2020 CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEERING AWARDS
ENGINEERING A BETTER CANADA AWARD & AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
BUILDINGS
Arviligruaq Ilinniarvik School
Accutech Engineering
“This was one of the most critical pieces of infrastructure among the submissions this year.” –Jury 24
www.canadianconsultingengineer.com
CCE_OctNov2020_AMS.indd 24
The only school in the hamlet of Kugaaruk, Nunavut, which also served as a gathering place for events, was destroyed by a fire on Feb. 28, 2017. The collective loss was keenly felt throughout the hamlet (population: 933) after 30 firefighters battled the blaze for more than 20 hours in temperatures that dropped to -35 C. This project delivered a new, 4,620m2 K-12 school from a blank piece of paper to substantial completion in 24 months, in one of Canada’s most remote locations and harshest climates. Constructing the building on a fasttrack basis was challenging. All equipment and materials had to be brought in on the single annual sealift with an icebreaker escort. Construction personnel had to be flown to the site and accommodation and food provided, due to a lack of available local lodging. The fast track The request for proposals (RFP) was issued on Mar. 31, 2017. The timeline allowed for three months from the date of the contract award to the mid-August departure of the annual
sealift, so the team created a phased schedule to address long lead-time items. They were able to design the floor plan, obtain approval, design the structure, review shop drawings and procure, fabricate and ship the structural steel, open web steel joists (OWSJs), concrete, reinforcing steel and all required equipment within those first three months. As a result, the new school was completed one year ahead of the schedule and on budget. Projects of this size in similar locations would typically require three to four years from design through construction. By working with the builder, manufacturers and suppliers, the team was able to create an appropriate and efficient design that could be fabricated, shipped and assembled within the timeline. The completion date for the finished building was Aug. 31, 2019, in time for the school year. Community input Accutech and other stakeholders worked closely with the community to design an environment that would not merely replace the earlier physical structure, but also provide a building the entire community would be proud of and use for decades to come. There was a heavy focus on community input for layout, use planning and artwork. The new school features multiple gathering spaces for a range of group sizes, a gymnasium, a canteen and cultural spaces that allow for the transfer of traditional Inuit knowledge and activities. Uniquely, the building features a ‘skin room’ designed exclusively for teaching proper harvesting techniques and use of natural materials. Other key custom components include exterior artwork featuring a bowhead whale and a hunter with a kakivak (fish spear) and a monument to the former
October/November 2020
2020-11-10 7:55 AM
CCE_Ac
