able to open the first piece of the expansion – the new lobby and the Health Zone gallery – as COVID begins to recede." Architects Dialog, who have a long history of working with the sci- ence centre, came onboard back in 2011 to help develop a master plan for the future of the science centre. That plan supported detailed design and construction documents across the multiple phases of The Aurora Project. "The master plan envisioned a series of projects from the renovation of the café in 2015 to create the Purple Pear restaurant through to the current expansion of the lobby and the new gallery," says Donna Clare, architect at Dialog. For the design and materials, there were two key inspirations: the origi- nal Douglas Cardinal building and Edmonton's northern climate. "The clean white and shapes of the Cardinal building are complemented by the subtle, icy shades of the exte- rior cladding of the new wing, as well as the shape of the new structure," says Nursall. "There is a lot of angu- larity that plays off the geometry of the Cardinal building. This angular- ity and the faceted walls are carried into the main lobby, continuing the 'ice' motif. This will be further com- plemented in the polar science gallery called Arctic Journey, opening in September 2022." It was essential that the project work harmoniously with its sur- rounding, and respect and enhance the existing building and Coronation Park. "The new gallery and lobby are the main massing elements of the expansion. With its angular form and varying metal colour on its exte- rior façade and continuing into the interior, it is a metaphor of water and ice, of glaciers and flowing water," explains Clare. Starting from the roof, a folded plane connects back to the earth form- ing a water collection channel, before going back up to create a canopy and define the main entrance to the build- ing. It then wraps around the seasonal entrance and eventually anchors the building to earth once again with another water connection feature. "The folding plane wraps around the main entrance vestibule creating a strong visual and spatial definition of the building entrance, welcoming the visitors into the centre. As a response to the variance in heights in the exist- ing building, a plane was created extending from the existing roof lines, forming a faceted roof, tying together the existing and the new architec- ture. A continuous folded plane wraps around the building, bringing the height of the building down to the pedestrian scale, and forms a series of architectural features," adds Clare. Harmony was front of mind throughout the project, and as Nursall explains, "there is a subtle transition in form, materiality, and patterning – the design creates a dialog between the old and new. The new design also introduces some architectural features that echo those of the existing building, such as the sharp edges that mimic the fins of the original building." Mark Hall, project manager at Delnor Construction Ltd. adds that even the media wall has been inte- grated into the exterior cladding to work harmoniously together. As visitors wind their way up the path to the building, their journey begins. This area has been designed intentionally to provoke and intrigue curious minds and encourage multiple interpretations. The architecture aims to provoke conversations around the science and culture of Canada's North. Stepping inside, visitors are wel- comed into an open space with expanded visitor services, lobby, gift- shop, admissions area and more. Natural light fills the space and con- nects back to the landscape. The visitor will experience a multi-layered composition continuing the theme of water and its many phases. This trans- lates into a dynamic built form with intersecting geometries and opaque, translucent, and transparent glazing, walls, millwork, and materiality. Hall adds: "Special acoustic coat- ings were used on several walls and ceiling features – this is a relatively new product we have found was not being often used in western Canada." Back outside, the landscape archi- tectural design also aims to respect and enhance the existing building and Coronation Park, while simul- taneously celebrating a unique new element. "Lines, patterns, and shapes from the building and park extend outward to define space in the new entrance plaza and broader connec- tions within the open space. Together, the building and the landscape embody a new and exciting narra- tive and theme for the site. Water is retained, re-directed, and re-used throughout the project," says Clare. The Aurora Project set out to rei- magine the world of science – to create a moment of awe that forever changes a life and opens up a brighter future full of innovators and big dreamers. When it opens in September, it will most definitely achieve that, thanks to a great team and donors. "A project like this can only hap- pen with community support. It needs to speak to community needs and desires. We set a target of $41.5 mil- lion to get it all done, and that sort of funding will only happen if there is a compelling benefit to the com- munity. It took a while through an economic downturn and a pandemic, but we successfully raised our target, enabling us to complete all the pieces we aspired to," says Nursall, add- ing: "This project has been a complete team effort. Every member of the sci- ence centre has been involved in some way. It has been central to our lives for the past six years and we have only been able to complete it so successfully because of the group effort. Best of all, we all share the pride in accomplish- ing so much together." A LOCATION 11211 – 142 Street, Edmonton, Alberta OWNER /DEVELOPER TELUS World of Science – Edmonton PROJECT MANAGEMENT/OWNER'S REPRESENTATIVE/CIVIL ENGINEERING WSP ARCHITECT/STRUCTUR AL /MECHANICAL / ELECTRICAL /SUSTAINABILIT Y/LEED CONSULTANT/INTERIOR DESIGN/ L ANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE DIALOG GENER AL CONTR ACTOR Delnor Construction Ltd. COMMISSIONING CONSULTANT Morrison Hershfield GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING Wood TOTAL SIZE 20,000 square feet (expansion); 130,000 square feet (building) TOTAL COST $41.5 million

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