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OCTOBER 2015 | 87 Aurora Hall and Crowsnest Hall – University of Calgary PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Aurora Hall and Crowsnest Hall – University of Calgary by ZUZANNA WODZYNSKA T he University of Calgary has two new residence halls to welcome students this year. Construction for both buildings began in November of 2013 as part of the University's Residence Services Master Plan, a long-term plan- ning initiative involving full consulta- tion and engagement with students, faculty and staff. Crowsnest Hall is named after the first and most significant passage built through the Rocky Mountain range, connecting Alberta to B.C. Fittingly, the hall is an H-shaped building made up of two towers, seven and 11-storeys high respectively, with a one-storey link con- nection at the main floor. Graduate students are able to choose from a variety of apartment options at Crowsnest, from studios to two-bed- rooms, each with a private bath and full kitchen. A total of 390 beds is available for rent. "This facility was designed to meet the needs of the academic com- munity and define a new, competitive option for housing at the University of Calgary," says Neil Mackenzie, architec- tural project manager on the project at NORR Architects Engineers Planners. Shared facilit ies at Crowsnest include various bookable study rooms, a music room fitted with a piano and an event kitchen on the main floor. The second residence, Aurora Hall, is named after both the Northern Lights and a mountain peak in the Rockies, continuing the University's tradition of naming residences after features found in the prominent mountain range. Aurora Hall has a unique, triangular pinwheel configuration for its nine- storey plus basement structure. Here, third and fourth year undergraduate students live in shared suites with a full kitchen and bath. There is a total of 268 beds on offer. Suites range from one- to three-bed- room arrangements, with double-height social lounges on each floor and single- height academic lounges. This commu- nal study and social space promotes internal interaction between students and creates a strong connection to the external environment. "Aurora Hall is also connected to the Dining Centre and the Residence Services office through an underground tunnel system," notes Mackenzie. "Students can go virtually anywhere on campus without going out- side – an important consideration given Calgary's cold winters." In warmer months, however, both students and public will be able to take full advantage of Crowsnest Hall's edible landscape, including 31 apple trees of different varieties. "Over the course of a typical growing season, we'll get a spec- tacular display of apple blossoms in the early spring, a continuous crop of ber- ries throughout the early summer and a bounty of apples when the students return to school in the fall," remarks Michael Magnan, lead landscape archi- tect on the project from O2 Planning + Design Inc. Aurora Hall, meanwhile, has been built on an aspen stand that had existed long before the University was con- structed. Concerns were raised and agreement reached that a new aspen forest should be planted in the areas surrounding the new building in its stead. "Prior to clearing the site, we col- lected close to two thousand aspen cut- tings and had a local nursery grow the cuttings for the past three years; they were planted this fall," says Magnan. "This is an excellent example of how biodiversity and local cultivars can be preserved in the future." As they approach either building, residents and visitors can enjoy native shrubs and grasses as opposed to more conventional turf grass lawns. Instead, there is a custom blend of fescue species that grow well without irrigation and regular mowing. Using native plants also helps save water and provides habitat for birds, small mammals and insects, contributing to the overall sus- tainability of the project. "At the University of Calgary, our facilities are responsible for a large por- tion of our environmental footprint and have a significant impact on the health, comfort and satisfaction of the people that live, work and play here," notes Adam Stoker, sustainability consultant at the University. "For these residences, this team is focused on creating build- ings that provide the healthiest possible environment for students, while mini- mizing the use of energy and water, and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions." Water efficient plumbing fixtures help both halls reduce their water con- sumption by more than 30 per cent, and usage is further minimized by using reclaimed water from the University's chilling loop for outdoor use, rather than potable water. Residents are also involved as the buildings are outfitted with both a garbage chute and a single stream mixed recycling chute, allowing students to participate in the campus- wide recycle program. "These are the first projects on cam- pus to have greenhouse gas emissions design targets," states Stoker. "The new residence buildings will emit less than 100 kilograms of carbon dioxide per square metre annually." Some basic efficiency measures include suite occupancy sensors to dial back suite temperatures when not occu- pied, extensive use of LED lighting to reduce energy costs, and the metering of all building services including hot water, chilled water, domestic cold water, natu- ral gas and electric power. "A number of sophisticated techni- cal solutions were also incorporated into the work," says Mackenzie. "For instance, the electrical systems were reconfigured to reduce the number of electrical transformers from one per floor to one per building, saving both first and ongoing costs." In addition, variable frequency drive (VFD) in-suite fan coil units optimize energy use and ventilation air require- ments. VFDs were also used elsewhere in the buildings to minimize energy use and extend equipment life. For central hot water, chilled water and domestic water, direct bury pip- ing ties into the campus-wide system instead of using tunnels. "For t y per cent of the average North American's carbon footprint is due to direct energy use, while 60 per cent is indirect, through the goods and services we buy and use," reflects Adrian Todeila, lead structural engi- neer on the project at NORR. "The choice of materials for the two buildings has been made with the idea of durabil- ity in mind, therefore reducing the car- bon footprint in the long run, before the building was even occupied." Reinforced concrete was selected as the material of choice, resulting in the most cost efficient structural system for both complexes. Todeila explains that while this type of construction is known to be used for similar applications, the uniqueness of the triangular pinwheel f loor plate on Aurora Hall made the design that much more challenging. "Concrete reinforcement is usually placed in an orthogonal pattern, allow- ing simplicity of construction through regularity," continues Todeila. "Through special attention to the design, we were able to find avenues to detail the rein- forcement to suit the means and meth- ods of construction, resulting in an elegant design solution conducive to improved productivity on site." A raft foundation was placed, using approximately the same volume of concrete as the originally intended individual spread footings, but which negated the need for detailed excava- tion and formwork for all the footings. Moreover, since the raft slab was used as the basement slab, there was no need for an additional slab-on-grade and the associated subgrade. From the foundations to the finish- ing touches, no detail was too small for the teams creating the residence halls to inspire and house their resident stu- dents. Both buildings have an electric fireplace in the shared living space on their respective main floor, and each fireplace surround includes beautifully cut sandstone. A LOCATIONS Crowsnest Hall: 250 Collegiate Blvd NW, Calgary, Alberta Aurora Hall: 3272 24th Ave NW, Calgary, Alberta OWNER/DEVELOPER/ LEED CONSULTANT University of Calgary ARCHITECT/ STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT NORR Architects Engineers Planners BRIDGING DESIGN ARCHITECT LM Architectural Group DESIGN BUILDER CANA Construction MECHANICAL CONSULTANT MPE Engineering Ltd. ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT MCW Hemisphere Ltd. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT O2 Planning + Design BRIDGING DESIGN PRIME CONSULTANT LM Architectural Group TOTAL SIZE Crowsnest Hall: 18,188 square metres Aurora Hall: 12,464 square metres TOTAL COST $85 million

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