Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/607779
DECEMBER 2015 | 89 Brewing Instructional Laboratory (BIL) – Kwantlen Polytechnic University PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY KWANTLEN POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY Brewing Instructional Laboratory (BIL) – Kwantlen Polytechnic University by NATALIE BRUCKNER-MENCHELLI A state-of-the-art laboratory at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) in B.C. is brewing up quite a storm. Located on the west side of the Langley Campus is the brand new 4,510-square- foot, single-storey Brewing Instructional Laboratory (BIL) – an applied learning initiative comprising laboratory and teaching space for the new brewing and brewery operations program. The building has been designed to be a seamless addition to campus. "The lab better defines the Applied Science pre- cinct by aligning with the science wing's northwest elevation and the campus Ring Road," says John Wall, principal, PUBLIC Architecture + Communication. "The building's south entrance aligns with an existing secondary entrance to the science wing, allowing easy access bet ween classroom and laboratory spaces. A large north facing window looks into the research lab and show- cases the interesting brewing equip- ment and students at work." Rob Hall at Bush, Bohlman & Partners, structural consultant on the project, says the building has been constructed using metal roof deck spanning to open web steel joists that are supported by rein- forced masonry walls. PUBLIC chose simple massing for the exterior that relates to the established architectural expression of the campus. At its base is a brown brick that matches the existing brick base datum and a light metal roof encloses the high-bay laboratory space. In addition, the mechanical air han- dling unit is located in an interior mechanical room at the mezzanine level rather than on the rooftop. "This mini- mizes visible rooftop mechanical equip- ment and acts as a noise buffer from the equipment," says Trevor Wong, KPU's manager of capital projects. "The sloped roof is oriented towards the south entry door and to the west main entrance to the existing building." As the building is located on the Langley flood plain it had to be raised 1.25 metres above the existing grades to prevent any future flooding. "A light- weight fill material was used in the low lying areas," explains Gary Stewart, VP at Magil Construction Pacific Inc., gen- eral contractor on the project. "The existing soils consist of soft clayey silt deposits that would settle over time with the additional weight of site fill. The building footprint was over excavated and the site raised with light- weight vesicular basalt till to compen- sate for the additional till weight above the existing grade," adds Hall. Working to a tight schedule during the Lower Mainland's rainy season meant making the building watertight was essential. "We overcame this by erecting a scaffolded canopy across the whole of the building to enable the interior works to progress," explains Stewart. Head on inside the building and there are a number of unique visible and non- visible elements. "When you first enter the space, you are immediately in the pro- cess lab where all of the practical learning takes place. Large north facing windows bring in ample natural light that is ideal for laboratories where glare from south facing windows is a problem," says Wong. Using passive design principles the team was able to reduce building energy requirements and maintain occupancy comfort. The building has high ther- mal mass, compact building form, high insulation values, no thermal bridging and less than 30 per cent glazed area. "Incorporating minimal glazing on the south of the building controls heat gains while north-facing monitors provide an even natural daylight for the instruc- tional space," says Wong. All KPU campuses have an estab- lished recycling program. "BIL composts organic byproducts from the brew- ing process," explains Wong. "Building materials were specified to have high recycled content, including concrete, glass, aluminum and steel building ele- ments. Any used materials were depa- rated and recycled accordingly." The building features various high- tech equipment including a 4hl Pilot Brewing System donated by brewing equipment manufacturer NSI Newlands and incorporates a whirlpool that sepa- rates protein and hops from the liquor through a channel that allows effec- tive draining for high efficiency. A wort calandria boiling system involved a sig- nificant amount of engineering to scale the equipment to the size required for the brew lab. To minimize odours, an interior process forces air through a fil- ter prior to exterior exhaust. The dry storage hopper feed posed a particular challenge as it had to pen- etrate the fire-rated wall into the lab. "Special fireproofing had to be manu- factured to get over this issue," says Stewart. "Other challenges included the integration of the donated brewing equipment from NSI. The large pieces of machinery had to be delivered to the site after the building was watertight and the building skin was complete. The large brewhouse had to have the valves removed in order that the equip- ment could be transported into the lab through the loading dock with inches to spare." Due to the nature of the building and to simulate a typical Cottage Brewery application, a number of state-of-the- art mechanical systems were selected including a process steam boiler plant complete with a packaged down flow steam boiler, condensate receiver/hot well and feed water pump, a glycol cool- ing unit, controls and piping serving the fermentation vessels. Also trench drain- age systems were provided through- out the process areas to ensure a clean, dry environment. "The mechanical system design introduced the students to wastewa- ter management, health department requirements, industrial safety depart- ment requirements, chemical handling and the aspects of producing beer in an institution normally associated with classroom learning," explains Phil Rempel from Rocky Point Engineering Ltd., the mechanical consultant. The integration of the mechanical and electrical construction with the brewing equipment was unusual and constituted additional work at the end of the project. "The brewing equipment has a steam boiler supply which is not the norm in this type of medium sized project," says Stewart. When it came to the landscaping, Magil Construction Pacific Inc. and Hapa Collaborative worked together to ensure an existing row of street trees along the internal ring road was main- tained with a generous building setback. The landscape design for the gardens adjacent to the front of the building are inspired by the origins of beer; a green wall of climbing hops vines adorns the south side of the building planted by KPU's School of Horticulture. "The architect's use of existing mate- rials on campus seamlessly integrates the new building with its surroundings and is a testament to KPU's variety of applied learning programs," says Wong. "The incredible creativity, co-operation and commitment by our design team, the City of Langley and the general con- tractor ensured construction was com- pleted in six months." A LOCATION 20901 Langley Bypass, Langley, B.C. OWNER/DEVELOPER/ PROJECT MANAGER Kwantlen Polytechnic University ARCHITECT PUBLIC: Architecture + Communication GENERAL CONTRACTOR/ LANDSCAPE CONSULTANT Magil Construction Corporation PROCUREMENT CONSULTANT MHPM Project Managers Inc. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Bush, Bohlman & Partners LLP MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Rocky Point Engineering Ltd. ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Jarvis Engineering Consultants Ltd. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Hapa Collaborative TOTAL SIZE 4,510 square feet TOTAL COST $2.1 million