KELOWNA, B.C. — Construction officially kicked off with a groundbreaking ceremony earlier this month at the site of the new Health Sciences Centre for Okanagan College.
Construction of the state-of-the-art, $18.9-million facility is expected to take until 2020.
Project architect GEC Architecture of Edmonton completed the building design through 2017 and 2018.
The Health Sciences Centre is pushing the envelope of sustainable practice by targeting LEED Gold, the Zero Carbon Building Standard and Silver Certification in the WELL Educational Pilot Program, architect of record Peter Osborne told the Journal of Commerce.
The centre will be the first building in Western Canada and only the second in the country that has been included in the WELL building standard that looks at the way occupant health and wellness is impacted by the building design, explains a release.
The scope of the project includes a 2,800-square-metre addition, which will replace the existing 1960s health building facility. As part of the WELL design, the new construction will integrate solar technologies, student social gathering and collaboration space.
The design highlights also include low heat loss and a high efficiency building envelope. The building design will positively improve student, faculty and staff health and wellness on campus, the release continues.
Melanie Mark, minister of advanced education, skills and training, said in the statement, once completed the new three-storey Health Sciences Centre will be an integrated learning space that will give students access to training for high-priority health care professions, such as practical nurses, dental assistants, special-needs workers and health care assistants.
The project team includes structural engineer Read Jones Christoffersen, mechanical engineer CIMA+ and electrical engineer Falcon Engineering with WSP providing the civil engineering work.
EcoAmmo Sustainable Consulting is the sustainability consultant and Inland Technical will act as commissioning consultant.
Construction is being managed by Stuart Olson Construction.
The project will be financed through a $15.4-million contribution from the Province of B.C. and through fundraising Okanagan College is undertaking. The college is aiming to raise $3.5 million in support of construction and $1.5 million for program and student support.
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