Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/178944
CHRIS BOLIN "We developed the idea of a 'Main Street' that leads visitors into the heart of the campus," says Chito Pabustan, managing director of design at Gibbs Gage Architects. Master planning the campus for ease of access and integration within the urban inner city fabric is enhanced by connecting the light rail transit (LRT) station near the centre of the campus with a broad north-south, tree-lined boulevard to the TransCanada Highway running along the campus' north end. The expansive sidewalks of the pedestrian-friendly boulevard display campus maps and directories. Bench seating and street-style lamps complement rows of trees lining the centre and either side of the boulevard, augmenting a physical and stylistic connection between design elements used in the new campus structures, and materials and architectural cadence used in the historical buildings regarded as iconic collegiate architecture. Aldred Centre, the largest building within the Trades and Technology Complex, is adjacent to one of the oldest buildings on campus – the red-brick-clad Heritage Hall, built in 1920. The red clay colour of the terra cotta curtain wall on the new complex reiterates the architectural masonry of the twentieth-century building. "The vision is to make the campus as uni ied as possible in terms of the architectural language of the buildings themselves," says Pabustan. The central idea guiding the overall design of the complex, "was to embody the concept of tradition upholding innovation," he says. "The terra cotta cladding symbolizes tradition and continuity, while the curvilinear aspect of the metal and SBS membrane roof – with its undulating waving shape – suggests innovation, representing 'the waves of the future.'" As one might expect from a modern educational and training complex, several of the building systems designed involved an innovative approach. Take lighting, for instance. Electrical engineering consultants typically select one of two main brands of lighting control systems – Lutron or Douglas. But in the case of the Trades and Technology Complex, elements of both brands were integrated to create a third entity. "This enables the whole system to function as one seamless lighting system," says Barry Dempsey, a senior associate at Crossey Engineering Ltd. New software was developed for the lighting controls so that the two systems worked together, and Dempsey points to some of the reasons behind using both. "With the two systems, you potentially get the best of both worlds. Our goal is to provide cost efficient quality workmanship adhering to industry standards. Our team of experts, from preplanning to warranty management, ensures that each project is handled professionally Serving the Construction Industry since 1946 and to the satisfaction of our clients. Proud to have been the Mechanical Contractor for the Trades & Technology Complex - SAIT project HEAD OFFICE 205 - 401 Glenmore Road, Kelowna, BC V1V 1Z6 Ph: 250-763-3879 Fax: 250-763-3870 6612 - 44 Street, Leduc, AB T9E 7E4 Ph: 780-980-1122 Fax: 780-980-1129 www.sml.ca Trades and Technology Complex – SAIT p.54-59SAIT.indd 57 OCTOBER 2012 /57 9/11/12 11:53 AM