Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/177525
Penticton Aquatic Centre by Jerry Eberts PHOTOS: LORNE ETTINGER hat began as a project to renovate the City of Penticton's aging aquatic centre became a much larger undertaking. The new Penticton Aquatic Centre is today a facility of which the entire city can be proud. "This was the irst time I've gone through the total process," says Dave Lieskovsky, facilities manager for the City of Penticton. "It was impressive to see how well the team worked together. They had to design and build at the same time." The team – including architects Glen Stokes (a partner with Bruce Carscadden Architects Inc.) and Cal Meiklejohn (principal with Meiklejohn Architects Inc.) – could have used two full years to plan and complete the extensive renovations. But the entire project had to be completed in just 15 months. "We had an aging facility built in the '70s," says Stokes. "There were problems, including a failing building envelope. The city only had money for an upgrade, but because of matching grants from the provincial and federal governments, the city found the inancing to almost completely upgrade the facility." Penticton's Lieskovsky says the federal-provincial infrastructure improvement grant package meant that this would be "a fast-track kind of project, de ined in the grant." After some public consultation, the facility was shut down in March 2010 to begin the addition and retro it. At that point, says Lieskovsky, "the whole thing snowballed – we also upgraded the mechanical and electrical systems." Among the improvements to the pool: failing walls were removed, making room for the expansion; the old changing rooms were removed and replaced; the HVAC system was updated; exterior walls were replaced with walls of windows that allow views from the interior, as well as allowing a view of the pool from the parking lot side. "The walls are now 25 per cent glass," says Stokes. "There are great views all around." As principal at an architectural irm with of ices in Kelowna and Penticton, Cal Meiklejohn knew his company could contribute much to the project. "Bruce [Carscadden] has a lot of experience with swimming pools," says Meiklejohn. "But we're a local out it and have experience with that building and others nearby. It was an easy decision to work together." Meiklejohn also mentions the change in the outer walls of the structure and how much brighter and better it is. "The W original natatorium had one: an 118-square-foot window. It is now illuminated with daylight from over 5,000 square feet of glass," he says. "It has been a real transformation." Among other improvements to the Penticton Aquatic Centre is the excavation on the south end, allowing the addition of a multi-storey mechanical system. The pool basin – which was L-shaped – was carved up and became a rectangle with a modern perimeter gutter system. "The city had hoped to keep the facility open during construction, but that was too dif icult," says Meiklejohn. "There was some inconvenience in the neighbourhood for the year we were building, but the inal result seems to please everybody." "The pilings were a challenge," says Stokes. "The area has a high water table so the engineers had to igure out a continuous pumping system. One thing we came up with was to take the latent heat from that water and use it to heat the pool. This is one of the decisions we made that will help us get LEED Silver certi ication for this project." The north-facing glass wall allows daylight into the pool area, reducing lighting costs during the day. About 20 per cent of building materials were sourced locally or are recycled. In addition to using low-VOC sealants and paint, housekeeping within the facility uses environmentally friendly cleaning products. CFCs and HCFCs used in the building systems have been reduced and there has been a whopping 40 per cent reduction in water use. Willie Joubert, construction manager for Stuart Olson Dominion Construction Ltd., says the time constraints were a challenge. "On any fast-tracked project, you run the risk of sacri icing quality," says Joubert. "Unless you can stay on top of things – and that is what we did. Everybody involved was really well focused. And having a local architect involved meant that we could have a decision made quickly." The mechanical consultant was Harold Stewart of AME Consulting Group. Involved from the beginning, his company has been involved in the construction or refurbishment of hundreds of pools. "We did all the mechanical work, from the pool iltration system to plumbing and HVAC," says Stewart. "There were a few unusual aspects to the project, such as the size of the pool, but the team handled it well." Proud to be an EllisDon Team Member for the Supply & Installation of Glass and Curtain Wall on the 18 York Street project. "The schedule was the challenge," says Glen Stokes. "The construction manager came on early and we designed the building in phases. First phase was subgrade construction; the last was inishes. We usually work so the entire plan can be vetted before we begin the actual construction, but we had to ind a solution robust enough to survive the unknown." "The old aquatic centre was 30 years out of date," says Dave Lieskovsky. "With the new building, it's as if we hit a home run. We were on time and on budget, which is rewarding. From the project manager, the construction manager, the representatives of the city and the architects, it was their hard work that resulted in this success." ■ LOCATION 325 Power Street Penticton, B.C. OWNER/DEVELOPER The City of Penticton ARCHITECT Bruce Carscadden Architects Inc. ASSOCIATE ARCHITECT Meiklejohn Architects Inc. CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Stuart Olson Dominion Construction Ltd. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. MECHANICAL CONSULTANT AME Consulting Group ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Applied Engineering Solutions Ltd. TOTAL AREA 100,000 square feet TOTAL COST $23.3 million SMW 12 Proctor Road, Schomberg, ON L0G 1T0 Phone 905-939-9800 | Fax 905-939-9609 | www.taggind.com Penticton Aquatic Centre p.62-67York_Penticton.indd 67 FEBRUARY 2012 /67 1/23/12 10:39:38 AM