Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/218643
"The Ministry's commitment to design excellence has resulted in a modern architectural reinterpretation of the Ontario courthouse of which STCC is an unique example." – Anthony Lue Tam, architect for the Ministry of the Attorney General through the building. The main courtroom of the old building remained as such and was completely restored, but updated with all of today's modern equipment," says Gersovitz, who notes that projects involving heritage buildings are one of FGMDA's areas of specialization. With a large atrium, the interior has lots of natural light, which extends to waiting areas and rooms. The interior public areas have terrazzo flooring. The building's sandstone and brick sections required the work of a masonry conservator to reinstate details on the exterior. Some of the issues stemmed not so much from the attrition of time but from the use of sand blasting in an effort to clean the exterior in 1966. "This caused deterioration of the masonry," explains Gersovitz. Although about four times the size of the historic courthouse, the new addition has retained its heritage look. "The main material is yellow, buffed brick and matches the original. It was used for public areas as well. Instead of stone on the outside, we've used natural-finished zinc," says David Clusiau, senior principal, architectural design, at NORR Ltd. "The design of the new addition, though distinct and contemporary, is inspired by the character and underlying order of the existing courthouse. Inserting technology, mechanical and electrical systems, and achieving the required separation of the public, private and secure circulation systems into the heritage courtroom in an unobtrusive manner were fundamental to the success of the project," adds Clusiau. The Courthouse is the province's first instance of Infrastructure Ontario's Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP) process being used on a project that combines heritage buildings with a modern addition. "Most courthouse projects have involved a greenfield, so the complexity of this type of project with its heritage components using the model had not been tried before. We tried to make sure that the functional requirements of the new part don't overwhelm the look of the original," Clusiau says. According to Mike O'Neill, site superintendent with EllisDon Corporation, the most difficult challenge with the new building was the security aspect: "Police, judge, public, prisoners and administration – five different areas, and each [had to be] secure from the other." The melding of heritage and modern parts into an architectural whole presented hurdles for the electrical, communications and security components. "To ensure the preservation of the heritage components while providing a contemporary building, specific devices such as wireless low voltage lighting controls and integral electronic locks were used to mitigate or minimize any intrusive work," says Mike Prsa, senior associate at Mulvey & Banani International Inc. HVAC involved a modern system throughout the entire facility, but without compromising the look of the heritage buildings. These buildings don't have dropped ceilings, so wall cavities had to be created and used, says Mina Sidaros, mechanical group leader at Hidi Rae Consulting Engineers Inc. Sprinklers still had to be located on the ceilings, so the space between floor joists in the heritage buildings was used for lines. "The Ministry's commitment to design excellence has resulted in a modern architectural reinterpretation of the Ontario courthouse of which STCC is an unique example," says Anthony Lue Tam, architect for the Ministry of the Attorney General. p70-73St. Thomas Courthouse.indd 73 Location 4-8 Wellington Street, St. Thomas, Ontario Owner Government of Ontario Developer/General Contractor ITS / EllisDon Architect NORR Ltd. Heritage Architect Fournier Gersovitz Moss Drolet et Associés Architectes (FGMDA) Structural Consultants Stephenson Engineering Ltd. Mechanical Consultants Hidi Rae Consulting Engineers Inc. Electrical Consultants Mulvey & Banani International Inc. Landscape Architects Ron Koudys Landscape Architects Inc. Total Area 169,000 square feet Total Contract Cost $249 million december 2013 St. Thomas Consolidated Courthouse Sight N Sound Design.indd 1 He adds: "We are especially proud to maintain Ontario's courthouse history in the reuse and preservation of the original Elgin County Courthouse while addressing our growing programme demands in a respectful building addition. The project team has successfully integrated old with new and re-established this Courthouse as a cultural landmark in the City of St. Thomas." n /73 13-10-30 3:32 PM 13-11-15 4:03 PM