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COURTESY QUOREX CONSTRUCTION SERVICES LTD. Humboldt Collegiate Institute/Carlton Trail College/ City of Humboldt Uniplex Addition by Sonu Purhar ucked away just east of Saskatoon, the city of Humboldt is quietly becoming one of Saskatchewan's most progressive communities. Advances in agriculture, manufacture and mining have contributed to economic growth similar to that of much larger urban centres. As a result, the Ministry of Education, federal government and other civic partners have invested in revitalizing infrastructure and community facilities to meet the needs of the population. But despite its growth, Humboldt remains a tightly knit community whose unity is perhaps best showcased by its newest development. The three partners involved – Humboldt Collegiate Institute, Carlton Trail Regional College and the Humboldt Uniplex – came together to conceive, design and construct a hybrid high school and college connected to the renovated recreation centre – a massive project that truly reveals the collaborative character of Humboldt. Humboldt's two school divisions, Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools and Horizon School Division, became project developers. More than a century old, Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools comprises 45 educational facilities in Saskatoon and surrounding areas; Horizon School Division oversees public school administration in several regions of central Saskatchewan. The school boards began discussions in 2008, inspired by the vision of a central facility to house the high school, college and recreation centre. After receiving approval from the Ministry of Education, the developers hired AODBT Architecture + Interior Design and commenced planning. Quorex Construction Services Ltd. acted as general contractor. "This facility is truly about synergy," says Donald Lloyd, a superintendent at Greater Catholic Schools. "The entire project was a collaborative process, with the city, community college and school divisions working together from start to completion." From the initial planning stages, students, staff and potential partners were asked to provide input on the new facility. Throughout the process, architects continued to elicit feedback from staff members to ensure classrooms, labs and of ices met their needs. "Though school facilities share T certain similarities, there are many factors within individual communities that affect speci ic programs and approaches to education," says Lawrence Dressel, project architect at AODBT Architecture + Interior Design. "That in turn makes every project – including users' needs – unique." This ask-and-incorporate method isn't new to AODBT. The Saskatoon-based irm has worked on multiple high-pro ile developments across Canada, and embraces the Integrated Project Design approach. "We've found that without an intensive series of consultations with all potential stakeholders, staff and community members, there's no feeling of mutual respect," says Dressel. "It's important to achieve that feeling of working together to resolve important issues. Without establishing a joint consensus, projects aren't as successful." The new hybrid high school and college is spacious, accessible and multifunctional. A central commons area encourages students to socialize and dine together; branching out are the renovated gym, classrooms and administration of ices. Also adjacent is a performing arts centre, part of which can be transformed into a stage with seating for more than 300. Many classrooms are out itted with features to accommodate special needs students and learning assistance programs, including a separate suite with kitchen, bathroom and elevator. Visual, graphic and practical arts instruction is clustered in an integrated area that forms an inclusive learning environment with ready access to newly installed technology, including Smartboards and multimedia programming. The connecting Uniplex grants students access to the recreation facility, including an aquatic centre, hockey arena, itness centre and curling rink. But the Uniplex isn't just an anchor to the educational facility; it has also become the hub of Humboldt. Students use the building for events and team sports – in fact, the school is planning to introduce a hockey program next year, taking advantage of the building's close proximity to the arena – but the entire community is welcome to use the facility as well. "The Uniplex brings the entire project together as one destination centre," Lloyd explains. Humboldt Collegiate Institute/Carlton Trail College/City of Humboldt Uniplex Addition p.78-79Humboldt.indd 79 Daniels Wingerak Engineering Ltd. completed the mechanical design and construction administration. The team also performed energy modelling for the building. Notable features of the LEED Silver-certi ied facility include electrical ixtures controlled by occupancy sensors and daylight harvesting technologies; controlled exterior lighting to reduce light pollution and a mechanical system that utilizes a high volume of outside air. "The entire building is an esthetic, eco-forward addition to the city, and a much-needed new space for students," says Chris Conley, mechanical engineer at Daniels Wingerak Engineering Ltd. "We hope the community will enjoy this comfortable, energy-ef icient and safe building." Considering the unifying theme, it comes as no surprise that the project was nearly devoid of construction challenges. Conley notes that the only real dif iculty was working with so many different partners. "With multiple owners involved, we had to be cognizant of catering to different desires and expectations," he explains. "Plus, we had to connect to an existing building, and that came with the associated challenges of working with an older system." Although the project could have fallen prey to dif iculties arising from clashes of opinion, Lloyd says the process went smoothly. "All of our partners worked well together," he says. "Aside from standard weather issues, we didn't have major problems." Ryan Todd, project manager with Quorex Construction Services Ltd. echoes these sentiments. "Between April and September 2010, we got approximately 44 inches of rain," he says. "It did slow down production signi icantly during the best months of construction." "There's much excitement in Humboldt around this facility," says Donald Lloyd. "The building brings everyone together, which is what it was meant to do." ■ LOCATION 532 Bourquin Road Humboldt, Saskatchewan OWNER/DEVELOPER Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Board and Horizon School Division ARCHITECT/LEED CONSULTANT AODBT Architecture + Interior Design GENERAL CONTRACTOR Quorex Construction Services Ltd. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Robb Kullman Engineering MECHANICAL/COMMISSIONING CONSULTANT Daniels Wingerak Engineering ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT PWA Engineering Ltd. TOTAL BUILDING AREA 84,423 square feet TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST $21 million JUNE 2012 /79 5/25/12 1:04:33 PM

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