Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/755184
DECEMBER 2016 | 77 Bualo Rubbing Stone School PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY CALGARY BOARD OF EDUCATION Bualo Rubbing Stone School by ROBIN BRUNET W hen faced with an avalanche of building projects that have the same unalterable completion dates, how does one deliver a product that meets owner requirements and is esthetically pleasing and efficient for end users? That was the challenge facing Group2 Architecture Interior Design plus a host of talented trades with regards to the new Buffalo Rubbing Stone School for the Calgary Board of Education (CBE). While Buffalo is in and of itself a noteworthy undertaking, Group2 was also charged with designing no less than two Grade 5 to Grade 9 schools and five kindergarten to Grade 4 facilities – the latter of which would include Buffalo. Nancy Vruwink, Group2's senior architectural technologist, explains: "The CBE required quite a few of the new schools to be online for September of 2016 and then more in January, and all of them went to tender at the same time. "It was a good problem to have considering the economy is doing poorly, but it meant that everyone's resources would be severely taxed and contractors and consultant groups would have to assume more responsibility in order to get things done. What we did at Group2 was design two kindergarten to Grade 4 schools first, and then for the next three – including Buffalo Rubbing Stone – we duplicated the design with slight adjustments between the facilities. Since these three schools were not located in the same neighbourhood, duplication was a viable method of delivering quality new facilities to the regions." The Buffalo school, which was required to accommodate 600 students, is located on a compact suburban site facing commercial development and backed by residences. In February of 2014, the CBE received approval from the province to build the new facility, and public engagement and open houses commenced four months later. In April the following year the design team finalized a new set of drawings (after addressing issues pertaining to budget) and lump sum tender documents; more open houses followed, and by September a full building permit was approved. Flexibility and resiliency were the key objectives of the design process. "The classrooms were designed in pairs with a movable wall bisecting them, and they were spread throughout the three wings of the floor plate," says Vruwink. "These wings in turn wrapped around a central core consisting of a gymnasium, library and student gathering space, and the use of glass walls was crucial in making these spaces seem open and inviting." For resiliency, materials such as concrete blocks for the corridor walls were chosen, which also served the purpose of fulfilling acoustic requirements. For the exterior, masonry at base and metal cladding was selected. "In terms of architectural flourishes, we confined ourselves to canopies over each of the two entrances to the facility," says Vruwink. "And considering this was one of three identical schools to be built, we used colour as a distinguishing feature. Buffalo has a blue palette, while red and copper were selected for the other two facilities." By October of 2015, Westcor Construction Ltd. had completed work on the cast-in-place piles, and two months later the foundations and deep services utility connections were in place. Problematic soil conditions contributed to delays in the first few weeks of the New Year, but by February the structural steel erection was complete as were the gym's masonry walls. An interesting aspect of developing three almost-identical schools at the same time was that they were each built by a different contractor as well as different subtrades. "Problems would crop up in one project that hadn't cropped up in another, and we would have to investigate what was done differently in order to determine a solution," explains Vruwink. More deadlines were met in May with the completion of interior block work, glazing and roofing, with Westcor taking every available opportunity to make up for the lost time due to the earlier soil issues. Albert Chang, senior mechanical engineer at TYZ Engineering Ltd., views Buffalo as part of multiple project workloads divided into different provincial jurisdictions. "For us, we focused on occupant comfort and energy efficiency, and as such we decided to implement a dedicated outdoor system to condition air for specific spaces, with fan coils in each of the classrooms to allow variable heating and cooling." As of July, the builders and subtrades were working full-tilt to bring Buffalo Rubbing Stone School to a September completion. "Due to so many school projects being built at once, the challenge in procuring supplies and manpower is enormous, but we're determined to meet the deadline," says Chang. A LOCATION 1308 Panatella Boulevard NW, Calgary, Alberta OWNER/DEVELOPER Calgary Board of Education ARCHITECT Group2 Architecture Interior Design Ltd. GENERAL CONTRACTOR Westcor Construction Ltd. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT BEI Engineering (2000) Inc. MECHANICAL CONSULTANT TYZ Engineering Ltd. ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Designcore Engineering Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 50,837 square feet TOTAL COST Undisclosed