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J UNE 2015 | 81 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY MTS ALLSTREAM MTS Data Centre studs, allowing for reduced structural depth," says Tom Malkiewicz, a princi- pal at Crosier Kilgour & Partners. He adds that additional clear space for greater f lexibility on the second floor was achieved by eliminating every second column to the roof, producing a 50-foot clear span. Carlson Commercial & Industrial Services Ltd. played a major role in the project looking after framing, drywall, pairing and decorating, raised access f loor, industrial coatings and custom ceilings. In fact, taking on this many roles for a project was a first for Carlson, but one that went very smoothly. "One of the major challenges for us was ensuring the Data Centre access floor grid lined up with the load-bear- ing data ceiling. This ensures all floor- mounted equipment is perfectly aligned for cable trays and ventilation," says Dan Bartmanovich, commercial sales man- ager at Carlson. Floors and ceilings are not the only above-average strength components of the MTS Data Centre. The design strategy for the exterior aims at simplicity with clean detailing, says Barrie Ottenbreit, a partner at Number TEN Architectural Group. But, as he notes, elements of the envelope are very robust. "We used an exterior insulation and vapour barrier. Metal panels cover the insulation. The majority of the back-up is non-load bear- ing concrete block," he says. He cites strength, durability and fire- proof among its advantages. Two differ- ent profiles are used for the exterior, a white horizontal and a vertical grey. "These help break down building mass- ing and give it a presence on the street," Ottenbreit says. Besides the deliberately restrained exterior look of the building, its pres- ence is perhaps further muted by a six- foot-high berm that partially obscures a 10-foot-high steel fence that surrounds the centre and grounds. "The berm, in conjunction with tree planting, reduces the profile of the fence and building, and helps to screen the service yard area," says Allan Beech, associate at HTFC Planning & Design. Construction, which began in May 2014, was done on a very tight time line. Klassen of MTS says that the application of an EPC approach with a single com- pany made for a streamlined process. "Ehvert are very much team oriented and work in an extremely collaborative fashion with the subtrades. Their progres- sive thinking resulted in a very smooth running project," says Bartmanovich. A

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