Brock University

Building a better Brock┬áThe new LEED Silver Plaza Building at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario is part of a multimillion-dollar refurbishment and expansion program, Ruari McCallion finds out.  The city of St. Catharines, Ontario, on the Niagara peninsula, is the home of Brock University. ItÔÇÖs the only university in Canada (and one of a small number anywhere) that is situated in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It maintains a facility in the industrial city of Hamilton that specializes in teacher education, but its main campus in St. Catharines looks like the ideal setting for a university.   ItÔÇÖs situated in a parkland setting, with open spaces allowing outdoor activities for much of the year. It offers undergraduate, graduate and interdisciplinary degree programs to more than 17,000 students. It boasts over 60,000 graduates across the world, and they have proved themselves pretty successful at securing post-studies employment; at 96.5 percent, they represent a high-level rate of success.But you canÔÇÖt get by on your looks alone. Brock was opened in 1964 and has continued to grow as the education market has become tougher. In February 2003 the universityÔÇÖs Board of Trustees approved a new Campus PlanÔÇöthe first since 1965. The original ideas had done the institution well through a 40-year period, but it was high time for expansion and refurbishment. Increasing numbers of students are applying to Brock in order to take advantage of its 72 undergraduate options, 34 masterÔÇÖs programs and five doctoral programs. They cover a range of disciplines from accounting, eight biology-related courses, humanities and drama, through to visual arts and womenÔÇÖs studies. BrockÔÇÖs student enrollment leaped dramatically in 2003 with the introduction of ÔÇ£double cohortÔÇØ entry. The Campus Plan envisions doubling the size of both the student roll and the campus itself by 2030ÔÇöbut it hasnÔÇÖt put off getting started. Of four buildings already completed, one of the most interesting is the Plaza Building, a CAN$23 million project officially opened in September 2007.ÔÇ£The Plaza Building covers five stories,ÔÇØ says Thomas Saint-Ivany, associate vice-president, facilities management. ÔÇ£The campus store is located on the ground floor; itÔÇÖs where students buy textbooks, as well as Brock retail clothing, stationery and general books. ItÔÇÖs a very large retail operation run by the University.ÔÇØ The store was previously located in one of the older buildings but now enjoys the space it needs to run an enhanced commercial operation. The area it vacated became home, in September 2008, to the new Learning Commons, a collaborative effort of the UniversityÔÇÖs Student Services, the University Library, and the Brock University Student Union.The next two floors accommodate offices, computer laboratories, and class and seminar rooms. The top two stories comprise the Jack and Nora Walker Canadian Centre for Lifespan Development Research (LDRC).ÔÇ£The LDRC undertakes research, teaching and interdisciplinary communications; itÔÇÖs a location of expertise to study development of our human lifespan,ÔÇØ Saint-Ivany says. ÔÇ£It brings together more than 50 faculty and 40 community organizations that study topics such as infant development, teen gambling, tobacco use and the detection and treatment of dementia in its earliest stages.ÔÇØ If what goes on inside is interesting, so is the work, techniques and technologies that went into the design, construction and operation of the Plaza Building. It is certified LEED Silver by the Canada Green Building Council and is the first such building on BrockÔÇÖs campus. Given its constructionÔÇöwith copper cladding, concrete and a lot of glassÔÇöthatÔÇÖs quite an achievement.ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖve been able to optimize energy consumption by at least 33 percent better than standard,ÔÇØ Saint-Ivany says. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖve achieved that through the high thermal efficiency of boilers, high thermal resistance of walls and roofs, and double-glazed, argon-filled and low-emissivity coated windows. We also have thermally efficient aluminum window frames and lowered lighting power densityÔÇöwe have good light levels, but they are generated more efficiently. And the glass exterior walls provide a lot of natural light.ÔÇØ The concrete floor deck is interesting, too. Described originally as ÔÇ£TermoDeckÔÇØ (now ÔÇ£TermoBuildÔÇØ), it is made up of core slabs that contain internal ducting. ÔÇ£The TermoBuild concrete floor deck acts as a heat sink. It retains heat for the winter and helps to cool the building in the summer.ÔÇØ The traditional view is that energy efficiency is good to have in operation but that it comes at a price, which is payable at the construction stage. After all, more efficient materials and argon-filled double glazing have to cost money, do they not?ÔÇ£The premium was two percent on building costs, which we estimate will achieve return on investment in two years,ÔÇØ says Saint-Ivany. ÔÇ£We had strong support from University administration, and it was pretty easy to sell moving to LEED on that basis. WeÔÇÖve been very pleased with the process, and all our new buildings from now on will be built to LEED certification. WeÔÇÖll strive for the Silver level, as a minimum, in the future.ÔÇØThe ongoing construction projects are being managed and completed through a department that focuses on keeping costs under control and delivering effectively. It does not have ÔÇ£in-houseÔÇØ design resources and, as such, Brock looks outside for such expertise.ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre engaged in multi-year service agreements with a base of local firms and groups,ÔÇØ Saint-Ivany says. ÔÇ£For example, for minor design services at our St. Catharines locations, we have a standing arrangement with Quartek Group Inc. from Niagara-on-the-Lake. They have architects, planners, and engineers across the spectrum providing us with a quick-response capability thatÔÇÖs more cost-effective than what could be achieved with in-house resources. We have a similar arrangement with Atkinson Engineering of Hamilton for our Hamilton Campus. On our larger projects we use project-specific consultants; for example, the Plaza Building was designed by Brian MacKay-Lyons of MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects Ltd., of Halifax, Nova Scotia, in association with Rounthwaite Dick and Hadley of Toronto.ÔÇØThe ultimate proof is in operation. The Plaza Building opened in September 2007 and has been delivering the promised effectiveness in operation and energy savings. Brock serves the Niagara region as a cultural, academic and recreational center and offers the community excellent facilities for people of all ages. The students who attend the enlarged Brock University campus in the years ahead will gain the benefit of good learning and residential accommodation in an energy-efficient environment that operates in harmony with its surroundings. It will keep them warm in the Canadian winters as well. ÔÇô Editorial research by Vincent Kielty┬á