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Shrum Science Centre Renewal - SFU
Due to the rapid pace of technological development inherent in the sector, a building dedicated to scientific teaching and research usually requires updating frequently, and the chemistry wing in the Shrum Science Centre at Simon Fraser Universitys Burnaby campus is no exception. The 102,000 - square - foot chemistry building was designed by Rhone and Iredale Architects as part of the overall SFU campus designed by Arthur Erickson and built in 1965 according to that eras building codes and science standards. Yet despite being dramatically outdated, the facility had become more relevant than ever in the 21st century: In a single year its teaching labs accommodate more than 2,200 undergraduate students, and recent initiatives have ranged from fuel cell research to nuclear magnetic resonance operation. A renovation was badly overdue. "The outside of the building was in very bad condition," says SFUs assistant director of major projects K.C. Jones. "The precast exterior panels secured by metal clips were rusted and failing, the windows were single - pane glass, and the roof was leaking." The circumstances in the interior were somewhat different. "It was in even worse shape," says Jones. "There was thermal bridging, so heat loss was substantial. No seismic upgrades had been performed, the HVAC systems for the lab equipment were inadequate for todays needs, and a series of 200 - square - foot concrete block cells that comprised the laboratories were inappropriate for todays more open - air scientific work environment." Fortunately, Shrum was one of 29 projects at post - secondary institutions in B.C. to break ground quickly due to a joint federal - provincial investment of $433 million; it was also part of the $14 - billion capital infrastructure program supported by the province to create jobs and public infrastructure. The funding was allotted in 2009 but came with a caveat. "We initially requested $74 million but received $49.4 million, meaning there would be no money for expansion and no possibility of raising the nine - foot floor - to - ceiling height to more easily accommodate all the new mechanical elements," says Jones. About 60,000 square feet of space - the sections that were in the worst state of disrepair - was selected for renovation. "Plus, because the funding came from the province and Industry Canadas Knowledge Infrastructure program, it had to be spent by the spring of 2011," says Jones. "So to call this a fast - track project would be an understatement" Another challenge was to uphold SFUs commitment to sustainability: the Shrum upgrade would be undertaken with an aim to qualify for Gold certification under the LEED program. Henriquez Partners Architects was chosen due partly to its past experience in renovating laboratory buildings ; the firm worked on the Shrum design in the latter half of 2009, as the Science Centre was being gutted. "Due to the pace of the project, we went straight from the schematic drawing stage right into the working drawings, integrating the middle step of design development into the fast - track process," says senior architect Steve Best. This risky process was aided considerably by California - based laboratory consultancy X - nth, which determined the intricacies of the new casework and how they could be incorporated. Jones credits SFUs Dr. Ken MacFarlane and Dr. Andrew Bennett "for not only conveying the wants and needs of 42 of their colleagues in a useful fashion, but applying their expertise to help us make the incredible leap from schematics to signed - off working drawings." Although it would have been more desirable to do so, Jones points out that knocking down the Science Centre wouldnt have been possible given the budget and time constraints. "Arthur Erickson designed the SFU campus buildings to be interconnected, so to demolish a single facility and trying to sort out the thousands of wires plus gas, water and power lines would have been a nightmare," she explains. Spared from the gutting process were some theatres and certain laboratories. Best says there was no magic solution to incorporating the new HVAC systems - just a lot of "on - the - f ly planning" and elbow grease: "To fit it all in and not interfere and look decent simply took time and effort. The corridors were easy because the ceilings were covered, but the labs were not" Seismic upgrading elements included cast - in - place concrete, new shear walls and shotcrete applied over existing concrete. "We were very impressed with the latter material," says Best. "So much so that we intend to use it for exposed finishes in the future." Upgrading the exterior was a challenge, with more durable materials required to meet targets but not detract from Ericksons original design. "As it turned out, zinc is similar in appearance to concrete and relatively easy to manipulate in order to mimic the fins, corners and other architectural styl - ings of Arthurs design," says Jones. Jones describes Stuart Olson Dominion Constructions work as "very fast and very smart, and fortunately there were no mishaps or unexpected difficulties in the process." As Jones contemplates the centre, she emphasizes that experience was key to a successful project delivery. "Each of the consultant teams and the general contractor Stuart Olson Dominion to the sub - trades - too numerous to mention - performed to the peak of their abilities," she says. "For such a fast - paced schedule, everything went remarkably smoothly."
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