Who says a compressor building can’t be cool?

This accessory building, part of the ARIEL (Advanced Rare Isotope Laboratory) at UBC, is a new free standing building that houses a compressor room for cryogenic equipment. The new ARIEL facility requires the cryogenic system for the process of cooling associated with the e-linac. Located on the south of the Experimental Hall and the existing cooling towers, it will have helium buffer tanks located on a steel rack beside the building. An overhead Mechanical and electrical service trunk carrying helium pipes and ionized water, as well as, electrical and communication conduits connects the Compressor building to the Electron Hall. For the TRIUMF staff, we incorporated a new covered bicycle storage area at the end of the trip facility.We also allowed  for a volleyball court in the neighbouring courtyard between the buildings. And just because the building is utilitarian doesn’t mean it can’t have personality, so we chose a strong vibrant colour for the west facade. An articulated wood  structure for the canopy reinforces the recreational nature of the adjacent open space.

This 2-storey building’s main purpose is to provide centralized storage and pick-up/delivery of material to the whole of TRIUMF.

The storage function occupies the main floor. And the second floor houses the design office of TRIUMF, TRIUMF is a secured site with only controlled access from the outside. The Store Building is one of the two buildings within the property that allows this controlled access. The building is designed with an industrial, contemporary expression on the exterior. The interior planning of the store is based on the security function of the building and the efficient flow of material. The offices on the 2nd floor feature an open plan with auxiliary supporting functions and ample windows around the perimeter of the building. Designed with sustainable principles in mind the building is LEED Gold standard. The compact footprint, efficient planning  and natural light formed the starting principles.

The project included the addition of 3 cooling towers, replacement of the condenser water system, chilled water system, controls, air handling unit upgrade, central air handling system upgrade and other mechanical and electrical upgrades.

A facility service building was provided to service the cooling towers. It contains a maintenance office, auto-feed equipment, storage of chemical pallets, and testing equipment. We designed the building to complement the natural landscape of the site. The use of materials and the facade composition is carefully detailed to give the building a contemporary character, despite its industrial nature.

The task was to create a new substation to add to the existing substation building and house new switchgear to service the dry dock.

Our solution was simple.

A clean box without any ornamentation. The south face of the new addition lines up and respects the building face of the existing substation. We used brick of the same size and similar colour to clad the exterior of the building. Two galvanized steel stair sets were provided at the west and the north sides of the building to  access the second floor. A seismic joint was created to provide a seamless transition between the old and new buildings. The existing substation will be repurposed for another use.

This project will replace the aging electrical infrastructure as a high voltage hub for the Esquimalt Graving Dock.

The Service Substation (SES) houses a main line of up to 12.5/25Kv switchgear including the required BC Hydro incoming and metering sections. A single HV 750kVA step down transformer to 600V is housed at the SES for local building distribution and station services. In line with 12.5/25kV switchgear there is a 5MVA step down transformer to 2.4kV switchgear for the motor starting line-ups. There is also a 750kVA step down transformer to 600V for local 600V distribution. In preparation for future needs, the roof of the SES will become the second floor when high voltage shore power is needed. The centralized Standby generators bank was constructed right next to SES. We reserved space outside the SES for a future North Substation low voltage shore power distribution centre.