Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/687429
J UNE 2016 | 77 Remington YMCA RENDERING COURTESY GEC ARCHITECTURE Remington YMCA I n 12 years, The City of Calgary and Remington Development Corporation have helped transformed the area of Quarry Park in southeast Calgary from a gravel extraction site to a rather luxurious urban-style village. It could be said that its latest development, The City of Calgary's Quarry Park recreation facility Remington YMCA (named after its operating partner), is the proverbial icing on the cake – seamlessly integrating all aspects of life into one unique and charming community. The new two-storey LEED Gold Remington YMCA "is one of four new recreation facilities in development by The City of Calgary to meet the growing need for convenient access to recreation opportunities," explains Jilian Henderson, communications consultant, corporate properties and buildings at The City of Calgary. The 100,000-square-foot Remington YMCA is the most urban of the four facilities and will be home to a fitness centre, gymnasium, pools, YMCA daycare and a branch of the Calgary Public Library, which has been relocated from Glenmore Square. "The facility also contains multipurpose rooms that will encourage cultural, art, events, learning/ education and meeting/business activities. The inclusion of aquatic and dry sport facilities are designed for unstructured and structured programs," explains Henderson. Being on the site of a former gravel quarry presented some interesting challenges for the team, including the general contractor Bird Construction Company and structural consultant Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. "The fill at this location was up to 15.8 metres in depth and was therefore not recommended for footings. As a result concrete rock socket piles were used and due to the depth of fill, the piles on this site ranged in depths of approximately 10-metres to 20-metres long and were embedded up to three metres into the bedrock below," explains Alana Redding from Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. Also, due to the large amount of fill and the potential for settlement, a structural slab- on-grade was provided for the main floor along with the basement and pool slab, which are supported by the long concrete piles that are cast into the bedrock below. When it came to the design of the building, GEC Architecture was tasked with coming up with a facility that would complement the nearby upscale offices and appeal to the surrounding community, while ensuring it met the requirement of the City's Sustainable Building Policy, which maximizes the economic, environmental and social benefits to Calgarians. "The building itself was set back from the street, giving it a sense of civic prominence within the surrounding office park," says Andrew Tankard from GEC Architecture. A stepped down one- storey section contains the library and YMCA daycare, while the two-storey portion is home to the 250-metre, six- lane pool plus leisure pool, hot tubs and steam room, the gymnasium, fitness centre, fitness/aerobic studios, running track and multipurpose rooms. The exterior of the building has been clad with a grey cementitious and composite panel called Oko Skin, which resembles wood to give it a warmth and elegance. Extensive glazing on the west side of the building where the pool is located maximizes light into the building and acts as an inviting beacon to passersby. "The natatorium utilizes a capless glazing system with no horizontal mullions. This is the only installation of its kind in the world and the glazing contractor was forced into unique solutions to solve the problems associated with no horizontal mullions," says John Preston, senior project manager at Bird. He adds that due to condensation issues with pools, the air delivery was set at the base of the glass and designed to flow from bottom to top with no impediments. A south facing public plaza marks the main entrance to the building and creates an informal gathering place for the building's users, library clients and the surrounding public. "The facility has two major entrances that lead to a fully glazed, programmable community gathering space," says Tankard. "The south side features the main entrance from the parking lot and serves as a shared entrance with the Calgary Public Library. The north entrance is provided for users arriving from the business and residential communities, as well as from the future LRT station." Enter into the building toward the central control desk and you feel an instant connection with the activities occurring around you. "We wanted to create a more integrated holistic design, so that when you walk into the building you see everything that is going on," explains Tankard. Projecting over this central atrium is a running track, to the right is the library, while to the left a partial glass wall separates the atrium from the gym. "The facility has been organized to maximize visual and spatial connections between program elements. Large openings and windows interconnect spaces, placing the activities in each program on display to the rest of the building. The main programmable circulation spaces serve as an area from which all of the major facility components can be viewed," explains Tankard. "The architect paid a lot of attention to detail. There is no exposed ductwork in the facility so lines are very clean and tile has been used extensively to simplify maintenance. There was extensive use of glulam timbers as both columns and beams. This softened the look of the building making it a more natural environment," adds Preston. This emphasis on clean lines flows throughout the building. Enter into the pool area and king posts trusses have been combined with a metal deck, while cleverly hidden between the purlins are acoustic panels. "In order to provide the large open spaces desired for the pool and gym areas while maintaining the architectural vision, 21.5-metre- long glulam king posts trusses were used in these large open areas," explains Redding, project engineer at Read Jones Christoffersen, the structural consultants on the project. "Different structural systems were utilized to provide the different space requirements needed throughout this recreation centre. These systems include structural steel beams, joists and columns for areas that were not exposed and for the running track on the second floor." A concrete reinforced feature stair was provided between the main and second floor, which is unique because it doesn't have any vertical support elements at its intermediate landing. When it came to the mechanical and electrical systems, provided by SMP Engineering and SNC-Lavalin, a cogeneration unit has been installed on site that produces its own electricity so it can take that heat and preheat the water, reducing the facility's reliance on the electric grid. In addition, all light systems are LED to maximize efficiency. Head back outside and the landscaping by EIDOS Consultants Inc. has been designed to showcase a sports field on the east side of the site and to allow the building to link seamlessly with Calgary's existing pathways. Pulling together such an intricate and integral facility was thanks to a very communicative and skilled team. "This project was highly co-operative. The client, the architect, the consultants and the trades worked together to contribute to the success of the project. Highly unusual in this delivery format," enthuses Preston. The City of Calgary will be working closely with YMCA Calgary in the lead-up to the facility's opening this summer and regularly after to ensure the needs of the community continue to be met. "The City and YMCA Calgary share the same goal – to meet community needs through a well-run facility with quality programs at an affordable price. These new recreation facilities will operate under a citizen-first approach. We are working closely with YMCA Calgary to identify a number of options to ensure public accessibility and affordability, including drop-in passes, spaces in programs for non-members and ongoing community outreach," says Henderson. A LOCATION 108 Quarry Park Rd SE, Calgary, Alberta OWNER The City of Calgary OPERATOR YMCA Calgary ARCHITECT GEC Architecture GENERAL CONTRACTOR Bird Construction Company STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. MECHANICAL CONSULTANT SNC-Lavalin ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT SMP Engineering CIVIL CONSULTANT Urban Systems LANDSCAPE CONSULTANT EIDOS TOTAL SIZE 100,000 square feet TOTAL COST Undisclosed by NATALIE BRUCKNER-MENCHELLI 9:30 AM