Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/178323
South Ridge Emergency Services Facility by Laurie Jones COURTESY IBI GROUP ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS he residents of Okotoks, Alberta are eagerly awaiting the spring 2013 opening of the South Ridge Emergency Services Facility that houses RCMP and Okotoks Municipal Enforcement of ices, and the town's second ire station. Over the last 20 years, Okotoks' population has grown to approximately 24,500 residents. This has prompted the need to expand the policing and add an additional ire services facility on the south side of town. "The dominant purpose of the facility is to accommodate the RCMP of ices and Okotoks Municipal Enforcement services, plus a ire station with two double bays for ire apparatus," says Rob Mueller, project manager for the Town of Okotoks. "Because the building is located a block away from a bridge that connects both sides of town, emergency services has access to the main thoroughfares when responding to emergency calls." The goal of the Town is to facilitate a healthy and safe community. In 2011, while maintaining the safety of Okotoks and surrounding area, the RCMP received more than 9,600 calls for service and Peace Of icers received 1,530 in 2011. Fire Services received over 890 calls. Providing this new infrastructure will enhance the excellent services and quality of life that Okotoks residents enjoy, and maintain public safety and security. In relation to the Town of Okotoks' vision as a leader in sustainability, this new three-storey building has been designed to LEED Gold speci ications. The facility will be cutting-edge in functionality while promoting environmental stewardship through low water and energy usage. The 38,575-square-foot building incorporates a building management system that brings state-of-the-art technology to the policing side of the facility. The 24-hour living quarters accommodate ire ighters, and include a kitchen and sleeping area, as well as a centrally located staff gym. As the successful candidate submission for the designbuild project, Chandos Construction Ltd.'s Tim Coldwell, vice president of corporate projects, brought in IBI Group Architects Engineers to work on the detailed design. Environmentally friendly strategies in line with LEED Gold targets were incorporated into the design. "The windows are triple glazed, there is an R40 roof with a sprinkler systems throughout and impact-resistant drywall," says Coldwell. "Instead of using solar systems, we went for a high-ef iciency HVAC system which is incorporated within the entire building. There is a fair amount of masonry inside along with exposed and polished concrete loors in the common areas T South Ridge Emergency Facility p.90-91Southridge.indd 91 complemented by Marmoleum and carpet." He says the building was constructed on a brown ield site, referring to its previous incarnation as a gas station. "There was some soil remediation done to take care of any remaining traces of damage due to gasoline spills." The design of the South Ridge Emergency Services Facility involved input from many people. "When the project began, Town of Okotoks administration wanted a structure that would offer a prominent, identi iable civic building visible to people as they travelled through town," says Keith Sallaway, project architect with IBI Group Architects Engineers. "This was a real collaborative effort between all stakeholders including municipal administration staff, Chandos Construction, IBI Group, the consultants, as well as the police, ire and municipal services departments to make sure all requirements were covered. It is a well-thought-out structure in terms of function, location and the long-term goal of having a sustainable building." In keeping with sustainability and LEED Gold requirements, the South Ridge Emergency Services Facility includes rainwater capture on the roof. "The water travels down to a cast-in-place concrete tank set underneath the apparatus bays," says Mueller. "Water will be recycled to use for washing the ire trucks and some landscape irrigation. We have a lot of drought-tolerant plants around the building which is, again, part of LEED Gold guidelines." The vacant third loor was designed for future expansion of public safety operations as more staff members are required. To keep all options available, the area is wide open with no columns, walls or other obstructions. "This is a 25-year building to accommodate the growth of the area," says Sallaway. The lobby in the main entrance leads to a service counter for both municipal enforcement and police business. "They share the ground loor plate in terms of reception and some staf ing," says Sallaway. "Meeting rooms and interview rooms are also open for use by all departments. However, there are secured areas in which the RCMP and Okotoks Municipal Enforcement personnel will function separately." The police station area is designed to meet the RCMP's property security manual, which includes extensive design requirements. "Various divisions of the RCMP operate in this building, including traf ic, drug enforcement and major crimes," says Coldwell. "With lexible of ice space on the second loor, the RCMP can bring in experts from around the country, and use this area as a staging room to carry out investigations." On the ire department side of the South Ridge Emergency Facility, the three-storey hose-drying tower has been designed with balconies off the internal staircase. "These balconies can be used for high rescue training as well as repelling practice for the ireighters," says Coldwell. "The tower also meets the requirements for ire ighter games competition." "The architectural design of this building de initely has a wow factor," says Mueller. "When you are crossing the river on a main thoroughfare bridge through the town of Okotoks you will see the South Ridge Emergency Services Facility is fairly dominant on this corner site." He notes it is adjacent to a well-used park area that is frequented by residents and campers. "Okotoks Municipal Enforcement, Fire Services and RCMP of icers have had a good working relationship for many years, so everyone is looking forward to the opening of this new centre." ■ LOCATION 98 Woodhaven Drive Okotoks, Alberta OWNER/DEVELOPER Town of Okotoks ARCHITECT/LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT/INTERIOR DESIGN/ CIVIL CONSULTANT IBI Group Architects Engineers GENERAL CONTRACTOR Chandos Construction Ltd. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Halsall Associates Ltd. MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Williams Engineering Canada Inc. ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT SMP Consulting Electrical Engineers TOTAL AREA 38,575 square feet TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST $11 million AUGUST 2012 /91 7/13/12 10:43 AM