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photos: latreille Delage Photography The WCC healing room. Whitehorse Correctional Centre by John T.D. Keyes hen the government of Yukon committed to a wide-reaching overhaul of its correctional system, one of its highest priorities was the replacement of its correctional centre, which had been built in the 1960s. The new correctional centre needed a layout and spaces that promote safety and provide opportunities for healing and treatment of inmates. Inmates had lived in communal dormitories, a scenario that presented issues, says Robert Riches, a career veteran in corrections who moved to the territory in 2006 and now serves as assistant deputy minister of Community Justice and Public Safety for the Yukon Department of Justice. "The problem in Yukon is it's a small jurisdiction. With dorms, we had problems with compatibility issues with prisoners, so we wanted the new building to create sufficient separation and places for inmates to be in their own space." After extensive consultation with correctional experts, First Nations groups and stakeholders, the decision was made to build the new facility according to the principles of a Generation Three, or G3, Direct Supervision model. Direct Supervision is a form of inmate management where inmates are housed in units with individual or shared cells clustered around a communal living space. Unlike the common image of guards on the outside observing through bars, Direct Supervision places corrections officers in the living units, allowing interaction, support and a stronger knowledge of individual inmates and their activities. "In a G3 model," says Greg Dowling, principal of DGBK Architects, the Vancouver-based lead architect, "there are additional measures taken to provide a safer, more secure and more effective correctional environment. Instead of taking inmates out of the unit to access services and programs, those services, including meals, educational programs and recreational activities, are brought to the unit. You don't have problems with incompatible inmates in a circulation corridor, gym or dining hall. It also adds a layer of safety for the officers, by providing backup from a second officer who can look directly into the unit from a secure position rather than from a remote-camera monitoring station." DGBK is well-versed in the requirements of public safety facilities, having designed police headquarters, law-enforcement training centres, forensic laboratories and correctional facilities. The firm involves a team of consultants who bring their own corrections expertise. "We work very closely with Ron Dies, whose company, Ron Dies Architecture, shares office space with DGBK . Ron has been designing correctional facilities for many years and is particularly knowledgeable about technical issues, such as locks and security systems," says Dowling. "Jug Island Consulting is our corrections W Whitehorse Correctional Centre p80-81WhitehorseCorrectional.indd 81 advisor. Its principal, John Surridge, was once a client of ours, a director of a facility that we designed. Since retiring from public service, he works with us to bring his background as an operator of correctional facilities to our projects. REI Consulting was the electrical consultant, and brought its expertise in building security and communications systems. Our structural engineer, Bush, Bohlman & Partners, and our mechanical engineer, Douglas Spratt & Associates, also contributed their expertise." Riches says that from the outset the goal was LEED Silver. The WCC features low-voltage lighting, a wood pellet burner with in-slab hot water heating and cooling in slab, and passive solar heating. Riches cites the benefits of sophisticated ventilation and natural light. "Cells are LOCATION 25 College Drive Whitehorse, Yukon OWNER/DEVELOPER Government of Yukon ARCHITECT DGBK Architects ASSOCIATE ARCHITECT Kobayashi + Zedda Architects Ltd. GENERAL CONTRACTOR Dominion Construction, Kwanlin Dün First Nation (joint venture) CORRECTIONS CONSULTANT Jug Island Consulting ARCHITECTURAL SUB-CONSULTANT Ron Dies Architecture STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Bush, Bohlman and Partners MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Douglas Spratt & Associates Ltd. ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT REI Consulting Services Inc. food service CONSULTANT Lisa Bell & Associates TOTAL AREA 73,195 square feet TOTAL PROJECT COST $70 million small, and there's a need for fresh air. It helps with the mood." Incell amenities include porcelain sinks, birch tabletops, rounded edges on furniture and solid-core wood doors. "It adds to the normalcy of the environment," he says. "You don't hear steel doors clanging. You hear wood doors closing." Another priority was the facilitation of culturally based First Nations programs. This mandate led to the installation of a large, centrally located area called the 'healing room,' which became the design focus for the associate architect, Whitehorse-based Kobayashi + Zedda Architects Ltd. "We had input from the elders, and there wasn't total agreement on the final form or spiritual nature of the room," recalls principal Jack Kobayashi, who needed to finesse an acceptable compromise. "The design is intended to be a secular space. We also had to install a substantial exhaust system for smudging ceremonies involving fire and smoke from burning grasses. The exhaust system had to be incorporated discreetly into the design. And the light was important. Someone on the committee asked for the skylight to be canoe-shaped, so we used wood slats to allude to a canoe form on the ceiling." "We gave points in the procurement process to groups that successfully partnered with Yukon First Nations," says Riches. That was the genesis of the partnership between the general contractor, Dominion Construction (now Stuart Olson Dominion), and the Kwanlin Dün First Nation, in whose traditional territory the WCC is situated. "We tried to provide economic benefit to the community by utilizing as many First Nations employees as possible," says Gavin Yee, senior project director at Stuart Olson Dominion. "Trade packages were created or tendered to allow First Nations to participate. It was a successful project with the Yukon government and the Kwanlin Dün." As an architect, Greg Dowling has found projects like this to be rewarding and more satisfying than he first expected. "When I started working on correctional projects, I thought they would all be very similar. Then you get into it, and you start to understand the issues, some of which can actually be life and death issues. The design of a facility can make a huge difference. It's fascinating. With the right attention to detail and care, we can affect better outcomes in people's lives." ■ december 2012 /81 11/26/12 2:21 PM