NEW BRUNSWICK MUSEUM COMPETITION P.02►SURREY CIVIC CENTRE

NUIT BLANCHE 2012GUELPH CIVIC CENTRE

TOM THOMPSON ART GALLERY OWEN SOUNDROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM EDMONTON PROPOSAL

P.08►CENTENNIAL PLAZA EDMONTONWADI HANIFA PEDESTRIAN INTERPRETIVE PATH

P.14►NORQUEST COLLEGE CENTRE FOR LEARNINGCN TOWER GATEWAY PROPOSAL

P.20►RIVER BUILDING CARLETON UNIVERSITYP.26►DALHOUSIE INTERPROFESSIONAL HEALTH BUILDING

MECCA MASTERPLANP.30►TORONTO BOTANICAL GARDEN BIRDHOUSE COMPETITION

P.32►SHEIK ZAYAD NATIONAL MUSEUM ABU DHABI COMPETITIONEDUCATION CITY FACULTY CLUB DOHA

QUEENSTON TOLL PLAZA & BOARDER CROSSINGEDSON HEALTH CENTRE CONTINUING CARE

HILFIELD STRATHALLAN COLLEGELAKEHEAD UNIVERSITY

REGENT PARK PHASE ONEP.36►NATIONAL RAILWAY INTERPRETIVE CENTRE

STEVE CULVERSELECTED PROFESSIONAL WORK2007-2015

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SURREY CIVIC CENTRECity of Surrey / Surrey City Development Corporation2011 - 201301

CREATION OF A CITY CENTREThe City of Surrey is undertaking a bold and visionary ‘re-branding’ of its City Centre under the auspices of the “Build Surrey” program of capital projects, developed to position the city for a prosperous future, transforming the City from “suburb” to thriving business and urban centre. The projects, including the new City Hall and Civic Plaza, that are to be designed and constructed over the next six years (2010-2016) to prepare Surrey for growth over the next decade and to provide residents with world-class facilities.

The development of the City Centre over the next five years will transform the downtown core to create British Columbia’s next great cosmopolitan centre, with the new City Hall as the ‘jewel in the crown’. Defining the civic and cultural heart of Surrey, the dramatic new $100M, 165,000 square foot City Hall expresses innovation, excellence, growth, inclusion, welcome, diversity and a commitment to the environment that will serve as a primary catalyst for rejuvenation of the City Centre by creating a bustling new hub of activity that is easily accessible by all of the city’s residents.

In Joint Venture with Kasian, M&T was commissioned to develop a master plan for the Civic Centre and design a new City Hall facility and Civic Plaza embracing family life, recreation and spiritual health within a seamlessly integrated landscape; as if the building forms were meant to be there with as much legitimacy as the mountains themselves.

The building program areas include: a dramatic 6 storey multi-use atrium, the council chamber and adjacent meeting rooms, city service desks, city planning, engineering, finance and technology departments, the offices of the Mayor and City Manager. The premises also incorporates a Civic Plaza; and underground parkade with spaces for 850 cars.

► LOCATION: Surrey, British Coloumbia► CLIENT: Surrey City Development Corporation► BUDGET: $100,000,000► GFA: 16,000 m2► SUSTAINABLE DESIGNATION: LEED Gold

► PARTNER IN CHARGE: Diarmuid Nash► PROJECT ARCHITECT: Chei-wei Tai

► STRUCTURAL: Reed Jones Christofferson► MECHANICAL: MCW Consultants► ELECTRICAL: MCW Consultants

► GENERAL CONTRACTOR: PCL► COMPLETION 2013

►SURREY CIVIC CENTRE MASTERPLAN

►WEST ELEVATION►CITY HALL AND CIVIC PLAZASURREY CIVIC CENTRE22

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►WEST ELEVATION

►VIEW OF NORTH AND WEST ELEVATIONS

►COUNCIL CHAMBER►CITY ROOM ENTRANCESURREY CIVIC CENTRE 33

| SURREY CIVIC CENTRE

►WEST ELEVATION ►SOUTH ELEVATION

SURREY CIVIC CENTRE44

|SURREY CIVIC CENTRE

Precast concrete

Low iron glass

Composite wood panels

Granite

Fritted glass sunshades

►WEST FACADE ►SOUTH FACADE FROM CIVIC PLAZA

►NORTH ELEVATION

LEGEND

SURREY CIVIC CENTRESURREY CIVIC CENTRE 55

| SURREY CIVIC CENTRE

►CITY ROOM ATRIUM

►CITY ROOM SECTION►WALL SECTION

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|SURREY CIVIC CENTRE

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A PLANNED CIVIC PRECINCTDuring the master planing phase of the project it was determined that the Civic Plaza (1) would be the northern terminus of a linear Civic Commons extending south to Central City: a retail mall and transit hub adjacent to Simon Frasier University was envisioned to ensure a vibrant and well used public space in an otherwise suburban setting. The Plaza is activated along its edges by the new Surrey Central Library (2), a residential tower with a retail podium (3), a planned 20 storey commercial tower (4), and the new City Hall (5). Easily accessible public transportation is provided by the Sky Train to the east (6). Vehicular access is granted through a zero edge Market Street (7) which can be controlled during events.

The six storey “City Room” Atrium (5) adjacent to the plaza is programmed as a large public orientation space and an extension to the Council Chamber (8) it also allows easy access to Municipal Services Desks (9) and meeting rooms. The second floor terrace (10) of the city hall mediates the public and private functional aspects and can be used for ceremony, leisure activities or small events. Floors 3-6 house the municipal departments (11) designed to be an airy open office environment with generous staff spaces including private terraces adjacent to staff areas (12). The City Manager and mayoral offices (13) are on the sixth floor overlooking the plaza.

►SIXTH FLOOR PLAN

►SECOND FLOOR PLAN

►PLAZA AND GROUND FLOOR PLAN

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CENTENNIAL PLAZAAlberta Infrastructure2009-1002

A GIFT FOR ALBERTANSA 350 million dollar combination renovation and rede-sign of Alberta’s north legislative grounds in Edmonton was commissioned to celebrate Alberta’s centennial. The Project consists of a renovation to the 1950s art deco Federal Building and a new design for a plaza and 650 car underground parkade. The integrated team in-cluded Kasian who designed and renovated the Fed-eral Building, and Moriyama and Teshima and Carlysle and Associates who were part of the design consor-tium for the Federal Building and in charge of the de-sign of the parkade and plaza.

This public plaza and ‘year round’ people space in-cludes water features, integrated landscaping and public gathering opportunities. Designed to operate within the site’s micro climate, the landscape concept interprets Alberta’s six ecological zones - grasslands, park lands, foothills, rocky mountains, boreal forest, and Canadian Shield - as well as a 100 fountain head interactive water feature that commemorates Alberta’s 100 year centennial. Universally accessible ramps are designed at, or below, a five per cent slope to effec-tively eliminate stairs. Specially designed signage and wayfinding tools will complement and enhance the architectural and landscape environments. This space will support concerts and public entertainment during the summer months and skating and outdoor events, (including the Festival of Light as well as Christmas and New Year celebrations), in the winter. Eliminating the old, above-ground car park in favour of a modern three-level, underground parkade facilitates the cre-ation of this new plaza.

► LOCATION: Edmonton, Alberta► CLIENT: Alberta Infrastructure► BUDGET: $165,000,000► GFA: 33,000 m2 (site area: 1.04 hectares)► SUSTAINABLE DESIGNATION: LEED gold

► PARTNER IN CHARGE: Diarmuid Nash► PROJECT ARCHITECT: Louis Lortie

► STRUCTURAL: Stantec► MECHANICAL: Hemisphere► ELECTRICAL: Stantec

► GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Clarke Builders► COMPLETION 2013

CENTENNIAL PLAZA88

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►LEGISLATIVE GROUNDS

►SITE SECTION

CENTENNIAL PLAZA 99

| CENTENNIAL PLAZA

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CENTENNIAL PLAZACentennial Plaza is comprised of an amalgam of distinct experiences that are either personal and contemplative or public and grandiose. Centennial Plaza is bounded on the west by the Bowker (7) and Haultain (8) buildings on the east by the Federal Building (9) and to the south by the Alberta legislature. The a threshold for the plaza is devised by the addition of two Gate Houses (10) which serve plaza functions for reception storage and washroom / change room facilities. The public space is divided in half by the procession of 100 water jets (11) to commemorate Alberta’s centennial which can be programed to animate and change color depending on the use of the venue. The eastern portion (12) of the plaza is designed for summer events such as concerts or formal ceremony. In winter it can be converted into a ice skating surface. The Alberta Gardens (1-6) provide an interpretive experience of the province’s ecological zones: canadian shield, boreal forest, parkland, foothills, rocky mountain and grassland. Each garden provides extensive description of the various flora and fauna of each zone. To the south-east the Agricultural Gardens (13) showcase the rich agricultural history of the province.

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TO LEGISLATURE►SITEPLAN

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CANADIAN SHIELD

PARKLAND

FOOTHILLS

ROCKY MOUNTAINS

PRAIRIES

►ALBERTA’S ECOLOGICAL ZONES

►ECOLOGICAL GARDENS ELEVATIONS

1010

|CENTENNIAL PLAZA

Edmonton

►CENTENNIAL PLAZA SUMMER

►CENTENNIAL PLAZA WINTER

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| CENTENNIAL PLAZA

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►DIAGRAMMATIC LAYOUT OF PARKADE

►P3 LEVEL PARKADE PLAN

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FEDERAL BUILDING

HAULTAIN BUILDING

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|CENTENNIAL PLAZA

►CENTENNIAL PLAZA GATE HOUSES

The Centennial Plaza Parkade stitches together many pieces of underground infrastructure on the legislative grounds. Primary access to the underground parkade is accommodated through the new addition to the Federal Building (1) employees will use the bottom two floors of the parkade. A direct link from the Federal Building to the legislature is provided from the new addition providing efficient egress for emergency voting by MP’s (2). The pedway is a subterranean network which connects all the buildings on the grounds. The adjacent Bowker building’s mechanical room has been adaptively reused to service the parkade (3). Main vehicular access to parking is located at the north west corner of the plaza . Below the entrance ramp, an express ramp leads employees down to the P2 and P3 levels (4). An extensive shipping and receiving for the

legislative precinct as well as maintenance vehicle storage is located at the southern end of the parkade. Access to the plaza is through a main elevator and stairway in the north-west corner of the parkade (6) emerging at the west gate house at plaza level (7).

Functionally, the West Gate House serves the plaza by concealing the large mechanical intakes and exhausts, provides vertical circulation from the parkade and federal buildings and houses public washroom facilities. The East Gate House (8) provides a change room to support the ice rink during winter activities, it also provides storage space for an ice surface maintenance vehicle.

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►WEST GATE HOUSES ►EAST GATE HOUSE

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PLAZA PARKADE

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NORQUEST COLLEGECENTRE FOR LEARNINGNORQUEST COLLEGE / UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA2013 - Present

03DESIGNING FOR A NEW WORKFORCEThe downtown Edmonton expansion of Norquest Col-lege has been developed to secure the future work-force of Alberta. The new 22,500 m2, four storey build-ing will house vocational skills labs including simulated healthcare labs, culinary labs and an entire floor dedi-cated to a communal learning areas, classrooms and seminar rooms. The public-minded ground floor hous-es a large cafeteria, library and bookstore and a four storey atrium which will serve as a multi-use space for conferences, lectures and performances. The ground floor also features a daycare facility for parents who are furthering their education.

The structural framing of the building is primarily con-crete and is designed to provide a timeless quality. The mechanical systems have been optimized for efficiency and durability utilizing radiant heating and cooling in both floors and ceilings. The envelope of the building was designed collaboratively, among the integrated ar-chitectural, mechanical and stainability teams at Dialog, to minimize solar heat gain at peak hours. Daylighting, provided by the central atrium, along with an energy efficient lighting strategy was taken into consideration to maximize user comfort throughout the day and into the evenings.

The building is one of a handful of fully integrated BIM projects at Dialog with disciplines working together from studios across the country.

► LOCATION: Edmonton, Alberta► CLIENT: NORQUEST COLLEGE / U of A► BUDGET: $100,000,000► GFA: 33,000 m2► SUSTAINABLE DESIGNATION: LEED silver

► PARTNER IN CHARGE: Tom Sutherland► PROJECT ARCHITECT: Charles Lau

► STRUCTURAL: Dialog (Integrated Design)► MECHANICAL: Dialog (Integrated Design)► ELECTRICAL: Dialog (Integrated Design)

► GENERAL CONTRACTOR: N/A► COMPLETION 2016

CENTRE FOR LEARNING14

|CENTRE FOR LEARNING

►CENTRE FOR LEARNING LOOKING NORTHWEST

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| CENTRE FOR LEARNING

►NORTH ELEVATION ►EAST ELEVATION

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(1) ATRIUM - EVENT & PRESENTATION SPACE(2) ATRIUM LIGHT SCOOP(3) 100 CAR PARKADE - 80 SPACE BICYCLE LOCKER & ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS(4) CAFETERIA & SERVERY(5) STUDY LOUNGES (6) SEMINAR / WEB BREAKOUT ROOMS

(7) 100 SEAT CLASSROOMS(8) 50 SEAT CLASSROOMS(9) SIMULATED CLINIC(10) STUDY COMMONS & LIBRARY(11) HEALTH CLINIC (12) ABORIGINAL STUDENTS ASSOCIATION(13) CHILLER WELL

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|CENTRE FOR LEARNING

►EAST ELEVATION ►SOUTH ELEVATION

►ATRIUM LOOKING EAST

►ATRIUM LOOKING WEST

►SECTIONAL PERSPECTIVE

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►LOBBY(4)

►TYPICAL 50 SEAT CLASSROOM

►CAFETERIA (2)

►STUDY LOUNGE(3)

►SECOND FLOOR PLAN

►GROUND FLOOR PLAN

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|CENTRE FOR LEARNING

LEVEL 3 FINISHED FLOOR110205

300 125 885 415

AC-1

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GB-1

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LEVEL 2 FINISHED FLOOR105625

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INTEGRATED DESIGNThe Centre for Learning, was designed by an integrated team who, have been involved since the beginning of the project to ensure that the building is energy efficient and uses low-cost low-maintenance technology and techniques.

The major mechanical systems were designed with efficiency in mind, using radiant heating and cooling within the structural concrete slab and through extensive radiant panel systems in the ceilings of class-rooms and labs. The student commons on the 2nd floor and the offices on the 3rd and 4th are conditioned through the use of under floor air distribution to ensure maximum flexibility for future re-configuration and adaptation of these spaces.

The preliminary massing of the building was informed by energy mod-eling software that was used alongside the mechanical and electrical systems design. From this process the architects and engineers were able to place expansive areas of glass where they would maximize day-light and minimize solar heat gain. Part of the western façade uses a double skin with passive ventilation which minimizes heat fluctuations during the afternoon in the adjacent 100 seat classroom. Soffit vents and low flow fans pull cool air into the interstitial airspace, the air then warms and through convection rises to be pulled out through vents adjacent to the head of the curtain wall system. ►SECTIONAL PERSPECTIVE THROUGH DOUBLE SKIN FAçADE

►DETAIL AT HEAD AND SILL OF DOUBLE SKIN FAçADE

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►RENDERED IMAGE OF ATRIUM

RIVER BUILDING

04RECONNECTING WITH NATURECarleton University’s original Master Plan centred around an academic quad resulting in an inward focused campus plan that turned its back on the surrounding natural landscape. With the design and construction of a new gateway building on the campus, the River Building reconnects with what was once ignored.

Sited directly on the waterfront, the River Building is the new multi- and inter-disciplinary home for the Norman Patterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA), the School of Public Policy Administration (SPPA), the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, and the School of Journalism and Communication. The program includes: a Public Policy Centre; a 400 seat lecture theatre; conference facilities to accommodate up to 500; case study labs; classrooms, faculty offices and computer labs; a river front café and a 3-storey central atrium that can be used for special events. In addition to passive river cooling and other sustainable technologies, the River Building is strategically placed to capitalize on natural light and sublime views, and features a green roof, and a dramatic bio-wall that spans the full height of a spacious central 3-storey atrium flooded with natural light.

► LOCATION: Ottawa► CLIENT: Carleton University► BUDGET: $55,000,000► GFA: 43,000 Sqft► SUSTAINABLE DESIGNATION: 5 Green Globes

► PARTNER IN CHARGE: Jason Moriyama► PROJECT ARCHITECT: Chei-wei Tai

► STRUCTURAL: Adjeleian Allen Rubeli► MECHANICAL: Crossey Engineering LTD.► ELECTRICAL: Crossey Engineering LTD.

► GENERAL CONTRACTOR: R.E Hein► COMPLETION 2012

RIVER BUILDINGCarleton University2007-08

2020

|RIVER BUILDING

►EXISTING PHOTOGRAPH OF RIVER BUILDING

2121

| RIVER BUILDING

Custom colour “Carleton Red” iron spot brick

Limestone random stacked bond

Custom profile painted steel siding

Precast concrete panel

Double glazed curtain wall with ceramic fritt

Double glazed curtain / window wall

Double glazed curtain wall shadow box

►EAST ELEVATION

2222

|RIVER BUILDING

►SOUTH ELEVATION

►SECTIONAL PERSPECTIVE ►RIDEAU RIVER VIEW AT CAMPUS

►RIDEAU RIVER VIEW AT BRONSON BRIDGE

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BRIDGING THE CAMPUS

GROUND FLOOR

The river building’s ground floor serves as pedestrian access to the building’s upper level functions. The northern double- height atrium is a gateway for the faculty of journalism, the case classrooms and television studio and sound booths. The southern portion houses staff offices and the riverside cafe (1).

SECOND & THIRD FLOORS

The second floor of the building connects the campus to the river. Here the triple storey Central Atrium (2) rests above the overpass of University Drive and is the social nexus of the building. The atrium is designed as a functional multi-use space which can be used for lecturing or for ceremonies. Adjacent to he atrium is a Conference Centre (3) with operable partitions to connect the two spaces. Entrance to the 400 seat lecture theatre is on the third floor. This floor also houses multiple computer labs and classrooms.

FIFTH FLOOR

The Norman Patterson School of International Affairs and the School of Public Policy and Administration reside on the fifth floor with two specialized resource centres for students within these faculties. The resource rooms (4) are designed to be cutting edge research facilities. The workrooms and offices surround a roof top garden (5), destination for quiet contemplation The garden also serves a dual purpose by providing natural daylight to adjacent spaces.

►2 CENTRAL ATRIUM

►5 ROOF TERRACE

►4 JOURNALISM RESOURCE CENTRE

►3 CONFERENCE CENTRE

►1 RIVERSIDE CAFE

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05CONVERGENT HEALTH EDUCATIONCurrently in the design and planning stage, Dalhousie University’s Centre for Collaborative Health Education is a building intended to serve as a forum to promote a patient-centered practice of healthcare science education. The building will include an inventory of program elements such as inter-professional teaching spaces, classrooms, shared study areas and a virtual training and simulation clinic.

Increasingly, learning outcomes for professional accreditation require that students participate in inter-professional teaching activities. The CCHE is an opportunity to create spaces that encourage and support exploration and experimentation in interdisciplinary program content, delivery modalities, teaching and learning practices. Internal circulation is designed to facilitate convergence by tying together elements of the new facility to allow people from different disciplines to intersect.

In collaborative design sessions with the University it was determined that the following characteristics would be required as a mandate for the future of health education in the design of the building: adaptability, transparency, functionality and sustainability. Attention has been given to adaptive space: state of the art teaching and research facilities that are modular through using a plug and play approach based on use of standardized fittings, building systems and technology. In terms of functionality and design the building has been divided into several major zones: shared instructional spaces, simulation spaces and study and learning support spaces. Each zone encompasses contiguous requirements of technology and building systems. The CCHE will seek LEED Gold designation and is designed with extensive use of natural light, efficient HVAC systems, energy and water conservation measures. The CCHE provides the University an opportunity to build a facility that can showcase its commitment to improving the health of the campus, community and environment at large.

► LOCATION: Halifax► CLIENT: Dalhousie University► BUDGET: $18,000,000► GFA: 60,000 Sqft► SUSTAINABLE DESIGNATION: LEED Gold

► PARTNER IN CHARGE: Daniel Teramura► PROJECT ARCHITECT: Christie Mills

► STRUCTURAL: BMR Structural Engineering.► MECHANICAL: F. C. O’Neill, Scriven and Assoc.► ELECTRICAL: F. C. O’Neill, Scriven and Assoc.

► GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Not Currently Tendered► COMPLETION 2014

CENTRE FOR COLLABORATIVE HEALTH EDUCATIONDalhousie University2012 - 2013

►UNIVERSITY AVENUE

2626 CENTRE FOR COLLABORATIVE HEALTH EDUCATION

|CENTRE FOR COLLABORATIVE HEALTH EDUCATION►UNIVERSITY AVENUE

►SUMMER STREET AND UNIVERSITY AVENUE

►SUMMER STREET AND UNIVERSITY AVENUE IN THE EVENING

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►SITE PLAN AND GROUND FLOOR

ACTIVE LEARNING CLASSROOMS

►AERIAL VIEW

►SOUTH ELEVATION

SIMULATED CLINIC

2828 CENTRE FOR COLLABORATIVE HEALTH EDUCATION

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ACTIVE LEARNINGAt its essence, the term active learning refers to a teaching and learning model that provides an enhanced level of interaction between students and instructors. This model is currently viewed in contrast with traditional lecture formats that focus on instructor delivered content with students taking notes.

With a shift in health sciences education towards a patient-centered approach to health care, the active learning model is very much in alignment with Dalhousie’s mandate to provide new inter-professional learning opportunities.

In practice, active learning incorporates elements of traditional content delivery and includes an enhanced level of dynamism to allow for a broader range of learning opportunities. These can include instructor led content delivery; periods of group work where students discuss problems and solutions, promoting sharing of experiences and outcomes. Active learning ultimately encourages students to participate and perform on a regular basis as compared to more traditional teaching models where student may be tested infrequently. It motivates non-traditional learners who can use technology or alternate tools to articulate ideas and participate in a meaningful way.

►ACTIVE LEARNING CLASSROOM

►ENTRANCE LOBBY

►2ND FLOOR

►3RD FLOOR

LEARNING COMMONS

SIMULATED CLINIC

►EAST ELEVATION ►WEST ELEVATION

2929CENTRE FOR COLLABORATIVE HEALTH EDUCATION

...Those little nimble musicians of the air, that warble forth their curious ditties, with which nature hath furnished them to the shame of art.

-IZZAK WALTON

The house for a wren, an audible and rambunctious species of songbird in an equivalently raucous and musical family, should provide a dwelling with which to aid in the proliferation of its song. The song of the house wren could easily be compared to the most clever syncopation in jazz but this would be an anthropomorphic mistake. It is uniquely a song of a songbird, relentless and eternal. It is the only song it knows or will ever know. As humans try to compose orchestral scores of the greatest emotional magnitude through trial and error, the house wren simply sings the song which has been passed from generation to generation ad finitum: to the beginnings of its existence as a species. It is an ancient song.

At most, as humans, what we can do for the wren is to provide some insight as how we may aid in thecontinuation of the song. The House for the Future Chorus is designed to amplify the song of the house wren from the initial cheeps and chirps through to the moment it leaves the nest to join the choir. The house is formed with a tapered spherical chamber made of wood to comfortably house the nest and deepen the tone of the chick’s youthful prattle. The song propagates through the tapered portion of the chamber and amplifies along an old phonograph horn.

► LOCATION: Toronto Botanical Garden► CLIENT: House Wren► BUDGET: $100► GFA 1 Sqft

► PROJECT DESIGNERS Steve Culver, Sean Solowski► COMPLETION 2010

| HOUSE FOR THE FUTURE CHORUS

HOUSE FOR THE FUTURE CHORUSToronto Botanical Garden - OAA award winning entry201006 HOUSE FOR THE FUTURE CHORUSToronto Botanical Garden - OAA award winning entry

►OAA AWARDS CEREMONY ►BIRDHOUSE IN CONTEXT

►CONNECTION CLOSE-UP

3030

150 mm Diameter Walnut Chamber

(Removable for Cleaning)

Phonograph Horn

Drainage Hole

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|HOUSE FOR THE FUTURE CHORUS

►WALNUT CHAMBER ►BRASS PHONOGRAPH ►CONNECTION CLOSE-UP

►CHAMBER SECTION

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SHEIK ZAYAD NATIONAL MUSEUMTDIC International Competition 200707

THE HAND THAT HOLDS THE PENThe United Arab Emirates hosted an international design competition for the prestigious Sheikh Zayed National Museum on Saadiyat Island. Following Stage 1 submissions from 18 world class architecture firms, the finalists included: the UK’s Foster & Partners, Norway’s Snohetta, Shingeru Ban of Japan, and Moriyama and Teshima.

Of all of the rich traditions and cultural symbols from which we could draw inspiration, the exquisite, uniquely shaped and crafted ‘container’ that is the traditional Writing Case emerged as a powerful metaphor to symbolize the centrality of ‘Knowledge and Ideas’ to the life and rule of His Highness Sheikh Zayed, and to the unification, evolution and prosperity of the UAE nation.

The form we gave to the principal museum programme is an apparently simple box: long and slender, proportioned to the writing case. To adorn our metaphoric Writing Case we drew inspiration from the artful Islamic geometries prevalent in Bedouin jewelry, and the breathtaking colors of the “Seven Sands of the Emirates” to compose an extraordinary ceramic tiled facade. A dramatic canopy element that is folded protectively over the Museum, is the symbolic scribe’s parchment: a canvass partly etched to record the past, and partly blank to invite untold possibilities for the future.

► LOCATION: Abu Dhabi► CLIENT: TDIC► BUDGET: $100,000,000► GFA: 130,000 sqft► SUSTAINABLE DESIGNATION: N/A

► PARTNER IN CHARGE: Diarmuid Nash► PROJECT ARCHITECT: Jason Phillipe

► STRUCTURAL: N/A► MECHANICAL: N/A► ELECTRICAL: N/A

► GENERAL CONTRACTOR: N/A► COMPLETION N/A

32 | SHEIKH ZAYAD NATIONAL MUSEUM

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►MUSEUM LOOKING NORTH EAST

33|SHEIKH ZAYAD NATIONAL MUSEUM

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►ENTRANCE GALLERY

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►SECOND FLOOR

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►ROOF PLAN

34 | SHEIKH ZAYAD NATIONAL MUSEUM

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THE SYMBOLIC POWER OF THE WRITING CASEWe drew inspiration from the ornate craftsmanship of traditional writing cases, the artful Islamic geometries prevalent in traditional building and art forms, and the breathtaking colors of the “Seven Sands of the Emirates” to compose an exquisite and extraordinary facade made of ceramic tiles in a stunning geometrical composition that expresses and unifies colour and form, culture and geography.

►ELEVATIONS

►GALLERY SPACE

►RECEPTION AREA

►ENTRANCE GALLERY

►PERSPECTIVE SECTION

►CIRCULATION DIAGRAM

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The Canadian railway greatly affected not only the settlement of Canada but was instrumental in establishing a distinct Canadian national identity. By following in the national tradition of the railway in the development of tourism, the National Railway Interpretive Centre attempts to revisit these traditions in Canadian architecture, exposing the regional introversion and expressing it as a national condition. The Interpretive Centre is composed of Units located along the railway lines in the five major geographical regions in Canada: Atlantic, Canadian Shield, Prairies, Mountain and Pacific. The Centre is universally organized through the connection of the railway; each unit is specifically an interpretation derived from the landscape through the unique tectonic, climate or topography of the region. Each of the Interpretive Centre’s Units are based on a fifteen square meter cube, broken down into a three meter grid. This promotes uniformity in scale and mass across breadth of the Centre.

Historically, the grand railway hotels encouraged and provide the means for exploration, as they provided access to some of the most spectacular sites along the rail route. In many ways the distributed units of the

NATIONAL RAILWAY INTERPRETIVE CENTREMasters Thesis - Carleton University200708

Pacific RegionVANCOUVER

Mountain RegionJASPER

Prairie RegionWINNIPEG

CANADIAN ARCHITECTURE ANDTHE RAILWAY TRADITION

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National Railway Interpretive Centre pay homage to this historic institution. The site for each of the units were chosen for their contemporary accessibility by Via Rail’s passenger service on ‘The Ocean’ and ‘The Canadian’ trains, and by the contemporary railway conditions in the city.

Each Unit is located in proximity to the station and it is intended to be visited during the one hour refueling stops on the cross-Canada journey. The individual Units of the Centre serve to interpret the regional landscape architecturally through tactile materials and tectonic features that serve to exemplify major features normally inaccessible from the train.

The regional Units are similarly programmed to maintain a consistent national expression across the breadth of the country to clearly describe and differentiate the regional interpretation of the architecture. The majority of the spaces in the Units are galleries exposing natural, historical and cultural aspects of the region mediated by the influence the railway. Temporary galleries additionally provide cultural outlets as well as traveling exhibitions from other Units of the Centre. The National Railway Interpretive Centre proposes a culturally based architecture expressed through the contemporary condition of the railway and interpretation of regional landscapes.

Canadian Shield RegionMONTREAL

Atlantic RegionHALIFAX

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PACIFIC REGION VANCOUVERThe Pacific Unit of the National Railway Interpretive Centre employs the spirit of the west coast modernist in Vancouver by critically engaging the region’s landscape and climate. The Unit becomes a measuring device for the primary element which has shaped the pacific rainforests: water. The Unit is adjacent to the Pacific Central Station and is a short distance to the Main Street Sky train Station.

The entrance to the Pacific Unit is reached after climbing a series of steps adjacent to the retaining wall up to a terraced plinth. The Unit is constructed using heavy timber framed members and a concrete pile foundation. The inverted hip roof exposes the heavy timber structure to complete a canopy and creates the aforementioned device for capturing rainwater. The water is then transported down the two parallel troughs into the Unit’s rainwater basin.

The interior space references the primordial landscape of Vancouver when the terrain was mainly covered in a temperate rainforest of redwood cedars. The heavy timbers give way to light wood frame platforms branching off with exposed joints and junctures indicative of west coast modernism. On the main floor is a reception and information centre with a small canteen and seating adjacent to the rainwater basin. Each subsequent platform along the ascent to the canopy is programmed by themes exposing the natural, cultural and historical aspects of the region. From the roof canopy the connection of earth and sky is revealed as the wood columns terminate in exposed truss work supporting the roof. ►PACIFIC UNIT OF THE NATIONAL RAILWAY INTERPRETIVE CENTRE

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MOUNTAIN REGIONJASPERThe Mountain Unit of the National Railway Interpretive Centre expresses the landscape through the program of path and vista. Situated adjacent to the Jasper Railway station, it is easily accessible for passengers en route through the Rocky Mountains. The massing of the Unit is split into three vertical, monumentally-poured concrete volumes which connect sky and ground. The interstitial space along the outside of the volumes creates a circulation path that frames the landscape and provides key vantage points of the surrounding mountains.

The outside façade reveals the interplay of the solid concrete mass and permeability of the wood slated base, indicative of the tree line observed in the mountains beyond the site.

Programmatically the Unit is intended to serve as a respite during the train ride through the Rocky Mountains. The entrance is located in the central mass which serves as the main gallery and information centre. The eastern portion of the Unit provides space for a temporary gallery that houses community based content. The western portion’s main floor is equipped with a canteen, elevator and washroom facilities as well as a stair leading up to the higher outdoor vistas. The interpretation of the landscape with regards to the indoor spatial qualities of the Unit relate to the abstraction of visual scale that is common when ascending a mountain.

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PRAIRIE REGIONWINNIPEGLocated directly across from the Fort Garry hotel, The Prairie Unit of the National Railway Interpretive Centre provides respite from the city through a series of spatial gestures highlighting the strict prairie horizon. The structural grid remains articulated on the façade of the building to interpret the orthogonality prominent in the prairie landscape. The entrance to the unit recessed through a sloping cut into the soil clad in tyndall stone which is mined locally. The path increases the awareness of the diminishing horizon as the visitor continues the decent from the large prairie grass beds cut into swaths and corresponds to the strict grided pattern of the agricultural survey system.

The central feature stair is designed to interpret the monumentality of a grain elevator. The stair is constructed using structural hay bales which surround the elevator shaft and accentuate this feature vertically. The ground level offers a seamless view through a glass curtain wall across the prairie grass lawn to the Fort Garry hotel, concealing the street and grounding the hotel in the horizon.

The birch flooring on the second level gradually curves up to a height of 1.5 meters approximating the observer’s eye height and thus simulating the horizon line. These levels contain the main galleries of the Unit and provide information on the social, cultural and natural history of the region. The roof level is symbolic of the vast continuity of the prairie farmland and is planted with wild grasses. The viewing platform at this level is recessed allowing for a sight lines across a seemingly infinite plane extending out across the cityscape into the prairie beyond.

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CANADIAN SHIELD REGIONMONTREALThe canadian Shield Unit is located in the plaza adjacent to the Molson Centre and Windsor Station and is located two city blocks away from Central Station for easy accessibility. The plaza has been reconfigured to capture the essence of excavation by exposing the recessed main portion of the Unit.

The formal path of entrance ramps down to a recessed plaza and integrated reflecting pool that express the impermeability of water through the Shield and thus forming its many lakes which are characteristic of the region. Massing for the Unit is defined in two pieces: the main building housing the exhibitions, canteen and a temporary gallery and the second containing a service shaft with egress stairs washrooms and mechanical duct. The façade is designed using granite and limestone cladding to reveal the constituent layers of strata in the Shield. Limestone, being the most abundant element of the Shield, and closer to the surface is the primary cladding material that frames the striated windows cut into the façade of the main building.

The inner core houses an unobstructed space from the reflecting pool at the Unit’s lowest level to the skylight at roof level reminiscent of the mine shafts that are found in northern Quebec and Sudbury Ontario. The core serves to expose the depth of travel throughout the Unit and offers a place to observe, at a smaller scale, the significant geology which constitutes the Shield’s landscape.

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►CANADIAN SHIELD UNIT OF THE NATIONAL RAILWAY INTERPRETIVE CENTRE

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ATLANTIC REGIONHALIFAXThe Atlantic Unit’s site is adjacent to Halifax Station and the Nova Scotian Hotel. It is connected by a boardwalk that extends across an embankment while gradually descending the visitor to the lower side of the unit and to the main entrance. Counter to this gesture is the main entrance which slips underneath the Unit and up three sets of stairs which tunnel through to the main galleria and reception area. This elicits two methods of landfall through a human-made suggestion of control such as a dock and a more primitive awareness of ascension of coastal landscape by way of the main stairs.

The primary façade is composed of a substantial reinforced concrete seawall to combat the bombardment of the ocean storms, it also supports the rest of the Unit’s wood framed lean-to structure. The programmed interior space is organized by a series of levels accessed by a central staircase. A reception area provides visitors with a canteen, washroom facilities and a tourist information desk.

The subsequent levels of the Unit provide information on the history of the railways and its effect on the Atlantic Region. The topmost level provides access to a ‘widow’s walk’ incised into the seawall revealing a vantage to the bay and further, to the Atlantic Ocean The interior micro- climate of the unit can be modified by large sliding portions of the wood framed walls to open up the building during the summer months and allow the sea air to permeate the space.

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PHONE► 416 371 6280EMAIL► STEVE.CULVER@DESIGNASSEMBLY.CA

POST► 880 MANNING AVE. TORONTO, ONTARIO , CANADA M6G 2W8