Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/331457
Camrose Performing Arts Centre by Laurie Jones W ith a 70-foot fly tower crowned by an LED halo of light, the Camrose Performing Arts Centre in Alberta has the distinction of being Canada's larg- est facility to integrate solar photovoltaic (PV) technology into the construction. A joint initiative between the City of Camrose, Camrose County, the Government of Alberta and the University of Alberta, this state-of-the-art complex features a 550-seat theatre with gallery areas on the first and second floors for gathering during shows. "The theatre is an intimate venue, yet still offers significant seating," says Derek Sampson, partner with BR2 Architecture. "Due to the requirement for 550 seats the Camrose Perform- ing Arts Centre has balconies and maintains the quaint atmo- sphere, while providing the extra room." The seating area features two sloped-floor levels over- looking a 2,700-square-foot stage. Box seats are found next to the orchestra section and adjacent to the second level of seating. "The facility also has a multi-purpose room that seats 200 for meetings, wedding receptions and other events," says Sampson. "This is a good revenue stream for the theatre as the space is not labour intensive." Being a budget-driven project, BR2 Architecture chose minimal st yled f inishes including polished concrete floors, wood panels in the theatre and the galleries, and LED pot lights to create a stylish atmosphere. Sampson notes that the architecture is creative in its layout, maintaining a connection to the prominent site respecting sight lines to the greenbelt. "We added a lot of glazing offering vistas within the building to the north, south, east and west," explains Sampson. This project was a team effort with many people lending their expertise. "The Centre is an exciting program and we have an excellent group of consultants on the team," says Bill Smith, project manager, Clark Builders. "We look at it as an integrated project delivery, working closely with all the stakeholders. There is great energy and a lot of passion in this project that has created a positive end result." Location University of Alberta, Augustana Campus, Camrose, Alberta owner/DeveLoper City of Camrose / University of Alberta architect BR2 Architecture (formerly Barr Ryder Architects & Interior Designers) Design-BuiLD contractor Clark Builders structuraL consuLtant Read Jones Christoffersen MechanicaL/ eLectricaL consuLtant Smith + Andersen theatre consuLtant Schick Shiner and Associates Limited soLar eLectric consuLtant Howell-Mayhew Engineering, Inc. totaL area 38,000 square feet totaL cost $23 million with University in-kind contributions courtesy br2 Sustainability is a key factor for the Centre, with initiatives that fall within Green Globes certification parameters. "This building includes condensing boilers, an upgraded building envelope, underf loor ventilation in the audience chamber and high-efficiency chillers," says Smith. "The Centre is one of the few facilities in Canada that incorporates LED lighting to manage energy effectively. While it is a signifi- cant feature of the building, the original design did not include solar PV panels. The University was able to include this aspect through its sustainability funding program." The Centre was built on the University of Alberta's Augustana Campus, a satellite location for the main campus in Edmonton. "One of the most unique things about this facility is the fly tower, which is clad with 488 solar PV modules," says Smith. "This generates 122 DC kilowatts that will convert to AC through the inverter systems." During the day, the solar PV array will generate electricity for the building, and any excess electricity goes back to the grid. Gordon Howell, managing principal and solar expert with Howell-Mayhew Engineering, Inc., was pleased to be a part of the team. "Personally, I find the building fascinating because the massive amount of vertical solar modules on it is unheard of and it has been installed on the north, south, east and west sides of the tower," he says. "Normally you would never consider putting solar modules on the north side, but it is becoming more viable on non-optimal angles and directions. This shows architects, engineers and build- ing owners how f lexible solar power can be. "The Camrose Performing Arts Centre project is lead- ing the way to explain how solar PV can be integrated into buildings on a normal basis. The way electricity is rising, new buildings should, at the very least, be built to be prepared for solar in the future." Schick Shiner and Associates was an integral part of the team. "All of the LED lighting makes this facility the first of its kind in Canada," says Richard Schick, principal. "The entire rig will be LED, including the stage lighting so there will not be one incandescent light in the theatre. When I initially suggested we use this system it was not available. Thankfully technology caught up with us and we were able to install it in this project. There is a state-of-the-art sound system and the rigging system is entirely automated with winches." Schick says t hat convent iona l incandescent st age light ing t akes a great deal of power and if all of the lights were on it would consume 184 kilowatts. "By using the LED lighting we can reduce that load to 25 kilowatts. We took a gamble on deciding to go with LED, but the new fixtures are incredible." n june 2014 /99 Camrose Performing Arts Centre p.98-99 CamrosePerforming.indd 99 14-06-03 10:34 AM