RICHCRAFT RECREATION COMPLEX KANATA - … Wood Works Award.pdfhe Richcraft Recreation Complex - Kanata (RRCK) is a major municipal recreation complex serving the community in the northwest

R I C H C R A F T R E C R E A T I O N C O M P L E X K A N A T A

O N T A R I O W O O D W O R K S ! 2 0 1 4 G R E E N B U I L D I N G W O O D D E S I G N A W A R D



1

The Richcraft Recreation Complex - Kanata (RRCK) is a major municipal recreation complex serving the community in the northwest sector of the City. The facility is designed to promote health, fitness and well being, offering a variety of programs for all age groups from pre-school children to senior, including general interest and specialized levels.

The RRCK is situated on six hectares of previously undeveloped land and preserves its natural setting, directly bound by conservation forrest lands to the west and south (Trillium Woods) with major power transmission lines traversing the front of the property.

Programs within the facility include an eight lane 25M lap pool, a leisure pool, multi-purpose rooms, two gymnasiums, fitness/weight centre and studio. Site facilities include a lighted, artificial turf sportsfield, children’s playgrounds, splash pad, basketball courts, skate park and trail head.

The key sustainable design strategies incorporated in the RRCK are:

• Energy efficiency - ground source heat pump using a geoexchange field, exhaust air heat recovery, energy recovery to heat pool water.

• Water conservation – reduction of potable water use in the building.

• Durability – material choices (interior and exterior), enhanced building envelope and modular pool system.

The RRCK is designed to meet LEED Gold Certification, New Construction.

Table 1 - LEED SCORECARD (TARGETED)

Sustainable Sites 8

TOTAL POINTS

Water Efficiency

Innovation & Design

Materials & Resources

Indoor Environmental Quality

Energy & Atmosphere

5

10

12

48

8

5

introduction



2 incorporating wood in the design solution

The inherent warmth and sense of comfort that wood creates makes it particularly relevant for this recrea-

tion centre. During the planning, efforts were made to ensure public inclusiveness, resulting in a design concept reflective of a “home with a big backyard” rather than that of a generic institutional recreation complex. People associate wood with comfort. The natural looks, the texture, the smell, all promote a sense of familiarity and hominess. For this design, wood was an effective, multi-purpose material which was integrated in a variety of structural and decorative applications.

A composite structure of wood and steel was devised for the gymnasium roof due to the structural requirements and feasibility. Douglas fir timber beams, up to 260mm x 1824mm in size and spanning distances of 18.5 metres in length, provided a relief from the unadorned metal framing/roof deck.

For the gym floor, the City of Ottawa real-ized that the aesthetics and performance of wood surfaces are what high performing athletes expect and need. Wanting the best and safest floor for their local athletes, they decided to incorporate a sprung wood flooring system in both the large double gymnasium and dance studio. This type of energy absorbing/dissipating floor system not only enhances play, but furnishes the safest surface to play on.



3

The structure of the main lobby, central corridor and fitness areas was fabricated predominantly with glue laminated timbers with a 64mm thick roof deck. Visitors to the facility are welcomed into the two storey lobby space by the natural warm colour of the wood framing above and on the Maple slat wall treatments around the edge of the second floor level above. From this central hub, all recreational activities within the building can be viewed. By using 38mm and 64mm deep tongue and groove roof decking throughout, we were able to boost the thermal value of our roof assembly, due to the increased insulative properties of wood and its resistance to heat transfer-ence when compared to other roof deck materials such as steel or concrete.

The natatorium roof is constructed with 38mm thick Douglas fir roof decking over glulam beams (up to 175mm x 1254mm in size) supported by steel columns. Humidity problems normally evident in steel roof framing such as condensation and corro-sion were overcome by the use of wood. Al-though a pool mechanical system is utilized to deal with dehumidification, humidity of-ten remains present at the ceiling level, due to the effects of warm air rising. A natural property of wood is its ability to absorb and release moisture. At the RRCK this hygro-scopic effect will result in a moderate level of humidity at all times and improved air quality. Cedar panels were also used within the sauna for the same reason.

incorporating wood in the design solution



4

To control acoustic levels, locally milled solid Maple slats over an acoustic black duct liner was introduced as accent panels on the walls of the gymnasium and lobby to absorb sound in these large open spac-es. In the pool area, our scheme used the combination of the wood structure along with wall mounted high pressure laminated wood panels to overcome sound reverbera-tion and increase acoustic comfort.

A decorative solid maple slat screening system was incorporated at the main ser-vice counter as a means of providing some privacy within the office space, while still al-lowing for a visual supervision of the main lobby. Solid Maple sections were mount-ed horizontally on rods with spacers to achieve this visually appealing treatment.

Exterior applications of wood include the placement of locally milled Eastern White cedar at soffits areas along with exposed glulam timbers with tongue and groove decking at the canopies as an extension of the wood motif found within.

The Richcraft Recreation Complex – Ka-nata is an example of how wood can be successfully utilized for both structural and aesthetic purposes throughout the interior and exterior of this recreation facility, re-sulting in a warm and inviting space which will be home for local athletes for years to come. Welcome to your new back yard!

incorporating wood in the design solution



5

With growing pressure to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment, the City of Ottawa

presented a strong sustainable design agenda. They expected better performance and low environmental impact from the construction, which made wood the logical choice given the nature of this facility. The challenge facing us was to introduce a wood motif into the project without sacri-ficing functionality and still maintaining the budget. Our firm was well suited to meet this challenge, having completed a variety of projects with wood as a major design element (most recently the Bradford West Gwillimbury Leisure Centre, the Barrie Fire and Emergency Services Station No. 1 and the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre) over the firm’s 50+ year history.

Life cycle assessment studies, which assess products over their entire life span from acquisition through to final disposition, have shown that certified wood has a lower impact on the environment when compared to steel and concrete. At the RRCK, reducing the environmental impact was accomplished by the incorporation of certified wood products. 84% of all wood-based materials and products introduced on this project were certified in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council’s Principles and Criteria. In addition, solid Maple slats and Eastern White cedar planks were sourced from local mills, resulting in minimal transportation requirements.

how wood helps to reduce environmental impact



6

For improved indoor air quality within the facility, the installation of solid surface materials such as the wooden gymnasium/studio floors or the hardwood slats tailored for wall panels, allow for easy cleaning and prevent the build-up of dust or other particles commonly found in soft finishes. In keeping with the City’s sustainability mandate, we also chose engineered wood products, such as the glulam beams for their future ability to be recycled or repur-posed. As an example, our firm recently repurposed some existing wood timber framing from the demolition of an arena into furniture pieces found throughout a new fire hall constructed on the same site. Although the RRCK is new today, a time will come when the wood timbers can be reclaimed for other purposes, continuing their usefulness and reducing the environ-mental impact once again.

The City of Ottawa implemented a sustain-ability plan to improve the quality of life and quality of place concurrently with the stewardship of the natural environment. Part of this strategy involves encourage-ment to create high performance buildings and the use of renewable energy. The use of wood played a crucial role, not only in our aesthetic design, but also in our ap-proach to sustainability.

how wood helps to reduce environmental impact



7 Water Conservation

The project targeted and achieved a reduced use of potable water and conveyance to sewer through the com-

bination of low flow fixtures and the capture and re-use of grey water from showers and lavatories.

The specified Myrtha pool system requires less frequent maintenance and cleaning than a concrete and ceramic tile pool, thus reducing the need to drain the pools for maintenance annually to once every 3 – 4 years.



8

The overall site design integrates an open, welcoming building into a land-scape extension of the adjacent Trilli-

um Woods conservation forest, with access to its extensive trail network. The landscape design centered on protecting and enhanc-ing the forest edge with native pioneer spe-cies and features a Trillium Woods Trailhead to educate the public on the ecology of the conservation forest and its trail network.

site ecology



9 Energy Present and Future

The RRCK is designed to meet LEEDTM Gold Certification. Mechanical systems were de-signed to minimize energy use and follow

sustainable principles.

Grey water recovery system

Recovery of shower and lavatory wa-ter to a 5,000-litre cistern. Grey water passes through a bio-filter, chlorinator and UV sterilization system before being pumped back to water closets and urinals.

Table 2 - Sustainable Approaches

Heat recovery

Robust air barrier

Ground source heat pump system

A geo-exchange field is a heat sink in the summer and heat source in the winter. It is expected that the RRCK will be 52% more energy efficient than a comparable MNECB building, resulting in estimated energy savings of 5,095 GJ annually.

Change rooms and washrooms are exhausted through a central heat re-covery ventilator, the recovered heat is used to supplement space heating.

The swimming pool space is condi-tioned by a ‘Dectron’ unit that reclaims heat from an integral dehumidifier. Heat is rejected to pool water/heat pump loop, enabling surplus heat to be reused.

Thermally-broken aluminum window frames installed with thermal edge low conductivity spacers with low ‘E’, argon-filled double- or triple-glazing at pool areas. A two-component, closed-cell spray-applied foam system was installed to maintain continuity of air barrier from wall system to window framing system.

Insulation is installed outboard of this air barrier and results in a uniform, continuous thermal and air/vapour barrier. This eliminates air movement from exterior to interior, which is critical for Pool areas.



10 Materials and Resources

The facility’s finishes and character are modest, yet durable, creating an envi-ronment that is inviting and promotes a

sense of pride in the facility. The community promoted the use of natural materials and the design team used Trillium Woods as inspi-ration for their materials selections.

Exterior Natural stone, brick, zinc pane-ling and energy efficient alumi-num framed window glazing

Table 3 - Materials

Abundant interior glazing is used to visually connect com-mon and activity areas

Large wood glulam beams in the gymnasia

Drought resistant grasses were laid out in a low profile pattern, viewed from the adjacent fit-ness patio and providing visual connectivity to Trillium Woods

Wood glulam beams and wood fir decking in the Lobbies and Pool area

Where possible, furniture purchased for the facility was specified to be Green Guard certified

Workstations purchased for the administration area are ‘refur-bished’

GreenRoof

Interior



11 Life Cycle Considerations

The Owner and design team worked closely on all decisions related to ma-terials, finishes and building systems to

better address lifecycle issues and concerns.

• On the exterior, durable materials were selected for the lower level vulnera-ble wall areas, and zinc paneling and Prodema panels selected for the upper wall areas.

• Concrete block walls and ceramic tile finishing were selected for all Change Room wet areas.

• LED and T-5 florescent lighting were chosen for both energy efficiency and long life.

• Myrtha modular pool system was specified for both pools to reduce op-erating/maintenance costs, less annual maintenance ‘down’ time and water and energy savings since pool draining is less frequent.

• Enhanced building envelope review and testing ensured a robust thermal and air barrier was achieved, to help reduce future envelope issues that can occur at indoor pool facilities in harsh climates.



12 Education and Information Sharing

The Owner, community and design team welcomed the challenge to incorporate sustainable and green

practices, technology and systems in order to produce a facility with a mini-mum environmental footprint.

During the design and construction of the RRCK, the sustainable features, targets and goals were presented to the community through public open hous-es, through community stakeholders and through the web site.

Now that the RRCK is open, a LEED dis-play with an interactive LED screen de-scribes the project’s history, sustainable features and links to live energy data. Prominently located in the main facility lobby, the LEED kiosk forms an educa-tion tool in conjunction with building tours facilitated by knowledgeable staff.



Documents

RICHCRAFT RECREATION COMPLEX KANATA - … Wood Works Award.pdfhe Richcraft Recreation Complex - Kanata (RRCK) is a major municipal recreation complex serving the community in the northwest