Grand Cache RCMP Detachment
Corrections
Construction Delivery Method: Design-Bid Build
Class D Schematic Design Costing: $4,232,500
Tender Award Price: $4,676,200
Final Contract Price: $4,798,977
Completion Date: 2014
Intent of the project was to provide a permanent and adequate space for the RCMP to function and provide services within the growing town and instill a consistent presence of the local image of the community.
- The facility was built with the intention of low maintenance due to the remote locations.
- The new building was built with best practice methods utilizing LEED standards such as
specifying local, sustainable materials or seeking energy efficient solutions that wouldn’t require
regular maintenance/ specialized parts or specialist to operate efficiently.
Design Philosophy & Approach
- The Detachment Site has been designed to provide a clear distinction between public and operational areas of the site. Special consideration has been given to unobstructed operation of the Secure Bay to ensure minimal interference with either public or other operational traffic. The Garage Bay / Secure Bay are located at the top of the site, with the rest of the office floor extending out from that point. As the site falls away, a partially submerged basement is included below the office area.
- The building was designed with the intention of mimicking the mountain scape, unique to that region. The metal roof is a combination of a pitched roof that has been tilted down, and a shed roof to create the illusion of a rocky mountainside. The choice of a standing seam roof provides low maintenance and intentional rain drainage system.
- Consideration has been given to overhangs, roof slopes and snow deposit areas to address the sudden arrival of significant weather from the south west through the valley while maintaining south exposure for maximum solar gain. The broad side of the office area faces south, providing the maximum passive solar gain in the winter with shading in the summer. This also provide daylight and views to almost all of the office spaces
- The monochrome palette of the exterior walls settles the building under the copper colored roof, with punched windows of different size and shape that resemble the stone pattern of the mountains. Glulam Beams were placed rhythmically as design features throughout
- Some of the materials were sourced locally to reduce environmental impacts and benefit the local community.
- The building envelope was intentionally designed to avoid cold path penetrations and provide maximum energy efficiency to the building. The use of Insulated Concrete Forms for the basement, Roof and Wall cavity, spray foam insulation and exterior rigid insulation helped fast-track construction by cutting down on labor and materials costs. This method provided R 40 value for the walls and R 60 for the roof.
Challenges & Resolutions
- The primary challenge of the project was to ensure that the functional program area and gross floor area was under 600 sq.m. to avoid the requirement of the sprinkler system. The additional functional space was moved to the basement level. Due to the site topography and geological soil condition (bedrock) the basement layout was designed to minimize its footprint.
- An Integrated Design Process (IDP) including extensive consultations was undertaken with RCMP stakeholders early in the design process to identify and flush out any potential conflicts or problems. This brought everyone together to discuss the unique characteristics of this project and how these could be accommodated within the constraints of the non-discretionary standards, RCMP space analysis, and other security or technical requirements.
- In order to avoid exposed mechanical units or additional floor space, the facility utilize a secure, mechanical mezzanine over the provost area as a solution to conceal mechanical systems and providing no penetrations thorough the roof.
