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94 | J UNE 2017 Riddell Library and Learning Centre – Mount Royal University RENDERINGS COURTESY DIALOG Riddell Library and Learning Centre – Mount Royal University by PETER STENNING L ibraries can push the envelope with regards to what's achievable in learning – as proven by the fact that many academic and public libraries in Canada are not just repositories for books, but multi-media learning hubs. Carol Shepstone knows this intimately: she is the University librarian for Calgary's Mount Royal University, which as of March is preparing for the summer opening of its new Riddell Library and Learning Centre – a $100.4-million, 240,250-square-foot facility that is hoped to become the intellectual heart and soul of the campus. As Mount Royal president David Docherty remarked when ground broke on the project in August of 2014, the Library "will be a cultural institute for all Calgarians to enjoy, and it will be the host venue for lectures, speakers and presentations." Architects Dialog designed the library to consist of four floors that each fulfill a different function, to help students and faculty engage and interact in new ways with information in its many forms. Built to LEED Gold standards, it features 1,500 seats, 34 group-use rooms, visualization labs, archive storage/processing space and media creation suites. Even though Shepstone and her colleagues have fond memories of Mount Royal's original library, which was built in 1972, "that facility can only seat 600 and has three study rooms," she says. "As far back as 10 years ago we identified the need for a new facility, and this became especially important as Mount Royal evolved from being a college to an accredited university. We needed ample space to take advantage of the latest technology and accommodate different learning styles." John Souleles, project architect, associate, for Dialog, says: "This was always meant to be an integrated learning centre and library, meaning Student Learning Services, the Academic Development Centre, including START [Student Technicians and Resource Tutors], the Department of Education, the Institute for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, as well as the Library would be grouped together under the same roof. This had never been done before, but in determining rudimentary floor sizes during the preliminary stages of this project, it's interesting to note that an optimal floor size turned out to be nine-by-nine metres; this could contain a flexible set of programs and functions and yet retain the intimacy that is so vital to learning." Souleles adds: "We received creative input from a variety of sources during the long planning period, which enabled us to determine how a dedication to learning would best translate into the design." For example, Dialog along with the core steering committee developed the mantra that one can learn just as much outside of a classroom as inside. "This influenced how we developed corridors," says Souleles. "Instead of them being merely walkways from one classroom to the next, we thought they should be more like connective tissue." Hence, library spaces in the Riddell Library and Learning Centre include a "data cave" in which visitors can be immersed in 360 degrees of projected information on the walls. "We also created an ideas visualization lounge featuring a full height 4-K video screen, ideal for presentations and public forums," says Souleles. Large-scale touch and drag screen technology as well as high definition would be vital in advancing learning and working with information in the sciences, geography and other disciplines. For structural engineers Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd., the biggest challenge was soil conditions, according to project engineer Kyle Schonknecht. "Mount Royal is situated in a silty area with water lenses, and a lot of the buildings are on piles – which is why we initially thought the new library would be on piles too," he says. But after crunching numbers, it was determined that piles would significantly impact the overall budget. "To lighten the foundation load, it was decided that the library should be made of structural steel instead of concrete as originally intended," says Schonknecht. "We also created a shallow raft foundation, not used before for buildings on this scale on the campus. The resulting cost savings on materials and schedule contributed significantly to justify the project budget and meant that a larger proportion of the University's money could be spent on visible features such as the feature stairs and glazed facades." As for ensuring that the construction process would unfold efficiently, Stuart Olson project manager Grant Rae credits Mount Royal for having "an extremely defined procurement policy, which includes prequalifying the trades we could use. This led to a more efficient process, and we knew we were among the best trades in the city." He adds that the project remained on schedule because of the successful partnership between the University, Stuart Olson (which had nine project administrators and 40 subcontracted employees on site) and the consulting groups. Meanwhile, one focus for mechanical engineers Smith + Andersen (Calgary) was to mitigate unwanted noise in the new library. "We also had to mitigate the risk of water leakage, because there are lots of critical archive and tech spaces that require precise climate control," explains principal Regan Moffatt. LOCATION 74 Mount Royal Close, Calgary, Alberta OWNER/DEVELOPER Mount Royal University ARCHITECT DIALOG GENERAL CONTRACTOR Stuart Olson Construction Ltd. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Smith + Andersen (Calgary) ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Mulvey & Banani International (Alberta) Inc. LANDSCAPE CONSULTANT Carson McCulloch Associates Ltd. AV CONSULTANT Engineering Harmonics TOTAL SIZE 240,250 square feet TOTAL COST $100.4 million Although Smith + Andersen considered options such as chilled beams and radiant floors, Moffatt and his project team chose variable volume air systems with perimeter hydronic heating, with a high level of condensing boilers, fan arrays and heat recovery. "This solution would prove ideal for the potentially large volumes of people who would locate from one area of the library and then the other in their studies," says Moffatt. "At first glance the system looks simple, but complex controls allow the building to monitor and adjust itself automatically based on indoor and outdoor environmental parameters such C02 level, indoor/ outdoor temperature, humidity and occupancy." BIM was used to determine the configuration of the mechanical penthouse, and many components were prefabricated and shipped to the building site. Simple and repetitive elements were used throughout the building to denote spaces and functions, and a curtain wall system was developed to be what Souleles describes as a "codified facade containing information via silkscreened dots, fritting patterns and louvers – but I can't reveal more about this until the library's grand opening in September." Souleles says that one of the most satisfying outcomes of the project "is the fact it took less than three years to finalize the design and complete construction, which is a notable achievement." But for Shepstone and the University, the biggest satisfaction comes from having a new Library and Learning Centre that will truly advance learning in the 21st century. "Everyone involved rose to the occasion and provided us with a wonderful facility," she says. "We couldn't be more excited with the outcome." A

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