Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/147234
shaking up the education system with different rooms and spaces that are more multi-functional, stimulating and encourage group learning." Acton Ostry has completed several projects at UBC , including a 13,000-square-foot replacement of the Hillel House student centre, a LEED Gold upgrade to the 1960s modernist Friedman Building and extensive work at the Sauder School of Business – a $70-million, 305,000-square-foot, multi-phased project that was honoured with a Sustainable Architecture and Building Award in 2010. The project's 55,000-square-foot addition and 250,000-square-foot renewal included upgrades to the original business school designed in the 1960s by Thompson, Berwick, Pratt and Partners – Vancouver's then-quintessential West Coast Modernist Architecture firm. "We had this great opportunity to update and transform a building designed by a firm we had a great deal of respect for," says Ostry. "They designed in a style we relate to and to have the opportunity to renew the building 40 years later was an honour." The project included a new glass facade, glowing with green- and blue-stained wood panels and coloured glass that created a bold, new identity that references an abstract, West Coast landscape as well as the pattern of a barcode. "The work of the original architects provided inspiration for us to reinterpret and update as we sought to transform it into a design that was uniquely ours, while respecting the past," says Acton. "Over the years, the campus grew and developed around the school so the natural context was gone. The new colourful facade and barcode pattern combine to create a depiction that is reminiscent of an abstract West Coast landscape painting." Acton Ostry's focus on public institutional projects served the firm well during the economic downturn in 2008-09 that deeply affected the high-rise residential market. "We were very fortunate to be awarded an infrastructure stimulus project during that time which we were well-suited to take on," says Acton. One project that was perhaps one of the most complex the firm has tackled was the LEED Gold renewal of the Biological Sciences Complex at UBC – a 170,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art research lab challenged by federal government funding stimulus deadlines and UBC's Renew initiative, which focused on building renewal over demolition and rebuild. The South and West wings of the Biological Sciences Complex underwent a complete renovation that introduced sophisticated and contemporary zoological and botanical research labs into an aging building constructed over 40 years ago. To make matters even more interesting, the project's $45-million budget had to meet an extremely challenging 19-month design and construction schedule to be eligible for infrastructure funding. Acton says there was a sense of determination in meeting the terms that brought the entire team together. The construction team pulled double shifts during construction and the project was ultimately completed on time and $2 million under budget. As architecture and construction have moved into the era of sustainability, Acton Ostry has been well positioned to accept the inherent challenges. When the words "LEED" and "sustainability" were new on the scene, the entire firm attended a LEED workshop on the building rating system's requirements and structure. Acton and Ostry quickly discovered that although the nuances were new, many of the principles of renewability, efficient systems and sustainable design principles were already embedded in the company's philosophy. Another way the firm arrives at inventive solutions is by including developers and end-users in an integrated design process that helps to establish a sense of pride and awareness in the function of the design. Consider the company's current work on a mixed-use residential project in the heart of Mount Pleasant. The $90-million, 22-storey tower offers a unique challenge to successfully integrate a large development into a free-spirited community with a newly established community plan. Then there's The Duke – a 13-storey, 100 per cent rental project that exemplifies a resurging typology for Vancouver that aims to address affordability and infill development. Another example is 999 Seymour – a 22-storey, mixed-use, slender, elegant residential building on one of downtown Vancouver's last developable sites. Eight-foot-deep balconies wrap around the building, offering a private, solar-shaded extension of the living space customizable with a set of perforated, sliding screens. "We like to think the developers come to us because of our reputation as problem solvers, and because they are interested in coming up with something innovative that reflects their own personal beliefs, values and aspirations," says Ostry. Looking ahead, Acton and Ostry are revisiting the goals and aspirations of the practice with a fresh eye on taking its endeavours to the next level. "We anticipate the projects we take on will be similar in typology but will increase in scale and complexity," says Ostry. "We hope to continue to build on our past success." n Photo, above: The UBC Sauder School of Business was honoured with a Sustainable Architecture and Building Award in 2010. Photo: Nic Lehoux. Below: The LEED Gold Cactus Club in English Bay, Vancouver, B.C. Photo: Michael Elkan p08-11Acton Ostry.indd 10 13-07-12 11:34 AM