Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/493534
A PR IL 2015 | 85 Mountain Equipment Co-op Headquarters PHOTOGRAPHY ED WHITE/COURTESY WOOD WORKS BC Mountain Equipment Co-op Headquarters by ZUZANNA WODZYNSKA M ountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) has moved into its stunning new headquarters on Great Northern Way in Vancouver, B.C. The previous head office may have answered the outdoor retailer's needs at the outset, but the company's growth has since exceeded its capabilities. The new cen- tre of operations not only accommodates about 300 staff and has room for further growth, but it also gives MEC the chance to create a headquarters that represents its core values to inspire employees. "If we're going to delight our mem- bers, the staff who are delivering that need to be excited about doing it," says Sandy Treagus, CFO at MEC. "This was our opportunity to provide our staff with a work environment that facilitates the energy and spirit of service that is key to our company's culture." Located near the VCC-Clark Skytrain station and initially set for industrial development, the site was rezoned to CD-1 to allow for office use. The building has a glass, wood and steel facade, and is comprised of two slender bars that intersect at a 40-degree angle to optimize exposure to natural light. One arm is four-sto- reys high, while the other is three. A unique water feature draws the eye to the main entrance where the spacious high-ceiling lobby greets both visitors and staff. Beyond this sits the heart of the building: a steel, wood and glass stair- case in the atrium of the two intersect- ing geometries. During the integrated design process, an analysis was made of who needed to talk to whom on a departmental basis and instead of cre- ating a wide floorplan to accommodate each need, vertical proximities were enabled through this central artery. The building does have an elevator, but it was placed behind the natural line of sight to encourage use of this central stairwell. "One of the big problems of running a big office is that you end up with depart- ments that don't even talk to each other," explains Hugh Cochlin, lead archi- tect on the project from Proscenium Architect ure + Interiors Inc. " We wanted to create a scenario where peo- ple have to go up through this vertical line of connection and placed the cof- fee stations around it to pull everyone toward the area." Fur t her encourag ing t he f low through the building, the kitchen and eating area were placed on the fourth f loor with a roof top patio afford- ing beautiful views of Downtown Vancouver, the North Shore mountains and the adjacent rail yards. Many other considerations were taken to encourage employees' well- ness. For instance, the new headquar- ters features bike storage, a bouldering room, a rooftop garden and an all-pur- pose room with gym equipment and space for daily fitness and yoga classes. Individual workstations have several set ups to accommodate various needs and desks can be switched between seated and standing modes. "The staff who do clerical work, who are more often desk-bound, have been placed by the windows and have the benefit of the natural light," comments Treagus. "The management team gen- erally occupy the central spine since they're more likely to be in meetings and moving around." Narrow f loor- plates, extensive glazing and white- washed ceilings ensure that natural light penetrates the centre of the build- ing, even on grey days. MEC employees can find further inspiration from a long list of sustain- able elements. "A sophisticated Building Management System [BMS] computer with thousands of sensors and actua- tors collects information about current conditions in the building," says Bruce Bird, senior project manager at Ventana Construction Corporation. "Through analysis of the information from these sensors, the BMS controls the building environment by adjusting tempera- ture and humidity, opening and closing motorized blinds, pressurizing stair- wells, exhausting air and adjusting the brightness of lighting fixtures." The state-of-the-art BMS certainly optimizes energy efficiency, but passive systems were used whenever possible. Three wind towers, which monitor wind direction and move accordingly, capture air and bring it down to the basement. It is then filtered, heated or cooled at need and released through the floor plenums, supplying uniformly fresh air using less electrical energy than traditional systems. LOCATION 1077 Great Northern Way, Vancouver, B.C. OWNER Investors Group DEVELOPER Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) ARCHITECT Proscenium Architecture + Interiors Inc. GENERAL CONTRACTOR Ventana Construction Corporation STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Fast + Epp MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Pageau Morel and Associates Inc. CIVIL CONSULTANT Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Sharp & Diamond Landscape Architecture Inc. TOTAL AREA 112,000 square feet TOTAL COST $35 million