University of Lethbridge

A flurry of building┬áThe University of Lethbridge has grown steadily since its establishment in 1967, but is now embarking on a major construction phase involving many capital projects and improvements, as Gary Toushek discovers. The University of Lethbridge, established in 1967 (CanadaÔÇÖs centennial year) in Lethbridge, Alberta, is a leading comprehensive and academic university that is recognized internationally for its research excellence.  The U of LÔÇÖs main building, University Hall, was designed by the late Arthur Erickson and officially opened in 1972. Since then, the campus has grown steadily, shaping the cityÔÇÖs skyline.The University Centre for the Arts was opened in September 1981, followed by the Max Bell Regional Aquatic Centre in 1986. Turcotte Hall, the StudentsÔÇÖ Union Building, several apartment-style residence buildings, Hepler Hall and Anderson Hall were all opened in the 1990s. The turn of the century brought even further change for the U of L with the opening of a new University Library and the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience.Now, however, the university is undergoing a significant major construction phase, under the supervision of Brian Sullivan, director of major construction projects. ÔÇ£In the past weÔÇÖve built or renovated one thing at a time; now we are building a number of projects because the funding necessary to meet our requirements has become available, and that means some overlapping of projects and a lot of coordination of scheduling. Two staffers assist me with coordinating and keeping everything organized.ÔÇØSince 2000, the U of L has completed, initiated, constructed or planned about $200 million in capital projects and improvements. In 2005 construction began on the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness, a 7,000-square-meter (75,000-square-foot) expansion and renovation of the physical education building. In 2007, renovations of Turcotte Hall were completed and the building was greatly expanded. The Parkway Services Complex also opened that fall.Also in 2007, construction began on the Alberta Water and Environmental Sciences Building (AWESB), a $27-million research facility. Completed in late 2008, it houses researchersÔÇömainly biologists, geographers and physicists. ItÔÇÖs highlighted by the Aquatic Research Facility, a high-tech aquatic life laboratory in the basement.A $12.7 million sports stadium project was begun in early 2007, and has been plagued by delays due to unusually bad weather. ÔÇ£The last two winters here have been brutal and have cost us major delays and issues,ÔÇØ Sullivan says, ÔÇ£especially the stadium project, where most of the work is outdoors. Part of the problem is the surfaces of the track and the synthetic turf field. TheyÔÇÖre specialized products, and were tendered across North America. The successful vendor was a Canadian company installing American products. We had to be slotted in their schedule because they service a wide geographic area. Since the weatherÔÇÖs been so poor, we ended up missing our scheduled window because we couldnÔÇÖt do the necessary preparatory work, so we had to re-schedule them.ÔÇØ The stadium is due for completion by the end of this summer.In February 2008 work began on Markin Hall, the largest component of this construction portfolio; itÔÇÖs a $65-million facility that will house the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Management with an impressive four-story atrium and plenty of natural lighting. ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs a beautiful structure,ÔÇØ Sullivan says, ÔÇ£but the major challenge is that itÔÇÖs a high-tech building that was planned and programmed two years before construction, and by the time itÔÇÖs complete, the infrastructure we planned will undoubtedly be less than state-of-the-art, because technology changes so quickly. So I recently got together with in-house experts in the field and tried to look into the future and anticipate.ÔÇØ Even planning and providing for wireless equipment is tricky, he notes, because in less than two years it will advance another generation. So heÔÇÖs deferring as many technology decisions as possible until the end, when heÔÇÖll procure the actual hardware. Completion is slated for September 2010.All these new buildings are designed for a minimum level of LEED Silver, ÔÇ£so we spend quite a bit of time on water conservation mechanisms, for example, and power conservation.ÔÇØ TheyÔÇÖre working on consumption awareness by having monitors that demonstrate how much power is being used in a building. From an operational perspective, Sullivan says, the LEED process has not gone totally smoothly since it was introduced into the American design and construction industry, but it is changing behavior. ÔÇ£For example, we can see it change the behavior of our facilities staffÔÇöthe building managers, operators, plumbers, electricians and so on,ÔÇØ he says, ÔÇ£but itÔÇÖs a slow process. Since most people are normally resistant to change, it takes time and effort. Our department staff is for it; they see it as a positive, but some of the processes involve re-thinking, and more supervision of equipment, and surveillance and monitoring, and itÔÇÖs time consuming. But weÔÇÖre evolving, and itÔÇÖs going in the right direction. Seeing the changes producing results after construction is complete will be the convincing factor.ÔÇØ Sullivan notes that LEED has also had a rather significant impact on how contractors work on these sites. The demolition and disposal of materials has changed radically; it all used to go to the landfill in a large container, but now itÔÇÖs separated and recycled to different locations, according to its composition and value, and some can be sold for scrap. These new buildings are the complete opposite of university-style architecture of the 1960s and ÔÇÿ70s, which was a lot of concrete and somber spaces. ÔÇ£What weÔÇÖre building now is definitely influenced by LEED; itÔÇÖs very people-friendly, with natural light, and it empowers the building users to control their own environment to a degree.ÔÇØ SullivanÔÇÖs staff includes a commissioning team consisting of a building operations technician, an electrician, a plumber and a carpenter, and their task is to monitor and document the construction of these buildings to ensure that the contracted work is up to standards and meets all required specifications. ÔÇ£They witness the testing of various mechanical and technical components, and once the construction is complete and the building becomes occupied, they end up being the operators of the buildings, since they now have thorough knowledge of the operational aspects. ItÔÇÖs partly driven by LEEDÔÇÖs commissioning process, and having this team has saved us major dollars during this construction phase. Hopefully the cost of the team itself will be recovered after a number of years.ÔÇØ┬á ÔÇô Editorial research by Dan Finn┬á