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A PR IL 2016 | 73 Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning – University of Calgary RENDERING/+ PHOTOGRAPHY BY RILEY BRANDT/COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning – University of Calgary by ROBIN BRUNET "S triking" and "one of a kind" are some of the words being used to describe the University of Calgary's new Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning; and while these adjectives are all too familiar in the design field, Taylor is a rare example of a building whose visual appeal and practical function come close to defying description. Constructed on the foundations of the former Nickle Arts Museum, the 40,000-square-foot edifice immediately catches the eye at street level, seemingly afloat on its foundations due to extensive glazing throughout, and bisected by a rectangular glazed atrium that juts out dramatically as a defining architectural feature. The programs at the Taylor Institute are focused on researching the most effective methods for engaging students, by supporting faculty to be the best teachers they can be. The University of Calgary decided that this uncommon but vital pursuit required an innovative learning space – which is why when people enter the atrium, they are immediately captivated by the sight of wood and glass pods suspended throughout that serve as meeting spaces; bridges; and sunlight streaming through glass-walled offices and public areas. Nancy Chick, academic director at the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, explains, "Transparency, flexibility and open learning are at the core of our programs, and this building perfectly supports these concepts. Quite frankly, when I walked through the atrium for the first time, I was speechless." Taylor evolved roughly at the same time as the University of Calgary's Eyes High strategic direction, which gave rise to the programs that would be conducted at the facility. "As our president, Elizabeth Cannon, and vice- provost of teaching, Lynn Taylor, led the Eyes High development, talk started about creating a new place of learning," says Chick. An institute for teaching and learning was featured as a key initiative in the Academic Plan, which provided a "roadmap" for achieving Eyes High. By 2012, the university's architect, Jane Ferrabee, was organizing the talent for the project. "We chose Diamond Schmitt Architects as the lead designers and Gibbs Gage Architects as the architects of record because of their experience and strength as a team," she says. "CANA Construction had an equally strong reputation as a go-to company for general contracting services, and we were fortunate to retain them. "At this stage, we had our budget, we knew the building would fit on the foundations of the Nickle Arts Museum, and we knew it had to be visually intriguing." With flexibility in mind, the Diamond Schmitt team created a design that would enable walls, floors and furniture to be transformed based on the needs of the students. A public intellectual space was created that could be set up as a theatre, a flat-floor dance studio, a public lecture hall, or a student gathering hub, with risers, floors and walls constantly re-configured to best meet the demands of the user. The design also emphasized the influx of as much natural light as possible, in order to accommodate the different configurational possibilities of Taylor's interior spaces. But the true centrepiece of the Taylor Institute is the atrium, which the Diamond Schmitt team designed to run down the centre of the building with two exposed Vierendeel trusses each 220-feet long and 27-feet high as the focal point. Keri Himmelreich, director of building science and production manager for Gibbs Gage Architects, points out that as dramatic as the Taylor Institute's architectural components may be, they were the outcome "of intensive consultation with user groups and stakeholders." Not surprisingly, bringing the design to life on site posed numerous challenges, starting with the Nickle. "Initially we wanted to use a lot of that building, but its condition and our budget meant that it would be more feasible just to use the existing foundation," says Himmelreich. The Museum was demolished in August 2013 – with 90 per cent of the material being recycled to meet LEED Gold standards – and construction on Taylor began in February 2014, by which time a significant amount of pre-planning had been done. "Each of two trusses was transported to site in five pieces," says CANA construction manager Nick Konicek. "At site, we welded a pair of two pieces together, lifted them in place with a three triple crane lift procedure, with the fifth section being welded in place and repeated the process for the other truss." Konicek credits structural engineer Entuitive for helping make Diamond Schmitt's atrium a reality. The former notes that "The biggest challenge of the project was structure, with multiple exposed structural elements such as glulam beams, exposed steel connections and of course the trusses. We even had precast concrete bleachers and glulam beams attached to the atrium truss." Building Information Modeling (BIM) was vital in preventing potential clashes between the architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing components. As the trusses went up on the north side of the building over a two month period, CANA crews hurried to close the south side of the building – thus avoiding the problems associated with Calgary's frigid winters. Much later, acoustic millwork was used to help mitigate noise in Taylor's very public spaces. Ferrabee cites SMP Engineering and Smith + Andersen Engineering (Calgary) "for really extending themselves in helping us build to LEED Gold standards and enabling us to have the most advanced teaching technology available [over 100 in-slab boxes for audio-visual, power and communications technologies were installed to allow flexibility with future systems]." As for climate control, air levels in the building are adjusted based on usage through an ultra-efficient mechanical system, while occupancy sensors control the heating and cooling. Ferrabee says, "Together, we were able to bring Taylor in under budget and two months ahead of schedule." To which Chick enthuses, "The building is in every way symbolic of what we believe in teaching. Quite simply, there's not another one remotely like it." A LOCATION University of Calgary, 434 Collegiate Blvd. NW, Calgary, Alberta OWNER/DEVELOPER University of Calgary PROJECT MANAGER Bernelle Construction Management Ltd. CONSTRUCTION MANAGER CANA Construction ARCHITECTS Gibbs Gage Architects / Diamond Schmitt Architects STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Entuitive MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Smith + Andersen Engineering (Calgary) ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT SMP Engineering CIVIL CONSULTANT Kellam Berg Engineering & Surveys Ltd. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT O2 Planning + Design LEED CONSULTANT MMM Group Ltd. GEOTECHNICAL CONSULTANT EBA Engineering Consultants Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 40,000 square feet TOTAL COST $40 million 11:53 AM 8:41 AM

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