Abbotsford Collegiate Secondary School
When the opportunity came to replace Abbotsford Collegiate Secondary School, the British Columbia Ministry of Education, the Abbotsford School District No. 34 and the City of Abbotsford took the notion of community building to heart. The end result is a dynamic, engaging, multi - use civic hub, a community centrepiece and source of community pride.
"Its a significant project for Abbotsford," says Bob Main - man, assistant director of facilities and transportation, and project manager for the School District. "We are very pleased with it and how its going. The working relationship between the city, ministry and school district has been like a partnership. Its working very well."
The redesign for the nearly 60 - year - old school and its 20 - acre site includes construction of a new LEED Gold, three - storey, 115,000 - square - foot replacement secondary school; a new 15,000 - square - foot civic branch library; 4,000 square feet of which will be designated school library; and a new three - storey Neighbourhood Learning Centre that will house community social service agencies.
Seismic and other upgrades are underway in the existing 700 - seat Abbotsford Arts Centre, also on site. Once the new school opens in the fall of 2012, the existing school will be demolished. Only upgraded portions, including both of its gyms, will remain.
The school will remain open and operational for its 1,100 students throughout the three - year construction window.
Architecturally, the building radiates from the developments central and unifying element, a three - storey cast - in - place concrete, steel, glass and wood rotunda. As the most structurally complex part of the design, the rotunda provides an entryway to the school and gathering area for students.
"The building knuckles around the rotunda," say Ryan Huston and partner Alvin Bartel, Craven Huston Powers Architects. "It will provide a light, open convergence point in which people can congregate. The school principal can stand in the rotunda and see throughout the entire school. It seemed to be a good ordering principle."
The rotunda features architecturally exposed walls, concrete columns and cantilevered coloured - concrete ring slabs with glass rails at the second and third floors. Concrete mix design and colour were test poured in concealed areas before the first architectural concrete placing.
"The concrete work was com - plexandrequiredexactprecision
forming and placing," says Rick Boates, president of Unitech Construction Management Ltd. "Our concrete trades skills and attention to detail created exemplary results."
"The rotunda roof is a spectacular glulam and wood deck structure with a 6,800 - kilogram steel compression ring at the centre, three storeys above the rotunda floor," says Boates.
Assembly of this complex roof structure dictated the need for a three - storey - high scaffolding system inside the rotunda to support the compression ring. "This allowed our glulam and steel trades to meet the very tight two - millimetre tolerances required," says Boates. "Safety, particularly fall protection, was challenging to design and implement for this complex installation but was executed without a hitch."
Concrete crews formed and cast some 70 tilt - up panels used throughout the entire project. Some panels weigh up to 200,000 pounds. This required the use of one of the largest hydraulic cranes in B.C. weighing in at 400,000 pounds and resting on 16 massive traction wheels.
The concrete trade prepared a curved casting bed and site - cast the curved tilt - up panels used in the library exterior walls. "We believe this may be only the second time this has been done in North America," says Boates -"The end product is excellent"
Under B.C.s Wood First Act, which promotes wood use as a primary building material for new provincially funded buildings, significant amounts of wood are featured in both secondary structure and non - structural applications. Glulam
beams and purlins, timber decking for the roof, exterior heavy timber loggia, accent beams, wood panels and grids are used throughout.
Given unpredicatable weather, the glulam and wood deck components were double seal coated prior to arrival on site. On - site framing and boring was done in a special tent to eliminate the possibility of potential weather stains.
Twelve - foot Douglas fir trusses discovered under staple - up ceiling tiles during the renovation of the existing school gym were exposed and refurbished. "Lifting the ceiling and exposing those heavy timber trusses created an amazing feeling in that gym," says Huston, who is also a former Abbotsford Collegiate student. "They just dont make trusses like that anymore."
"Those trusses are gorgeous," agrees Rob Hall, structural consultant, Bush, Bohlman & Partners. "From our point of view, nothing went sideways on this project," says Hall. "We had good fit - up and good quality assurance."
Hall credits Autodesks Revit 3D - modelling design software used by the architectural and structural consultants for its precision and exactitude and the multiple layering it provides from design through fabrication, construction and scheduling. "Three - dimensional modelling was also used to create very accurate structural steel shop drawings/ says Hall, "which are key to proper fit - up between the structural steel and tilt - up panels."
With the Board of Educations endorsement Unitech spearheaded the use of Building Information Modelling and NavisWorks clash detection for mechanical and electrical systems.
Unitechs construction management approach has been key to this projects success, says Hall. "It doesnt pit owner against contractor; instead, in promotes teamwork with full involvement of the owner, consultants and construction manager in decision - making."
That cooperation mitigated scheduling challenges due to increased work related to the Arts Centre seismic upgrade, project design changes due to the later inclusion of the civic library and a lit all - weather field.
Unitech also tendered the work sequentially. "This provides a quick startand detailed tender packages that eliminate unknowns," says Boates. "Lower risk means tight bidding and better value for the owner."
"Without the flexibility construction management provides, the number and scope of the changes that accommodate each of the different user groups would have put a much larger dent in the project contingency," says Boates. "A lot can be said for great communication, too."
"Keeping the existing 1,100 - student secondary school and the community theatre fully operational with work required on every square foot of all buildings and the entire 20 - acre site is a challenge," says Boates. "User group commitments dictated some tight construction and renovation windows. Nevertheless, we are currently ahead of schedule and under budget."
LEED Gold certification features also define the project and are a great source of pride. A ground - source geothermal heating and cooling system services the Abbotsford Middle School - also on site. Additional features include parking area bioswales to reduce water drainage; green roofs; high albedo roofs; solar thermal panels on the domestic hot water system; extensive daylight - ing, natural ventilation and stack effect ventilation techniques; high - efficiency mechanical units; natural material selection including stained and natural concrete floors, exposed wood and steelwork; low - VOC paint; recycled material content in floor coverings and furnishings; and low - flow fixtures.
"Our entire team is proud to apply our LEED training and experience toward LEED Gold certification," says Boates. "Overall, we are very happy with and proud of all aspects of this project."
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The interior