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J UNE 2018 | 53 DARE District – Algonquin College RENDERING COURTESY DIAMOND SCHMITT ARCHITECTS; PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANA CHYTILOVA/COURTESY ALGONQUIN COLLEGE DARE District – Algonquin College  by ROBIN BRUNET C reating new facilities on existing college campuses is always a chal- lenge regarding space confines and disruption of daily function. These are concerns most recently grappled with by Algonquin College, with the develop- ment of its new, state-of-the-art DARE (Discovery, Applied Research and Entrepreneurship) District. Before construction began on the $44.9-million project, $4 million and six months were spent renovating other areas on campus to relocate the occu- pants of the old library building that would be upgraded to create DARE. Todd Schonewille, Algonquin College's director of physical resources, says, "That gives an inkling of the complexity of this project, whose gov- ernment funding required us to adhere to strict timelines and resulted in us releasing foundation work before we even began thinking about what the interior of the new structure would look like. "And yet, thanks to the skill of Diamond Schmitt Architects in a joint venture with Edward J. Cuhaci & Associates Architects, along with PCL Constructors Canada and a small army of subtrades, we are nearing comple- tion as intended – and the facility is outstanding." Initially called the Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Learning Centre and Institute for Indigenous Entrepreneurship when the proj- ect was first announced in October of 2016, DARE was made possible due to a $21.9-million grant from the fed- eral government through the The Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund (SIF), and $2.9 mil- lion from the Province of Ontario. Deemed the first of its kind for a col- lege campus in Ontario, DARE features facilities for testing and development, simulations, competitions, collabora- tive project development, as well as entrepreneurial support in the grow- ing field of cyber security. It was also designed in consulta- tion with Indigenous communities and based on indigenous business prin- ciples. "We worked closely with Ron McLester, executive director – truth, reconciliation & indigenization for Algonquin College, on the building's interiors and landscape, constantly reviewing everything with the archi- tects to ensure we achieved our goal of honouring traditional elements in a modern esthetic," says Ryan Gorrie, senior associate at Brook McIlroy. The college granted what it described as "single source" contracts to the archi- tects and PCL to build DARE due the extremely short timelines in funding approvals, as well as successful relation- ships with the designers and builder on earlier projects. "We undertook a con- struction management delivery model and basically built to the specs as they evolved," says Schonewille. Sarah Low, project architect for Diamond Schmitt, says her firm was mainly responsible for the base build- ing, while Zofia Jurewicz, president of Edward J. Cuhaci & Associates Architects, presided over the interi- ors, following the college's formulated design principles of sustainability (adding onto the existing two-storey library rather than demolishing it, plus working to LEED standards); build- ing upon the college's Indigenous foundation; accelerating innovation and entrepreneurship (resulting in open spaces with plenty of glazing to provide linkages between different disciplines); and creating one centre. What this translated to design-wise was many innovative features, includ- ing a showcase stairway connecting DARE's three storeys; an abundance of wood features; and electro-chromic "smart" glass for the building envelope that automatically darkens in reaction to the sun's arc, providing visual com- fort for the building's occupants and mitigating heat gain. As the interior design evolved, Gorrie and his team developed a land- scaped courtyard that would feature a traditional gathering space, with an interior Indigenous commons linked directly to the courtyard and sepa- rated by sliding glass panels (similarly patterned pavers for both areas would further unite the two spaces). A circle room for ceremonies was created that could be closed off with birch-clad track doors, and throughout the facility Brook McIlroy employed Indigenous designers to create etched glazing that added a unique visual ele- ment to the interior spaces. "There is also a herringbone braid wood pattern used as a ceiling element on the second floor that leads directly to the indige- nous area," says Gorrie. Diamond Schmitt capped DARE with a barrel-vaulted roof that curved down on both sides to join with the rooflines of the adjacent facilities and would serve to eliminate snow loads on the existing buildings. "The roof struc- ture is a nailed laminated timber [NLT] and steel structure, and on the inside third level this curved roof structure is exposed, including undulating glulam beams and a NLT roof deck," says Low. In order to create DARE, PCL essen- tially gutted the old library building and removed asbestos. "But this is a very tight site couched amidst three existing buildings and located adjacent to one of our main entrances, so we had to shut down a main traffic artery and undertake extensive work scheduling so as not to interrupt campus func- tions," says Schonewille. Farrokh Fazileh, senior project engi- neer at Adjeleian Allen Rubeli Limited, says his firm brought the existing facility up to the code and seismic requirements. As for building the new structures, "It was decided that all the steel would be exposed for architec- tural appeal; we used casted steel to form the braced frame connections, which minimized the need for bolts and provided a very clean appearance. For the roof, we used curved glulam beams and NLT deck to support the structure's lateral forces." A two megawatt co-gen engine located in DARE's central plant will use waste heat to heat the building as well as create cold water via an absorption chiller. Although as of April DARE was still being tweaked for occupancy (land- scaping will be completed this summer, and connections between DARE and the neighbouring facilities will be developed in the future), Low echoes the sentiments of her colleagues when she says, "We're thrilled with the results so far." To which Schonewille adds, "We've worked with the architects and build- ers before, so we had a terrific level of communication, and they were extremely adept at overcoming prob- lems as they happened. We couldn't be more pleased with the outcome – DARE District is a real showcase for our campus." A LOCATION 1385 Woodroffe Avenue, Algonquin College, Ottawa, Ontario OWNER/DEVELOPER Algonquin College ARCHITECT (JV) Diamond Schmitt Architects / Edward J. Cuhaci & Associates Architects Inc. CONSTRUCTION MANAGER PCL Constructors Canada STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Adjeleian Allen Rubeli Limited MECHANICAL/ ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Goodkey Weedmark & Associates Ltd. INDIGENOUS DESIGN/ LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Brook McIlroy TOTAL SIZE 100,000 square feet TOTAL COST $44.9 million 9:06 AM 1:59 PM 12:33 PM

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