Project Description

The University has a stated goal of developing excellent undergraduate instructional environments to support best practices and current trends in learning and research.  The proposed energy environment experiential learning project will provide new and upgraded spaces for undergraduate laboratories, classrooms and seminar rooms, group and individual study spaces and research laboratories, through new and existing facility development. 

The energy environment experiential learning project will also address the backfill of vacated space, allowing for highest and best use of that space in existing buildings, with a focus on existing science and engineering buildings.

The energy environment experiential learning project will provide opportunities to co-locate teaching and research laboratories and support facilities, maximizing utilization rates while encouraging and supporting new and existing collaborative work between departments.

The energy environment experiential learning project will also support specific energy and environment-related research projects, specifically the AICISE In Situ Energy and Alternate Energy projects.

In support of the goals of the energy environment experiential learning project , the new or newly renovated physical environment will be created and sustained by the following strategies:

1. The new facility shall be a student-centred building that promotes and supports both individual and collaborative learning and inquiry. The learning environment will be experiential, interdisciplinary, innovative and relevant for an engaged student population. There will be integration of research and learning activities to the greatest extent possible, with both physical and temporal adjacencies.

2. Energy and environment will be the focus of content, with identifiable spaces for prominent users. The new construction will facilitate interaction among students and faculty in multiple disciplines, and provide a visible presence for key energy and environment research groups. These include the general ISEEE offices as well as prominent spaces for specific initiatives such as the Energy and Environment Systems Policy and Modelling group and the pan-faculty School of Public Policy.

3. There will be work spaces for students working in groups, both graduate and undergraduate, with seminar rooms and study spaces for temporary use. There will be faculty, staff and graduate student office spaces.

4. New and renovated space (where possible) will be multi-purpose and built to anticipate changes in the future - a flexible building with ‘agility', to maximize efficient use of space and support future academic and research activities, technology and equipment. Initial and future occupants to be adaptable to non-customized spaces. All work should allow for change over time to host new learning and research formats and paradigms. This will be done through standardized modular design and flexible fit outs.

5. Spaces will host teaching and learning activities applying new instructional models, content and techniques, including integrated application of current technologies.

6. Notable public spaces will be included, with EEEL concepts and themes on display, with multipurpose zones for casual student use during the day which are convertible to stand-up presentations, gatherings, poster spaces, conference uses etc. at other times.

7. The new structure will embrace and enhance linkages with existing facilities, services, the campus and the community. It will inform, encourage, and enhance responsible use of resources.

8. There will be maximum effective and efficient use of space, through sharing of teaching, research, support and common spaces via non-departmentalized assignments and end-user/tenant adaptability.

9. Spaces will be allocated on temporary assignment, centrally managed with few permanent space allocations. Teaching spaces will be assigned by term or academic year, research spaces for specific periods based on outcomes, and low-intensity spaces on similar criteria (offices etc). All theatre, seminar, flat classroom etc spaces will be made available to the campus community.

Functional Program Concepts and Components

General Building Attributes

Generally the first objective is a quality environment for a community of scholars and learners focused on energy and environment themes. The building will be, as much as possible, naturally lighted with interior glazing. Corridors will be sized to accommodate a large and mobile building population. Communications will be mostly wireless but fibre links must be established to Math Sciences main server rooms. The facility will be built to encourage casual as well as formal interaction opportunities. It will be at most three to four floors in height with the majority of undergraduate facilities on main or second floors. All instructional and research labs must be main or second floor with adjacent support spaces. Segregation or zoning will be by function, not unit. Adjacencies may be vertically aligned, e.g. offices above labs. 

Stairs will be the first choice for access to upper levels.  Main stairwell to be part of interaction zone. Elevators limited to service support and mobility impaired. Separation of student circulation from staff and service highly desirable. Segregation of lab zones from public spaces desirable, with experiential activities to be viewable from circulation, at least during open hours. Prominent location(s) for ISEEE, SPP and IEESG crucial.

All (most) access controlled by electronic system, swipe or proximity.

Loading shipping/receiving facilities will be incorporated, the building will not be serviced by an existing dock.

Instructional Theatre(s)

Major theatre: 

• Deep horseshoe or round. Two ranks/step with swivel seating. Demonstration space with services. Fixed projection, multiple sight lines. Document camera and podium.

Minor theatres/large classrooms:

• General purpose classrooms: flexible tables and chairs, full projection etc.

 

Break-out/Student work rooms:

• Table and chairs, moveable
• Smaller rooms for up to eight students, larger to 20, also serve as meeting and small seminar rooms
• All to be equipped with projection or wall mounted display for computers
• All to be centrally monitored
• Motion sensitive lighting.

 

Roof-top Facilities

Small observing platform of astrophysical observing; air and water sampling and weather monitoring. Need roof access for students (supervised/controlled). Possible partial green roof. 

Instructional Landscape

Around building to support instructional activities and sustainability initiatives. Plants and distribution to be coordinated with NTSC and ENSC instructors.  Some formal arrangements, others less so.

Above/below grade link to existing building(s)

Four scenarios to be explored:

1. Link to Earth Science
2. Link to engineering complex, C Block
3. Link to ICT building
4. Link to both Earth Science and Engineering (least likely due to cost implications)

Links to address:

• Impact of creating new interior circulation through EEEL building and adding new loads by connection to existing patterns in area
• Enhanced pedestrian environment, especially from transit zone along 32Ave.
• Reducing or eliminating pedestrian / vehicle conflicts along Campus Drive.

Link options will be assessed for effectiveness of movement to existing buildings, positive and negative impacts on pedestrian and vehicle movement, and cost. No option may be built, but a connection to link to one or more existing campus buildings will be planned, as will a likely link to a second phase of construction to the east towards existing Lot 22. A future link to a +15 over 32Ave to the north will be considered during design stages.

Pedestrian and vehicle traffic in vicinity

Accommodation of transit users to and from 32^nd Avenue transit stop(s) and Brentwood LRT station, with both interior and exterior options. Interior option may need to be separated from labs and other areas of the building to allow its use after hours.

Public Area:

• Multipurpose foyer: casual interaction/social and student work space (philosophy of Take Your Place), convertible to conference support, possible examination, open instructional area, reception gatherings
• Highly visible and engaging central stairwell from main to second floor, possibly to third (to be reviewed)
• Food services - coffee and related, franchised(?) with flexible seating (not four-place fast food units)

Laboratories

• See ELC documentation. ENGG spaces will be similar. Lab fit-out strategy will influence the lab dimension so that custom millwork can be avoided. Labs will have a single standard for millwork.
• Research labs will be of standard size and standard fit-out of capacity there-of. No research labs requiring infrastructure beyond that of the instructional labs are anticipated.

Offices

Faculty will have private offices. Exact size to be determined but working allocation is 15m². This may drop to 12m². Staff will have office allocation sized as effective subunits of academic offices. Only senior managers will have private spaces, all others will be in shared environments, per University standards. Technical staff associated with lab support activities will have work stations near the labs. Graduate students will be housed in shared ‘pods' of standard size with standardized, fixed workstations. Number of units per pod to be determined but not likely to exceed eight. Office sizes may be determined or influenced by standard sizes for furnishings. Office sizes that require custom sizes for furnishings will be avoided.

All full time employees will have natural light in their work areas. Natural light for graduate student spaces is also expected.

 

Program of New Space, by Space Type:

 

Space Type	Units	Total NASM	Ave NSM/Unit	Comments
Laboratories	34	4020	120	all types: wet, dry, computer, research & teaching.
Classrooms	10	780	82	standard T&C, basic infrastructure, flexible seating
Support	36	1231	34	includes activity & building support, sizes vary
Offices (head count)	291	1847	6	# = head count, incl. faculty, staff, grads
Seminar/Study	29	530	18	project & break-out, home rooms, sizes vary
Theatres	3	873	291	equipped for demonstrations but not restricted to E+E
Public/Retail	3	720	240	foyer allowance, social, interaction, display, link
Total	405	10000