Award

J UNE 2018 | 69 New Windsor City Hall RENDERING COURTESY ARCHITECTTURA INC. New Windsor City Hall by ROBIN BRUNET T he City of Windsor has recently been called one of Ontario's best- kept secrets, a gateway to the U.S. whose economy and livability is enjoy- ing a renaissance after the crash of the manufacturing industry that put it on the map in the first place. It therefore seemed appropriate for the city in 2014 to announce that it would be replacing its city hall built in the 1950s with a bold new facility that would represent Windsor moving forward. "Our mandate was to build a beautiful, user-friendly building; one that would be efficient, practical, functional, and customer service oriented," says city engineer and project administrator Wadah Al-Yassiri. "It was also impor- tant to stay within an allotted budget, so that meant we had to retain the best architects and builders for the project." In a sense, choosing the architect was easy. "We selected Moriyama & Teshima Architects, who had designed many civic facilities across Canada and therefore was intimately acquainted with the needs of municipal govern- ments and how they operate," says Al-Yassiri. "Moriyama entered into a joint venture with Windsor-based Architecttura Inc. for our city hall, and it proved to be a winning combination." By incorporating all the prereq- uisites (location, direction, size, and height) and adding environmentally sustainable potential, the two com- panies in 2015 provided two feature concept designs. City administration and other stakeholders voted for their favourite, and a 120,000-square-foot campus concept featuring extensive glazing became the preferred option. Moriyama & Teshima architect Diarmuid Nash told public forums that the design drew inspiration from the expansion of the University of Windsor and St. Clair College into the downtown. "It points to a downtown redefining itself," he said, adding that he would fully exploit a promenade leading north towards the river. "We'll have a new plaza and an extraordinary park that already exists. It'll be a great public space." The distinctly modern design con- sists of a double-height ground level atrium featuring a wood plank and fab- ric acoustic ceiling, porcelain tile floor, and acoustic glass operable partitions, with the double-height glazed curtain wall providing a light, transparent ambi- ance for pedestrians as well as building occupants. A series of slender columns around the atrium seemingly support three rectangular storeys above. The total project budget was $31 million, and additions include green roofs as well as a canopy that would connect to the adjacent 400 City Hall Square building, thus enhancing the campus ambiance of the overall proj- ect. Another aspect of the campus concept is that it provides a strong east-west connection that ties in well with the coming University of Windsor developments to the immediate west and the downtown core. The architects designed floor plans that make extensive and efficient use of space: the first and second floors pro- vide services for direct short and longer stay customer interaction respectively, while council chambers with its stone tile wall and wood veneer millwork along with other public meeting rooms are located on the ground level for easy access. The third through fifth floors contain administrative offices for the various city departments. Although some city hall staff would be relocated to individual work sta- tions rather than offices, the architects ensured they would be close to win- dows as compensation; plus, the floor plans overall provided a generous 100-square-feet per employee, not including common spaces. LOCATION 350 City Hall Square West, Windsor, Ontario OWNER/DEVELOPER City of Windsor ARCHITECTS (JV) Moriyama & Teshima Architects / Architecttura Inc. CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Oscar Construction Company Limited STRUCTURAL/CIVIL CONSULTANT Aleo Associates Inc. MECHANICAL/ ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT exp Services Inc. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Bezaire & Associates Landscape Architects TOTAL SIZE 120,000 square feet TOTAL COST $31 million

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