For our latest “Under Construction” profile, we take a look at a project up north in Canada! The University of New Brunswick (UNB) has partnered with architecture and design firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB) to build a new Health and Social Innovation Centre at the university’s Saint John campus.
To learn more about the project, Facilities Management Advisor recently spoke with SCB Principal Bryan Irwin, AIA, LEED AP.
The 65,000 square-foot, three-and-a-half-story building will be home to UNB’s Integrated Health Initiative, offering interdisciplinary undergraduate programs in the health sciences and serving as a shared research facility. It will feature state-of-the-art collaborative space for students, staff, and other stakeholders, including demountable walls and partitions that’ll allow for labs to expand and contract as needed.
Other highlights of the project include a hybrid structure design, green heating and cooling, and mindful efforts to honor the Indigenous community.
In December 2022, federal, provincial, and university leaders announced C$38 million in funding for the project, with the majority (C$27.2 million) coming from the governments. At the time, federal official Dominic LeBlanc declared, “All New Brunswickers and all Canadians will benefit from the work that will take place in this new facility.”
Quick Facts
Organization: University of New Brunswick
Location: Saint John, New Brunswick
Type of project: New build
Size: 65,000 square feet
Estimated cost: C$38 million
Design-build team: SCB and Pomerleau Construction
Status: Construction started in June
Expected completion date: TBD
Executive Q&A
SCB’s Irwin provided more project details in the following Q&A:
What is the main purpose of this project for your organization?
The purpose of this project for the university is quite significant. This building will form the heart of the emerging Health and Technology District in Saint John and will house a suite of new academic programs, applied research spaces, and a policy hub designed to bring together partners from the post-secondary sector, the health authorities, and the private sector. Collectively, they will work together in this building to drive innovation and solutions that address Canada’s pressing healthcare needs.
Are there any special architectural aspects/design elements worth noting?
The building overlooks Brooks Islands and the Kennebecasis Bay to the west and is sited on land that has a deep connection to the Wabanaki people. It became important to think about the continuum of health and wellness, stretching from the traditional healing practices of the Wabanaki people to the health research of today. The university and the design team worked with Elders and local Indigenous community members to incorporate a gathering circle and healing garden as part of the project, where members of the Indigenous community can gather and learn about this hidden history.
What types of new or interesting solutions will the facility include?
Maximizing daylight penetration into the building was a design driver for the project. A series of vertical and horizontal translucent glass fins are arrayed on the exterior of the building. Their positioning and translucency have been finely tuned to allow daylight to bounce into the core of the building while minimizing glare and excessive heat gain.
How might the facility specifically address the health and safety of occupants?
The main public gathering spaces will be naturally lit and expressed in timber construction, enhancing the sense of connection with the outside for the users, who, given the nature of their research, will be working in this building for long periods of time.
What types of security features will the facility have?
The building will have card key access throughout. Beyond this, there were no special features required.
Will the project incorporate sustainability initiatives or technology?
The project, which is targeting LEED Gold certification, will be among the first buildings on campus to be heated and cooled by geothermal energy. The building features a hybrid structure, utilizing a concrete core for vertical transportation and support spaces; a steel frame for the education and research program spaces to allow for flexibility of use in the future; and mass timber to create a warmer and more comfortable environment for informal learning and gathering spaces.
Do you expect any design or build challenges?
Nothing beyond the usual cost and schedule concerns.
Were initial project plans changed? If so, why?
The original intention was to adaptively reuse a prior academic building that sat on this site. However, due to excessive hazardous materials, a compromised structural frame, inefficient column spacing, and floor-to-floor heights, the decision was made to demolish the building and construct a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient building.
Anything else you’d like to add about the project?
Significant campus planning objectives are also being accomplished with this project: the removal of two parking lots and their replacement with recreational and landscaped open space; the opening of view corridors to the Saint John and Kennebecasis Rivers; the renovation and upgrading of a below-ground campus pedestrian network; and the aforementioned gathering spaces and healing gardens honoring the Indigenous community.
Do you have a major project announcement you’d like considered for the “Under Construction” series? Please contact Editor Joe Bebon at JBebon@BLR.com.