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OCTOBER 2015 | 101 Students' Union Building (SUB) – University of Alberta PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY DIALOG Students' Union Building (SUB) – University of Alberta by GODFREY BUDD A renovation of the Students' Union Building (SUB) at the University of Alberta has significantly improved the utilization of space on the two main floors and flooded the lower one with daylight for the first time. In response to demands for bet- ter quality space and more of it, the Students' Union had looked at vari- ous options including expanding SUB. The building, which is over 200 feet long, includes three main floors, which were the focus of the lion's share of the renovation project, and an eight-storey tower at one end, with a floor plate of about 5,000 square feet. "What was a basement is now an additional main f loor," says Marc Dumouchel, general manager of the Students' Union. Since 1993, SUB has undergone two renovations and one expansion, which together have resulted in increased usage, a greater role for SUB as a key meeting point for the University com- munity, and provision of a one-stop facility for non-academic student ser- vices. But Dumouchel notes that several issues had emerged in recent years: a need for more student R & R space; more light at the lower level; and a need for better study areas and access to student services on the lower level. "One of the traditional ideas of the student centre is that it houses the main living room of the campus. So we've made the living room bigger. The space for the services unit is now better organized. A suite of student meeting rooms of various sizes has been created. Also, an outdoor space, aka a patio, now runs along the south side of the building," says Dumouchel. The entire SUB has about 250,000 square feet of floor space. In tandem with the changing fads, fashions and student requirements over the decades, the building's uses have evolved consid- erably. Today's meeting rooms, student services, clubs, study and relaxation areas on the lower level were once home to a curling rink and a bowling alley, both long gone. By providing better access to ser- vices, meeting rooms, bookable spaces and some of the 400 student groups at the University, the re-design of the lower level's layout supports a key goal of the renovation – encouraging student involvement in campus groups, events and volunteer opportunities. A new atrium with a triple-glazed spider glass system along much of the south face of the two main floors of SUB transforms the lower level from a 24/7 light-bulb- or fluorescent-dependency into a more salubrious locale enjoying the benefits of daylight. It also signifi- cantly modifies the architectural aspect that the building presents to the outside, Dumouchel suggests. Referencing some of the design fashions and influences that were prominent in the 1960s, when SUB was originally designed, he says, "The atrium softens the starkness of the mod- ernism of other parts of the building." Improved lighting and atmosphere were central to the design mandate for the renovation. "On the south face, we exposed part of the basement area to daylight via an extended outdoor area or courtyard space that extended east and west along the south facade," says Stephen Boyd, a principal and architect at DIALOG. The bi-level makeover at SUB also bet- ter accommodates the movement of stu- dents and others between the main and lower level floors. What might be called a "social stairway" was installed within the atrium area. This includes both reg- ular stairs and bleacher-type cascading levels, equal to about three steps at a time, next to the regular stairway. "It's like an amphitheatre. The stairs are about 10-metres wide. The amphitheatre extends outside as well. Winter sun can now penetrate into both the main and basement levels," Boyd says. The courtyard, he says, is suitable for both organized events and as a social hub. Although the project did not entail much structural alteration, a site inves- tigation was done that included a review of the mechanical systems around the perimeter because of the limitations of the available documentation. The HVAC system, Boyd notes, had been designed originally to accommodate the bowling alley and curling rink. The design team believed that the existing HVAC system had the capacity to properly moderate the changed areas with SUB. Loads were shifted or moved around to deal with the building's mod- ifications. Changes that could impact HVAC needs included the removal of earth from the south wall, which used to be buried, and shifting entrance locations. "So we re-distributed exist- ing loads by changing how they were deployed. The renovation resulted in more thermal gain in some areas and more heat loss in others. So we essen- tially didn't have to revise the existing HVAC systems," Boyd says. Today, on average, some 15,000 to 25,000 people visit SUB each week day during the regular academic semester. The renovation was completed this summer but much of the work was during the academic year. That meant SUB remained a high-traffic area for much of the project. "We were on site for two years. The adjacent east-west road- way had to stay in operation throughout the project. This had to be shored up prior to the excavation, which extended the lower level southward. Utilities, gas and electrical, had to be relocated and worked around," says Wayne McDaniel, project manager with Carlson Construction Ltd. Crews cut through the existing foun- dations to extend the lower level, and also removed most of the lower level's original south wall, which ran parallel to the roadway. Roadwork closed half the roadway on weekends in order to install a new storm drainage line. The project was far from straight- forward, says Bruce Foster, president of Carlson Construction. "The biggest chal- lenge was safety – not just for the work- ers but also for students, professors and other university staff. We conducted a daily review of safety measures. I am happy to say we got through the project without a single mishap." A LOCATION 8900 – 114 Street, Edmonton, Alberta OWNER/DEVELOPER University of Alberta Students' Union ARCHITECT/ STRUCTURAL/MECHANICAL/ ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT DIALOG GENERAL CONTRACTOR Carlson Construction Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 250,000 square feet TOTAL COST $14 million

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