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A PR IL 2017 | 53 MEC Edmonton (Brewery District) RENDERING COURTESY MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT CO-OP; PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY PROSCENIUM ARCHITECTURE + INTERIORS INC. MEC Edmonton (Brewery District) by SUSAN PEDERSON C yclists seeking bike repair supplies from the new Edmonton Mountain Equipment Co-op store (MEC) may not even have to enter the building to get their cycles road-worthy again. MEC's latest retail space, located in Edmonton's Brewery District, will feature a DIY outdoor bike repair centre, tricked out with a plethora of (secured) tools and bike parts for purchase from vending machines. It's just one sweet example of MEC's commitment to "walk [and hike, ski and climb] the talk" when supporting ecologically and recreationally important endeavours. MEC has been a retail leader in green buildings, incorporating sustainability into each building design, whether it is a repurposed structure, or a new build. The new store, opened to replace the existing MEC on 102nd Avenue, will be built to achieve a minimum of LEED Silver certification. The purpose-built structure will incorporate the "developed over time" character of the Brewery District, while adhering to MEC design specifications, and facilitate a better retail experience, with larger space allowing for better layout and easier navigation. "We are trying to make our stores look like siblings, not twins, within a common brand theme," explains CFO Sandy Treagus. "Those include visual elements such as the use of large timbers, and a large canopy above the door. We also want to recognize the history of the previous brewery building, by incorporating a brown brick facade, for example. Using the silo material on the exterior also addresses the prairie vernacular, while recognizing an area broader than Alberta." The store is a far cry from how the property owners first envisioned it, but its ultimate inception seemed serendipitous. Ralph Huizinga, VP, acquisitions and development, Western Canada, First Capital Realty Inc. says: "When MEC first toured the site, we didn't think of them as a stand-alone space. We thought of them as a second storey to the food store. When the CFO said, 'we are not a candidate for single-floor retail,' it occurred to us that we had a building on our plan that matched their square footage. Plus, our leasing person happened to be on site while their whole executive was touring. It's a great story for us, and MEC is a great addition to our centre." "The project itself came together quite smoothly," says Steve Bodley, project engineer with Fast + Epp. "The ground floor is cast-in-place concrete, the second floor is a structural steel frame, featuring large impressive wood panels, three- metres wide by eight-metres long." But his favourite part is the sawtooth roof, comprised of steel trusses, plus high windows, allowing the upper floor to be flooded with natural daylight. As much as the roof has become iconic with the MEC crowd there were a few raised eyebrows when the notion was first proposed for this build. "Nobody around here has seen a sawtooth roof in 60 years. It's just like MEC, who historically said, 'we can't find good climbing gear, so we just make our own.' The same applies to the ceiling," says Todd Baker from Chandos Construction. The construction of the roof posed challenges "in a fun way" with its design, says Baker, and then in more "interesting" ways, as the logistics of putting materials in place had to be choreographed like a delicate ballet, due to the lack of laydown area near the property. Luckily, the delivery of the materials from B.C. was timed perfectly, and the roof was erected in just four days (with crews shovelling snow off the roof before the waterproofing material could be installed). In fact, the building boasts an envelope with an R-60 rating for roof and walls, high-spec glazing on the windows and, Baker adds: "They have a very exotic heat exchanger, which required a 40-week lead time to co-ordinate." Xavier Allaire-Vigeant, mechanical consultant with Pageau Morel and Associates Inc. adds, "the whole building is heated by radiant floors that are fed by a very efficient condensing gas boiler, and on the roof we have a fresh air heat exchanger that is 95 percent efficient." The Dual Core heat exchange technology employs two energy 11:11 AM 1:16 PM

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