June 4, 2009

DU TOIT ALLSOPP HILLIER ARCHITECTS

The 26,000-square-foot freshwater research centre at Laurentian University in Sudbury on Lake Ramsey has won international recognition.

Holcim Awards

Laurentian University scientists wait for federal money to flow

DAN O’REILLY

correspondent

While a proposed 26,000-square-foot freshwater research centre at Laurentian University in Sudbury didn’t capture a Global Holcim Award, it has won international recognition.

Now all that is needed is a final top up of federal government infrastructure money for construction to begin, says university scientist John Gunn.

Designed in joint venture by Busby Perkins Will of Vancouver and locally-based J. L. Richards and Associates, the Vale Inco Living with Lakes Centre would allow the university to expand its critical research into the restoration and remediation of damaged freshwater lakes, says Gunn.

Last fall the Centre received a Bronze Award in the Holcim North American Awards competition. It was then selected as one of only three North American nominated projects for the final stage Global Holcim Awards which were announced in early May.

“We didn’t win, but I’ve been told to expect a steady stream of national and international visitors once the centre is built.”

A $25,000 (U.S.) cash prize that came with the bronze award will be used to purchase special equipment for the research which will be carried out there. It will be located on the shores of Lake Ramsay, the natural drinking water reservoir for Sudbury.

“This (the centre) is something we’ve been working on for years, says Gunn, who heads the Co-Operative Freshwater Ecology Unit, a joint university-provincial research group whose mandate is to collaborate with community groups and industry in order to ensure the long-term protection of water resources.

Its present antiquated home is a nearby 80-year-old float airplane base, with many of its faculties scattered among several buildings dating back to the 1940s, he points out. “We quite love it here, but it is rather antiquated.”

Three years ago the university hired the design team and approximately $15 million of an overall $20 million project cost has been raised through a combination of federal, provincial, city, and corporate donations, as well as contributions from family foundations and individuals. However, the university is in a deficit position and wants to wait until it is certain of receiving the balance in federal infrastructure money before proceeding with construction, says Gunn.

Not only would the Living with Lakes Centre be a modern facility where specialized water research is conducted, it would also be a prototype of sustainable design and construction in a northern environment, he says.

With its post and beam structure and a green roof consisting of drought resistant blueberry plants, the building is designed to meet LEED platinum standards and a the 2050 climate protocol. Some of its other energy-and-water conservation features would include solar domestic water heating, a high-performance thermal envelope, natural day lighting and a rock storage geothermal system.

Although geothermal loops could be installed in Lake Ramsay, one of the conditions for receiving provincial funding was to design a system which could be used in other areas of Northern Ontario where a ready water source might not be available, says Gunn.

The centre could be used as a teaching facility by Cambrian College’s technology and construction classes and could possibly bolster an ongoing campaign to establish a school of architecture in Sudbury, he says.

Sponsored by the Swiss-based Holcim Foundation, the Holcim Awards is an international competition which recognizes innovative projects and future-oriented concepts on a regional and global level. Each competition spans three years, from announcement to completion. The competition, conducted in collaboration with partner universities, is in two stages. The first stage involves the best projects and concepts in five regions: Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa/Middle East and Asia Pacific.

The top 15 regional projects are then qualified for the competition for the Global Holcim Awards.

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