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PHOTOS: BRIAN ZINCHUK, PIPELINE NEWS Saskatchewan Energy Training Institute (SETI) – Southeast Regional College by Bill Armstrong he 48,400-square-foot Saskatchewan Energy Training Institute (SETI) in Estevan, Saskatchewan is a response to the need for skilled workers in Canada's burgeoning energy industries. Estevan, which bills itself as The Energy City due to its proximity to signi icant oil production and open-pit coal mines feeding two very large electrical power generation stations, is a logical location for the facility. SETI is part of the Southeast Regional College, which offers programs and courses – including distance education and fulltime academic programs in partnership with the province's Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology – in several communities in the southeastern corner of Saskatchewan. The new facility allows students to access a variety of technical, safety and of ice education programs, doubling the space the college had inside the Estevan comprehensive school. The city donated land for SETI, with the federal and provincial governments contributing almost $14.2 million. "There is nothing else like this facility in Estevan or the rest of southeast Saskatchewan," says Southeast College marketing coordinator Dave Harazny. "Everyone who sees it is impressed." The building's design, explain architects Alton Tangedal and Kurt Dietrich of A+K Architects in Regina, stems from multiple interviews with college representatives and energy industry professionals, and from site reviews at similar facilities. "The key design challenge," Tangedal notes, "was to keep the facility 'personal' to the user, while providing the necessary volumes for the intended functions. The inal design solution provides lexibility, and a variety of learning environments, where students and staff can engage in hands-on practical experience, combined with theoretical study." Working as a joint venture, the A+K project team varied in size from a maximum of 25, with the core group comprised of nine key individuals. Principals from each consulting irm were directly involved in the design and document stages, with the core group working on the project from start to inish. "The key bene it of this type of involvement," Dietrich states, "is that it provides the necessary background and project history at all times, which facilitates clear understanding of the design intent, related options and alternatives, and the required solutions for each component of the project." The two-storey building includes a 4,880-square-foot lab space with a 50-foot ceiling, which is the signature feature that dominates the area around the facility. This lab space accommodates Con ined Space and Fall Arrest simulators that are mounted on trailers, so that the simulators can be used indoors or outside, enabling students to experience T SETI – Southeast Regional College p.72-73Sask Energy Training.indd 73 safety training year round. The main lab, two smaller labs and 11 classrooms are situated so that instructors and students can move easily from one learning environment to another. "Our team referred to the labs and instruction areas as black boxes," Dietrich observes. "This means that a multitude of systems can be integrated into almost any course development program, changing to suit different training environments without extensive revisions to the installed systems." Tangedal and Dietrich are particularly proud of the facility's spacious entry and central concourse, which connects to a circular 250-seat auditorium/lecture theatre with an interior folding glass wall system – a NanaWall system imported from Germany – that allows the entire loor plate to be opened for major functions or public meetings. The auditorium/lecture theatre also has a motor-operated curtain system that blocks light from the loor-to-ceiling windows when the 30-foot central projector screen and two 70-inch screens are used. The exterior features Tyndall stone, metal surfaces painted silver metallic, and plenty of glass. Since Estevan is one of the sunniest places in Canada, A+K Architects chose glazing locations and sizing to allow the maximum amount of natural light to enter the building. Natural light provided the bulk of the lighting needed even during the construction phase, Dietrich notes. A+K also designed in active energy ef iciency features such as mechanical cooling systems integrated with the 30 structural piles below grade, in- loor heating and cooling, heat recovery from the ventilation system, and room occupation sensors to manage electrical consumption. Erecting the 24-inch-diameter by 55-foot-high concrete towers for the reverse truss roof system above the auditorium was a challenge, notes Bud Green, the project manager for general contractor Quorex Construction. In fact, weather posed an ongoing struggle. Extremely wet conditions through the summer of 2010 meant that large cranes could not begin erecting structural steel until the ground froze in December. A colder-than-normal winter with heavier-than-average snowfall created a perfect storm for the 2011 construction season. "We were working in mud and looding for most of March through June," Green recalls. "Overall, we lost two to three months of the construction season." He adds that preparing the structural loor over the piles required a lot of manpower and coordination, with a irst layer of rebar followed by the installation of heating and cooling lines, and then a second layer of rebar before pouring any concrete. In spite of weather-related delays, staff and students are delighted to be moving into the new space. Power engineering, of ice administration, preelectrical, irst aid and various safety courses have already begun. SETI has already hosted one signi icant thirdparty event, an open house hosted by the Regina-based Petroleum Research Technology Centre, which is researching the large-scale capture of carbon dioxide from the Boundary Dam power station and storing it in deep underground saline formations. "The concept for SETI was on the table for several years," notes Harazny. "Once funding from the Knowledge Infrastructure Program – which is part of Canada's Economic Action Plan – came through, we went from 'concept' to 'shovel-ready' in a very short period of time. In spring 2011 we had nearly 1,800 enrolments at the old campus for safety and specialty safety training courses. SETI will allow up to 600 students per day to access courses and programs, enabling us to do more in providing a highly educated workforce within the various energy sectors." ■ LOCATION 532 Bourquin Road Estevan, Saskatchewan OWNER/DEVELOPER Southeast Regional College ARCHITECT A+K: Architects, A Joint Venture GENERAL CONTRACTOR Quorex Construction Services Ltd. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Brownlee Beaton Kreke MECHANICAL ENGINEER MacPherson Engineering Inc. ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING Alfa Engineering Inc. TOTAL AREA 44,430 square feet TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST $14.2 million JUNE 2012 /73 5/25/12 1:02:12 PM

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