Located on the corner of 84th Street NW and Jasper Avenue, on the northern bank of the North Saskatchewan River and just east of Edmonton’s downtown core, the W12 – Real Time Control Building building, playing a crucial role in punctuating open public space along the river’s edge. Designed by gh3, the building will be highly visible from the north, south and east, seen from a series of vantage points ranging from distant to near. The project is an opportunity to invest in the design of the plant enclosure while celebrating the importance of municipal infrastructure and recognizing the role infrastructure buildings have in shaping the built fabric of the city. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The engineering of the facility recognizes the dynamic loading of urban storm and wastewater and as such represents state-of-the-art handling and treatment of urban water for the City of Edmonton. Correspondingly, the architecture makes apparent the engineering occurring below the ground – to this end the form of the main shaft is notionally extruded to make the circular enclosure for the plant equipment and the secondary shafts and out and in flow tunnels are telegraphed to the surface- imbuing the site with an interpretive strategy and signaling that RTCsystem.
The proposed building will accommodate equipment that controls the flow control gates in the shaft below. It is one part of a larger strategy to reduce untreated runoff and sewage flowing into the North Saskatchewan River. The 100m2+ building is positioned above the 6 metre diameter main shaft. In addition to the main shaft the building contains related ancillary spaces. Adjacent to the main shaft is a control room specifically dedicated to flood gate control and equipped with gas monitoring and ventilation equipment.
This room and adjacent service room are also equipped with a removable roof for the maintenance of the floodgates. The building will also accommodate: gate actuators; a generator room equipped with noise control, ventilation, control panels, and a motor control centre; a small washroom; and base building mechanical rooms.
The site is largely hard surface to accommodate service vehicles and to provide lay down areas for the 2 removable roofs. Site water is directed to a gutter that surrounds the building from which it is collected and discharged into the main shaft.
Architects: gh3 Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Team: Pat Hanson, Diana Gerrard, Raymond Chow, Byron White, John McKenna Structural: Chernenko Engineering Mechanical: Vital Engineering Electrical: Vital Engineering, Associated Engineering Civil: Vital Engineering Landscape: gh3 Envelope Consultants: Best Consulting Martin Gerskup Architect Inc. Client: City of Edmonton Building Area: 115SM Budget:$1.4M Expected Completion Date: 2013
