CDBI recognizes 2016 design-build excellence

WINNIPEG—The Canadian Design-Build Institute recently announced the winners of its 2016 Design-Build Awards of Excellence.

The winners are as follows:

Grand winner: The Sechelt Water Resource Centre in Sechelt, B.C.

• The project team was led by Maple Reinders Inc. and Urban Systems Ltd. for the sewage treatment plant which looks more like an intense hydroponic production center along with a small office wing. Treatment basins are in fact surmounted by greenhouses and veritable botanical gardens. The choice of the site also allowed for a large park adjoining the facility.

• The requirement for tertiary treatment includes ultra-filtration membranes, and with the disinfection of final effluent, it is now acceptable for indirect potable use. The project has many features that contribute to life-cycle capital cost savings and low-cost operations. Western red cedar, a local material, was used due to its durability and its increased resistance to insect damage and the elements when treated with a charring process.

• The now fully operating facility is exceeding discharge permit requirements, covering among others, BOD (biological oxygen demand), odor (0) and noise.

Special uses category winner: Communications Security Establishment Canada Long Term Accommodation Project in Ottawa, Ont.

• Led by PCL Constructors Canada Inc. and WZMH Architects, the P3 project incorporates many great ideas, typical of the design-build approach where builders and designers are at liberty to include what might be thought of as far out suggestions. Since the building is a classified secure facility, high levels of security clearance were required from all staff and systems were needed to ensure that classified plans, drawings and documents were kept secure.

• Some noteworthy aspects of the project were that rainwater is collected and reused, solar panels create renewable energy to partially offset building requirements and in the data center, heat recovery is used.

Civil category winner: Footbridge over the Bow River in Banff, Alta.

• Led by Structure Craft Builders Inc., Tritech Water Infrastructure Construction & Design, BSEI Civil Engineering and Fast + Epp Structural Engineers, this project was a high profile, highly environmentally sensitive project for the owner, the Town of Banff. The aesthetically-pleasing, very innovative wood bridge had many conditions not normally found on civil projects of this nature. These cover the historically significant location, the views from and of the structure, the use of natural materials and a design which would not dominate but complement the surrounding natural area.

Institutional category winner: Surrey Pretrial Services Centre Expansion in Surrey, B.C.

• Led by PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc. and DGBK Architects, the project required high security conditions as the site continued in near-capacity operation during the expansion and updating.

• Innovative elements in this project included latest technology electronic security systems. Further innovation included precast cell modules with fully completed interiors and radiant floor heating and tilt-up walls. Building information modeling was also widely used to program work and installation priorities as well as visualize construction sequences, including equipment clearances and crane movements, weeks in advance. The project achieved LEED gold certification, which placed it first among B.C. correctional facilities.