DESIGN CHALLENGE
The site for the Victoria Park Pavilion is located away from the visible range of the road and river bike trails. Consequently the design should seek to create appropriately scaled public spaces within the mature park, rather than reach for highly visible imagery. The phasing of the project into two separately funded parts also presents a challenge to a unified design. The phasing should enhance the concept rather than detract from it.
However the primary challenge of the project is to create a building that is rooted in its place, beyond typical siting and programmatic concerns. The site has a long and complex history, despite there being little indication of it today. The challenge is to design that draws out some of this history with a contemporary expression.
DESIGN RATIONALE
Site History
Although it is now parkland, this site and much of the river valley was once the industrial heart of the region - full of lumber, mining and brick operations. Some of the landscape of the adjacent Victoria Municipal Golf Course was literally shaped by industry - the major dip in the 7th fairway is a vestige of the Sandison Brickyard clay quarry, and traces of Brickyard Road are still visible along the bank above the site.
The City of Edmonton's acquisition of this site took place after Minneapolis architects Morrell & Nichols and Frederick G. Todd (influenced by the thinking of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead) recommended in 1907 that the City establish a river valley park system by first purchasing this property.
Although park amenities were established, there was no formal park protection until the North Saskatchewan River flooded 12m higher than normal in 1915, prompting the Government of Alberta to adopt earlier recommendations - beginning with Victoria Park. Additionally, beyond this site many of the industrial operations located in the flats were in shambles, opening space for what is now the largest continuous urban park in North America.
Design Response to the Site
This design grows out of the history of the site by seeking to evoke a sense of the forgotten industry that has so convincingly disappeared.
A grid of brick volumes resembling brickyard stacks forms a microcosm of the city grid. The volumes are grouped into two large blocks, which separate the City-funded phase and the user-funded phase.
Some of the volumes float mysteriously, allowing entry. From within the space, the mass of the blocks disappears, and brick walls become veils letting in patterned light, with additional natural lighting provided by clerestory glazing. Archival photos of brick stacks in Edmonton's early brickyards form the basis for brick patterns with modulated spacing, which allows for varying degrees of porosity as required.
A series of intimate public spaces is created. The phasing of the project into two separate buildings allows for human-scaled spaces between. A plaza facing south and towards the skating rink is framed a between the colonnade of evergreens and brick volumes. Fluid pavement forms tie the site together with the skating oval. Landscape seating is scattered, as though washed up like flotsam and jetsam.
SUSTAINABLE APPROACH
The design will include the following sustainable features:
- The primary exterior material will be brick, which is durable and requires little maintenance. It is anticipated that some or all of the brick could be re-used from other (preferably local) salvaged projects. Different sources of brick may be expressed as separate "stack" volumes.
- A high degree of controlled natural daylight, using clerestory lighting and brick sunshades for recessed glazing facing south. Glazing would be low-E, triple-glazing units.
- The walls and roof would be heavily insulated. The design would strive to create a heat sink to passively heat and cool the site. During the summer, the high central corridor with clerestory glazing would be ideal for automated passive cooling with a "stack effect". High efficiency mechanical systems would be incorporated. Geothermal heating would be considered, depending on site restrictions and cost.
- Lighting fixtures would be LED, to save on electrical and replacement/maintenance costs
- Brown-water would be used for interior reuse, while exterior water tank collection would be used for exterior maintenance such as irrigation as required. Low-flow fixtures would be used.
- The socially-sustainable value of a building that is rooted in its place
% FOR ART LOCATIONS
Appropriate locations for public art would be evaluated along with the Edmonton Art's Council. However the design presents many opportunities for artwork to be placed or integrated. Exterior locations for 2D or 3D art include the south plaza, the building roofline, or along the pathway from the parking lot. Within the building, the high-ceiling space of the corridor and skate-change area allow for larger work. For a more integrated approach, the artist could work with the design team to create interesting bond patterns in the masonry walls and screens. Final locations would depend on the advice of the Edmonton Arts Council and the artist's intent.
EDMONTON DESIGN COMMITTEE PRINCIPLES
The design intends to create a focal point that serves the park and that draws people in.
The design ties in to the City's history and the park's heritage through its materials and reference to the city grid above the river valley. However history is evoked with a contemporary expression.
It will create a comfortable amenity for parks users, including those skating skiing or picnicking. Beyond that, it seeks to create an identity for the park that creates a lasting impression. Public art as part of the % For Art Program will help to enhance this impression.
The program will enhance Edmonton's image and reality as a Winter City, by providing setup and rest space for park users. Generous glazing will create comfortable spaces even during winter. The roof profile does not anticipate problematic conditions of ice and snow fall.
The buildings frame intimate public spaces, allowing the exterior space to be a crucial part of the design. These spaces should be landscaped to ensure maximum use.
The materials of the design are long-lasting, durable and historically appropriate. Energy and resource conservation will be incorporated whenever appropriate.
TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS
The proposed buildings can be built with either concrete or steel (depending on budget and timelines), and will be mostly clad in masonry-veneer. Additional cladding will be fiber-composite board. The structure will be built on suspended structural slab. Glazing (including curtain-wall glazing and clerestory glazing with openers) will be triple-glazed panels with a low-e coating for insulation in summer and winter. Exterior landscaping will primarily be concrete paving on grade with a skate-friendly finish. Interior finishes will alternate between polished concrete and rubberized, skate-friendly sheet flooring. Roofing will consist of a built-up roof with torch-on membrane and a composite-board fascia where required.
(From competitor's text)
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