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FEBRUA RY 2018 | 65 The Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation – Mohawk College RENDERING COURTESY B+H ARCHITECTS The Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation – Mohawk College by NATALIE BRUCKNER-MENCHELLI O ntario's highly anticipated first net- zero energy institutional building is getting ready to open its doors, and the buzz is undeniable. The Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation, which was selected as one of 16 national pilot programs to help demonstrate the Canadian Green Building Council's new Zero Carbon Buildings Framework standard and validation process, will put Hamilton on the sustainability map and demon- strate Mohawk College's vision to be not only an educational, but also an environmental leader. Located at the Fennell campus, the new 96,000-square-foot, five-storey building will feature solar-powered labs, workshops, open study spaces and a lecture theatre. After receiving $20 million from the Federal Government to help fund the new net-zero project, it was time to get to work. And with a projected timeline of 18 months, there was no hanging around. "The fact it was one of the largest net-zero buildings in the country was a daunting task due to the tight timeline, but we had a magnificent team that included the College, EllisDon, RDH Building Science, Mulvey & Banani International Inc. [MBII], The Mitchell Partnership Inc. [TMP], and Mantecon Partners who collaborated closely, were extremely flexible and rose to the chal- lenge to build an iconic building that visually and technically exemplifies what net zero can be," says Joanne McCallum from McCallum Sather, who worked in joint venture with B+H Architects. The design of the Centre took into consideration both its urban and campus context. "It's quite elegant and very rational," says McCallum. "As you drive along Mohawk, we wanted to make a statement about renewable energy so people understood what this build- ing stood for, and what we as a society need to be considering when building for the future." Kevin Stelzer from B+H Architects adds that the three key design principles included: net-zero energy design – all energy consumed by the building will be offset by on-site generated renewable energy; advanced teaching and learning – accelerating the pedagogical man- date with superb, flexible teaching and social spaces; and advanced operations – understanding that operations makes the most significant impact on energy consumption, and therefore integrate advanced measurement and verifica- tion infrastructure and protocols for advanced commissioning and post-con- struction operational analysis. "The technical aspects of the net-zero performance were very demanding," adds Stelzer. "Typical design and detailing strategies are no longer relevant. As the thermal enclo- sure becomes increasingly effective, the typically minor thermal weak- nesses become increasingly important. Analyzing, modifying and sometimes accommodating these thermal continu- ities was laborious. Our energy model was very robust – and well used! It became a constant reference. We learnt so much about high-efficiency design." The exterior of the building features a high-performance building envelope of precast insulated panels and a tri- ple-glazed window system to minimize heating and cooling loads, and maxi- mize natural light. "Originally we had a different wall system, but when EllisDon came onboard they informed us there wasn't enough time to develop and construct what we had in mind and worked with us using 3D modelling to come up with a way to effectively insulate the curtain wall; being flexible was key," says Steve Kemp from RDH Building Science Inc. "The selection of ultra-high-per- formance glazing in combination with precast insulated sandwich panels was a process of balancing the need for views and daylight against ther- mal performance and cost. It was an integrated process of cost-benefit anal- ysis," adds Stelzer. Structural steel was the material of choice for the main superstructure, primarily due to the aggressive con- struction schedule. During the winter and spring instal- lation of footings (mainly caissons drilled down to shale), foundation/ basement walls and stairwells, and the structural steel fabrication began at nearby Walters Group. This allowed for the steel fabrication to be done in concert with the underground sup- port work. Once the southern half of the concrete work was done, steel erec- tion began while northern below-grade work continued. "It was a flurry of activ- ity for several months, with two large sub-contractors working side by side; all seamlessly orchestrated by the talented EllisDon team," notes Shawn Miller from Mantecon Partners. The majority of the structural steel for the building was installed within three months, "which is an impressive feat on its own, given the size of the building," says Miller. Among the most visually dramatic statements are without a doubt the photovoltaic panels that are elevated off of the green roof and housed in a set of white steel wings that soar above the complex. "Visually, the wings and the 'trees' that hold up two massive frames are very iconic and make a statement, while taking into account the surround- ing context," says McCallum. In all, the Centre will have a 500 kW solar panel system that will generate 550,000 kWh of clean electricity per year; that's enough to power 45 Canadian Homes per year. Walters Group performed the steel fabrication and erection of the Centre and provided design assist to reduce costs, and provide fast track construc- tion, fabrication, erection, as well as the delivery of 931 tonnes of steel for the main building and 186 tonnes of panel support steel, for a total of 1,117 tonnes. "This project consists of 17 tonnes of bolts, nine tonnes of weld, and 122 kilometres of six-millimetre fil- let welds," says Kevin McElhone from Walters Group. "A lot of the students that graduated from Mohawk actually helped produce the steel that went into the new building." The building itself has two entrances, the front, which faces Fennel Avenue and resembles a glass box as it projects out from an opaque facade of precast concrete, and the rear, which links directly to the E wing of the existing engineering building and flows into a circulation spine that goes from the north/south access and runs along the east side of the building. LOCATION Fennell Avenue West, Hamilton, Ontario OWNER/DEVELOPER Mohawk College ARCHITECTS (JV) B+H Architects / McCallum Sather GENERAL CONTRACTOR EllisDon Corporation STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Mantecon Partners MECHANICAL CONSULTANT The Mitchell Partnership Inc. ELECTRICAL/ICT/SECURITY/ AUDIO VISUAL CONSULTANT Mulvey & Banani International Inc. ENERGY/ENCLOSURE CONSULTANT RDH Building Science STRUCTURAL STEEL CONTRACTOR Walters Group TOTAL SIZE 96,000 square foot TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST $47 million

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