Newmarket Operations Centre : By RDH Architects ~ HouseVariety

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Newmarket Operations Centre : By RDH Architects

Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
RDH Architects
Post By:Kitticoon Poopong

Photo © Courtesy of Tom Arban

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Municipal operations centers rarely attract attention from architects or the public, but the maintenance of our physical environment and infrastructure is critical to the well-being of any community.

Photo © Courtesy of Tom Arban

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Photo © Courtesy of Tom Arban

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The design of the Newmarket Operations Centre aims to celebrate these services through the creation of a new local landmark while meeting complex technical requirements in a robust and economical structure. The project embodies a pragmatic rethinking of the municipal operations center and sets a new national standard for the design of this under-appreciated building type.

Photo © Courtesy of Tom Arban

Click above image to view slideshow

Photo © Courtesy of Tom Arban

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The site is a former brownfield overlooking a major entry-point into Newmarket. The main building consolidates three municipal departments and includes offices, meeting and training spaces, and facilities for the storage, repair and washing of vehicles and equipment. The eleven hectare site also includes parking, a works yard, outdoor materials storage, a salt and sand shed and a greenhouse.

Photo © Courtesy of Tom Arban

Click above image to view slideshow

Photo © Courtesy of Tom Arban

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A one-story change in grade is exploited to minimize cut and fill while ensuring a secure separation between public access at the upper level and the works yard below. A 4.2 m high gabion basket retaining wall defines the public parking area and a landscaped extension of the building’s green roof, creating the illusion, when viewed from the north, of two distinct structures.

Photo © Courtesy of Tom Arban

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Photo © Courtesy of Tom Arban

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The project is conceived as a linear sequence of parallel programmatic bars alternating in character and height. The public atrium and fleet work areas are grand halls flooded with daylight, while all other spaces are arranged within the lower interstitial volumes.

Photo © Courtesy of Tom Arban

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Photo © Courtesy of Tom Arban

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The resulting crenellated building section provides natural locations for recessed mechanical roofs (hidden from exterior view with perforated metal windscreens) and the accessible green roof. A single circulation spine threads together all spaces and allows for secure checkpoints between public, administrative and fleet areas, many of which operate at different hours.

Photo © Courtesy of Tom Arban

Click above image to view slideshow

Photo © Courtesy of Tom Arban

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The atrium is surrounded by offices, green exterior space, meeting and training rooms and a cafeteria, and serves as the arrival and social space for all visitors and staff. The grand stair doubles as an informal amphitheater for morning muster.

site plan--drawing © Courtesy of RDH Architects

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The people

Architect: RDH Architects
Location: Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Project Team: Bob Goyeche, Tony Lopes, Scott Wilson, Geoff Miller, Carlos Tavares
Structural Consultant: Halsall Associates Limited
Civil Consultant: A.M. Canderas Associates Inc.
Mechanical and Electrical Consultant: Jain and Associates
Sustainability Consultant: Global Commissioning
Landscape Architect: NAK Design Group

Project Area: 6,100 sqm
Project Year: 2010
Awards: 2009 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence.
Photographs: Tom Arban

Note>>Location in this map, It could indicate city/country but not exact address.

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Tuesday, July 26, 2011