Architectural Firm: Busby + Associates Architects
Principal and Associate in Charge: Peter Busby FRAIC, MAIBC, MAAA, MOAA, AIA, BCID, LEEDTM A.P.
Client: City of White Rock

Consulting Team
Architectural: Busby + Associates Architects Ltd.; D. Dove MAIBC, B.Arch., B.A., LEEDTM A.P.; V. Berg IA, M.Arch.; S. Edwards IA, B.E.S., M.Arch.; R. Maas AT.AIBC, C.TECH, LEED TM A.P.; A. Malczyk MAIBC, MASA, M.ARCH, LEEDTM A.P.; Kathy Wardle M.E.S, B.A., LEEDTM A.P.
Structural Engineers: Fast + Epp
Mechanical Engineers: Keen Engineering
Electrical Engineers: Flagel Lewandowski
General Contractor: KDS Construction

The City of White Rock Operations building is a simple structure comprised of two pavilions: one housing the City Operations administration, and the other housing the field crew facilities. The City made a commitment to pursue the highest standards in sustainable design in the building of their new Operations facility. The result is the first new construction to be awarded a gold medal under the US Green Building Council's LEED Certification program.

The project, built on the site of a decommissioned sewage treatment plant, takes advantage of the inherent assets of the site. The environmental design approach includes natural ventilation, day-lighting and energy conservation measures - strategies which are becoming common in the Canadian architectural landscape. However, the LEED Gold rating is an acknowledgement of broader environmental strategies. The building's planning, orientation, massing, fenestration, mechanical and electrical systems, and material selection are a direct response to the site and the local environment. The result is an architecture that is a clear expression of its program - comfortable, functional and thoroughly modern.

Funds available for this project were limited. The City of White Rock is a small community with a very limited tax base. The replacement of the Operations building was a major project for the City of White Rock. Due to the significant sustainable strategies implemented in this facility, the project qualified for funding under the "Green Infrastructure Enabling Fund." Financing for the project was divided equally between the Federal, Provincial and Municipal levels of governments. The final construction cost for the building, including all of its many sustainable strategies was comparable to a "traditional" structure of the same size, approximately $170/square foot.

The project had minimal interference with day-to-day operations; only the office staff required relocating and so the construction period was not a major constraint. Prior to the construction of the new Operations facility, the office staff was housed in the original Sewage treatment plant's "control house" with a trailer addition, and the outdoor staff's facilities were housed in two trailers located in the works yard. The existing trailers for the outdoor staff remained in place until the end of the construction.

Sustainable strategies incorporated in this project result in:
- reduction in site water use by approximately 90%
- a reduction in building water usage by at least 20%
- a reduction in energy consumption by about 45% over ASHRAE 90.1

Reuse - Existing Conditions The site of the new White Rock Operations building had been used as a works yard for many years, but had also previously operated as a sewage treatment plant. The large concrete tanks that had been part of this operation were still on site, having been abandoned and filled in when the plant was decommissioned. When investigations at the pre-design stage determined that the tanks were still structurally sound, what could have been a potential liability to the client instead became an asset to the project.

The planning of the facility was developed so the north pavilion would be built over the basement of the original control house and the south built on the massive walls of the treatment tank walls. The one storey administration area is supported on a system of beams that rest on the concrete tanks with cantilevers where necessary to support the perimeter of the building. Where cantilevers become uneconomical, the free ends of the project beams are picked up on new concrete columns and pad footings. The overhangs provide weather protection for the tank walls, and create a strong shadow line above which the building appears to float.

A separate digester tank was excavated and City storm water is diverted into the tank. Water collected is used for irrigation, flushing toilets, washing the City's fleet of vehicles and supplying water for the City street sweeper. The large water-filled tank doubles as a heat sink for the heat pump heating and cooling system in the building - providing a source of heating energy in the winter and cooling in summer.

Form + Function The program of the building itself included the replacement of the existing administration office and the consolidation of field crew facilities currently housed in various sheds that dotted the site. The massing of the new structure articulates the different components of the program, with a single storey office area to the south being separated from a two storey service component by the main entrance which takes the form of a recessed glazed link. Beyond the glazing, and visible as one approaches the building, is a planted courtyard.

The palette of materials is restrained, using only wood, metal and glass. The glazing is limited to the regularly occupied, active areas of the program: office, meeting and circulation areas. Non active portions of the pavilions, change rooms, print room, etc, are wrapped in solid walls clad in red cedar. The intent of the design is to respond in a direct manner to the particular needs of each of the building programs and the environmental conditions of each face of the building. As one walks around the building, different strategies are evident, each specifically responding to the program within the building and responding directly to the environmental conditions in that location and exposure.