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AUGUST 2015 | 91 City of Surrey Operations Centre PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMA PETER/COURTESY CITY OF SURREY City of Surrey Operations Centre by ROBIN BRUNET E legant and re�ined aren't words one normally associates with a civic works yard, but those descriptions apply to the City of Surrey's new Operations Centre – a multi-phase redevelopment of an old workshop and other facilities. Better still, despite being located beside a residential neighbourhood, the project represents a visual improvement over the previous drab and dingy yard, which meant that the City of Surrey and Taylor Kurtz Architecture + Design Inc. (the architects of record) along with Rounthwaite, Dick and Hadley Architects Inc. (the design architects) encountered no pushback from locals when their rede- velopment plans were unveiled. The LEED Silver-targeted project consists of three distinct new build- ings on approximately 19 acres. First is a 95,000-square-foot East Operations Centre, comprised of a four-storey administration and Operations block as well as a single-storey workshop and support facilities block. Second is a 14,000-square-foot ware- house providing storage and loading space for Surrey's engineering, civic facilities and parks departments. The third building is a 48,000-square-foot West Fleet Maintenance complex that includes vehicle maintenance bays and related shops. Other components of the Works Yard include �leet parking, exterior covered and uncovered storage, salt/sand stor- age, brine tanks, material bins, recycling and disposal ramps/bins, plus a decant- ing facility and wash bay. City of Surrey visited many work yards in Canada and the U.S. to ensure the facility would be state of the art, and it decided early on to initiate the mam- moth project in four phases using a con- struction management delivery model provided by Graham Construction & Engineering, a JV (Graham). The �irst phase included the creation of a new staff parking lot; this was followed by new and upgraded site services, as well as foundations and superstructure for key buildings. The third phase encompassed the balance of construction of the three main buildings, and as of June 2015 Graham work crews were undertaking the fourth and �inal phase of the project: demolition of old work yard buildings. "Overall, we were working on a fairly tight site, so co-ordination between the stakeholders was vital in order to ensure proper access and parking," says Graham project manager Justin Mattioli. In fact, the project is being con- structed on two lots: Phase 1, the staff parking, was constructed on 2.38-acre lot and the main buildings are being con- structed on an 18.64-acre lot. The project was challenging in many aspects, according to Aiman Arar, City of Surrey's capital projects manager, who lists just a few of the challenges: "Co-ordinating with multiple specialty departments and stakeholders; under- standing departments' different opera- tions practices and recon�iguring them through consolidation of effective inte- gration concepts/techniques; under- standing current and future growth operations needs; addressing historical environmental aspects; and keeping the existing facility operational at all times," he says, adding that he and his team "successfully addressed" each challenge as it came. In striving for LEED Silver, the design team developed the Centre to be 40 per cent more energy ef�icient than a typical facility; this would be achieved with an advanced building management system, heat recovery units, LED light �ixtures, low-volume plumbing �ixtures, oper- able windows and fully glazed overhead doors that provide natural ventilation and deep daylight penetration into the building. The Centre would be capped by highly-re�lective roof surfaces and fully accessible intensive green roofs. Craig Taylor, president at Taylor Kurtz, says the site was "organized prag- matically" to accommodate safe vehicle movement and operational ef�iciency. "We also engaged an acoustic consul- tant to ensure that our strategies for the site would result in minimal disturbance for our residential neighbours. For this reason, we relocated the � leet build- ing – which was originally targeted to be nearer to the eastern perimeter – to the centre of the site, and this actually improved vehicle movement even fur- ther." Additionally, a series of storage buildings (currently under construc- tion) were located on the north end of the property and act as acoustic barriers. Taylor goes on to note that although pragmatism and safety were the main drivers of the design, the Operations Centre "is a very elegant and re�ined building." Inside, the building contains a four-storey atrium that draws natural light from the roof level through the of�ice �loors to the lobby at the ground level. Outside, the building consists of a cap- less structural silicone and glazed cur- tain wall with extensive fritted glazing on the of�ice and shop exteriors. A metal panel system was selected for the solid walls, while clear �inished cedar cladding highlights the faceted recessed principal entries and balconies. The wood siding extends as a primary �inish into the adja- cent lobby and waiting areas. The recessed main entrance posed a structural challenge. "A large num- ber of perimeter columns were trans- ferred right above the entry to allow for the column-free entrance," says Ivan Dionne, the engineer of record for WSP Canada Inc. (formerly Halsall Associates Ltd.). "These columns were supported on the ends of cantilevered beams that matched the facetted pro�ile of the entry. Because they supported the upper three �loors, we carefully analyzed long-term de�lections and we ended up post-ten- sioning and adding steel tie-downs to the foundation to minimize any long- term movement." Originally, the administration build- ing was planned as a structural steel building, but to meet the quick construc- tion start date Graham Construction advising switching to a concrete super- structure instead. "That way, construc- tion could begin sooner and we wouldn't have to wait months for steel procure- ment," Dionne explains. The interior of the Operations Centre uses masonry partition walls to achieve the strength and resiliency necessary for a works yard facility. However, the team wanted a �lexible and easily adapt- able space for mechanical and electrical systems. To achieve this, the masonry partitions were designed to be free standing with the tops set at about 10 feet to allow distribution above. Dionne adds that all of the Works Yard buildings were designed using post disaster principles: "Each of the build- ings has ductile lateral systems, which is key to reducing damage during a seis- mic event." With construction overall proceed- ing as planned, the redeveloped site rap- idly took shape during 2014 and 2015, and the project is expected to be fully complete by fall 2016. For his part, Aiman Arar is proud to be involved in the development. "Creativity knows no boundaries, and this is espe- cially true in Surrey Operations Centre," he says. "Flexibility, durability, accessibil- ity, affordability, and sustainability are well presented in the Centre, and I think it's an ideal example of a modern industrial facility that everyone should explore." A LOCATION 6645 - 148th Street, Surrey, B.C. OWNER/DEVELOPER City of Surrey ARCHITECTS Taylor Kurtz Architecture + Design Inc./ Rounthwaite, Dick and Hadley Architects Inc. CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Graham Construction & Engineering, a JV (Graham) STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT WSP Canada Inc. MECHANICAL/ ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Integral Group LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT PFS Studio CIVIL CONSULTANT R.F. Binnie & Associates Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 160,000 square feet (three main buildings) CONSTRUCTION COST $53 million

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