George Brown College Waterfront Health Sciences Campus
Summary
- Size:
- 350,000
- Type:
- Education
- Definition:
- New
- Date Completed:
- 07/12/2012
Description
EllisDon Toronto is the Construction Manager for George Brown Waterfront adjacent to Toronto Harbour.
The site is bounded by Lake Ontario and Queen's Quay, between Jarvis and Sherbourne Streets. This new construction consists of 350,000 square feet of gross floor area and includes health and science plus regular classroom space. It also includes retail space at ground level, and below-grade parking for approximately 350 cars. As a result of the site's proximity to the Toronto Harbour waterfront, the land parcel had specific geotechnical and environmental challenges such as brown field management or excavating four levels below grade at close proximity to the Lake while preventing groundwater infiltration among others.
The design and construction of the Waterfront Campus Development has adhered to guidelines outlined within the LEED(r) Canada NC-1.0 rating system. George Brown College incorporates various sustainability initiatives including renewable energy initiatives, targeting a minimum LEED Gold standard and incorporating advanced building efficiency controls. For example, this building has one of the first converged Ethernet networks in Canada that ensures communication across various systems. Through a web-based dashboard leveraging state of the art technology, users can control the blinds, adjust the lighting and regulate the temperature from one control panel. Other critical emergency components (think security and fire alarms) are also hooked into this Content Management System (CMS), providing a safer and more efficient campus. Gone are the multiple wires and switches - and so are the costs that came with them.
While the initial reduction in capital expenditures has been pretty impressive in and of itself, it's the long-term operational benefit that will make the biggest difference to the client. With components like HVAC and Building Automated Systems (BAS) connected on one network, George Brown College can view and track real time metering information that was previously unavailable. Details such as the thermal performance of the building envelope are now readily available. Not only will this enable building management staff to make better, more cost effective decisions, but the campus itself is effectively a living lab. Through a public kiosk touch screen in the main lobby, students, staff and visitors can view where use is heaviest, as well as the environmental impact - floor by floor - of the entire building. That's valuable data, not only for the design and construction team that worked on the project, but also for students in the college's construction management program.
Definitively, more than just a pretty view!
Participants On This Project
