Award

DECEMBER 2017 | 67 Iqaluit International Airport Improvement Project PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY STANTEC Iqaluit International Airport Improvement Project by ROBIN BRUNET C reating the major components of an airport is one of the most complex undertakings any architectural or construction company can be involved with; and the $300-million Iqaluit International Airport Improvement project added to the complexity by being located in a stark and frozen climate with no road access. The project, which recently won a Gold Award for Infrastructure from the Canadian Council for Public- Private Partnerships, consists of a new 10,000-square-metre terminal; expanded aprons for planes to park; new lighting systems; an upgraded runway; and a new combined services building for the fire-fighting vehicles/support equipment and heavy maintenance equipment. The new facility would replace the crammed confines of Iqaluit's 1980's era yellow-painted airport. The project got underway when the government of Nunavut considered building a museum, a legislative assembly, or an airport as a public-private partnership; but after evaluating the viability of these projects, it was decided that only the airport had the revenue potential to attract private investment. After extensive number crunching and an assessment provided by architects Stantec, the airport received 25 percent funding from PPP Canada, leading the way for the Iqaluit International Airport to become the first and only P3 airport project to achieve financial close and proceed into construction in all of North America. Given Nunavut's severe climate and high cost of construction, Stantec developed a compact building form, with all the public functions at grade level, and a smaller, central, second level for administration and services. Stantec principal Noel Best describes the facility as a simple rectangle that minimizes the number of building corners; also, "the roof form is a sinuous curve containing both the single storey and the two storey areas. This form achieves two goals: it minimizes the surface area of the building envelope, and it provides a smooth continuous surface for the prevailing winds to scour the roof free of drifting snow." A metal panel the width of the building and two-metres high, set one metre off the end of the roof, would act as a snow scoop, moving snowdrifts away from the building face. Early on, Stantec decided to design some of the terminal's surfaces using wood, due to the absence of any forests up north and the material being highly valued. The wood would be augmented by ceramic and composite products reminiscent of the stark appeal of driftwood. Combined, they would withstand the arctic climate, meld with the landscape and still meet design requirements. The two level central rotunda was designed as the terminal's hub as well as a community gathering space, with large painted versions of famous Inuit prints hanging down from the walls. The terminal's large size negated the practice so prevalent in the north of buildings constructed on stilts, which dissipates a buildings heat before it reaches the permafrost ground. As an alternative, the terminal would float on the permafrost with a system of thermo- syphons designed by Tetra Tech EBA. The system consists of a 200-millimetre thick layer of rigid insulation beneath the slab and projecting three metres beyond each edge of the building, to impede heat flow into the ground. Below this is a series of horizontal pipes (evaporators) embedded into a layer of stable ground and leading to clusters of radiators located around the terminal perimeter. "In winter, the colder air condenses CO2 gas within this system into liquid, which, now cold, flows back to the evaporators below, where the warmer ground causes the gas to vaporize. This cycle repeats as long as the air is colder than the ground, thus maintaining the frozen state of the permafrost," says Best. A combined heat and power (CHP) system was chosen for the terminal (which would eventually seek LEED Silver designation) and the combined services building, in order to optimize energy efficiency. The three diesel- powered generators (two of them located in the terminal) supply both normal and standby power, with the heat captured to serve the HVAC systems. Overall, an energy usage reduction of 40 percent compared to a typical building in the north was achieved thanks to improvements in roof and wall insulation, as well as lighting design. Also, 20 percent glazing in the facade and an average lux level of 75 provided an abundance of natural light in the public spaces and the central rotunda, with broad western windows offering panoramic vistas from the hold rooms and clerestory windows admitting high morning light into the check-in hall. Olivier Walon, project director for Bouygues Building Canada, notes that the biggest challenge of construction revolved around Nunavut's climate. "Our construction window was between May to October, and we had to ensure that the terminal was closed and tight by October of 2015, thus allowing us to use temporary heat and complete the interior through the winter months," he says. Also, no roads meant the builders had to rely on boat shipments. "There are only three shipments annually to Iqaluit: at the end of July, the end of August, and the end of September, meaning we had a window of two and a half months to get our materials, which came from Canada, the U.S. and Asia – as well as South America for the millwork," says Walon. "Given all these circumstances, we could have easily lost an entire year in the schedule due to missing material, or not enclosing the terminal fast enough. But we didn't." In August of 2016, as the terminal was taking shape and all surfaces were being repaved and runways insulated, chief project officer Barry Reimer told local press that, "This building is expected to serve the territory for the next 50 years." Now that the airport is open for business and has won the Gold from the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships, Noel Best echoes the same sentiments. "It will be a hub for transportation and a hub for the community for years to come," he says. "It's a simple and elegant facility that we're all very proud of." A LOCATION 1126 Mivvik Street, Iqaluit, Nunavut OWNER/DEVELOPER Government of Nunavut (GN) ARCHITECT/ SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTANT Stantec GENERAL CONTRACTOR/ DESIGN BUILDER Bouygues Building Canada / Sintra Inc. GEOTECHNICAL CONSULTANT Tetra Tech EBA LEED COMMISSIONING AUTHORITY Integral Group TOTAL SIZE 10,000 square metres (terminal) 5,000 square metres (Combined Services Building) TOTAL COST $300 million 12:04 PM 8:33 AM

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