Awards

2001 AIBC Innovation Award
2000 Consulting Engineers of BC, Award of Merit

The City of Vancouver's Asphalt Plant and Materials Handling Facility was relocated in 1999 from False Creek to the north shore of the Fraser River. This new site accommodates aggregate handling and asphalt manufacturing activities, with a small building for the Materials Testing Laboratory. Although it is not a large project (398 sq m) Busby Perkins+Will Architects view this building as an exciting prototype for demonstrating the economical use of recycled and reused materials in construction.

The highly rational layout of the 2-storey building accommodates laboratory facilities, with associated office and amenity spaces. The orientation of the building provides unobstructed views from the open second floor towards the river allowing easy supervision of the barges unloading gravel on site.

Every aspect of the building is designed for simplicity and clarity. Simple construction details facilitate the use of a higher percentage of salvaged materials, the goal being 90%. Exposed structural and mechanical systems inform the occupants of how the building systems work. The design incorporates recycled and reused materials extensively throughout the building, including: heavy timber structural members, roof trusses salvaged from existing warehouses on site, existing lab and mechanical equipment, light fixtures, and furniture. Other sustainable ("green") building design concepts, such as natural ventilation and solar shading have also been utilized.

The exercise of making an environmentally-responsible, cost-effective, well-designed building out of "garbage" was a challenge embraced by both the client and the design team.The project received a Consulting Engineers of BC, Award of Merit (Structural) in 2000.