Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/292860
Chris bolin down on a sloping site required careful coordination between the consultant team and the builder," says Babits. Babits and his colleagues attempted to reduce the appearance of each facil- ity's mass by using what he refers to as "the rhythm of suburban single-family housing. For example, we grouped win- dows instead of making them uniform, varied the facade and created different sloping roof forms across the building to conceal mechanical components that are discreetly located in roof wells." Both buildings have a similar exte- rior, augmented with canted steel columns that lean out from the walls to catch the edge of the roof, creating an almost rustic effect; large lower masses of stone, areas of stucco and siding were used for visual appeal. Holy Cross Man- or's basic exterior colour scheme is red, while St. Marguerite Manor's is green. Covenant and the architect also worked closely with the firm's interior design staff to ensure that furniture and finishes were durable and warm, with complementary colours and pat- terns. Extensive wood details in dining and lounge ceilings and screens intro- duce warmth and scale. "Wheelchairs, walkers and other items of institu- tional care required us to consider long- lasting furniture, chair rails, railings, corner guards and high-quality floor- ing," says Babits. "Furniture selected solely for economy can soon look worn out and shoddy in a senior's facility. It's bad for residents' morale." Holy Cross Manor and St. Marguerite Manor were built under the con- struction management format. Clark Builders came into the project towards the end of the design process. "We mut ually selected the sub-trades, discussed scheduling and costs, and Clark worked through challenges from a positive team perspective," explains Babits. Clark Builders got involved in the project in the spring of 2012. "We did a bit of value engineering to start, and we broke ground on Holy Cross Manor in July of that year," says Andy Cowlishaw, project manager. Although construction lasted 18 months and involved about 80 people at peak, Cowlishaw says things ran smoothly. Cowlishaw overlooked the Calgary floods, which didn't affect the Evanston site at all but posed other problems. "It affected transportation and slowed deliveries of materials," explains Babits. "Thanks to the expertise of the site supervisor, work proceeded as sched- uled, but it took an awful lot of careful coordination on their part." St. Marguerite Manor is scheduled for complet ion later in t he year. Meanwhile, Holy Cross Manor is already garnering enthusiastic feedback from user groups for its amenities "and especially the enormous amount of natural light throughout the facility," says Babits. "We've enjoyed a long and fulfilling association with Covenant Care, and with the Calgary and Red Deer projects I think the entire team has done itself proud in providing senior care homes that set a high standard in Alberta." ■ LOCATION 70 Evanspark Manor NW, Calgary, Alberta OWNER/DEVELOPER Covenant Health Group ARCHITECT Ferrari Westwood Babits Architects GENERAL CONTRACTOR Clark Builders STRUCTURAL/ELECTRICAL/CIVIL CONSULTANT MPE Engineering Ltd. MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Sterling Engineering Inc. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Lombard North Group Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 18,702 square metres TOTAL COST $63.5 million 86/ April 2014 Holy Cross Manor and St. Marguerite Manor p84-87_HolyCross_St Marguerite.indd 86 14-04-03 10:06 AM