January 6, 2010

Ontario Public Service converting old building into green workplace

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

A team that includes WZMH Architects and construction manager Urbacon is poised to convert Jarvis Street building into a state-of-the-art green workplace for the Ontario Public Service.

Selective demolition of the interior of the 455,000-square-foot building, the former Sears Canada head office, is scheduled to get under way the first week of January. The retrofit and modernization project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2011.

The estimated cost of the retrofit, one of the largest of its kind in North America, is $100 million. LEED Gold is being targeted. The base building design work has been completed, the Ontario Realty Corporation (ORC) said.

The project will incorporate a number of green features from a green roof and photovoltaic solar rooftop panels to use of regional and low-emitting materials, rainwater harvesting and “grey water” recovery.

Heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems and controls will be updated as well. State-of-the-art IT infrastructure will be put in place. Thermally sealed windows will be installed on the exterior.

From a construction perspective, converting an existing building to a LEED Gold facility will present its share of challenges, ORC said. These include upgrading electrical and other servicing while maintaining life-safety systems, sprinkler systems and the like.

Key subtrades that will be involved in the project include mechanical, electrical, structural glazing, drywall, acoustic ceilings, flooring, and elevator and escalator installers.

Prequalification of base building trades has been completed, ORC said. Additional processes may be implemented next fall.

The project is part of a larger initiative to retrofit and modernize government buildings across the province in order to reduce the carbon footprint of the Ontario Public Service.

Urbacon president Marco Mancini said his firm was proud to be part of this “significant and prestigious” project.

“We are pleased with the opportunity to work with the exceptional team assembled by ORC to deliver a building which will set future standards.”

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