INTEGRATED PROJECT TEAM

Close collaboration between the teams was a key to success. A key goal for the project was, naturally, having the building open in time for the academic year. The build was in fact a 12-month fast-track program which would run through a Canadian winter This necessitated an integrated and collaborative approach to design and construction. The envelope was tendered as a design-assist RFP, and the general contractors oversaw a multidisciplinary process which included an open-plan shared office space for trades and project managers. NFL’s team even had the opportunity to work directly with the mathematician who had formulated the complex, non-repeating pattern of triangles.

The building was delivered through the health & safety programs of both the general contractors and NFL, with the envelope being completed with no incidents.

Early sequencing of the stud and pod structural stud framing, sheeting, AVB, and mineral fibre insulation facilitated a weather-tight building in advance of the installation of the metal and glazed panels, allowing the general contractor and trades to get an early start on interior fitting-out.

The final delivered construction is the result of some two years of collaborative effort on behalf of the Design team and ourselves as the specialist envelope contractors. The working relationship between all was constructive, sympathetic and inclusive from the start.

INGENIOUS SOLUTIONS

To further speed construction, NFL proposed assembling the panels in clusters off-site, and then lifting the clusters into place. Anywhere from 2 to 16 triangles comprised each cluster, which were installed into structural steed stud pods.

The glazing system afforded NFL an opportunity to innovate. The architect’s original concept for the shaped pod glazing called for traditional tubular glazing mullions, hipped, which would have resulted in up to 12 tubular mullions coming together at a node point. Our 3D clash modeling showed that this would not be constructible. We designed welded aluminum pods consisting of 10mm aluminum plates, laser-cut to the required angles and pitch of the glass as defined by digital models of each cluster. A modified thermally-broken veneer glazing system was applied to each pod cluster. This solution proved much more practical, and allowed the project team to achieve the intended aesthetic without compromise.

The plate mullions were welded to perimeter plate framing to accommodate the angles and facets of the glass, and to carry the custom aluminum system. Double-glazed vision units with a triangular frit pattern were attached using our TB-50 toggle clamping system.

THE FINISHED PRODUCT

The building is topped off with green roofs, which complete the harmony between the building and its surroundings.

As aesthetically pleasing as the finished building is, the engineering faculty and students would have been suitably awestruck by the production and installation of the exterior envelope. In fact, in some locations the welding and mechanical fastening is deliberately left exposed so that as students pursue their studies, they may understand and appreciate the engineering behind their school’s facade.