The Project: Carleton Univ., Steacie SuperLab, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Renovation of 14,500 ft2 lab in a larger 1960s-era facility, Steacie Hall. $4.65 million (Canadian).
This project received a Special Mention citation in the 2009 Lab of the Year competition for its forward-thinking transformation of a crucial teaching lab, as well as associated circulation space and restrooms, in support of improved instruction as well as recruitment.The Team: HOK Architects Corp., Toronto (architect of record); Morrison Hershfield, Toronto (prime consultant, lab consultant); Chorley & Bisset Ltd. Consulting Engineers, London, Ontario (MEP engineer); PCL Constructors Canada Inc., Nepean, Ontario (contractor)
The Users: Carleton Univ. serves about 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students and offers studies in more than 50 disciplines, including extensive joint programs in science and engineering with the Univ. of Ottawa. The Steacie renovation accommodates first-year chemistry, second-and third year organic chemistry, second-year environmental chemistry, and third-year nanochemistry classes. About 1,400 students use the lab annually.
The Schedule: Construction commenced April 2008 and was completed in September 2008.
The Goals: Built in 1964, the Steacie Building featured four dark, outdated teaching labs limited to 24 students per lab, each served by five wooden fume hoods adjacent to perimeter mechanical shafts on the east and west. A ring corridor and general meeting areas surrounded these existing central lab spaces.
The client wanted to increase the student capacity of the existing facility and heighten the department’s profile within the broader academic community. Recruiting new students with more attractive, efficient space was another key goal. Improving safety systems and air quality was also an important consideration.
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| A major overhaul turned dreary chemistry teaching labs into a vibrant, open space with strong appeal for students, as well as safety benefits. “Before” photo: HOK. “After” photo: Tom Arban. |
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Long-term renovation of the entire building is envisioned, so the client did not want to undertake significant structural changes. Thus the new design had to work within existing structural shear walls and columns, limiting slab or wall penetrations.
The Solutions: The central existing labs were demolished, and labs and support functions were recombined within a new, larger “SuperLab.” The four prior labs were consolidated into a unified facility, allowing an increased fume hood capacity. The 20 outdated hoods were replaced with 47 modern, glazed teaching hoods, and overall student capacity has been increased to 120 rather than 96.
Four teaching quadrants now exist within the large lab zone, each with its own projector, document reader, AV rack and speakers. The quadrants can be combined in multiple ways to suit instructional needs. The quadrants are looped by a ghost corridor accented with chalkboards.
One section of the prior ring corridor was reconfigured with modular prep labs; office space for lab coordinators was also relocated outside the lab. The ring corridor was integrated into the teaching environment with the addition of chalkboard walls for impromptu discussions.
Access was made barrier-free; each quadrant includes lowered fume hoods without base casework. A barrier-free washroom is located adjacent to the lab, and all doorways meet accessibility guidelines, including four equipped with automatic openers.
The Highlights: The designers of the SuperLab took inspiration from the colorful caps of sample jars, creating a visually exciting space with accents of bright orange-red, blues and greens. These design decisions appeal to the users of the space and counteract the notion that science spaces must be aesthetically sterile and somewhat boring. Horizontal window slots in the corridor penetrate some of the interior chalkboards, adding to the sense of playfulness and visual animation.
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| Before renovation, the lab space was divided into cramped quadrants, with central prep space between each group of benches (above left). After the renovation (above right), an open environment offers improved flexibility; space was borrowed from part of the ring corridor for new prep lab zones. (Facility constraints dictated that mechanical shafts remain in place.) Plans: HOK. |
Mechanical system design had to accommodate constraints caused by the highly populated ceiling space. Mechanical and electrical services were dropped from the ceiling to the back-to-back hoods, eliminating the need for service columns. A new VAV system allowed the existing fume exhaust system to be reused with minor modifications. A low-velocity ceiling plenum introduces supply air, minimizing airflow disturbance. Bulkheads accommodate lighting fixtures and provide access to utility monitoring systems. Fume hood sashes open upward and into the open space of the bulkhead.
All safety systems, including eye washes and showers, were upgraded. The prior ratio of four to five students per hood was greatly reduced; after the redesign, only two students share each hood. Full-view teaching hoods with glass side and back panels give teachers uninterrupted views from any area of the lab. The hoods are equipped with face velocity monitors and integral alarms.
Moving the prep areas to new zones in the corridor created healthier and safer working environments. Vented chemical cabinets also represented an improvement in air quality.
New emergency lighting beyond minimum building code requirements will allow students to safely stop working and evacuate during a power failure. The entire building’s fire alarm system was replaced, and visual alarm signals were installed for hearing-impaired students. New smoke and heat detectors inside the SuperLab are intended to reduce the occurrence of false alarms.
Sustainability was also considered in the renovation; for more information, see the expanded edition at www.labdesignnews.com/may2009.
The Results: Lab of the Year judges were impressed with the dramatic contrast between the new and old lab spaces. “This is an incredible renovation project that was extremely focused on creating a high-capacity, equipment-driven ‘teaching machine,’” says judge Richard Johnson, product director, strategic marketing, corporate alliances, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Two Rivers, Wis. “The huge transformation led to increased recruitment and retention.”
Robert Burk, associate professor and chair of the department of chemistry, says, “Scientists walk into the lab and say ‘wow’ because of how functional it is. Nonscientists walk in and say ‘wow’ because of how beautiful it is.”
Burke, who characterizes the former lab space as “rather dreary,” adds, “It was difficult to convince a prospective student that their experience here would be as good as that at a university that had new labs. Labs are so important to science students that they often decide on which university to attend based on the facilities. The SuperLab is simply beautiful to look at, so potential students are immediately impressed.”
The Contact: Norman Fisher, HOK Architects Corp., 416-203-9993, norman.fisher@hok.com.
Published in Laboratory Design: Vol. 14, No. 5, May 2009
