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BUILDINGS FOR THE COMMUNITY $6.95 FEB/09 V.54 N.02

Canadian architect -_2009_february

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Page 1: Canadian architect -_2009_february

Buildings for the Community

$6.95 feB/09 v.54 n.02

Cover-no spine.indd 1 2/5/09 3:24:02 PM

Page 2: Canadian architect -_2009_february

Experts estimate that a staggering 60% of

the world’s carbon emissions come from

the built environment, clogging skies and

heating the earth.

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at autodesk.com/PowerofBIM

Autodesk and Revit are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifi cations at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document. ©2008 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Page 3: Canadian architect -_2009_february

WALLTITEECOTM

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WALLTITEECO is a medium-density polyurethane foam insulation/air barrier system designed to improve the energy effi ciency of any type of building. WALLTITEECO’s industry-leading performance results in substantial energy savings by maximizing the effectiveness of the building envelope.

WALLTITEECO is the fi rst closed-cell spray polyurethane insulation to obtain the EcoLogoM, North America’s most widely recognized multi-attribute environmental certifi cation. Its formulation includes recycled plastic, renewable content and a zero ozone-depleting blowing agent.

WALLTITEECO has been optimized through BASF’s award-winning Eco-Effi ciency Analysis which assesses the lifecycle of a product or manufacturing process from “cradle to grave” over six categories: Materials consumption; Energy consumption; Emissions to air, soil and water; Risk potential for misuse; Health effect potential and Land use.

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Docket #: BAS09-5717Client: BASF CanadaAgency: Soleil Communication

Magazine: Canadian ArchitectIssue: Size: 9 x 11,25 inches

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Page 4: Canadian architect -_2009_february

CERTIFICATION

THE PROGRAM

The CPCI Certification Program qualifies precast concrete manufacturers who fabricatearchitectural and structural precast concrete. Manufacturers must adhere to CPCICertification criteria that include the more stringent requirements of CSA StandardA23.4, including Appendices A and B, and/or PCI MNL-116 and 117.

CPCI CERTIFICATION BY PROCESS OFFERS THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT BENEFITSTO OWNERS, ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS AND CONTRACTORS.

1. Easy identification of plants committed to fulfill the highest level of certificationavailable in North America.

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3. Assurance that bidders have demonstrated their ability to manufacture qualityproducts and have an ongoing quality system in place.

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5. The job will de done right the first time – saving time, money and headaches.6. Quality products help speed erection and reduce construction time.7. Deal with established producers who have earned a reputation for superior,

reliable workmanship.8. Increased assurance to owners and designers that CPCI Certified manufacturers

will furnish products ideally suited for their project and their expectations.

www.cpci.caCANADIAN PRECAST/PRESTRESSED CONCRETE INSTITUTE

For more information and your free

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Page 5: Canadian architect -_2009_february

It’s about TIME

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p06 Alpolic Ad.indd 6 1/29/09 4:52:14 PM

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02/09 canadian architect �

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11 news AtelierTAGandJodoinLamarrePratte

architectesdesignthenewSaint-HubertLibrary;GregoryHenriquezproposesStopGappre-fabricatedhousingasasolu-tiontoVancouver’shomelessnessissue.

30 Practice RickLinleysuggeststhatprofitabilityand

efficiencycanbeincreasedthroughtheoptimizationofnetfees,labour,andutiliz-ationrates.

33 Books LeslieJenandIanChodikoffreviewthree

recentpublicationsthatofferinsightintothefutureofthecity.

36 calendar EnzoMariexhibitionatCambridgeGaller-

ies,DesignatRiverside;EelcoHooftmanofEdinburgh’sGROSS.MAXlecturesattheUniversityofToronto.

38 BackPage TheOberlanderfamilysharedetailsofthe

extraordinarylifeofH.PeterOberlander(1922-2008).

14 whistler PuBlic liBrary Taking advanTage of The dynamic quaLiTies of iTs siTe, a much-anTicipaTed LibRaRy

by hughes condon maRLeR: aRchiTecTs has become a popuLaR communiTy hub foR WhisTLeR’s diveRse popuLaTion. teXt LesLie Jen

18 John M.s. lecky uBc Boathouse designed by LaRRy mcfaRLand aRchiTecTs, This fLoaTing sTRucTuRe handsomeLy

Responds To The needs of dedicaTed univeRsiTy of bRiTish coLumbia RoWeRs. teXt adeLe WedeR

22 PeterBorough regional health centre

This neW faciLiTy by sTanTec aRchiTecTuRe RepResenTs a RemaRkabLe achievemenT in a counTRy cRying ouT foR subsTanTiaL impRovemenTs in heaLTh caRe. teXt ian chodikoff

coVer main enTRance To The peTeRboR-ough RegionaL heaLTh cenTRe. phoTo-gRaph by RichaRd Johnson.

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The NaTioNal Review of DesigN aND PRacTice/The JouRNal of RecoRD of The Raic

febRuaRy 2009, v.54 n.02

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8 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 02/09

IAN

CH

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IAN CHODIKOFF [email protected]

ABOVE A WOMAN POSES ON A PUBLIC SECTION OF JUMEIRAH BEACH, AS THE EXPANDING DUBAI SKYLINE RISES IN THE BACKGROUND.

VIEWPOINT

EDITORIAN CHODIKOFF, OAA, MRAIC

ASSOCIATE EDITORLESLIE JEN, MRAIC

EDITORIAL ADVISORSJOHN MCMINN, AADIPL.MARCO POLO, OAA, MRAICCHARLES WALDHEIM, OALA(HON.), FAAR

CONTRIBUTING EDITORSGAVIN AFFLECK, OAQ, MRAICHERBERT ENNS, MAA, MRAICDOUGLAS MACLEOD, NCARB

REGIONAL CORRESPONDENTSHALIFAX CHRISTINE MACY, OAAMONTREAL DAVID THEODOREWINNIPEG HERBERT ENNS, MAAREGINA BERNARD FLAMAN, SAACALGARY DAVID A. DOWN, AAAEDMONTON BRIAN ALLSOPP, AAA

PUBLISHERTOM ARKELL 416-510-6806

SALES MANAGERGREG PALIOURAS 416-510-6808

CIRCULATION MANAGERBEATA OLECHNOWICZ 416-442-5600 EXT. 3543

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Canadian Architect is published monthly by Business Information Group, a division of BIG Magazines LP, a leading Canadian information company with interests in daily and community newspapers and business-to-business information services.

The editors have made every reasonable effort to provide accurate and authoritative information, but they assume no liability for the accuracy or com-pleteness of the text, or its fitness for any particular purpose.

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Page 10: Canadian architect -_2009_february

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02/09 canadian architect 11

news

aBOVe, LeFt tO riGht GreGory Henriquez’s stop Gap HousinG proposal intends to Help eliminate Homelessness in Vancou-Ver; atelier taG and Jodoin lamarre pratte HaVe been awarded tHe commis-sion to desiGn a new library in saint-Hubert, quebec.

PrOjects

atelier taG and jodoin Lamarre Pratte to design saint-hubert Library.The commission for the new library in the borough of Saint-Hubert in Longueuil, Quebec has been awarded to the design consortium of Montreal firms Atelier TAG and Jodoin Lamarre Pratte architectes, who will incorporate a variety of context- and sustainability-related measures that harness wind, sun, geothermal and rainwater technologies. The 2,000-square-metre facility is situated on a wooded, windy lot. As a result, the architects developed the design parti of a “flying carpet,” where the roofline is folded to accom-modate the prevailing winds. Extensive solar studies resulted in the provision of perforated wood slats along the exterior to help modulate the intensity of the sun while reducing glare inside. Various spatial qualities of the forest are trans-lated into the function of the building: the open plan of the ground floor is inspired by the con-cept of the forest floor; on the upper levels, the verticality of the wood slats are inspired by tree trunks; and at the north end of the library, the porous design of the roof recalls the experience of peering at the sky through a canopy of trees. The children’s area forms the geographic heart of the building, and the building’s circulation promenade terminates with a reading room cap-turing views of the Montérégie region beyond. Including all site work and landscaping, the con-struction budget is $11.6 million. Construction is expected to begin in July 2009 with the library becoming operational by the summer of 2010.

henriquez Partners architects proposes scheme to end Vancouver’s homelessness.Stop Gap Housing is a new idea being proposed by Vancouver architect Gregory Henriquez to end Vancouver’s homelessness problem through the rapid construction of temporary pre-fabricated housing. Henriquez’s proposal calls for a motel-like village with 48 suites clustered around a cen-tral courtyard that features a manager’s office, a covered patio, and a second-storey meeting room. Vancouver’s exploding homelessness

problem is rising faster than what BC Housing can build. According to Henriquez, the problem has to do with permitting, which can take several years for a typical social-housing project. Through a temporary, renewable 12-month permitting pro-cess and a schedule utilizing a pre-fab construc-tion process, Henriquez wants to build 1,000 units of Stop Gap Housing on eight city sites within the next year. He has the support of Van-couver Mayor Gregor Robertson, who has prom-ised to work towards ending homelessness in the city. The Tyee online journal estimates that, if combined with the reopening of almost 500 hotel rooms recently identified by the Carnegie Com-munity Action Project, the Stop Gap Housing scheme would provide enough homes for nearly all of the 1,547 individuals found in Vancouver during the spring 2008 homeless count. And the cost of building these 1,000 units would be less than what the city and province are currently paying to administer to those same people on the street. BC taxpayers currently spend an average of $55,000 per year in health, corrections and social services for each of the estimated 11,750 home-less people in the province, according to a 2008 study by Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addic-tion. Henriquez’s Stop Gap Housing could be built for less than $40,000 per unit, excluding the price of land, which could be provided by the city or funded by the province.

awards

Phyllis Lambert design Montreal Grant: call for applications to young professionals.The call for applications for the annual Phyllis Lambert Design Montreal Grant has been an-nounced. Destined for young design profession-als, this grant aims to acknowledge and promote the talent of emerging Montreal designers and foster their professional recognition. The winner will receive a $10,000 award to fund a profes-sional development project in one of the cities of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, of which Montreal is a member. The Phyllis Lambert Design Montreal Grant rewards the talent of a

young Montreal designer with fewer than 10 years’ professional practice, having demon-strated exceptional quality in studies and work as well as a marked interest in the city. Created by the City of Montreal in 2008, the deadline for submission is April 14, 2009. The application form and eligibility criteria are available at www.designmontreal.com. The announcement of the winner will be made in June 2009.www.designmontreal.com

Bc architect wins canada’s top business award for female entrepreneurs.Teresa Coady, Chief Executive Officer and found-ing partner of the Vancouver-based architectural practice of Bunting Coady Architects, has been named as a winner of the 2008 RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Awards (CWEA). Estab-lished in 1992, these awards are conferred on leading female entrepreneurs whose successful business achievements have contributed signifi-cantly to the Canadian and global economies, as well as to their own community. Coady is the only architect to have ever received this honour and is one of only a handful of women running a full-service architectural practice in Canada. A lead-ing pioneer of sustainable and energy-efficient design, Coady’s vision to create “Living, Breath-ing Buildings” which enhance the environment—is the philosophy behind the work of Bunting Coady Architects. The firm has more square foot-age of LEED® NC Gold-certified institutional and commercial projects than any other firm in North America and has won over 50 awards for design quality and building performance. Teresa Coady is the only architect to serve on the BC provincial government’s Climate Action Team (CAT), which is developing strategies to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the province of British Columbia. She has acted as an advisor to

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12 canadian architect 02/09

the British Columbia Energy Code and the National Energy Code. A board member of the Cascadia Chapter of the United States Green Building Council, Coady is the acclaimed author of a number of articles and academic papers.www.buntingcoady.com

cOMPetitiOns

affordable seniors’ housing ideas design competition.The goal of this competition is to showcase ideas and/or concepts of innovative seniors’ housing design at the ASHRA Seniors’ Housing Needs Con-ference later this year. This collaborative research project involves over 75 organizations and five universities from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island. The research will determine the housing needs and choices, both existing and emerging, for our aging population. Policy recommenda-tions will then be developed to help satisfy these needs in the future. There are three prizes as fol-lows: 1st prize of $5,000; 2nd prize of $3,000; and best student entry wins $2,000. Any potential entrant must advise the competition information officer at [email protected] by 12:00 noon AST on March 2, 2009 of their intent to submit an entry. All entries for the competition are to be post-marked no later than 12:00 noon AST on March

31, 2009. All winning entries will be presented at the Atlantic Seniors’ Housing Needs Conference in Halifax in 2009.www.msvu.ca/ASHRA/pdf/CompGuidelines_ FINAL.pdf

what’s new

canada Green Building council and Bc hydro collaborate on energy efficiency.These two organizations have launched a joint effort to improve the design, construction and operation of buildings in British Columbia. They will work together to: develop customer-focused programs for energy conservation for buildings; increase the number and skill level of industry professionals focused on energy efficiency through joint training programs; create demonstration projects featuring sustainable communities and energy infrastructure; and look for opportunities to promote the LEED® green building rating sys-tem in conjunction with Power Smart. BC Hydro is working to make BC electricity self-sufficient by 2016 and will meet 50 percent of new electricity demand through conservation by 2020.

addendUM

In reference to the winners of the 2008 Canadian Architect Awards of Excellence (see CA, December

2008), it has come to our attention that, at the time of submission to our magazine, the client who initially commissioned Patkau Architects Inc. to design Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Church had no intention to build the proposal. Therefore, according to the rules of eligibility clearly expressed on the 2008 entry form for the Canadian Architect Awards of Excellence, the sub-mitted design is considered ineligible and will not receive an Award of Excellence. While Patkau Architects Inc. were initially commissioned by the client on November 21, 2007 to produce the design recognized by the jury, the contract between the client and architect was mutually terminated on April 15, 2008—several months before the submission deadline for our awards program. It should be noted that the friendly ter-mination of the agreement was due to the fact that, in the opinion of the Parish Building Com-mittee, the design “did not meet the parish requirements with respect to the design of a ‘traditional’ Catholic church and the architect was not prepared to modify his position suffi-ciently beyond the presentation of a ‘contempor-ary’ church.” Since a new design by another architect for Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Church has been released into the public realm, Canadian Architect regrets causing any confusion for the parish, the client, and the general com-munity of Port Coquitlam, BC.

With a number of disparate, often geographically distributed organizations involved in the delivery of construction projects, there has been considerable interest in e-business tools within the construction industry. These tools open up a range of possibilities for the industry to rethink existing processes and working methods, so their use is increasingly common. Nevertheless, there has been little definitive guidance on the major issues in electronic business from a construction perspective. With a fine blend of theoretical and practical aspects of e-commerce in construction, and well illustrated with a number of industrial case studies, e-Business in Construction will find an appreciative audience of construction practitioners, researchers and students at all levels. Readers will also benefit from further coverage on legal matters, technological issues and implementation.

The Future of Building

Available at www.amazon.ca.

4792.indd 1 1/8/09 3:38:26 PMcircLe rePLy card 19

Page 13: Canadian architect -_2009_february

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room to read

a resort community welcomes a long-awaited public facility that unites its diverse population.

proJect Whistler Public library, Whistler, british columbiaarchitect hughes condon marler: architectsteXt leslie Jenphotos martin tessler

14 canadian architect 02/09

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Known by most as a winter playground for the wealthy, the town of Whistler is, in fact, an intriguing community with a diverse population. Currently numbering at around 10,000 full-time residents, the village also employs 2,500-3,000 transient/seasonal workers. With a steady stream of part-time residents and tourists, the popula-tion averages close to 30,000, and during peak periods, can swell to an astonishing 55,000. Its popularity is understandable: one of the Great White North’s most frequented resort destina-tions, Whistler offers breathtaking mountain scenery along with fantastic skiing, hiking and rock-climbing opportunities. Consequently, the last 15 years have witnessed a massive construc-tion boom, with high-end condominiums sprout-ing up in and around the town, jockeying for position with the countless hotels, bars and res-taurants servicing outdoor adventure-seekers from around the world.

The maturation and growth of the community has necessitated expansion of its public facilities. Housed in a portable structure since the late 1980s, the original Whistler Public Library was located in the heart of what is now a densely built-up village. As this was never intended to be a long-term solution, the community has been in discussions concerning a new library building since the early 1990s. In 2002, Hughes Condon Marler: Architects (HCMA) was retained to tackle a dual program comprising both library and museum functions. Differences in process and objective between library and museum stalled the project indefinitely, which eventually resulted in the two institutions going their separate ways. In 2004, the library project alone was resurrected, with HCMA once again at the helm, steering the project over the next few years through a rigorous and integrated design process that engaged the community and public at large.

Despite the rugged and majestic geographical context of Whistler, increased development over the years has resulted in a definite urban quality to the town. Public transit is excellent, and a number of pedestrian-friendly plazas along with an extensive path network called the “Village Stroll” successfully link the buildings together. California-based landscape architect Eldon Beck is largely responsible for the community’s design, having been retained as one of Whistler’s original planners in the 1970s. Influenced by the ideology of Christopher Alexander, Beck advocat-ed for the inclusion of many human-scaled ele-ments such as benches and low walls to encour-age a real sense of community interaction and engagement. In fact, deferential to Beck even to this day, the project’s clients insisted that the HCMA design team fly to the US to present the scheme to the venerable guru in his California office for his approval. Initially meeting with resistance, principal Darryl Condon eventually

opposite A sun-drenched civic plAzA drAws visitors into the highly ArticulAted mAin entrAnce of the librAry. top structurAl hemlock members give drAmAtic expression to the soAring roofline in the mAin spAce. above the librAry glows At night, set AgAinst the trees in the AdjAcent pArk And the distAnt mountAins.

won Beck over through an articulate and well-reasoned presentation.

Constructed on what was the second-last un-developed parcel of land in the village—a former surface parking lot close to where the old library portable sat, the new L-shaped library responds to both the urban fabric of the village and the adjacent densely forested park—the largest in Whistler Village. With the main entry facing south towards Main Street, the library is nestled

within a fairly dense cluster of hotels all access-ible from the pedestrianized Village Stroll. A civic plaza draws visitors into the vestibule and through a set of doors to the main stacks area, where the real drama of the space unfolds. Slop-ing up towards the north, the exposed structure of the soaring roof is rhythmically expressed in hemlock. A high-performance curtain wall offers unimpeded views of the evergreens in the adja-cent park as well as distant views of Sprott Moun-

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gain, which is major consideration during Whist-ler’s surprisingly hot, dry summers. The heavy timber construction respects the vernacular building tradition of the area, but the uncommon use of hemlock represents a more sustainable choice than other woods that are typically used, such as Douglas fir and cedar. But to compensate for hemlock’s structural inconsistencies, the HCMA team developed an innovative roof system of prefabricated laminated panels that were ver-tically staggered to address this shortcoming. This allows for a shallow structural zone, reducing exterior cladding quantities while maxi-mizing light and views. Strategies such as these will likely earn the building a LEED Gold rating.

Another project advancement is the counter-intuitive choice to go against the steeply pitched roofs that characterize the region. Heavy, wet snow can weigh as much as 160 pounds per square foot, resulting in inordinately high roof-loading situations. HCMA sought the advice of a snow-management consultant, who suggested keeping as much snow on the roof as possible, to take advantage of the insulatory properties of the snow, and to minimize the amount of snow dump on the ground, which would otherwise impede

above pronounced tectonic expression typicAl of west coAst Architecture is evident in this northeAst corner view. top right the north elevAtion illustrAtes the Anchoring presence of the stone fireplAce, which contrAsts with the lifting roof plAnes And the trAnspArent lightness of the curtAin wAll. middle right A close-up view cAptures the mAteriAlity of the building And its structurAl connections. opposite tAken from the end-of-trip entry At the librAry’s northeAst corner, this view reveAls the covered ArcAde leAding visitors up to the front of the building.

tain, and allows the space to be suffused with even north light, ideal for reading and other tasks.

Project architect Bill Uhrich maintains that there is a dual aspect the project: while the library is ostensibly about books, information, and technology in sustaining and promoting the intellectual culture of Whistler, it is equally about its relationship to site and the larger context of the mountains. HCMA examined European pre-cedents to facilitate a strong connection to the outdoors and to mountain culture, looking spe-cifically at the architecture of the Alps. Con-sequently, light and views of the surrounding

mountains are always present, and two outdoor reading terraces reinforce the perpetual connec-tion to the outdoors, as does the sheltered arcade that runs along the east elevation.

Numerous sustainability strategies were implemented to create the greenest building pos-sible. The provision of end-of-trip facilities encourages non-vehicular forms of transporta-tion like cycling, and as such, bicycle parking, change rooms, lockers and washrooms are locat-ed on the lowest level, accessed through a separ-ate entrance at the northeast corner of the build-ing. In addition to a green roof, deep overhangs on the south and east elevations minimize solar

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main floor

1 end-of-trip entry 2 arcade 3 men’s end-of-trip facility 4 women’s end-of-trip facility 5 mechanical room 6 secure bike storage 7 stair to civic plaza/main entry 8 covered parking 9 garbage recycling10 access to parking11 electrical room

1 main entry 2 entry vestibule 3 circulation desk 4 patron service 5 book drop 6 workroom 7 head librarian office 8 copy/storage 9 storage10 office11 staff room12 child program room13 children’s area14 group study15 quiet carrels16 outdoor reading terrace17 reading room18 fireplace19 teen area20 computer lab21 multipurpose room22 arcade

parking plan

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pedestrian circulation. The resulting folded roof plane keeps snow on the roof and off the ground at critical entry points into the building, giving the library a more authentic formal expression unique amongst the identical cookie-cutter cha-lets that dot the village.

Unfortunately, Whistler has acquired an unsettling Disneyfied quality typical of most Intrawest resorts: Blue Mountain, Tremblant, Panorama ... the list goes on. As an antidote, the Whistler Public Library represents a courageous deviation from the global sameness and forced quaintness of the unrelenting flat pastel stucco façades, and remains true to Whistler’s original planning principles. Additionally, it rewards the community for its resilience, initiative and independent spirit with a truly democratic place of gathering and learning. Tourists and resi-dents—both permanent and transient—have responded overwhelmingly: over the past year, the number of daily visitors has increased by 300% from about 300 to roughly 1,000 per day. And for their efforts, HCMA can bask in the glory of receiving the 2008 Real Cedar Award from the Canadian Wood Council this past Nov-ember. ca

client resort municipAlity of whistlerarchitect team dArryl condon, bill uhrich, kurt mclAren, juliA mogensen, jAy lin, kAynA merchAntstructural fAst + epp structurAl engineersmechanical stAntec engineeringelectrical Acumen engineeringlandscape phillips fArevAAg smAllenbergcost consultant hAnscombcode consultant lmdgbuilding envelope consultant rdh groupbuilder whistler construction compAnyground floor area 1,400 m2 budget $12 mcompletion jAnuAry 2008

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18 canadian architect 02/0918 canadian architect 02/09

Oars tO the GrOunda new rOwinG facility flOats Gently On the fraser river, and the bifurcated structure reflects the physics Of the spOrt itself.

prOJect John M.S. Lecky UBc BoathoUSe, RichMond, BRitiSh coLUMBiaarchitect LaRRy McFaRLand aRchitectS Ltd.teXt adeLe WedeRphOtOs deRek LeppeR

Nestled on the middle bank of Fraser River, the John M.S. Lecky UBC Boathouse subverts the usual bankside paradigm of architecture-as-fixed-anchor. Instead of attempting an illusory defiance of its site, the design team has conceived the Boathouse as a structure in sync with the sandy soil and shifting tides. With a simple palette of glass, metal and wood, the architects devised a kind of nautical architecture that works in much the same way as the boats themselves. Lead architect and former rower Craig Duffield points to “the moment of athletic poise, of athletic flexion” in rowing, where the rowers alternately pull and thrust, and then pick up enough speed for the boat itself to lift slightly off the water.

Neither the marina nor the building is anchored to the earth on immoveable piers. This is a floating dock that rises and falls with the tides, as does the structure adjoining it. The Boathouse itself is a strategically bifurcated structure. The physical act of rowing is based on

the flexion point between the thrust and pull of the oars. The symbolic and also practical architectural correlation is the junction point between the two building components, a flexible “drawbridge.” This dual-module concept expresses in symbolic terms the double-beat rhythm of the sport, but also allows the practical functioning of the building as “floating architecture.”

The project is primarily a conflation of dock, boat shed, locker/showers, offices and an events hall, the latter being the cash cow to subsidize the operating costs of the rest of the building. It’s a pro-gramme that is more complex than one might think, involving sculls—those competition-minded boats that require a lot more consideration in their circulation and storage than your average Canadian Tire canoe. The dauntingly long, narrow and expensive vessels—nautical hotrods, really—are engineered to move fast through the water with minimal

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effort, but also remain light enough for the rowers to carry and hoist onto the brackets in the boat shed. Moreover, at $30-40,000 a pop, the configura-tion of the path from boat to bay becomes critical: the diagonal positioning of the floating dock helps not only expedite the boats coming in, but also avoid dings and outright crashes. (It’s not surprising that Duffield has serious rowing experience under his belt—in fact, it was an essential qualifi-cation for the project).

The design team selected translucent polycarbonite panels to wall the boat shed, a choice at once functional and aesthetic. The translucent panels allow copious daylight into the garage such that on the overcast day of my visit, no artificial lighting was needed to navigate the space or hoist the boats up on and down from their bracket frames. It’s a proverbial green gesture, but it also means that a group of rowers straggling into the garage with a $40,000 scull in their grasp need not risk fumbling for a light switch. And, from inside and outside, the panels are quite simply beautiful: lumi-nous, like water.

The luminescence of the polycarbonite panelling is one of many charac-teristics that hint, not holler, at the purpose of the project. “I disdained forms that look like upside-down boats,” insists Duffield. Still, the massing gently evokes the form of a boat, not only in the swell of the roofline but also in the contiguous line of the steel fascia that runs across the top of the building, which transforms into a supporting beam and then continues into an elliptical arc supporting the brise-soleil of the upper deck.

The cedar slats of the brise-soleil in turn serve to frame the otherwise bleak vista. Across this arm of the Fraser River, there is little more than scrub and scattered housing to look at, but the cropping of this stark expanse transforms it into a postcard of nautical charm.

With its clean simplicity and floor-to-ceiling glazing, the event hall opens up a panoramic river view. The ceiling is a splendid expanse of Douglas fir. Below the curved clerestory, an otherwise neutral space is enriched by a frieze with a fish-motif bas-relief sculpture created by Musqueam artist Susan Point. The one odd note is the faux-wood laminate flooring. The choice was predicated by cost considerations. But with real wood used strategically and sparingly elsewhere, and honest industrial materials like corrugated steel used for the cladding, it would have seemed more appropriate to specify a straightforward coloured laminate than an apologetic stand-in for hardwood.

Overall, however, the Boathouse is a smartly designed, light-infused structure with uncommon sensitivity to the end users. Glass-walled offices are suffused in daylight and offer a generous river view to the administration staff. The event hall is carefully calibrated to draw paying crowds for parties and celebrations that help bankroll the building’s operating costs. Most

OppOsite Floating gently on the Fraser river, the new boathouse glows brilliantly at night. riGht, tOp tO bOttOM translucent poly-carbonite panels provide lots oF natural light into the boat bay storage area; a cedar guardrail and screen assembly on the second-Floor viewing deck; a southwest view oF the new boathouse.

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1 event hall 2 alumni lounge 3 kitchen 4 storage 5 entry vestibule 6 flexible enclosed link 7 viewing gallery

8 administration 9 athlete lounge10 coaching office11 changing room12 viewing deck13 main entry pier14 boat-loading pier

15 gangway16 entry balcony17 boat bay18 mechanical room19 launching docks20 dragon boats21 coach boat dock

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crucially, the project has a good, tight feel—the sense that space is modulated with careful precision and economy, with a focus on the highest possible efficiency—much like the design of an Olympic-calibre racing scull. ca

Adele Weder is an architectural critic and curator based in British Columbia.

left, tOp tO bOttOM the viewing deck look-ing out toward the Fraser river; hand-some structural detailing characterizes the interior oF the event hall.

client university oF british columbiaarchitect teaM craig duFField (design architect + project architect), carrie gratland, susanne hunter, david kitazaki, alvin martin, penny martyn, larry s. mcFarland (principal), dean shwedyk, robert whetterstructural (superstructure) Fast & epp structural engineersstructural (flOats & GanGways) all-span engineering and construction ltd.Mechanical stantec consulting ltd.electrical cobalt engineering civil p.s. turje & associates ltd. builder (superstructure) kindred construction ltd.builder (flOatinG structure) international marine Floata-tion systems inc.cOde cOnsultant gage-babcock and associates ltd.GeOtechnical cOnsultant trow associates inc.Marine cOnsultant westmar consultants inc.area 1,920 m2 budGet $3.985 mcOMpletiOn june 2007

Page 21: Canadian architect -_2009_february

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a new regional health centre rethinks the idea of patient care and connection to the community.

The provision of adequate health care remains a high priority for Canadians. But despite the billions of dollars being spent on new hospital facilities, the expedient process of building hospitals is resulting in mediocre architecture that responds only to bureaucratic design guidelines established by provin­cial governments. This process rarely addresses the less tangible but no less important characteristics of “pride of place” and “community.” Fortunately, there are a few notable exceptions, such as the recently completed Peterbor­ough Regional Health Centre, a project led by Michael Moxam of Stantec’s Toronto office. Awarded to Moxam’s firm in 2000, the $205­million, 715,000­square­foot health facility was completed in August 2008. Built adjacent to the existing hospital, the 494­bed acute­care facility is nearly three times the size of the original facility. Moxam, who has also designed

proJect Peterborough regional health Centre, Peterborough, ontarioarchitect StanteC arChiteCture ltd.teXt ian Chodikoffphotos riChard JohnSon

at the crossroads

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health­care facilities in Chatham, Toronto and Ottawa, is becoming increas­ingly well known as an expert in designing forward­thinking health­care communities. His firm, along with Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects, recently won a 2008 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence for their thorough design strategy for Bridgepoint Health, a complex health­care facility and urban regeneration project just east of Toronto’s Don River.

Located about 90 minutes northeast of Toronto, the city of Peterborough (pop. 75,000) is situated in the picturesque Kawartha Region, an area charac­terized by sublime views overlooking rolling hills, lakes and marshland. Peter­borough, like many other communities within the Kawarthas, evolved from the establishment of rural crossroads or “corners” used by the agricultural or dairy farmers in the region. Driving through the area today, one can still dis­

cover communities with names such as Fowlers Corners, Precious Corners or Mathers Corners. In addition to its agricultural roots, Peterborough has a strong connection to both the Ottonabee River and the Trent­Severn Water­way. Consequently, numerous bridges have been built in the region, the most famous of which arguably remains the Faryon Bridge (1969) designed for the original Trent University campus by Ron Thom and Morden Yolles.

opposite one of many delightful CourtyardS SCattered through-out the hoSPital. theSe outdoor SPaCeS orient Staff and PatientS by eStabliShing a viSual ConneCtion to the outdoorS and to other ProgrammatiC elementS in the faCility. aBoVe the main entry to the hoSPital iS deSigned to Convey the feel of a Community Centre, rather than an inStitutional building.

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Located west of the downtown core, the 39­acre hospital site overlooks the city of Peterborough. The main access to the site is through a ring road from the east, where the slope drops a height of 20 metres from end to end. The site’s topography is used to break down the mass of the building and to establish an appropriate community scale to the facility, thereby providing multi­level entrances fostering numerous public connections to the area, such as the surrounding single­family residential neighbourhoods to the north, west and south. Neighbours to the east include a nursing home, an apartment building, a medical clinic, a health­service building, and a synagogue. Because housing mostly surrounds the site, neighbours were concerned that the buildings were going to be too tall. In actual fact, the new hospital is lower in height than the pre­existing facility.

The program for the Peterborough Regional Health Centre includes a full­service health­care facility offering diagnostic and treatment facili­ties including rehabilitation, intensive care, emergency services, surgical services, ambulatory care and support services. The building itself is clad using a mix of locally quarried stone, red clay brick with steel channel inserts, and corrugated metal siding to reflect the rich industrial and agricultural traditions of the region. The design also includes numerous courtyards and roof gar­dens that de­institutionalize the feel of the facil­ity while improving users’ orientation through a variety of visual experiences.

The lake, the rocky outcroppings and the city’s historical connection to the idea of the crossroads influenced Moxam’s approach early on in the design process. The “crossroads” metaphor is largely achieved by the intersection of two main axes that converge in ways that are visible from many vantage points throughout the hospital. An east­west path establishes a main entrance and the central lobby space is defined by a wall of locally quarried stone. Visitors can reconnect with the Kawartha landscape as they pass through the fully glazed lobby wall that faces east, offering wonderful panoramic views overlooking the city. The north­south axis comprises the prime circu­lation spine on all six levels of the hospital. To heighten the sense of crossroads, several interior courtyards help punctuate the building mass while bringing natural light deep into the building. Applying Moxam’s “bridges” metaphor, the north­south axis through the new hospital passes through the internal courtyards and overlooks some of the public spaces below.

In keeping with the intention to bring in nat­ural daylight wherever possible, large expanses of glazing—both clear and fritted—are used to con­nect patients, families, visitors and staff to the Peterborough community, creating a lively rehabilitative hospital environment. In the clinic­al program areas where patient visits are frequent

aBoVe, top to Bottom Situated adJaCent to a light-filled library and aCCented with natural materialS like Cedar and quarried Stone, the main reCePtion area iS both warm and inviting; one of the many “CroSSroadS” or CirCulation interSeCtionS; in the Cafe-teria, a viSual ConneCtion to the kawartha landSCaPe iS aChieved through roof deCkS and PanoramiC viewS.

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or lengthy, panoramic views of the ever­changing landscape in the Kawar­thas are provided through large windows. The spectacular colours of the region’s trees during the fall season were the design inspiration for the col­oured glass elements that punctuate the glazed enclosure surrounding the community courtyards. This leaf­inspired colour scheme can be found else­where in the hospital, such as the inpatient and public areas, the cafeteria, courtyard and library spaces. To add warmth to the materiality of the facility, cedar slats were used to clad the underside of overhangs and some of the ceilings in the public areas.

In addition to being a hospital, this new facility also needed to incorpor­ate community facilities to host meetings. Moxam claims that on a per cap­ita basis, Peterborough raises more money than any other city in Ontario.

And since much of this charity work and philanthropy is health­related, it comes as no surprise that the Peterborough Regional Health Centre needed to accommodate local groups and community associations. The efficacy of

clockwise from top left many of the hoSPital roomS inCorPorate lowered window SillS for the benefit of PatientS; funCtional imProvementS in the Patient roomS inClude monitoring, Com-muniCation, and other wayS in whiCh doCtorS and Staff Can imProve Patient Care; the main lobby atrium PermitS a viSual ConneCtion between adminiStrative, mediCal and viSitor- related aCtivitieS; the generouSly dimenSioned CirCulation SPineS of the hoSPital are fully glazed, Providing PatientS and Staff with viewS to the outdoorS along with the benefitS of natural daylight.

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Section

Medical Inpatient

Complex Continuing Care

Mental Health

Ambulatory

Diagnostic Imaging

Materials Management

Pharmacy

Mechanical

opposite, middle and Bottom inSPired by loCal arChiteCtural traditionS, wood, Stone, Corrugated metal and Steel ChannelS Provide a riCh material Palette in Several areaS of the hoSPital. right inSPired by the fall ColourS of the kawartha landSCaPe, Coloured glaSS helPS define one of the hoSPital’S many CirCulation inter-SeCtionS.

client Peterborough regional health Centrearchitect team miChael moxam (ProJeCt PrinCi-Pal/deSign PrinCiPal), norm Crone (health-Care Planning PrinCiPal), StePhen PhilliPS (SuPPort ProJeCt PrinCiPal), anthony Cho (ProJeCt mana-ger), eugene Chumakov (deSigner), george bitSakakiS, liSa gregg, ko van klaveren, kevin Plant, tommy ong, norma angel, terenCe tam, StaCy fleming, gordon martyShuk, ChriStine andrewS, grant maCeaCheronstructural CarrutherS & wallaCe (a trow ComPany)mechanical/electrical h.h. anguS ltd.ciVil d.m. williS aSSoCiateS ltd.landscape baSterfield & aSSoCiateS landSCaPe arChiteCtS

interiors StanteC arChiteCture ltd.costing marShall & murray inC.code consultant larden muniak ConSulting inC.facility programmers agnew PeCkham & aSSoCiateS ltd.Building enVelope brook van dalen & aSSoCiateS limitedacoustics aerCouStiCS engineering limitedroof morriSon herShfieldcontractor elliSdon CorP.area 715,000 ft2 Budget $205 mcompletion auguSt 2008

noise in the patient wards and a more efficient means of monitoring patient progress. Because of this new technology, the Stantec team introduced new ways in which visual connections could be broadened to create a more patient­ and staff­friendly hospital environment. Simple modifications of the typical nursing station have been achieved to provide views in multiple directions. For a typical inpatient room, floor­to­ceiling windows were installed adjacent to the patients’ beds to give them enhanced views of the outside world, without compromising the efficiency of the hospital room layout.

The Peterborough Regional Health Centre was the last to use the tradition­al Ministry of Health delivery system. The hospital was built using the largest stipulated­sum contract for a hospital that construction company EllisDon ever undertook. To guide the design and construction process along, Stantec went through a lot of rigorous exercises to ensure that the design integrity was kept intact. By the time the hospital officially opened, few compromises had to be made, and certainly, the importance of maintaining critical vistas to the exterior as well as the architectural concepts of the “bridge” and “crossroads” were preserved. In one instance, Moxam had to argue for extra­wide corridors, which initially contravened the Ministry of Health’s tight space requirements for health­care facilities. Nevertheless, the request was eventually allowed, and for the betterment of the project.

This new health­care facility illustrates the importance of designing high­calibre architecture for a smaller urban centre. The Peterborough Regional Health Centre has the warmth and appeal of a community centre, and it includes important design features that help both hospital patients and staff to remain connected to Peterborough and the surrounding land­scape. We can only hope that more hospitals like this will continue to be built in the future. ca

1 main entranCe 2 PubliC lobby 3 Courtyard 4 library 5 Cafeteria 6 admitting 7 multi-faith Centre 8 mental health inPatient (level 1) 9 mediCal inPatient10 SurgiCal inPatient11 rehabilitation inPatient12 Palliative Care inPatient13 ComPlex Continuing Care

14 maternity15 CritiCal-Care reSPiratory ServiCeS16 Surgery17 day Surgery & ambulatory

ProCedureS18 ambulatory ServiCeS19 dialySiS20 emergenCy21 diagnoStiC imaging22 rehabilitation theraPy23 orthoPaediCS24 onCology25 breaSt aSSeSSment

hospital administration is another programmatic challenge that the Stantec design team addressed, resulting in the positioning of the main executive boardroom near a highly public area. This was motivated by a desire for the hospital to exist as a true community centre for Peterborough, one where a greater perception of transparency is expected from a modern­day public institution.

The complex and demanding programmatic requirements also meant that the Stantec design team broke up into a variety of smaller teams covering the broad challenges of intensive­ and complex­care units, public space, and food services. Various consultants joined the project team to offer their own specific expertise. The necessity of testing the level of design efficacy and programmatic resolution meant that the architects needed to build a full­scale nursing station in the basement of the pre­existing hospital. This is the first time that Stantec had done anything like this for a hospital client, but the mock­up was necessary to ensure that the stakeholders’ objectives were met. The mock­up was also indispensable in testing new technological innovations in nursing and health care with the architects’ new designs. For example, ubiquitous hospital communication and monitoring devices like the traditional squawk boxes installed above patients’ beds have been re­placed by newer generations of equipment, resulting in reduced ambient

26 CardiaC Catheterization27 PharmaCy28 laboratory29 Sterile ProCeSSing30 kitChen31 nutrition ServiCeS32 health reCordS33 Staff faCilitieS/ServiCeS34 offiCeS35 materialS management36 information teChnology37 morgue

Page 28: Canadian architect -_2009_february

There is a $324 million settlement to pay homeowners for claims related to defective hose used in radiant heating and snow melting systems. The hose, called Entran II, was also known as Twintran, Nytrace, Entran II Trace, Entran II Wire, Entran 2, Entran 2 Trace, and Entran 2 Wire.

Claim payments vary depending upon the extent of the property damage and the type of installation, for example, in-slab or staple up. The maximum amount payable to any Claimant will be determined by multiplying the square footage of a floor area heated with a particular type of installation by the predetermined costs per square foot of remediating the system.

Claimants who have or had severe property damage due to leaks in their systems could receive up to 50% or more of their maximum claim.

Claimants who have or had less severe property damages including corrosion or other problems could receive up to 30% or more of their maximum claim.

Homeowners who have Entran II hose but have not suffered damage may also file a claim.

Contact your customers to notify them of the benefits of this settlement and to assist them with their remediation.

The deadline for filing claims is November 19, 2009.

Only customers who file a claim by that date can receive a cash payment.

For More Information

Visit: www.entraniisettlement.com Call: 1-800-254-9222

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Page 29: Canadian architect -_2009_february

Durabond_v1_CanadianArchitect.indd 1 4/22/08 4:42:51 PM

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30 canadian architect 02/09

3-Year Average % NF

Net Fee $ 1,000,000 100%

Expenses

Direct Labour @2.60 multiplier $384,615 38.5%

Overhead @1.50 OH Rate $576,923 57.7%

Subtotal Expenses $ 961,538 96.2%

Operating Profit (before bonus and taxes) $ 38,462 3.8%

Other Metrics

Net Fee/FTE @12.0 FTEs $83,333

Indirect Labour @70% U Rate $164,835 16.5%

Total Labour $ $549,451 54.9%

Avg. comp./FTE $45,788

FTEs No. U Factor Total Labour Direct Labour

Reception/Admin. 1 0% $ 25,000 $ —

Office Manager 2 6% $ 32,000 $ 1,920

Intern II 3 90% $ 30,000 $ 27,000

Intern III 4 90% $ 34,000 $ 30,600

Architect I 5 85% $ 36,000 $ 30,600

Architect I 6 85% $ 40,000 $ 34,000

Architect II 7 85% $ 46,000 $ 39,100

Architect III 8 85% $ 52,000 $ 44,200

Technologist II 9 90% $ 45,000 $ 40,500

Technologist III 10 87% $ 49,000 $ 42,630

Jr. Principal (30%) 11 70% $ 70,000 $ 49,000

Sr. Principal (70%) 12 50% $ 90,000 $ 45,000

Total 70% $ 546,000 $ 384,550

$ 45,750 avg. comp.

WOrKinG SMarterAn overview of net fees, lAbour And utilizAtion rAtes cAn improve your prActice’s profitAbility And efficiency.

text rick linley

practice

FiGure 1 FiGure 2

The profession of architecture has become a commodity in the minds of many, weakening the profession as a whole. If architecture is to have a sig-nificant impact on society and the environment, the profession must be stronger. And the path to a strong profession runs through the business engine of individual practices. Unfortunately, the business engine of pro-fessional firms is widely misunderstood, and its misuse or neglect by prac-tice leaders is a limiting factor in building stronger, more influential organ-izations. The current state of the economy may provide firms with a unique opportunity to optimize practice.

Profitability is a key driver of influence for the profession. It is not the only requirement but without profit, firms cannot be strong and influential on a sustainable basis. Profit = Net Fee - Expenses. That’s the business engine. Let’s take a hypothetical firm as shown in Figure 1 to explain the parts of the business engine in more detail.

Figure 1 shows the three-year average results of a firm of 12 personnel. Net fees are the starting point. The net fees exclude consultants and other direct expenses such as check-sets, plots, and other non-reimbursables. Net fees also exclude reimbursable expenses such as travel, printing, per-mits and other expenses paid on behalf of the client. Net fees are what the firm has to work with after all these flow-through expenses are taken into account. Net fee is your fuel gauge. Work in process and fee backlog define how much fuel you have in the tank. The quality of those fees is also critical. If fee quality is poor, the chances of arriving at your profit destination are severely compromised.

Direct labour is the first of two major expense categories. It is the raw cost of all the billable hours for you and your staff. It excludes personnel expenses such as dental, statutory holidays, CPP, EI, and other mandatory or customary benefits. Direct labour effectiveness is measured by the multiplier. The multiplier is like your speedometer. It is an indicator of how efficiently you are employing direct labour and it tells you how fast you are

going. The multiplier is calculated simply as Net Fee ÷ Direct Labour.Overhead is the second major expense category. It is the cost of all other

aspects of running the practice. Overhead expenses include occupancy costs (rent, heat, power, etc.), benefit costs (statutory holidays, dental plans, etc.), consultants (legal, accounting, etc.), office equipment (hardware, software, copiers, plotters, etc.), promotional costs, taxes, and indirect labour. The overhead rate is used to measure how effectively all of your overhead resources are being deployed. The OH rate is simply Overhead Expenses ÷ Direct Labour.

The single largest component of overhead is indirect labour, which is the cost of paying you and your staff for all non-billable hours. Indirect labour can amount to approximately 40-50% of all overhead costs. Indirect labour typically includes hours spent by project personnel who are between tasks or between projects. It also represents the majority of hours logged by sup-port personnel such as marketing, office administration, accounting, etc. Since indirect labour is the largest component of overhead, it is measured separately. This measurement is known as the utilization rate. This is an indicator of how much time your staff is being deployed on billable work. The utilization rate is akin to a tachometer in that it indicates how hot you are running. The utilization rate is Direct Labour ÷ Total Labour.

PSMJ Resources Inc. is one of several well-known A/E consulting firms that track key indicators in the industry. PSMJ’s survey provides bench-marks for key indicators. The median values taken from the 2007 survey were as follows:

• Net Fees per Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) $118,126• Multiplier 3.09• Overhead Rate 1.60• Utilization Rate 60%• Profitability 15%

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02/09 canadian architect 31

% NF

Net Fee $ 925,000 100%

Expenses

Direct Labour @2.65 multiplier $349,057 37.7%

Overhead @1.52 OH Rate $530,566 57.4%

Subtotal Expenses $ 879,623 95.1%

Operating Profit (before bonus and taxes) $ 45,377 4.9%

Other Metrics

Net Fee/FTE @11.0 FTEs $84,091

Indirect Labour @69% U Rate $156,823 17.0%

Total Labour $ $505,879 54.7%

Avg. comp./FTE $45,989

% NF

Net Fee $ 1,000,000 100%

Expenses

Direct Labour @2.80 multiplier $357,143 35.7%

Overhead @1.50 OH Rate $535,714 53.6%

Subtotal Expenses $ 892,857 89.3%

Operating Profit (before bonus and taxes) $ 107,143 10.7%

Other Metrics

Net Fee/FTE @11.0 FTEs $90,909

Indirect Labour @65% U Rate $192,308 19.2%

Total Labour $ $549,451 54.9%

Avg. comp./FTE $49,950

With an understanding of the business engine and the key metrics, you are able to make both strategic and day-to-day decisions about how to oper-ate your practice more effectively. You only have three adjustments at your disposal—net fee, direct labour, and overhead. Each firm has unique goals reflected in its mission, vision and values. The net fee, direct labour and overhead targets you set for your practice must be aligned with your goals.

Let’s take another look at the hypothetical firm to explore optimization options. Let’s assume that this firm has decided to reposition itself as a leader in two specific building types within a four-hour driving radius of its current location. It recognizes that it will need to change aspects of all three areas to ensure its goals are met.

The best place to start is with a labour analysis of this firm as shown in Figure 2. The firm currently has 12 staff including two principals. Figure 2 shows that the utilization rate for the firm is currently 70%. This is signifi-cantly higher than a median firm in the PSMJ survey and likely means that the firm is running too hot. Running hot could mean investments in this firm’s future such as professional development and marketing are running behind, principals may be spending excessive time on non-strategic tasks, staff may be overworked which can lead to disgruntled clients, not to men-tion high staff turnover. Another aspect of this firm is that the average sal-ary for principals and staff is quite low. In fact, the junior principal in this firm may be asking himself/herself if these new responsibilities are a rea-sonable risk/reward balance.

Referring back to Figure 1 reveals that in addition to low compensation and high utilization, there is very little profit for the principals to share. This also means very little in the way of staff bonuses, growth potential, rainy-day funds, and return on investment. With profitability of 3.8% this hypothetical firm is underperforming. Thin margins may also mean that cash flow is a problem. Our hypothetical firm is most likely a weak practice that has very little influence in its community.

Optimization is not a linear process. Net fees, direct labour and overhead must be optimized simultaneously, but the highest leverage place to start optimizing is by critically reviewing the quality of this firm’s net fees.

Net-fee quality is more important than quantity. It does not make any sense to take on more fees and the risk associated with those fees unless it can be done more profitably. Although it may seem counterintuitive, the most effective way to optimize is to reduce fees in the short term by walking away from unprofitable clients. Our current economic situation may help to facilitate these decisions. Once the quality of net fees is stabilized, this firm can consider increasing the quantity of revenue by increasing its service offering, diversifying its areas of specialty, expanding geographically, or a myriad of other strategies. Figure 3 shows the impact of actually reducing net fees but increasing fee quality. Note the increase in multiplier as a result of focusing on higher-margin work.

After net fee, the next best place to optimize is direct labour as measured by the multiplier. Strategies include reducing staff count, outsourcing, changing the skills mix, introducing improved design, technical and project management methodologies, improving information technology infrastruc-ture, and a myriad of other possible operational interventions. If direct labour is optimized it makes sense to also increase fee quantity as long as fee quality is not compromised.

The third and final place to optimize is overhead. Optimizing overhead is not just about reducing costs—in some cases increased costs may be war-ranted. Utilization is the first place to start. Again it may seem counterintui-tive, but this firm should increase its non-billable hours so that more time can be invested in business development to generate higher-quality fees. In addition, training and professional development should receive investment funds so that projects can be delivered more efficiently and with higher value to clients. Other expenses that warrant a review are variable and fixed costs such as benefits, rent, office equipment, IT, etc.

FiGure 3 FiGure 4

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32 CANADIAN ARCHITECT 02/09

% NF

Net Fee $ 1,100,000 100%

Expenses

Direct Labour @ 2.88 multiplier $381,944 34.7%

Overhead @ 1.45 OH Rate $553,819 50.3%

Subtotal Expenses $ 935,764 85.1%

Operating Profit (before bonus and taxes) $ 164,236 14.9%

Other Metrics

Net Fee/FTE @ 11.0 FTEs $100,000

Indirect Labour @ 64% U Rate $214,844 19.5%

Total Labour $ $596,788 54.3%

Avg. comp./FTE $ 54,253

FTEs No. U Factor Total Labour Direct Labour

Reception/Admin. 1 10% $ 27,000 $ 2,700

Office Manager 2 0% $ 46,000 $ —

Intern II 3 95% $ 35,000 $ 33,250

Intern III 4 95% $ 40,000 $ 38,000

Architect I 5 95% $ 45,000 $ 42,750

Architect II 6 80% $ 52,000 $ 41,600

Architect III 7 70% $ 65,000 $ 45,500

Technologist II 8 95% $ 50,000 $ 47,500

Technologist III 9 90% $ 58,000 $ 52,200

Jr. Principal (30%) 10 50% $ 85,000 $ 42,500

Sr. Principal (70%) 11 40% $ 100,000 $ 40,000

Total 64% $ 603,000 $ 386,000

$ 54,818 avg. comp.

CA

FIGURE 6FIGURE 5

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Experience the world-class architecture of Montreal while enjoying:

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Inspiring talks from architects Jan Gehl, Hon FRAIC and Bernardo Gómez- Pimienta, Hon FRAIC

Presentation of Awards and Honours with the top professionals of the year

Social activities, tours and networking

Trade Show featuring cutting-edge products and services

Summer days in cosmopolitain and friendly Montreal, and much more!

Celebrate the Vision and Commitment of the profession with your colleagues at the RAIC, OAQ, AAPPQ Festival of Architecture and Forum, June 17-19 2009 in Montreal

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Page 33: Canadian architect -_2009_february

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34 canadian architect 02/09

reVieWed BY LesLie Jen and ian Chodikoff

Books

Unbuilt toronto: a history of the city that Might have BeenBy Mark osbaldeston. Toronto: dundurn Press, 2008.

Living in Toronto is a bit like buying your gro­ceries at Price Chopper; you might get what you absolutely need, but the overall experience is a relatively joyless exercise. That Toronto is so much less than the sum of its parts can be partially explained by Mark Osbaldeston’s Unbuilt Toronto: A History of the City That Might Have Been, an impressively researched explo­ration of dozens of never­realized architectural and master­planning projects intended for the city. Spanning two centuries, the projects include roads and highways, transit systems, towering skyscrapers and civic buildings that, if built, would have undoubtedly given shape to a very different city than the one we know today.

Surprisingly, Osbaldeston is not a trained architect or planner—but is, in fact, a lawyer for the Ministry of Finance, with a background in municipal and land development law. His passion for the history of Toronto is clear in this endeavour, and the numerous maps, historical photographs, and evocative drawings contribute to a highly compelling read.

Certainly, we can be thankful that some of these schemes were never carried out, such as the Spadina/Scarborough Expressway, which would have unequivocally scarred the city, decimating many vital neighbourhoods and the natural ravine landscape. But at other times, we can only muse wistfully over some of the projects that would have been utterly transformative, facilitat­ing the creation of a Toronto that could rightfully be called a world­class city.

Take, for example, Federal Avenue, a scheme initiated around the end of the 19th century, in which a grand European­style boulevard would have linked Union Station to a formal civic square on Queen Street—a site currently occupied

by the underwhelming Nathan Phillips Square. Federal Avenue was ultimately and stupidly thwarted by the City’s issuance of permits allowing the construction of two buildings on land which was intended for the boulevard. But in 1929, the resurrection of Federal Avenue in the form of Cambrai Avenue was accompanied by the presence of Vimy Circle, from which several significant axial conduits would have radiated. With a memorial to Canada’s war dead in its centre, Vimy Circle would have been Toronto’s greatest monumental public space. We are wit­ness to the power of such masterfully conceived moments in stunning drawings provided by the City of Toronto Archives, and in them we see traces of grandeur from our collective memory of other cities, other continents. We are tortured by the prospect of what could have been.

The waterfront is probably Toronto’s most hotly contested urban design issue in present day, and perhaps it’s not surprising that the debate began as far back as the 1850s, when legislation permitting the construction of railway tracks shattered the dream of a waterfront esplanade. Over 100 years later, in 1968, Buckminster Fuller threw his hat in the ring with Project Toronto, in which he proposed a 3,000­foot enclosed galleria flanking University Avenue, linking King Street to the waterfront, next to a 400­foot Crystal Pyramid and a Gateway Tower—all of which would have given Toronto a much­needed global identity.

Ideally, this book will give necessary perspec­tive to the bureaucrats, planners and architects who contribute to the evolving form of the city. One hopes that Unbuilt Toronto will inspire a sustained collective vision that will ameliorate a Toronto that at times seems nothing more than an amateurish aggregation of merely “good­enough” interventions. LJ

A companion exhibition to Unbuilt Toronto was organized by the Toronto Society of Architects, which

ran from November 2008 to January 2009 in the Royal Ontario Museum, itself one of Toronto’s most highly controversial building projects.

the Phaidon atlas of 21st century World architectureBy the editors of Phaidon Press. London: Phaidon Press Limited, 2008.

Embarking on a world tour of buildings beyond the de rigueur visit to Ronchamp or an all­inclu­sive package tour of Herzog & de Meuron’s great­est hits is likely impractical—especially if it’s done all in one shot. After all, it’s expensive and time­consuming to trot the globe on an architectural pilgrimage seeking the masterpieces of the design world’s rock stars. Fear not, for Phaidon’s latest mammoth offering will more than make up for it.

Following their 2004 effort The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture, the equally hefty The Phaidon Atlas of 21st Century World Architecture distinguishes itself from its predecessor with over 90% new buildings completed since 2000. The images in this book will make you weak in the knees: 4,600 gorgeous colour photographs of 1,037 buildings by 653 architects from 89 countries are grouped into the six geographical regions of Oceania, Asia, Europe, Africa, North America and South America. Buildings featured range from single­family residences to inter­national airports, railway stations to art galleries and museums. The striated cladding of Foreign Office Architects’ Carabanchel Housing in Madrid titillates, the highly kinetic and graphi­cally arresting Keith Haring Art Museum in Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture inspires, and the expansive, simple purity of the Shark Alley House on New Zealand’s Great Barrier Island soothes.

This is not just a glossy coffee­table tome to impress your friends: specific information valu­able to architects is provided, such as client, cost and geographical coordinates. Moreover, thou­sands of plans, sections and maps offer a level of detail that architects seek, along with fascinating graphic data on carbon footprints by country and climate change, construction growth and national wealth, and global population densities relative to the location of featured projects. Fleshing out and giving greater context to the work are short essays accompanying each of the projects—which, incidentally, are designed by both emerging practitioners and seasoned veterans with decades of practice under their belts.

Considering the bang for the buck, it’s worth every penny of the substantial $225 list price. An added bonus: repeated lifting of the 14.5­pound volume will supplement your New Year’s resolu­tion cardio workout. LJ

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02/09 canadian architect 35

hto: toronto’s Water from Lake iroquois to Lost rivers to Low-Flow toilets edited by Wayne Reeves and Christina Palassio. Toronto: Coach house Books, 2008.

Despite the manipulation of eco­systems to accommodate our growing cities, the rivers that exist beneath the morass of urbanity can never entirely dis­appear. This recent publication contains 34 essays to delight the reader, with stories about Toronto’s natural systems and man­made infrastructure per­taining to the provision, purification and protection of its water. Reading about watersheds has never been so engaging! This book, divided into four sections (foundations, transformation, explorations and directions), loosely traces a narrative from the prehistoric era to the founding of the Town of York in 1793, and from the destructive powers of Hurricane Hazel in 1954 to current waterfront and riparian management policies.

The story of Toronto’s water begins with Ed Freeman’s article on the city’s geological origins and continues with Nick Eyles’ article on the city’s various ravines, lagoons, cliffs and spits, describing the history of the city from the Laurentide Ice Sheet 25,000 years ago to the eventual formation of our Great Lakes. Other transformations have been caused by civilization. As outlined in Chris Hardwicke and Wayne Reeves’ essay, the alterations to Toronto’s Lake Ontario shoreline, especially over the past 200 years, repeatedly in­volved lake­filling and the concretization of the waterfront—a situation that is only now beginning to be addressed with any serious intent.

As the city grew, deforestation, pollution and sprawl ensued, while issues of public health, safe drinking water and adequate sewage treatment re­mained significant challenges. Mahesh Patel’s article describes how the city has improved the health of its citizenry over decades, after periods of typhoid and cholera. During the glory years of improving public health—the late 1920s and ’30s—Toronto built modern water­purification plants, notably the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant which opened in 1938. It was a veritable “palace of purification” that continues to inspire Torontonians with its ambitious architecture. Other essays describe some of the painful side effects of urbanization, like Gary Miedema’s article on the early river mills of Toronto. These mills were responsible for the development of communities like Malvern, Hogg’s Hollow and York Mills but they also contributed to de­forestation and flash floods. And when Toronto became a large coal­burning city in the 1850s, its ravines and valleys would make for convenient disposal sites that lay beneath many apartment buildings, houses and schools today.

This book is a poignant reminder to any city­dweller of the cultural, historical and environmental importance of fresh water, public health, lakes, rivers and streams to any urban system. ic

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02/09­ canadian architect 37

calendar

Enzo MariJanuary 15-February 22, 2009 This exhibition at the Cambridge Galler­ies, Design at Riverside encompass­es industrial, graphic and furniture design, and is an homage to Italian design legend Enzo Mari. The show includes 60 designs from his pro­lific career, including products from Italian and Japanese manufacturers such as seating, kitchen utensils, office accessories, children’s games and graphics. www.cambridgegalleries.ca

Wes Jones: Works from El SegundoJanuary 22-April 25, 2009 This exhibi­tion focusing on the practice of Wes Jones, the Frank Gehry Internation­al Visiting Chair in Architectural Design, takes place at the Eric Arthur Gallery at the John H. Dan­iels Faculty of Architecture, Land­scape and Design, University of Toronto. Projects selected explore future possibilities for single­ and multi­unit housing.

Louis I. Kahn: The Making of a RoomFebruary 7-March 29, 2009 This exhi­bition—organized around Kahn’s proclamation that “architecture comes from the making of a room”—is on display at the University of Pennsylvania’s Arthur Ross Gallery, and explores Kahn’s concept of the room as the building block of architecture. www.upenn.edu/ARG

Building Storeys: A Photo Exhibit of Toronto’s Aging SpacesFebruary 17-22, 2009 A collaborative effort by Heritage Toronto and members of Toronto’s Shadow Collective, this exhibition at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto is a visual documentation and anec­dotal exhibit of 14 of the city’s cherished—and in some cases, somewhat unknown—heritage buildings and sites.www.heritagetoronto.org

liquidated architecture February 26, 2009 Damon Rich deliv­ers this lecture at 7:00pm in the Paul Desmarais Theatre at the Cana­dian Centre for Architecture in Montreal. Admission is free.

Surface image March 2, 2009 Torben Berns, Planet­ary Society Visiting Professor in Architecture, delivers this lecture at 6:00pm in Room G10 of the Mac­donald­Harrington Building at McGill University in Montreal.

land/Scape/architectureMarch 3, 2009 Eelco Hooftman of GROSS. MAX in Edinburgh delivers this lecture at 6:30pm in Room 103 of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto.

remtec ‘09: remediation technology SummitMarch 3-5, 2009 This forum takes place in Atlanta, and covers advan­ces in remediation science and

technology, new and prospective regulatory policies, and other criti­cal issues affecting contaminated site restoration.www.remtec09.com

augmented landscapesMarch 12, 2009 Mark Smout of Smout Allen Architectural Design Research in London delivers this lecture at 6:30pm at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture in Cambridge.

49 citiesMarch 17, 2009 Amale Andraos and Dan Wood of New York’s Work AC deliver this lecture at 6:30pm in Room 103 of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto.

For more inFormation about these, and additional list-ings oF Canadian and inter-national events, please visitwww.canadianarchitect.com

circle reply card 27

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38 canadian architect 02/09

aBOVe Peter Oberlander and arthur ericksOn at an architectural institute Of british cOl-umbia (aibc) dinner in VancOuVer in may 2006.

a Man fOr all SeaSOnSh. Peter Oberlander was a suPPOrter Of architecture and urbanism in canada. his cOmmunity, POlitical and ciVic engagement was an insPiratiOn tO eVeryOne.

teXt the Oberlander family

Backpage

Peter Oberlander, OC , PhD, FRAIC, LLD (Hon) was an architect, planner, urban advocate, and committed family man. He lived a life full of urban adventures from his childhood in Vienna, Austria, to his escape to England prior to his deportation to Canada as an “enemy alien” in 1940, to a career devoted to supporting the pro­fessions of architecture, planning and landscape architecture. Upon his release in 1940, he enrolled in the McGill School of Architecture (BArch 1945) followed by studies at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (MCP 1947, PhD 1956).

A devoted student of Walter Gropius, Ober­lander advocated for Modernism in Canada before it was popular to do so. He helped stop Vancouver from building a massive invasion of freeways, while leading the way for the federal government to support the design and establishment of Van­

couver’s Granville Island and Toronto’s Harbour­front as urban cultural places in former industrial zones. Outside the fields of architecture and urban design, Oberlander served as the Chair of the Vancouver School Board and as a board mem­ber of many local Jewish organizations.

He came to Vancouver in 1949 to teach at the University of British Columbia (UBC), initially within the School of Architecture, and later estab­lishing the UBC School of Community Regional Planning. Oberlander inspired hundreds of stu­dents locally, nationally and internationally through his teaching at UBC and through his work for the United Nations. In addition to his academ­ic career, he consulted with Thompson, Berwick and Pratt, and Downs/Archambault and Partners on a wide variety of planning projects. His de­voted marriage of over 56 years to celebrated landscape architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander,

CM, FASLA, FCSLA, LLD (Hon) brought many collaborative projects and a life filled with travel to the great cities of the world.

A series of firsts marked a distinguished career: co­founding the Lower Mainland Regional Planning Board (now Metro Vancouver) (1952); launching Canada’s first professional program in Community and Regional Planning at UBC (1960); initiating Canada’s Ministry of State for Urban Affairs as its inaugural Deputy Minister (1970); co­founding the United Nations Con­ference on Human Settlements (Habitat I) held in Vancouver and establishing the Centre for Human Settlements, UBC (1976); Senior Advisor and Special Assistant to the United Nations Secretary General (Habitat II) in Istanbul (1996) and the World Urban Forum (Habitat III) in Vancouver (2006). Following his lifelong com­mitment to the motto of “Ideas into Action,” Peter’s final project was to establish the Habitat Exchange, an online portal and archive of international human settlement resources (www.chs.ubc.ca/archives/).

Numerous publications include Houser: the Life of Catherine Bauer (UBC Press 1999, co­authored with Eva Newbrun); Improving Human Settlements (UBC Press 1976, editor); and Land: The Central Human Settlement Issue (UBC Press 1985). Oberlander also received numerous awards and honours such as Officer of the Order of Canada (2002); Honorary Doctorate, UBC (1998); Cana­dian Citizenship Judge (1998 to 2005); Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC); and a Special Certificate of Recognition from the Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC). In 2008, both he and his wife Cornelia received the Vancouver Civic Merit Award in recognition of their many contributions to Vancouver. His passing in late December at the age of 86 marks a turning point in the history of Canadian architecture. ca

Those wishing to remember Peter Oberlander may choose to make a donation to the following Vancouver organizations: Vancouver Jewish Film Festival Society (www.vjff.org); The Salvation Army (www.salvationarmy.ca); BC Cancer Foundation (www.bccancerfoundation.com); Vancouver General Hospital and UBC Hospital Foundation (www.worldclasshealthcare.ca).

Page 39: Canadian architect -_2009_february

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Page 40: Canadian architect -_2009_february

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