Award

AUGUST 2017 | 93 JBS Canada Centre PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY CITY OF BROOKS JBS Canada Centre by ROBIN BRUNET E very municipality's goal is to upgrade facilities to the best possible quality, while saving on cost; and while achievements in this regard are far and few between despite the best efforts of involved parties, one recent exception is the renovation of the JBS Canada Centre, formerly the Lakeside Leisure Centre in Brooks, Alberta. Not only did a $20.6-million budget allow the city with a population of only 14,451 to replace an old arena with a new multipurpose field house, and expand and relocate a local library to double the original size, the combined efforts of Sahuri + Partners Architecture Inc. and Chandos Construction Ltd. resulted in an unexpected surplus of money that went towards add-ons. Russ Tanner, manager of recreation and facility services for the City of Brooks, says, "This project dates back to 2010 with a master plan that identified numerous community needs, including more space for sports. Tim Sahuri, whom we'd retained to renovate the Lakeside Leisure Centre pool in the early 2000s, took an existing layout we were happy with and improved upon it; and with Chandos factoring in the top cost of equipment in their budget and subsequently coming up with more affordable alternatives, we experienced a wonderful outcome." The updated JBS is a facility that could easily serve a major urban city: Sahuri's earlier renovation of the aquatic centre with its 25-metre competition pool, wave pool and waterslide is now augmented by a 16,000-square-foot library and a pre-engineered field house whose soccer field can be reconverted into three full size basketball, volleyball, or badminton courts. Also new is a daycare, an expanded fitness centre, a flex hall and many other amenities, including a renovated lounge and the transformation of an old kitchen into the hub of a new dining venue, Terry's Restaurant. "The entire complex is a full city block in size," says Sahuri senior architectural technologist Jay Grenning. JBS's exterior has been entirely revamped: a near-transparent main entrance is flanked by the new library, whose facing is of insulated metal panel with randomly punched, blue- tinted windows; this is complemented at the other wing with metal cladding and a digital signage board. In 2010 when the master plan was being undertaken, Brooks' Centennial Arena was widely viewed as a successful spectator ice facility – but community input dictated the need for a field house/soccer centre. "The nearest one was a drive away and had unfortunately burned down," recalls Tanner. "When the owners built a different facility, we repurposed our Centennial Arena, thus pushing back our larger Leisure Centre renovation plans – but only temporarily." In 2014, city planners determined a rough floor plan for the renovation. "For example, we wanted a field house whose soccer field could convert to other uses, as well as a boardroom and flex rooms," says Tanner. "Also, because several fitness clubs had recently closed in Brooks, we wanted to add taekwondo and wrestling to our existing gym. Doubling the size of our library was another priority." Tanner goes on to note, "Fortuitously, it was at this time that Sahuri came into the project with Chandos: they liked our plan but had an excellent proposal for changing it to improve sightlines, especially in the field house and library. The latter facility in particular was thoroughly transformed to an open-air concept, augmented by a suspended staircase that encircles the interior perimeter." Grenning remarks, "We definitely had a vision for the library, and with the exception of us insisting that polished concrete floors be replaced by carpeting to minimize noise, the final result was pretty much the same as our 'napkin concept.'" The improved sightlines take the form of a second-level viewing area over the field house change rooms that allows users to see both Lakeside's existing curling rink as well as field house activity. The design was finalized in 2015, and in July of that year Chandos demolished the 30,000-square- foot Centennial Arena. The project proceeded in two phases under a construction management delivery method, and Tanner says, "as with all renovation there were unexpected surprises such as cast in concrete ducts on the exterior of the existing building that had to be dealt with prior to expanding west; but Chandos had built the unforeseen into their budget." Martin Croteau, project manager at Chandos, says numerous challenges of adding new infrastructure to both sides of an existing building required good planning and the ability to handle issues in stride. "CFA test piles had to be driven in the field house area due to sandy soil, along with a building redesign to raise field house and daycare floor elevations due to existing elevations of storm and sanitary lines. We also had structural changes midstream into construction to accommodate existing building conditions such as adding structural supports on load bearing walls before new openings could be cut in. "Essentially, everything was done in phases in co-ordination with the leisure centre, because it was important for the client that there was limited impact to regular operating hours. We co-ordinated construction activities whenever we could with annual shutdowns of the existing facility components; for example, when the pool was closed for maintenance we performed our power upgrade and relocated the main building power transformer, we completed the curling rink lounge renovations during the off-season, we built temporary covered entrances and reception desks and when roof repairs to the gym were undertaken, we worked on the locker room floors." Towards the end of construction, the City of Brooks realized there was enough of a money surplus to perform several more improvements. "That's when we undertook the cantilever viewing area for the field house and built a new gym roof because portions of the old one had been exposed to rot," says Tanner. "The surplus will also pay for removable turf that we have proposed to procure for the field house." As Brooks locals and newcomers enjoy the diversity of activity to be had at the renovated Centre, Grenning takes time to summarize why the project went so smoothly on all counts. "Everyone bought into it, from city administrators and the public who put up with the renovations, right down to the smallest sub trade," he says. "That's the ingredient that makes for a great outcome." A LOCATION 323 1st Street East, Brooks, Alberta OWNER/DEVELOPER City of Brooks ARCHITECT Sahuri + Partners Architecture Inc. GENERAL CONTRACTOR Chandos Construction Ltd. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT TRL & Associates MECHANICAL CONSULTANT AME Consulting Group ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Designcore Engineering Ltd. TOTAL SIZE 195,000 square feet (including 75,000 square feet of new space) TOTAL COST $20.6 million 8:34 AM 3:40 PM 11:05 AM

• Cover