Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/175815
Student Residence – Laurentian University aurentian University's muchneeded 11-storey student residence – a design/build project undertaken by the Sudbury-based TESC Integrated Construction Services – has already become an iconic building in the northern Ontario city of Sudbury. The residence, which houses 236 students – upper year and graduate studies – was fully booked before it opened for the fall semester. "We traditionally had a very high residence student population and a high demand to meet," says Carol McAulay, the university's vice president of administration, "so after many years of waiting and to help students that we weren't able to accommodate, we had a good reason to provide more residential space on campus." The residence is based on suites – six per loor, with four students per suite, along with a kitchen/common room/ dining area and two washrooms/showers. "It's a bookend of our residence at the west end of our residential block," says McAulay. "We want to provide residences for groupings of students based on their academic program and the type of support they need from residential life. Laurentian has been growing signi icantly – it has been the fastest growing university proportionately over the last 10 years in Canada and we had to meet immediate demand and accommodate our growth." The building has sparked debate. "I've heard everything from 'how does that it in with the campus?' to 'wow, that's a really funky building,'" says McAulay. "It certainly has been attractive to students and we've gotten everything we wanted out of it. We're providing high-quality residences to students that allow them to perform the best they can in their academic programs and participate in university life." Adds TESC's vice president and general manager, Peter Faggoni, "we are residents of Sudbury, alumni of Laurentian, and we needed a group of professionals who understand the surroundings, the people and campus life." Architect Jeff Laberge led the design L Student Residence – Laurentian University p.72-73Student Res Laurentian.indd 73 team for J.L. Richards & Associates Limited, which worked collectively with TESC personnel. "It's a long rectangular box and all the upper loor plates are repetitive," he says. "It complements the neighbouring buildings. We picked up on the exteriors of adjacent structures and created a pretty unique skin. The exterior is mostly ibre cement with a panelized system and a rainscreen system. There are windows in every bedroom and suite, and there are sections of curtain wall by the elevators to bring light to the end of the hallways." "There is extensive curtainwall glazing along the lounge and the extension of Student Street, an internal walkway through all the residential buildings on campus," he adds. "We picked seven colours for the concrete panels that range from almost white to almost charcoal grey, based on the campus buildings constructed in the 1960s. We used a random pattern to create an engaging facade that was dynamic." The university related its experiences with prior residences and provided basic design guidelines in terms of layout that are tried and tested in terms of creating positive social interaction and ensuring privacy. "There is a fairly sizable window in the common area of each suite and there are spectacular views – the campus overlooks Ramsey Lake and is surrounded by a massive piece of land," says Laberge. He notes that because the grade on the site drops dramatically, the main entrances are at ground level, which contain lounge areas and a coffee shop, and at the second- loor link. "If you are passing through the building, you would take the stairs or the elevators to the second loor and link with Student Street," says Laberge. "There are also meeting rooms, another large lounge for the faculty and students, a laundry room and mail boxes." The lower and common area loors also house a mechanical room, backup generator, garbage room and a shipping/receiving area. The residence has appropriate security measures. The loor plates for the COURTESY LAURENTIAN UNIVERSITY by Irwin Rapoport residential loors have double-loaded corridors from staircase to staircase, with the elevator lobby on one end. The walls consist of a variety of systems – concrete blocks in the corridors to ensure durability, gypsum board for the suites, and shearwalls from the foundation to the top loor. The looring consists mainly of vinyl composite tiles. "We used a random pattern of colours, which we've done in other projects and the university likes because when tiles are replaced, it's less noticeable compared to a solid ield of colour," says Laberge. The design team worked with the university to ensure that the inishes and materials complemented the furniture that was chosen. The soundproofing followed a variety of STC ratings in residential construction. While LEED certi ication was not sought, it is an ef icient and high-performance building via solid insulation (R30 on the walls and R40 on the roof) and other energy and water consumption features such as low- lush toilets, low- low ixtures. "The outside skin, favoured by the university, was the one I felt most passionate about," says Laberge. "The building is a kind of landmark throughout the city of Sudbury. People seem to love it or hate. It is engaging, and it's really done its job from that perspective." Pio Cerilli of Magnum Constructors Inc. served as the project management consultant for the residence, working alongside John Oszczep of TESC, with much of his focus on working with the subcontractors. "We made sure that the client's intent in the request for proposal (RFP) was being met," he says. "The design/build aspect was new to a lot of people on the project, and that was a challenge in itself. We had to consider as much as we could for the RFP, and deal with unforeseen problems. We delivered on time and budget because everyone put forward their best effort." TESC would need that spirit of teamwork because the soil at the worksite was unstable and the foundation had to be re-engineered. "We went with a pile system, which meant bringing in a contractor from Toronto," says TESC's project manager John Oszczep. "Due to the cold weather conditions, we were supposed to shut down operations in January, February and March and we used that time to reengineer, redesign and build these footings. The subcontractor preferred to work in the cold conditions because the ground was frozen and perfect for drilling and installing. "The rest of the construction was standard," he adds. "It consists of a concrete foundation, a steel-formed skeleton all the way to top loor and a preengineered building for the penthouse, which was a little uncommon. We lifted all the materials and partially completed sections of the building utilizing a ixed tower crane during most of the construction." ■ LOCATION 935 Ramsey Lake Road Sudbury, Ontario OWNER/DEVELOPER Laurentian University PROJECT MANAGER Magnum Constructors Inc. DESIGN/BUILD CONTRACTOR TESC Integrated Construction Services ARCHITECT/STRUCTURAL/ MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL/ CIVIL CONSULTANT J.L. Richards & Associates Limited GEOTECHNICAL CONSULTANT Terraprobe Inc. TOTAL AREA 107,160 square feet TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST $20 million OCTOBER 2012 /73 9/11/12 12:12 PM