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J UNE 2017 | 79 Canada Games Sport for Life Centre PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEY TRAA/SPORT MANITOBA Canada Games Sport for Life Centre by ROBIN BRUNET I n many major North American cities, the time eventually comes when their sports organizations decide one of two futures: to go it alone in separate facilities, or congregate in a single headquarters. Often the latter option is chosen for the sake of providing a one- stop shop for athletes, coaches and sports medicine practitioners, and when Sport Manitoba decided on that route 14 years ago during extensive public consultation, the next step was: where to locate? Today, the Canada Games Sport for Life Centre is nearing completion (in time for the Canada Summer Games) and consists of a four-storey concrete and steel addition to an existing rehabilitated heritage warehouse in downtown Winnipeg's Exchange District. The main floor of the addition includes an indoor parkade, while the second level is a gymnasium; the third level, which wraps around the north and east sides of the facility, contains offices and performance training spaces; and the fourth level contains a 160-metre running track around the gym perimeter, 60-metre sprint lanes, and adjacent fitness training spaces with sweeping interior and exterior views of the gym and surrounding downtown. While a clear span roof joist system accentuates the open interconnected space from the second floor upward, the expansive interior volume is expressed distinctively on the outside of the facility, and made more visible by its horizontal combination of masonry stone veneer and insulated metal wall panels. Jeff Hnatiuk, president and CEO of the 2017 Canada Games Host Society, says the warehouse was purchased in 2008 after an extensive search. "This particular site not only gave us the footprint we needed but would allow us to service the inner city with our programming," he says, explaining that the grand vision was to house 65 different organizations under one roof – with the top and second floors of the finished facility earmarked for public use. Plus, although 100 years old, the warehouse was structurally sound. "Given that much attention is being paid these days to the greening of old buildings, the warehouse offered two distinct advantages," says John Bockstael, president and CEO of Bockstael Construction Limited. "First, it had terrific light penetration due to huge, 12-foot tall and five- foot wide windows with rounded tops. And, with walls of 18-inch thick brick, it had great heat retention." But as with any renovation project, the warehouse presented unexpected challenges. "The windows needed to be replicated in aluminum, and in the lower levels we found drainage and sewer systems that no longer functioned as they were intended to do," says Bockstael. "We also had to deal with a crawlspace that we discovered under a slab, as well as a coal bin and chute that extended beyond the building's walls." Although the warehouse was stripped bare, structural engineers Crosier Kilgour & Partners determined that the concrete pillars extending from the basement to the roof had to remain in place – but this benefitted Number TEN Architectural Group's goal of designing floor space for the 65 organizations. "The columns and floor of the old warehouse building are a two-way reinforced concrete slab, allowing us to remove portions of masonry walls, which weren't load bearing," says Don Beaton, Number TEN Architectural Group's project architect. As with most gyms, the larger volume divides into several smaller courts accommodating multiple activities such as basketball, volleyball and badminton. Number TEN's design fosters visual engagement with passersby. Low windows into the second-floor gym and parkade level to add daylight, provide exterior views to occupants and interior views of inner activities. When the initial warehouse renovation was completed in 2010, attention was then focused on developing adjacent parcels of land Sport Manitoba had purchased. "Together, the three properties to the west would give us the footprint necessary to build out; the owner had to negotiate with the city to purchase a portion of street, and we also had to ensure the heritage warehouse building remains the primary visual focus – even though the new addition would be over two times larger," says Beaton. Number TEN designed the addition's horizontal elements to align with those of the warehouse, with Tyndall stone at the base to match that of the warehouse exterior. Pre-finished simulated corten steel-colour metal panels were chosen to complement the brown brickwork. During late design development, the consultant team discovered a fibre optic telecommunications duct serving most of the downtown located beneath the street to be closed. "It would have been too complicated to move it, so we had to stagger the foundation design with transfer beams to avoid the area," says Bockstael, adding that a nearby aquifer – something previously unknown to the construction team – also had to be protected. Bockstael describes building the addition as "a bit like building a hanger," and he says of the long span space over the length of the gymnasium, "We had trusses with the roof slope built into them, many 110-feet across, brought to the site in three sections, assembled, then swung into place." Special attention was focused on proper structural support given to the perimeter running track. "By necessity, the south track was hung from the roof structure, permitting column free floor space in the gymnasium," says Beaton. Site access was a challenge, as the City was upgrading streets in the neighbourhood and major thoroughfares were in close proximity. "We had to shut down roads to accommodate our cranes," says Bockstael. "The parkade of our facility became our storage facility for everything." Connecting elements of the warehouse to the new addition was also a challenge. "The original facility had a stairwell and two elevators, and since the new addition was four storeys and the old warehouse was five, we had to stagger the elevator openings for the new facility to create nine elevator stops in total," says Bockstael. "Similarly, the stairwell was modified to contain multiple landings." As Sport Manitoba anticipates the July 28 opening ceremonies of the Canada Summer Games, Hnatiuk credits the design and construction teams as well as an army of talented trades for completing an intricate project on time and on budget. "They deserve huge credit," he says. "Together, they created a facility that will be a Winnipeg destination for a long time to come." A LOCATION 145 Pacific Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba OWNER/DEVELOPER Sport Manitoba ARCHITECT Number TEN Architectural Group CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Bockstael Construction Limited STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Crosier Kilgour & Partners Ltd. MECHANICAL/ ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Tower Engineering Group GREEN BUILDING CONSULTANT WSP/MMM Group LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT HTFC Planning and Design TOTAL SIZE 84,000 square feet (warehouse) 124,000 square feet (addition) TOTAL COST Undisclosed

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