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84 | M A R C H 2 0 2 3 A-Block Campus Building Expansion – Centennial College R EN D ER I N GS CO U RT E S Y D I A LO G A-BLOCK CAMPUS BUILDING EXPANSION – CENTENNIAL COLLEGE by ROBIN BRUNET C raig Applegath, partner at Dialog, will never forget how Toronto-based Centennial College kicked off the design pro- cess of it's A-Block Campus Building expansion, a six-storey mass tim- ber structure inspired by regional Anishinaabe architecture and the province's first zero-carbon mass timber higher education facility. He recalls, "We were given a book of poetry by Stacey Laforme and told the building must embody his work. We were also informed that the building must embody the spirit of reconciliation. I was invigo- rated, and so too were our colleagues at Smoke Architecture, as well as EllisDon, as we proceeded under a design-build delivery mode." Eladia Smoke, principal architect and owner at Smoke Architecture, notes that early on it was decided that A-Block's design would reflect Indigenous values and principles, based on the Mi'kmaq concept of 'two-eyed seeing': viewing the world through the lens of Indigenous as well as Western knowledge. "The idea was that the two forces combined are better and more pow- erful than just one," she says. Accordingly, Dialog oriented A-Block's main entry to the east to honour the Indigenous value of facing the rising sun. Inside, a grand stair formed part of Wisdom Hall, a highly transparent, four-storey diagonal atrium for faculty, staff, and stu- dents. "The mass timber grand stair tells a wonderful story of natural car- bon sequestration," Applegath says. An Indigenous commons was also developed, connected to the atrium on the second level and forming the heart of the building; the commons opened onto a central courtyard with native plantings. "With such elements, the project went beyond the application of Indigenous elements and became a mainstream design," Smoke says. Applegath adds, "Planning strat- egies like standardization and modularity were used to allow spaces to be reconfigured, creating flexible and adaptable learning and work- ing environments, while maximizing daylight and natural ventilation." 'Two-eyed seeing' even influenced the building envelope. "The way Anishinaabe Wigwams were designed with their skin pulled up in the sum- mer for air circulation inspired the idea for the envelope at the cor- ner of the building," Applegath says. "We designed an aluminum panel that's shaped like fish scales. It's detailed with contemporary para- metric software, and the effect of the cladding is that of how scales shift and change over a fish's body." EllisDon conducted a lifecycle assessment to evaluate the embod- ied carbon footprint of the project, which contributed to the project's overarching low carbon sustainability goals. The LEED and net zero carbon features of A-Block focused on a high- performance building enclosure to reduce heating and cooling loads, as well as an efficient mechanical sys- tem that would provide exceptional occupant comfort plus supple- ment energy use with clean power. Dan Beadle, senior project man- ager at EllisDon, says of A-Block's most important building mate- rial, "It was important to source the mass timber early and to use a local supplier, so we partnered with Nordic Structures of Montreal." In total, about 3,600 square metres of black spruce from the boreal forests of northern Quebec were used; cross- laminated timber panels with concrete topping were supported by glulam beams, which in turn were supported by glulam columns. A combination of concrete cores and glulam-braced frames were also used, and Beadle says, "In many ways the timber com- ponents were similar to structural steel in terms of installation." "EllisDon was smart to bring in Nordic right from the start, because the fabrication process took a lot of time and it had to synch with the budget," adds Applegath. Interior renovation of the exist- ing A-Block commenced in June of 2020 along with site preparation; full construction began that fall. "The circular commons space was especially tricky in that it required wooden ribs attached to a top ring," Beadle says. EllisDon retained Jonel Fixture & Supply Inc. of Windsor to help create the elaborate millwork. While Applegath and Smoke are effusive in their praise for EllisDon, Beadle notes that even the best plan- ning didn't make the project immune to the supply chain problems aris- ing from the COVID-19 lockdowns. "For example, delivery of trapezoid triple-paned windows from Ireland were delayed," he says. However, as of February, the project was 90 percent complete, and substantial completion is anticipated in April. Most importantly, Centennial College has a stunning new facility that embodies the spirit of reconcili- ation. Craig Stephenson, the college's president and CEO, is certain that the new campus showcase will be an eye-opening addition. "We wanted to raise the bar for future post-secondary projects. At Centennial, we view sus- tainability, inclusivity, and Indigeneity as wholly interconnected ideas, and wanted a building that demonstrates that tripartite relationship. Thanks to our partners at Dialog and Smoke Architecture we achieved just that." A LOCATION 940 Progress Avenue, Scarborough, Ontario OWNER /DEVELOPER Centennial College ARCHITECT/INTERIOR DESIGN DIALOG & Smoke Architecture DESIGN – BUILDER EllisDon STRUCTUR AL CONSULTANT RJC Engineers MECHANICAL /ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Smith + Andersen CIVIL CONSULTANT WalterFedy L ANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Vertechs Design TOTAL SIZE 150,000 square feet (134,000 square feet expansion/new construction, 16,000 square feet renovated) TOTAL COST $105 million

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