May 15, 2006

ARCHTECTS ALLIANCE

Architects Alliance is leading the design for the new Kortright Centre’s visitor centre. The centre, shown in west elevation (above) and south elevation (below), will use unique environmentally-friendly elements in its design and energy use, demonstrating the type of living Kortright encourages of its thousands of visitors each year.

Environmental teaching centre will be revitalized

New face of Kortright showcases the reason for its existence

DAN O’REILLY

correspondent

Not only will it provide a new face for one of Canada’s largest environmental education facilities, a redesigned, reconfigured and renovated visitors’ centre at the Kortright Centre may also be one the country’s first buildings to achieve a LEED Platinum rating.

Designed by Toronto-based Architects Alliance, the $11-million 40,000-square-foot building is intended to showcase, demonstrate and promote sustainable living and building practices at the Toronto Region Conservation facility near Kleinburg.

“We almost fell out of our chairs,” says Kortright manager Alex Waters, referring to the reaction of conservation officials to the design after earlier concepts had been rejected.

Natural lighting, ventilation and shading, radiant floor heating, energy efficient appliances, a recycled greywater system and a still-to-determined alternative energy source, are just some of the energy-efficient features planned for the three-level structure.

Much of the timber in existing post and beam structure will be reused and there will be an estimated 75-per-cent diversion of demolition and construction waste, says Waters.

The project will revitalize and partially replace Kortright’s well-used and popular 30,000-square-foot visitors’ centre, which hosts a variety of environmental and sustainable energy programs geared to children and adults, and is beginning to show its age.

Built in the early 1980s and originally intended as a three-season structure, it relies on a combination of electrical heating and baseboards.

“We’re finding it no longer meets the meets the needs of our client groups. The insulation is not very good. The mechanical system is 25 years old and there is a whole myriad of leaks. It also doesn’t work well on the edge of the valley.”

While backing onto the East Humber River, there are limited views of the forested valley from most areas of the building and none from the main entrance floor, Waters explains.

Architects Alliance’s design is intended to open the building to the valley with the use of large windows on the main floor, an above-grade basement and a new sub-basement conference level, which will be built under an existing cantilevered section of the building. “People will be able look right into the forest.”

An existing second-level office area will be demolished to make way for a long green roof, which visitors will be able to walk on. There will also be a canopy walk from the roof into the forest. Another major feature will be three 12-foot-high glass solar towers which — linked to stairwells below — will draw cool air into the building from the valley, says Waters.

Other work planned includes adding new office space on the main level, building conference rooms in the sub-basement and increasing its classrooms in the basement from eight to 12.

This will allow the centre to significantly increase its environmental educational programs. Of the 135,000 annual visitors to Kortright, approximately 85,000 are school children taking part in field class trips, says Waters.

Although some of Kortright’s programs and energy workshops will be temporarily closed during construction, school programs will continue in order to retain children’s ongoing interest in the environment and to achieve revenues.

“We don’t want to lose the students. They will be able to observe the construction. We intend to build a platform so they can watch and learn about sustainable building.

“We’re aiming for construction to start about the middle of 2007,” says Waters.

At this point, the project hasn’t moved into the detailed design and working drawings stage.

There are decisions to be made, including determining the building’s energy source. Some options under consideration include a biomass combustion boiler, fuel cells, solar water heating and/or a photovoltaic solar water system, he says.

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