December 6, 2011
University of Ontario Institute of Technology energy and nuclear research centre in Oshawa
OSHAWA, Ontario
The University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) has officially opened its Energy Systems and Nuclear Science Research Centre (ERC), a facility designed as a premier training ground for future energy scientists and nuclear engineers.
“ERC’s cutting-edge facilities will allow UOIT’s highly regarded professors to advance innovative research of the highest quality in clean and green energy technologies_ research that is vital for sustainable economic growth,” said Tim McTiernan, UOIT president and vice-chancellor.
Designed by Toronto’s Diamond Schmitt Architects and constructed by Carillion Construction Inc., the four-storey, 9,290 square-metre facility houses 16 laboratories for the study and advancement of geothermal, hydraulic, hydrogen, natural gas, nuclear, solar and wind energy technologies.
The building also houses six multi-media classrooms, 70 offices, plus lounges and study areas configured around a central skylit atrium, which provides a point of orientation, gathering and connection for students and faculty.
Construction commenced in November 2009 and was completed in August 2011. The federal and provincial governments invested $45.4 million as part of the Knowledge Infrastructure Program.
The project team included structural engineering consultants Halcrow Yolles and mechanical-electrical consultants Stantec.
The centre completes the original master plan of eight buildings, six of which are arranged around a campus quad, and all designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects.
The architects said the building shares a similar scale and compositional form to the other modular buildings on the quad: a regularized bay system composed of warm red brick, copper cladding, cedar detailing and large windows to ensure natural light and views.
The ERC is distinguished on the façade opposite the quad by an all-copper treatment that speaks to the program within: the conductivity of copper being a visual metaphor for research into different forms of energy.
All of UOIT’s buildings are designed to be highly flexible and adaptable to future program needs and teaching configurations.
“Faculty offices, lounges, study areas, and even lecture halls and labs can be swapped without major structural or mechanical revisions to the base buildings,” said Donald Schmitt, a principal in Diamond Schmitt.
The firm said the planning, design and engineering of the entire campus exhibits “a profound commitment” to sustainability, which garnered recognition as the “greenest” campus in North America from the Society for College and University Planning, when UOIT opened in 2003.
Polansky Commons, the grass-covered quadrangle, sits atop what was then North America’s largest geothermal heating and cooling system. The 42-acre campus has a comprehensive, sustainable landscape strategy culminating in a protected wetland and an adjacent ravine. Each of the buildings in the 900,000-square-feet of built space is designed to LEED Gold specifications.
The new centre is strategically located in Durham Region, Ontario’s energy capital, which is home to 10 nuclear generating units. Durham Region has only 4.7 per cent of Ontario’s population, but it produces more than 30 per cent of the energy consumed in the province.
“Sustainability is the overarching principle that guides our region’s strategic plan, so the opening of the ERC is a key piece of the puzzle as we continue to position Durham as an emerging power and leader in the energy sector,” said Roger Anderson, chair and CEO of the Regional Municipality of Durham.
DCN NEWS SERVICES
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