ArchShowcase 
Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. 80 Atlantic in Toronto, Canada by BDP QuadrangleJanuary 30th, 2021 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: BDP Quadrangle Ontario’s first mass timber commercial building in over a hundr ed years, 80 Atlantic pioneers a new urban office typology for potentially many mor e timber frame projects across the province. Designed by BDP Quadrangle for Hullmark, with partner BentallGr eenOak on behalf of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, the new, 90,000-square-foot, five-storey building completes a courtyard with 60 Atlantic (also realised by BDP Quadrangle and Hullmark) to cr eate a paired commercial development. Hullmark requested that the building harmonize with the Liberty V illage neighbourhood, noted for its wealth of converted factories and warehouses, and that it would attract high calibr e, creative class tenants.  Image Courtesy © Doublespace Photography
 Image Courtesy © Doublespace Photography
 Image Courtesy © Doublespace Photography  Image Courtesy © Doublespace Photography Revisions to the Ontario building code in 2015 made it possible to build commercial wood buildings up to six storeys high, and so Hullmark and BDP Quadrangle saw this as an opp ortunity to demonstrate leadership in the rapidly developing field of mass timber, and to attract tenants seeking a pr emium workplace environment associated with innovation and sustainability. 80 Atlantic brings back all the featur es that people love about historic brick and beam workplaces: t he open, spacious layout, generous ceiling heights, and the warm look and feel and even smell that are known to have a positive impact on human well-being. Gone, howe ver, are the dust, the draughts, the poor acoustics, energy inefficiency, and obtrusively placed pipes and cables. At 80 Atlantic, an engineered floor plenum integrates the mechanical, electrical and teleco mmunications systems and tucks these out of view beneath tenants’ feet. HV AC ducts in the plenum keep the air moving and temperatures comfortable. Wiring runs from floor to ceiling in channels concealed inside the “huggable” columns. Unobscured by ducts or bulkheads, the natural wood columns and ceilings are on display throughout.  Image Courtesy © Doublespace Photography  Image Courtesy © Doublespace Photography As a building material, wood of fers more than aesthetic appeal – it is also highly sustainable. Wher eas building materials such as concrete and steel generate high levels of emissions, wood beams sequester carbon for the life of the building. The r educed carbon impact of this wooden structur e is equal to almost 30 years of operational ener gy. Also, prefabricated mass timber panels can be manufactured off site, thereby improving construction safety, reducing area disruption, reducing waste, and decreasing overall construction time. At 80 Atlantic, a south-facing curtain wall pr ovides unobstructed views of the timber interiors while bathing the interiors with daylight. The other thr ee façades are constructed of well-insulated porcelain rain screen panels that respond to the masonry punched-window context of the ar ea and use high quality operable windows to provide users with more control over their environment. To integrate the building with its surr oundings, BDP Quadrangle conceived of 80 Atlantic as a dialogue with 60 Atlantic with glazed façades mirroring the opposite structure across a shared sunken courtyard. The dialogue extends through the materiality – from the raw Corten steel of 60’s vertical circulation blocks to the refined copper facing for the elevator cor e at 80 and the buf f brick of 60 and the complementary toned panels at 80. 80 also pulls back fr om 60 at its southwest cor ner to allow the heritage façade to remain exposed.  Image Courtesy © Doublespace Photography  Image Courtesy © Doublespace Photography Users enter 80 Atlantic through the courtyard by following a path flanked with plantings down to the lobby entrance, which is sunk below grade and has a soaring dou ble-height wood-lined ceiling. The first level is actually concrete instead of timber because of the lar ger floor spans required and necessary separation between office and r etail use. The upper floors ar e composed of glulam beams and columns, on which are installed nail-laminated timber (NLT) floor decking panels. The floors have an acoustic layer that includes a lightweight concr ete topping to minimize deflections in the floor and to provide an even surface. On these upper floors, tenants can enjoy the lingering scent of wood, while the building’s striking transparency provides them with sweeping views of the lake. They can also take advantage of a spacious outdoor terrace on the thir d floor. Hullmark took a chance with this unusual development by adoptin g a construction methodology still in its infancy, but owing to the quality, uniqueness, and appeal of the final pr oduct, the developer was able to attract lead tenant Universal Music Canada, as well as co-working giant Spaces and the hybrid management consulting, design and branding agency Jackman Reinv ents; all prime tenants, paying premium rents to be in this first-of-its-kind building. The interiors hav e been left raw for fit-out, exposing long expanses of the NLT and columns and empowering the tenants to make the space thei r own while still celebrating the natur e of this 21st century wood building.  Image Courtesy © Doublespace Photography  Image Courtesy © BDP Quadrangle  Image Courtesy © BDP Quadrangle  Image Courtesy © BDP Quadrangle  Image Courtesy © BDP Quadrangle
Contact BDP Quadrangle
Categories: Building, Commercial Building, Offices |
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|||||
email
Facebook
Twitter
RSS Feed
