Award

per manent and est ablished. " T he plaza has three frontages," he says, "with MacDonald slated to become a smaller scale street with entertain- ment and restaurants; Franklin, which is the main artery and cuts through the city; and Hardin, which is set for high- density development. Because the city experiences extreme weather swings, traditional building systems do not have the longev it y that is needed. Most of the structures are piled deep into the ground and we were able to use some of the old structures to help suspend the plaza to make it non-sus- ceptible to freeze-thaw cycles." The sedimentary rocks beneath the plaza helped with the choice of materi- als used for the infrastructure elements and landscaping – the trees will pro- vide shade and a connection to nature, and because the growth is expected to increase the height of the existing build- ings from one and two storeys to up to 40 storeys, the acoustics for the plaza were designed to match future growth. The Weather Catcher, a 17.5-metre- tall stainless steel beacon, will be a key feature of the project. "It celebrates the poetic qualities of seasonal change in Fort McMurray and can showcase the weather conditions experienced throughout the year," says Ryan. "It has various mist and fog fea- tures and can ultimately be covered in ice. It's an ephemeral sculpture com- posed of a set of stainless steel elements forming a diffuse structure of segments, meshes and cables designed to register an array of natural conditions in which water plays a central role in various states, from crystallization of snow and ice in winter to rain, fog and mist in summer." Ryan adds, "The water system can give off cooling mist in the summer and for the spring and fall, it can be wrapped almost like a lantern for a light and shadow effect. A highlight in the winter season is when the Weather Catcher is transformed into a sheet of ice capable of video and lighting projections – and a perfect backdrop for movies." The plaza also has a Pan-Canadian theme in terms of materials with the timber stage manufactured in B.C., the Weather Catcher cast and assembled in Ontario and the steel framing for the movable stage from Edmonton. As the various pieces are needed, they have been shipped to the site for rapid installation. Quadrangle Architects Ltd. pro- vided the design for the revamp of the 300 Building for Public Work, the for- mer brick clad library attached to city hall, which had no windows or street entrance and was below grade. "Our design has the building opening up into the plaza and being a hub space for activities," says Steve Paynter, proj- ect architect, who was part of a team including Richard Witt, the principal in charge, and intern architect Giulia Rosanova. "We are giving it a modern feel and making it come alive. A lot of our work in Toronto has involved the adap- tive re-use of buildings and that experi- ence is helping us here." The new design has three-quarters of base wall section removed and replaced with a sliding glass wall to create a seam- less transition to the plaza, and within it is divided into three sections – the café – the largest part - on the south side; the McMurray Experience on the north side, which features interactive exhib- its of the past, present and future of the city; and the hidden audio-visual con- trol room (central part) for the Weather Catcher and other infrastructure. "In the summer the cafe space will spill out onto the plaza and brickwork will appear to be a f loating canopy," says Paynter. "For the interior finishes, we brought in the exterior materials, including an angled timber soffit that matches the timber used in the moving platform and the use of ceramic tiles that match the colour and dimensions of the concrete tiles in the plaza. The rest of the inside is almost core and shell, with the floating element hidden in plain sight, and the ceiling brought down to enhance the effect. The key is that you still see the shape and form of the old building and how it has been modernized and updated for its new role." PCL Const r uc t ion Management began construction in March 2014 and expects to complete the job in late Octo- ber. Installing the underground infra- structure was the first step, including new catch basins. "There will be some sandblasted con- crete surfaces to give it some texture," says Clive Hockley, PCL's senior project manager, "but the hard landscaping is pretty much all natural stone. We placed weeping tiles around the perimeter to ensure the plaza does not get water- logged because there is bedding sand underneath the granite cobbles. We also installed a raised plaza set on continuous flight augured piles – some of which are 13-metres deep. On top of the piles is a grid of galvanized steel forming the sus- pended plaza area, onto which we placed precast concrete panels to which the natural stone forming the plaza is laid." PCL also cast a number of grade beams onsite. The concrete surround- ing the boreal planter landscaping was shaped by PCL crews to provide tiered- level seating. The confined site, although a challenge, is not a problem for PCL crews and subcontractors. "It's an intensive project that has required very detailed scheduling due to the size of the project site," says Hockley. "For example, we're self-performing the concrete work and carried out some of the initial work in the winter months to make the site less congested when oth- ers came onto the site." ■ Location MacDonald Avenue, Fort McMurray, Alberta owner/DeveLoper Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo architect Quadrangle Architects Ltd. generaL contractor PCL Construction Management Inc. structuraL/MechanicaL/ eLectricaL consuLtant Mott MacDonald urBan Design/LanDscape architecture Public Work totaL area 30,500 square feet totaL cost $16.9 million reNDerINGs: puBLIc WorK october 2014 /67 Jubilee Plaza

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