SRP Building Products

Building Information

• Building: MNR Haliburton
• Location: Haliburton, Ontario
• Materials: Sarnafil Roofing System, Panel 20®
• Architects: Larocque Elder Architects
• Contractors: New North Exteriors
• Year: 2016

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Description

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry have new facilities in North Bay and Haliburton, Ontario. The new buildings were designed by Larocque Elder Architects (North Bay, ON) to provide MNRF emergency response crew's new offices, training spaces and equipment storage to better prepare and respond to local wildfires.

LEA set out on a mission: Design LEED Silver certified structures that ensured the functionality of the buildings weren't sacrificed when designed. A collaborative approach was taken, and interviews with MNRF associates were vital in making sure every area had a purpose and their everyday needs were worked into the design. The result: "A simple, minimalist design that kept in line with the beliefs and functions of the MNRF" quoted Jean Larocque, principal Architect LEA.

Taking a closer look at some of the design elements, you can see a tribute to the airport; the deep, large surrounding overhangs and braces were designed in a way to mirror the wings and strings of an old-fashioned airplane; the exterior cladding was done in a Champagne metallic ACM panel (Citadel Architectural Products Inc.) to mirror the outside shell of an airplane.

"These aren't just buildings - they were designed as machines", Jean Laroque. Each area was carefully planned and placed according to the MNRF process - dirty equipment, planes, people, etc, enter the front of the building and go through their clean process throughout the building, to be ready to go for the next call-out.

In designing both LEED Silver Certified buildings, great care needed to be taken in both architectural design and materials chosen for the project. The building's orientation and positioning on the East/West axis allows maximum solar passive heating during the winter months and large overhangs protect sunlight from entering the building keeping it cooler during the summer months. Special consideration was made to source many construction materials manufactured and extracted within 800 km of the site. Roofing: "Sika Sarnafil was the best choice for both MNRF facilities. A high-quality product, with a 30-year warranty that exceeds LEED standards." Cladding: "We chose Citadel's ACM panels for many reasons; ease of installation, met with LEED standards, and a high-quality product that kept within our budget."