New Engineering Building
2007
Passa Associates Architects brought the non-local firm of Bregman + Hamman Architects to their project team as Associated Architects to assist in developing the design for the New Engineering Building (NEB) for the University of Windsor. This 155,000 sq. ft. structure was designed at the corner of Wyandotte Street and California Avenue on the University of Windsor campus. This complex building required significant laboratory space on the ground level as well as various student facilities, a 350 seat lecture theater and a 150 seat classroom for general campus use. The administration areas for the Mechanical, Electrical and Civil Engineering disciplines, the Office of the Dean, computer classrooms and graduate areas were located on the two additional upper floors. This building was designed to meet the requirements for a LEED Gold certification. Significant sustainable features of the structure included a large full-length atrium to provide interior day lighting and superior indoor air quality, an accessible green roof contributing cooling effects to the building, low VOC emitting products used throughout, rain water cisterns on the green roof to collect water for site irrigation and provide for a grey water system for flushing of toilets. The exterior facade of the building was designed to provide a high performance and energy efficient building encapsulation while a construction waste management plan diverted 75% of the scrap produced on site away from landfills to be recycled or salvaged for reuse.
The entire building with it’s exposed construction was to be an active laboratory for learning with monitor and testing devices installed throughout the building in numerous areas which were to allow students to gain hands on experience in building techniques and performance. The total project was budgeted at $42 million. Contract Documents were completed for tender and construction was expected to commence in June of 2007 and be completed by March of 2009 with the expectation that a second phase of the project would be developed following the completion of this structure. The project was eventually shelved in favour of a larger structure which will combined the proposed second phase into the design doubling the size of the complex.