Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/687429
92 | J UNE 2016 Naval Reserve Building – HMCS Hunter Naval Reserve Building – HMCS Hunter by GODFREY BUDD A new Naval Reserve and cadet training facility that recently opened in Windsor is part of a program of modernization and new infrastructure building of the Canadian Armed Forces. "New infrastructure will replace dated infrastructure and support a first- class, modern military that is ready to take on the challenges of the 21st century," a Department of National Defence (DND) backgrounder said when the project was announced in 2012. As the navy is in the habit of applying nautical nomenclature to its land-based establishments, the new HMCS Hunter is designated as a "stone frigate." It includes a dock on the Detroit River and replaces a landlocked 74-year- old training centre that saw service during the Second World War. "The plan of the two-storey building is similar to that of a traditional armoury, with a large central drill-deck, which is a double-height space," says Martin Tite, a principal at GRC Architects. Perimeter areas around the drill- deck, which is used for training, recreation, meetings and presentations, include offices, classrooms and messes for social activities and dining. A galley kitchen for training naval cooks is located adjacent to the drill deck. There are also storage areas and an interior boat shed. Classrooms, meeting rooms and a fitness area are on the upper deck. The facility's daytime complement of personnel is typically in the 10 to 20 range, but for training and other larger group activities, it can accommodate up to 250 people. Like that of its counterpart in Ottawa, the new HMCS Carleton, the design of HMCS Hunter is intended as a template for future naval facilities of this type. Also, aspects of the design incorporate architectural elements that express the naval and nautical relationship to the new building's purpose. "We took the concept of the stone frigate to the design, so the appearance is meant to evoke a ship, and also align with the Royal Canadian Navy's conception of a building," Tite says. He adds, "The clerestory for the double-high drill deck is consistent with the old armoury concept. A lot of architectural details are based on a nautical environment – hand-rails, guard-rails, sliding doors and round windows." The exterior upper deck has circular windows or portholes for glazing, and its gun-metal grey metal siding is a good match for the colour of Royal Canadian Navy ships. The ground floor exterior cladding, however, is perhaps as much about relating to the adjacent park on the other side of the building from the river. The lower-level finish of stone masonry is aimed at meshing well with the nearby landscape, which includes a stone windmill, Tite says. The front of the building is completely transparent and enables a connection between indoors and outdoors. At the same time, various design elements are in place to create an interval between the HMCS Hunter and the public. The front of the building, with its publicly-accessible side-door and lobby, is outside a secure area that encompasses among other elements the more utilitarian back of the building, adjacent parking and the dock. Much of the access-controlled part of HMCS Hunter is bounded by a transparent omega wire fence. "We didn't want the fence to be too imposing, and wanted to have the building available to be admired, not conceal the beautiful Owen Sound limestone of the lower level," says Jim Lennox, principal at James B. Lennox & Associates. The front area also includes a gentle barrier between the public and the building in the form of a long, curved seating wall. An array of plants and grasses grows between the semi- circle of seating and the glazing at the front, which allows the main entrance lobby to be fully visible to passersby. "It's in a public area and prevents people from walking right up to the curtainwall," Lennox says. A couple of structural elements add some surprise and extra pizazz to the overall appearance of HMCS Hunter. The curvilinear, metal-clad upper level's swirls culminate in fins that extend about a couple of metres at each end of the structure – two at the bow, two at the stern. To protect these architectural elements from possible wind damage, outrigger beams from both roof and second floor structures have been deployed for extra support, says Peter Chang, principal and project engineer at Adjeleian Allen Rubeli Ltd. "Also, to brace the building against lateral loads of winds, we developed a special circular metal connection plate. It's about three feet in diameter. The structural device meshed very well with other architectural features," he says. Although situated between a river and a city park, the new naval reserve and cadet training facility is actually located on top of what was once a landfill. Accordingly, the building sits on piles that vary in length from about 30 to 40 feet. Methane gas is another effect of the building's location. Sensors monitor potential methane build-up, supported by a ventilation system, which runs 24/7, beneath the building's main slab. "It has a duct distribution system that pipes CH4 up to a roof vent," says Larry McMillan, a mechanical designer at WSP Canada Inc. Although the building can accommodate up to 250 people during training events or other large gatherings, its occupancy level is mostly that of the 10 to 20 people who conduct the unit's administration work there during the day. "We designed a system that could switch quickly from one occupancy scenario to another," McMillan says. The system relies on sensors, not time- frames, but has an override switch. Another challenge arose from the need to co-ordinate with, and accommodate, a multiplicity of stakeholders, says Kamal Mostafa, project manager for DND on the new HMCS Hunter. Besides the Department of National Defence, stakeholders included other federal departments such as Fisheries and Oceans, as well as various local and regional bodies, including utilities, the City of Windsor, and a county conservation authority. A LOCATION 90 Mill Street, Windsor, Ontario OWNER/DEVELOPER Department of National Defence ARCHITECT GRC Architects Inc. GENERAL CONTRACTOR PCR Contractors Inc. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Adjeleian Allen Rubeli Ltd. MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL/ CIVIL/LEED CONSULTANT WSP Canada Inc. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT James B. Lennox & Associates Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 5,805 square metres TOTAL PROJECT COST $36.4 million (includes HMCS Hunter and HMCS Carleton) PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY GRC ARCHITECTS INC.