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TOM ARBAN/COURTESY HARIRI PONTARINI ARCHITECTS LISA LOGAN/COURTESY HARIRI PONTARINI ARCHITECTS Weston Family Learning Centre by Dan O'Reilly udging from the crowd's roar, the $15-million transformation of the west wing of the Art Gallery of Ontario (1960) in Toronto has been successful. In this case, the roar is the sounds of hundreds of school children visiting the (now greatly expanded) 35,000-squarefoot Weston Family Learning Centre on a daily basis to participate in a range of art education activities. Hariri Pontarini Architects was the designer and EllisDon Corporation acted as construction manager overseeing an extremely fast-paced 17-month project that included gutting and renovating of the existing facility and adding new construction to facilitate the expansion. The J LOCATION 317 Dundas Street West Toronto, Ontario OWNER/DEVELOPER Art Gallery of Ontario PROJECT MANAGER O.P. McCarthy & Associates ARCHITECT Hariri Pontarini Architects EXECUTIVE ARCHITECT Adamson Associates Architects CONSTRUCTION MANAGER EllisDon Corporation STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Yolles, A CH2M Hill Company MECHANICAL CONSULTANT The Mitchell Partnership Inc. ELECTRICAL/INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY/AUDIO VISUAL CONSULTANT Mulvey + Banani International Inc. TOTAL BUILDING AREA 35,000 square feet (new and renovated space) TOTAL PROJECT COST $15 million 84/ JUNE 2012 p.84-85 Weston_MacPherson.indd 84 resulting two-level facility, which was completed last summer, has enabled the AGO to signi icantly increase and diversify its art education program. Highlighted with a glazed facade at the concourse level and exposed concrete and coffered ceilings that were uncovered during the renovation, the centre houses a range of features. They include a hands-on centre for children, an education commons, a youth centre for young adults, an artist-in-residence studio and a 6,000-square-foot gallery school in the sub-basement. Although connected with the main gallery via an accessible corridor and stairs, the centre's design and layout allows it to function independently. A separate entrance at the corner of Dundas Street and Beverley Street ensures visitors won't interfere with the pedestrian traf ic entering the main building. "It's transparent, lexible and accessible," says principal architect Siamak Hariri, emphasizing the goals his irm strived to achieve. Achieving its design vision, however, was not easy. The project team was faced with momentous design, building and scheduling hurdles. Not the least of those challenges was the fact the centre had previously operated in what could be described as a dark basement. Thanks to the installation of a 20-foot-high window along the west wall along Beverley Street, that description no longer applies. The window directs light into the centre, "without being bound by curatorial constraints," says Hariri. He also points out that although a vault of archives can be viewed from the education commons area, the light won't come into contact with the gal- lery's vast repository of artefacts. The greatest challenge was time constraints. Initially, the design and construction had to be completed in a year be eligible for funding under the federal government's Infrastructure Stimulus Plan. Meeting the program's deadline "was impossible not just for us but for other applicants. Fortunately, the government extended the deadline," says Larry O'Brecht, project manager, O.P. McCarthy & Associates. Still, design and construction schedules and budget allocations were monitored closely. The project demanded a fast-track approach and that's where the services of Adamson Associates Architects proved invaluable. As the executive architect for the AGO, Adamson focused its attention on resolving technical aspects of the project, preparation of the contract documents as well as acting as liaison with the City of Toronto with respect to approvals and permits. "This allowed Hariri Pontarini to concentrate on the design and development of their concept," says associate Domenic Virdo. EllisDon and its subtrades had to contend with the limitations of conducting a partial demolition and partial new construction in a public building which houses rare and priceless objects, says senior project manager Mark Paolini. Trades were assigned security cards and were escorted by security guards when passing through the AGO's vaults. The perimeter also had to be monitored after 5,000 square feet of punch windows were demolished. Several neighbourhood limitations agreed to by the AGO had to be observed, such as the noise level, hours of work and the length and timing of street closures, says Paolini. Some of the most dif icult components to install were the cantilevered stairs and the elevated seminar room. "[The room] required drilling 10 micro piles to a depth of 60 feet." HVAC systems were enhanced and new variable air volume sub-zones were created to improve temperature control in the new rooms. Care was taken in the con iguration of the air supply and return systems to ensure ductwork wouldn't detract from the esthetics of the open-plan rooms, says David Campbell, a partner at The Mitchell Partnership Inc., the mechanical consultant. "Similarly, the automatic sprinkler ire protection systems were designed to provide coverage of the Learning Centre while complementing the architectural and interior designs," says Campbell. The architects believe the centre "sets a standard for the teaching of art within museums around the world." A key player in reaching that measurement was electrical, information technology and audiovisual consultant Mulvey + Banani International Inc. Its design provided for fully integrated technology, which includes broadcast and video-conferencing capabilities. And that standard has to be measured with a larger undertaking. Designed by Frank Gehry, Transformation AGO was an approximately $276-million redevelopment featuring a new facade along Dundas Street. When asked how his irm ensured its design stamp, Siamak Hariri said there was no point trying to upstage the larger undertaking. "My hope is that the centre will sit strongly beside the Frank Gehry project." ■ Weston Family Learning Centre 5/25/12 1:07:34 PM

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