Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/147234
Family Aquatic Complex (FAC) indsor's Family Aquatic Complex (FAC) is a beacon of activity that visually anchors the west side of the city's vista location on the Detroit River. The facility was constructed with a firm community vision – combining a meaningful family experience with high-calibre competitive swimming facilities. Don Sadler, project manager with the City of Windsor, says the community has long desired a competition 50-metre pool that accommodates local athletes in their training and development. "They've traditionally had to travel good distances to train and they haven't had a facility with a dive tower," he says. "Most of the time our lead athletes are on the road, so this facility certainly allows them to nurture the sport here." The swimming facility comprises a 72.5-metre competitive pool tank with two movable bulkheads, a movable floor and a 10-metre dive tower. It also introduces an Olympic lighting system and a large deck with collapsible seating for over 600 athletes and 900 spectators, and leaves abundant deck width for dry-land training. "We reached out and spoke with Swim Canada, Dive Canada and Water Polo Canada to find out what these associations required in a competitive training facility," says Sadler. "We were striving to accommodate those wishes to ensure we will get the nod on competitive aquatic meets." The other factor was the development of a facility that welcomes youth and their families. The project's second component is a 45,000-square-foot indoor waterpark with a wave pool, lazy river and a double-flow rider. "The water park is touted as having more activity per square foot than most indoor waterparks out there," says Sadler. "You put the two elements together and what you've created is a facility that can be used by everyone." The building's second floor hosts a play area, health club, activity rooms and meeting rooms to encourage full community use of the space. "It is truly a community facility and not just something for elite athletes," says Sadler. The facility is also a catalyst for downtown revitalization, located on the land previously known as the Western Super Anchor and bounded by Pitt Street, Bruce Avenue and Church Street. The design had to encompass the two major use areas, as well as the overall vision of a public space that people can identify with, while connecting the facility to the public streets. Carl-Jan Rupp, principal with Hughes Condon Marler Architects, says the project's mass, urban location and position along major roadways were essential in shaping the design parameters. "The facility is located on an entire city block and the city went as far as closing part of two roads and handing the public space over to the building site," says Rupp. "As a result, the main entry lies on an axis with Pitt Street, making it highly visible and strongly connected to the fabric of the downtown core." Windsor's riverfront location, with views to Detroit, is anchored to the east by a casino – the FAC provides a muchneeded anchor to the west. "Architecturally the facility takes its cues from the desire to showcase the fun and activities that are taking place within the building, with expansive glazing to animate the building edges," says Rupp. The steel-framed infill building is constructed of block and brick to 20 feet and topped with abundant glazing and decorative insulated metal panelling. The water feature and slide tower are visible through large windows that W Family Aquatic Complex (FAC) p90-91 Family Aquatic.indd 91 courtesy Hughes Condon Marler Architects by Jessica Kirby open up the facade. Brick on the lower levels connects the building to the streetscape, and its colour selection relates with the art gallery. Accent colours are used in the interior and exterior to signify the building's key features, including the main entries and the dive tower. A large, two-storey atrium space is entirely glazed towards the north and sculpted to appear prominently from Riverfront Park and along River Road. Designed as an element to be recognized from afar, the atrium incorporates glass and bright colour to draw attention to the exterior. It welcomes visitors to a warm lobby area with a fireplace and furniture selection that encourages people to gather. This central space also provides views to the pool area and to the amenity and dry play areas on the second floor. "The liberal use of glazing and coloured glass allowed us to create interesting and attractive views that connect the spaces," says Rupp. A key design parameter was meeting the longevity challenges of a location 401 Pitt Street West, Windsor, Ontario Owner/Developer City of Windsor Architect Hughes Condon Marler Architects Design/build contractor EllisDon DeAngelis Joint Venture Structural Consultant Barry-Bryan Associates Mechanical / Electrical Consultant Chorley + Bisset Ltd. Pool Consultant Water Technology Inc. Total Area 185,800 square feet Construction Budget $78 million moist, warm building and creating something with visual appeal. The building's steel is coated with a two-part polymer for chlorine and moisture resistance. On the interior, the wet areas are sealed off from dry public areas and finished with appropriate materials – insulated panels and polymer-coated steel columns in the pool areas and regular drywall in the dry areas. Additionally, the building's air handling systems are separate and custom to the needs of the space. Andrew Piatek, mechanical engineer with Chorley + Bisset Ltd., says the facility uses district energy power that negates the need for heat and cooling generating equipment. It functions as a transfer station between heating and cooling loops. The City of Windsor has a major power generating station in the casino building to the east, which produces high-temperature water that is distributed under the city streets to various buildings. "We extended the service to this area and to a number of heat exchangers that transfer heat to the building loop," says Piatek. The system offers the advantage of easier operation and maintenance. "The building uses five heat exchangers – two for cooling and three for heating, and there are no emissions," says Piatek. "The city concluded that although the cost of purchasing power is higher than purchasing gas or electricity, the reduction in heating and cooling energy maintenance is significantly lower." Two distinct HVAC types serve the systems – pool dehumidification units with HRVs ensure adequate indoor air quality in the aquatic areas and VAV air-handling units that modulate the fan speed. The team used dynamic computer modelling to ensure correct water velocity and air quality directly above the pool surface. "We had to ensure there was enough velocity in the water to remove contaminants, but not so excessive that the pool would lose water," says Piatek. The fast-tracked project challenged the design team with a tight schedule focused around the facility's commitment to host the International Children's Games in August. The general contracting agreement between Ellis Don and DeAngelis Construction Inc. was a good fit, says Sadler, because it represented a strong mix of skill sets. "Ellis Don brought the experience and technical support of a large contractor and DeAngelis is a local company that was able to secure local people for about 70 per cent of the work," he says. "We always find that when can have local people on the job site they have a certain amount of pride in the process." n august 2013 /91 13-07-12 2:09 PM