Award

84 | FEBRUA RY 2015 Upper Canada College – Upper School and Boarding House Alterations Upper Canada College – Upper School and Boarding House Alterations by ROBIN BRUNET E very summer at Upper Canada Col- lege (UCC) in Toronto, students leave for vacation and work crews come in to renovate the historic Upper School and boarding house. What's remarkable is that this sum- mer-to-fall work pattern has been going on since 2007, with the same key group of professionals and many of the same sub trades. UCC's long history is characterized by relocation, expansion and renova- tion. Since its founding in 1829, it has occupied a number of sites and vari- ous structures, and the building styles have evolved from wood frame with clapboard sidings to Queen Anne-style blended with modified Elizabethan and Jacobian elements, to Romanesque Revival with gothic elements. The 115,000-square-foot Upper School, which was built in the early 1950s to replicate a building that had been con- demned, plus a nearby boarding house, are mission-critical parts of UCC. "The buildings and adjacent outdoor campus spaces have good bones, and the heavy concrete framing and Georgian elements were in great shape," says Craig Goodman, principal of CS&P Architects, which was retained by UCC to begin an overall con- cept master plan in 2006. "But the facility relied on natural ventilation, had minimal mechanical infrastructure, very minimal electrical and IT provisions, single-pane windows, and no sprinkler protection. It needed to be totally redone, floor by floor." Moreover, UCC was well aware that the classrooms ref lected a teaching style that was distinctly 20th century. If the Upper School was going to prosper, the classrooms had to be modified, "and that posed a problem, because there's only so much you can change feasibly within the tight time frames in a build- ing with a conventional classroom/ corridor structure," says Goodman. The solution evolved after extensive collaboration between UCC and the architects as well as stakeholders. "We developed the concept of an optimal learning environment that would open up the interior wherever we could," says Goodman. "It would have been great to implement 21st century teach- ing concepts within a fresh new build- ing, but in lieu of that, and because we would be installing a fully integrated new fire protection system to allow for revised categorization within the Ontario Building Code, we were able to knock down some walls and use glazing to make the classrooms more intercon- nected and visible within the building." Steve Thuringer, UCC's director of facilities, adds, "We tried to design f lexible spaces with movable furni- ture, writable surfaces and comfort- able flooring that supports a variety of teaching and learning styles, and hope- fully activates learning." A combination of budget consider- ations and the obligation to perform work during the least busy months led to UCC breaking down the renovation into a series of summer projects. "Altogether, construction would last eight or nine years, and each summer project would need to be budgeted according to what scope of work could be possible within an eight to nine week construction frame," says Goodman. James Murphy, project manager for The Dalton Company, which was selected as the project/construction manager, echoes the sentiments of his colleagues when he says of this unique work sched- ule, "We quickly developed solutions to logistical challenges: such as designing mechanical, electrical and other ele- ments during construction so that they could tie into the following summer's renovation job. And we were fortunate in that we were able to retain many of the same trades year after year." Design development takes place between September and December of every year, followed by costing, and then value engineering to meet the anticipated scope and budget. "By February we have a good idea of what to do and how much it will cost, then we go to tender and contract by March," says Thuringer. "That same month we pur- chase equipment and materials so that construction crews and sub trades can hit the ground running in June, for what is an incredibly intense 10 weeks of ren- ovation and construction. Double shifts along with weekend work are routine." The first project, in the summer of 2007, tackled attic infrastructure. "Piping , fire protection sprink ling mains, re-crafted mechanical – all these components had to be addressed first," says Goodman. During subsequent summers, the second and third floors of Upper School were renovated, and cur- rently the design team is preparing for renovation of the ground floor. Goodman and Thuringer agree that 2015 may prove to be the most chal- lenging summer yet. Goodman says, "The ground f loor has the largest degree of heritage layers such as elabo- rate millwork and panelling." Thuringer adds, "Our goal is to create a space that reflects our current culture and cele- brates our students efforts while retain- ing the heritage aspects." From Murphy's perspective, each summer has been incredibly impres- sive as there have been no major snags. "Often you come across nasty problems when you open everything up for reno- vation, but apart from finding aban- doned mechanical in the walls and old piping that went who knows where, we encountered nothing that caused any serious setbacks," he says. At peak, over 100 workers have been on site, including crews for the boarding house and the entire main floor that was demolished and rebuilt last year, just in time for the return of students. Goodman estimates that about two- thirds of the master plan is complete, with renovation of Upper School's base- ment being a "maybe," pending budget and necessity. "For me, the UCC project is noteworthy due to ensuring it is a highly integrated process with multiple consultants and clear lines of communi- cation. This degree of teamwork starts with a willing and highly active client. Thuringer is a model in this regard, as he has worked very closely with the full team on every aspect of the scope defi- nition and design resolution. Decision- making is fluid since he is so up-to-date on both the existing conditions and the design intent as it progresses." Murphy puts it another way: "Every fall when we hand back the keys to UCC, we look at each other and say, 'We did it again!'" A LOCATION 200 Lonsdale Road, Toronto, Ontario OWNER/DEVELOPER Upper Canada College ARCHITECT CS&P Architects Inc. PROJECT/CONSTRUCTION MANAGER The Dalton Company Ltd. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Halsall Associates Ltd. MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Smith + Anderson TOTAL SIZE (UPPER SCHOOL) 115,000 square feet TOTAL COST Undisclosed PHOTOGRAPHY ANDY LEE

• Cover