STUDY AND SOCIALIZE AT THE SINGHMAR CENTRE FOR LEARNING
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By Cindy Chan n addition to education, the Singhmar Centre for Learning prioritizes sustainability and comfort for the students and staff of NorQuest College.
Located in Edmonton, NorQuest College’s Singhmar Centre for Learning is a four-storey, 22,500-square-metre facility that ties into the college. The new building boasts a large, bright atrium; classrooms that can seat 40, 50 and 100 students; a spiral staircase; and a unique double façade on a portion of the west elevation. According to Kevin Burghardt, senior project manager at PCL Construction, the building was an expansion to primarily increase the college’s teaching capacity, as well as to centralize their
various campuses around Edmonton to one downtown location. Niall McCarra, project technologist for RJC Engineers who provided building envelope commissioning services, says the building envelope posed challenges tying the old to the new while maintaining a high performance building envelope assembly. “NorQuest College has a diverse population, so one of the goals is to make the centre vibrant and inviting where everyone can learn,” Diana Smith, mechanical engineer and associate with DIALOG, says. Construction on the centre began in June 2015 and completed in September 2017 just in time for the start of the new school year. According
to Jason Schuller, manager with facilities operations and maintenance, and Matthew Orlando, manager of planning and projects for NorQuest College, the centre mostly consists of classrooms, labs and amenities such as a library, daycare and student union space. “The main floor atrium and staircase is a major feature of the building, which is also used for events and student activities,” Orlando says. “In conjunction with clerestory glazing (the windows at the very top of the atrium), a large V-shaped light deflector was constructed to deflect natural light into the atrium and throughout the facility. The benefits of natural daylighting include providing building occupants
ALBERTA BUILDING ENVELOPE COUNCIL / NORTH & SOUTH CHAPTERS 39
