Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/354800
New Student Residence – W. Ross Macdonald School by James Raiswell PHOTO: RENATO FOTI LOCATION 350 Brant Avenue, Brantford, Ontario OWNER Infrastructure Ontario PROJECT MANAGER EllisDon Corporation ARCHITECT MMMC Architects GENERAL CONTRACTOR PCR Contractors Inc. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Tacoma Engineers ELECTRICAL/MECHANICAL/ LEED CONSULTANT Jain & Associates Ltd. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Roth Associates Landscape Architecture Inc. TOTAL AREA 54,000 square feet TOTAL COST Undisclosed M ore than one-million Canadians experience some form of a sig- nificant reduction in vision that affects their lives and that cannot be corrected by eyeglasses or contact lenses. Happily, institutions such as the W. Ross Macdonald School (WRMS) in Brantford, Ontario make the process of learning – and living – with vision loss much easier. WRMS is the only residential day school program in the province that caters to the specific needs of students who suffer from vision loss or are deaf- blind. Today, nearly 200 students aged five to 21 years are enrolled among its elementary and secondary programs. Because of the particular nature of the services it provides, WRMS attracts students from across Ontario. Some commute from as far as 70-kilometres away; others live on-site at one of the school's seven residence buildings. In order to accommodate its students in accessible facilities, the school com- missioned construction of a new resi- dence building. The Ontario Ministry of Education and the school approached Infrastructure Ontario (IO) to help procure experts to plan, design, build and oversee the project. IO has worked closely with the contractors and the school throughout the process to ensure the residence meets the needs and expectations of the client. Construction of the three-storey, 54,000-square-foot facility began in October 2012 and is scheduled for completion in September – in time for the beginning of the new school year. "From the outset, the members of the ownership team were very clear that a high-quality residence for the blind was needed," says Josh Bedard, project architect at MMMC Architects. "More importantly, the stakeholders clearly articulated at each bi-weekly design meeting that, above all else, the new residence had to meet the needs of the students." To deepen the knowledge of accessi- ble design, MMMC Architects consulted with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. They consulted the institute for not only reference materials, but also a tour of its new Toronto headquarters. The experience enabled MMMC's design- ers to propose a series of important rec- ommendations to the staff at WRMS for inclusion into the facility. For example, the building's layout is simple and intuitive. All walls stand at right angles to one another for ease of navigation. A black trail rail runs along the main corridors to help guide partially sighted students. The build- ing's central atrium is flooded by natu- ral light, which, says senior structural engineer Nathan Proper of Tacoma Engineers, adds beauty to the building and serves as a key wayfinding element. Even the finishes chosen for the building serve distinct purposes. Floor- ing finishes feature contrasting colours and textures to alert students of upcom- ing directional changes or obstructions. Special window glazing distributes light evenly throughout the building and reduces the distracting effects of glare, while varying bold paint colours help differentiate among floors. The building's 76 beds are divided among a series of six- and eight-bed apartments. Two are located on the ground f loor, which features many of the building's common amenities, such as the reception, computer class- room, activity rooms and music room. The second and third floor layouts are identical. Each features four eight-bed apartments, as well as an office, student lounge, study room and computer classroom. Outside, landscape architects were mindful to create a setting for the build- ing that was engaging as well as easy to navigate. "We were able to create a nat- ural classroom adjacent the residence using Carolinian tree and meadow species that engage smell, touch and sound," says Brian Roth of Roth Associ- ates Landscape Architecture Inc. The precise location of the residence cre- ates a sheltered courtyard for outdoor- programming use. In the courtyard and around the building, walkways are laid in straight lines and building entrances delineated by textured paving. Walk- way intersections are used as teaching aids, incorporating features of urban sidewalks. Further adding to the special nature of the new WRMS residence building is the fact that it has been designed to achieve LEED Silver certification. Kerry Tom, a senior project manager with IO, says the agency is committed to creating sustainable buildings across the province. To that end, the building features a ground-source geothermal heating and cooling system, and a rain- water-harvesting system that feeds all new toilets and urinals. "We placed a strong emphasis on indoor air quality by specifying low-emitting materials and finishes," adds Brad Hollebrandse, a sustainability consultant with Jain & Associates Ltd. "We also tried as much as possible to incorporate high-recycled content and regional construction mate- rials throughout." Helping to guide the project to completion is the project-management team from EllisDon Corporation. Bill McCreery, project manager, attributes the project's success to EllisDon's part- nering approach. "Partnering is success- ful when it is carried through every level of the team from the general contractor and subcontractors all the way through the designers to the owner," he says. "Strong leadership from the owner's project manager and the total commit- ment of everybody involved to work together has helped us deliver the best possible facility. This new residence represents excellent value and has been built with quality materials that will last through the years." R iko Soesanto, a project man- ager with general contractors PCR Contractors Inc., says that communica- tion undoubtedly helped keep the proj- ect on schedule over the past two years, but the initiative was not without its challenges. Working on a busy school campus that serves students with vision loss and students who are deaf blind means that the contracting team had to take special care to ensure safety. "We recruited an additional security guard to monitor every entrance and exit of our site," Soesanto explains. "We also consulted with the IO facility man- ager to ensure our construction work did not conflict with student learning." n AUGUST 2014 /109 New Student Residence – W. Ross Macdonald School