The Meadows Grand Opening

On October 28th, Laura Steele, Kylie Mosher and John Crace were on hand at The Meadows in Yarmouth to take part in the official opening of this beautiful 105 bed Long Term Care facility. Administrator Sandra Boudreau and her staff along with the residents, their friends and relations were treated to building tours, a delicious buffet lunch prepared on site and later in the evening a lobster supper. Congratulations to all who contributed to this wonderful project.

A Beginner's Guide to Permaculture

On Wednesday, November 02 WHW’s Sustainable Circus hosted a ‘Beginner’s guide to Permaculture’ workshop with our guests Stephan Hederich and Gerlinde Pilgrimm from Green Dragon Farm. Permaculture is based on designing human settlements and agricultural systems modeled on the relationship found in nature. We explored the ethics and design principles behind the diversity and creativity of the Permaculture approach with our guests and shared some great fresh food from their biodynamic farm, including fresh cheese from Billie. This connexion between architectural and agricultural strategies was fascinating and really helped expand and develop our culture of sustainability here at WHW Architects.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture

Tideview Terrace

The Tideview Terrace (TVT) Long-term Care Facility is a 90-bed nursing care facility with 18 beds dedicated to residential care. The client’s goal with this replacement facility was to achieve improved and expanded services in a healthy and pleasant living and working environment. To support this goal, the new facility had to be highly functional – accommodating modern technologies, clinical education space, and an expanding community role - while also providing a warm and friendly atmosphere.

To create a more intimate and home-like space, the facility was designed as smaller, residentially-scaled ‘houses’, with each 9-bedroom ‘house’ having its own kitchen, dining room, living room, and laundry room. In addition, each resident ‘house’ is served by its own front door, and the covered porches, lanterns, and ship-lap siding contribute to that maritime house-like feeling.

Residents have on-grade access to the secure outdoor gardens and walking paths, which allows them to enjoy both the living spaces and the outdoors. The designers recognise that residents will spend the majority of their time indoors – due to lifestyle, inclimate weather, etc. – so the landscape areas are also structured to provide visual interest from indoors.

To ensure that the facility provides the care and service required of a long-term care facility, the resident ‘houses’ are physically interconnected through a background building. Informal nursing stations are incorporated into open-concept common areas between ‘houses’. Tideview Terrace also includes a commercial kitchen, commercial laundry, hair salon, multi-purpose rooms, meeting rooms, and administrative office areas.

The project is pursuing LEED Silver Certification and features energy-efficient systems including a geothermal energy plant, solar-heated domestic hot water, water savings devices and low water use irrigation, as well as sustainable materials, natural day-lighting that makes use of ‘light towers’, and natural ventilation

Tideview Terrace held their grand opening event on September 29th, 2011.

WHW Sustainable Circus

A core group of WHW’s LEED Accredited Professionals regularly engage in an in-house design forum to explore and share ideas about sustainability and design. We call it the “Sustainable Circus”. Like any good circus, the “Sustainable Circus” has plenty of variety under its big tent. Topics can range from specific building design challenges to broadly interconnected social, economic and environmental trends. The presentations are made by in-house sustainability leaders or guests. Naturally, the discussion is kept on track by a designated “ringmaster”.

At a recent ‘Circus’, LEED Green Associate Miro Krawczynski presented “Full Circle” examining how the traditional relationship between cities and surrounding farmland has changed over the years with urban sprawl and our disengagement from agricultural concerns. We see signs of rebuilding that relationship with small pockets of urban gardens and interactions between local farmers and consumers at farm markets, but what is the larger picture? What is the impact on our patterns of development, of transportation, recreation, commerce and housing? What are our priorities and what actions, individually and collectively, need we take to ensure the sustainability of our communities? What balance do we need to achieve in order to create a more palatable future? What would change if we promoted a better understanding of the connection between food, consumption, waste, and environmental health? As designers of the built environment can we lead that change?

These ‘Circus’ presentations and discussions help participants expand their thinking about sustainability, and broaden our approach to building design. Increasingly we ask how architecture serves the needs beyond building occupants and how those people will integrate, invigorate and sustain their own community ecosystem over time. Its not really about getting the right answers, its really about asking the right questions.

What's a 'Berm'?

A berm is defined by Merriam Webster as “a narrow shelf, path, or ledge typically at the top or bottom of a slope; also: a mound or wall of earth or sand”. In landscaping terms, it is a technique used to create interest or privacy or to act as a noise barrier between highways and residential neighbourhoods. A berm was incorporated into the plans for the Alderwood Long Term Care Facility in Baddeck, Nova Scotia. It is approximately 150 metres long by 10 metres high and runs parallel to the highway, approximately 50 metres away from the site.

The Alderwood berm was a great innovation from environmental perspective for multiple reasons. Through the reuse of earthworks on site over 1100 truckloads were diverted from landfill, thereby reducing CO² emissions through the elimination of the 30-minute round trips from the site.

Alderwood residents, staff and visitors benefit from the acoustic (approximately 50% reduction in traffic noise) and visual barrier between the facility and the highway. The berm has reduced the traffic noise to within the recommended range of sound levels for this type of residential facility and landscaping gives it the appearance of a natural hill which is more visually appealing than the busy highway.

The Meadows

The Meadows TVM is a 105 bed nursing care facility in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

Design and construction of this large facility emphasizes durability and functionality without comprising comfort, accessibility or resident well-being.

Home-like, residential-scale ‘houses’ are complemented by larger public-scaled spaces with amenities and group activity rooms. Year-round views and access to beautifully landscaped courtyards are provided from residential houses and multi-purpose areas using large picture windows and sophisticated door hardware systems.

Successful design features of the Meadows TVM include the open-concept kitchen/dining/living rooms in resident houses which provide good visibility for staff and residents while maintaining a residential scale; enhanced wayfinding; and a unique sense of place which is achieved by incorporating Nova Scotia art pieces throughout the facility.

Our Sailboat

Ahhh, the summer of '09 ....

Meet our new friend and team member “Billie”.

Billie, a she goat, represents our connection to the natural world through the biodynamic farming methodologies of Green Dragon Farm. WHW has established a working relationship and knowledge exchange with Green Dragon by sponsoring Billie’s annual upkeep. Its part of our broadening definition of a sustainable future and the interconnectedness of community, people and our relationship with the world we live in. http://www.greendragon.ca/

WHW Sustainable Farming Field Trip

At WHW, sustainability is not just some concept you incorporate into building design. That’s why a group from WHW were keen to take a ‘field trip’ to the north shore on June 18th to learn more about sustainable farming and production methods from the 19th century. This visit included the Green Dragon Organic Farm, the Balmoral Grist Mill, and the Sutherland Steam Mill.

Green Dragon Organic Farm is a small scale farm that combines traditional animal husbandry and gardening. They are Certified Organic, Certified Biodynamic, and they specialize in permaculture (a design methodology that develops human and agricultural systems in a way that mimics the relationships found in natural ecologies). The WHW staff visit happened to coincide with the arrival of three authentic German Journeymen at the farm. These carpenters are following the European journeyman tradition whereby they start with formal training and then leave their hometowns for three years plus a day to gain experience. They travel, seeking out experts in their trade with whom they can apprentice in return for room and board.

The Balmoral Grist Mill (a water turbine grain mill) and the Sutherland Steam Mill (a woodworking mill) currently function as two of Nova Scotia’s provincial museums. They hearken back to a time when things like the grain you used for food and the wood you used to build your homes were produced close to where you lived. The Steam Mill was of particular interest because of its display of building components: lumber, lathe, flooring, balusters, newel posts, doors, sashes, moldings, trim, etc.

WHW Joins the GENIVAR Family

GENIVAR Press Release - For Immediate Release

WHW ARCHITECTS BECOMES GENIVAR’S BUSINESS PARTNER IN ARCHITECTURE
FOR ATLANTIC CANADA

MONTREAL, QUEBEC June 15, 2011 - GENIVAR Inc. (TSX: GNV) (“GENIVAR” or the “Corporation”) is pleased to announce that WHW Architects Inc. (“WHW Architects”), the largest and one of the most successful architectural consulting firms in Atlantic Canada will become its business partner in architecture for Atlantic Canada. Located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, WHW Architects has approximately 70 employees. As part of the transaction, the firm that will continue to operate under the name WHW Architects has also sold its shares to PBK Architects Inc., GENIVAR's current partner in architecture.

WHW Architects is a full service architectural practice with outstanding design and technical work which has been recognized with numerous awards, including several “Lieutenant Governor's Design Awards for Architecture”. Their broad range of work includes projects in education, healthcare, recreation, transportation, cultural, retail and commercial buildings.

“We are very pleased to welcome WHW Architects as a business partner as it has become a brand recognized for its excellence in architectural consulting. This transaction will enable us to increase the array of services we offer our clients and will further position us as the “must-go-to” global consulting firm,” commented Pierre Shoiry, President and Chief Executive Officer of GENIVAR. “Through their leadership, expertise and creativity, WHW Architects’ principals and their team have built and grown an exceptional practice of architecture serving both public and private sector clients. We view this as a great opportunity to accelerate our growth in Atlantic Canada,” he added.

“Partnering with the GENIVAR team of experts is great news for WHW; we are happy to be associated with a team whose values are aligned with our own, reflecting a similar dedication to excellence and strong client relationships. This joining of forces signals a strong vision for the future of architecture in our region and across Canada and we are pleased to be part of the realization of this vision. As partners with an organization that has a global presence, we believe the strength of our brand coupled with their outreach will allow us to leverage our respective expertise and resources to better serve our clients,” said Keith MacGillivray, President and CEO of WHW Architects.

ABOUT WHW ARCHITECTS
Established in 1945, WHW Architects provides quality services across a full range of planning, design, building assessment, adaptive re-use, project management and construction administration roles for a wide variety of building types. In addition to offering architectural and interior design services, WHW Architects are leaders in green building design, building science and building information modeling (BIM), as well as in the latest in 3D computer modeling technology.

ABOUT GENIVAR INC.
GENIVAR is a leading Canadian services firm providing private and public-sector clients with a complete range of professional consulting services throughout all project phases, including planning, design, construction and maintenance. Ranging in size and scope, GENIVAR's clients primarily operate in the building, industrial and energy, municipal infrastructure, transportation and environmental sectors. GENIVAR is one of Canada's largest services firm by number of employees, with approximately 4,500 managers, professionals, technicians, technologists and support staff in more than 90 offices in Canada and internationally.
http://www.genivar.com/

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain information regarding GENIVAR contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although GENIVAR believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. These statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and may be based on assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. GENIVAR's forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

– 30 –

For additional information, please contact:
Pierre Shoiry
President and Chief Executive Officer
GENIVAR Inc.
Tel: (514) 340-0046, ext. 5104
pierre.shoiry@genivar.com

Stephen Wallace
Vice President, Atlantic Canada
GENIVAR Inc.
Tel: (902) 835-9955
stephen.wallace@genivar.com

Isabelle Adjahi
Director, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations
GENIVAR Inc.
Tel: (514) 340-0046, ext. 5648
isabelle.adjahi@genivar.com

Keith MacGillivray, B.Arch., MRAIC
President and Chief Executive Officer
WHW Architects Inc.
Tel: (902) 429-5490, ext. 111
kmac@whwarchitects.com

Our Waterfront: Imagine This

Imagine...our city as an active part of a larger regional functioning ecosystem, where storm water management is integrated with city infrastructure and where urban estuary near Lower Water Street becomes an important gathering place for people to participate in and celebrate the spectacle of nature. ... A city which is supporting of a diverse ecosystem of plants, animals and marine life.

On June 9th WHW unveiled our concept for the Cable Wharf Plaza on the Halifax Waterfront in a public meeting at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Our intention would be to transform our city to net zero water place... imagine this!

WHW was selected by the Waterfront Development Corporation Limited (WDCL), along with Ekistics Planning and Design and Breakhouse/Teal after a public call for proposals to complete concept designs for the Cable Wharf Plaza on the Halifax Waterfront. The assignment was to explore the potential commercial, residential or other uses the site has to offer.

The site is a significant property in the heart of the waterfront where people visit from all over the world and WDCL wants to choose an appropriate and innovative design. They are asking for public input based on the three concepts presented at the public meeting. WDCL is hoping to receive valuable public input about the key design features and best-liked elements; this input will be used to help direct the design of the project. Click here to review the designs and proide your input.

A design charrette for the Cable Wharf/George Street Project

LSRI Complete!

The Life Sciences Research Centre (LSRI) at the corner of Summer and College Streets on the Dalhousie University campus in Halifax, is scheduled to open in June of 2011. WHW is proud of this architectural legacy, but this is one project where even the architects can admit that what will happen inside the building is more exciting than the building itself.

The LSRI is the home to the world renowned Brain Repair Centre, led by Ivar Mendez. The Brain repair Centre is a joint Dalhousie University / Capital Health and IWK Health Centre initiative which occupies two floors of laboratories and a CL2/APL2 Integrated Animal Care Facility that can accommodate non-severe biological agents to serve the needs of both Dalhousie University and the Brain Repair Centre. The Brain Repair Centre links more than 100 world-class researchers and physicians who are doing work related to Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s, ALS, multiple sclerosis, vision dysfunction, spinal cord injury and pain. The Centre holds the potential to develop innovative new treatments and medical instrumentation.

The facility also accommodates tenants that have laboratory space requirements ranging from as small as 600SF to as large as multiple floors, with each research suite designed to provide approximately 70% lab space and 30% office space, while offering sufficient flexibility for its tenants to grow and change. The possibilities for research in this building are astonishing.

All of this is linked together by a soaring 5 storey atrium, which not only allows natural light penetration into the core of the building, but also provides a comfortable and central location for collaboration, presentations or relaxation.

BMO Centre Shines

Our recently completed BMO Centre on the Hammonds Plains Road has been a very popular addition to Sports and Active Lifestyle community of the HRM and Bedford. Congratulations to the HRM and the residents of Bedford for embracing this new facility!

Bike Rack Designs!

Last year, WHW Chairman John Crace and The Wooden Monkey Co-Owner, Lil MacPherson, teamed up and launched the Wooden Monkey Bike Rack Design Competition. WHW'ers were invited to go head to head in the competition to design an innovative and sustainable bike rack. Participating teams had their designs judged by a jury of local environmentalists including Ellen Page and the winning team of Tina Smith, Amanda McLeod and Caley Scholer for their design: Momentum was announced during the 2010 Bike Week.

The Momentum bike rack was built by HRM and can be seen outside our office on Market Street and on the Halifax Waterfront.

Momentum wasn't the only design to grab attention from local businesses, representatives from the Port of Halifax and Dalhousie University visited our office to view the designs. The Port took a shine to Kylie Mosher’s "Framework" model and Dalhousie preferred Anna Sampson's “Bluenose” model.

Inspired by competition, HRM got their wheels in motion this year and held their own bike rack design competition. The winner was Aelyn Murphy, a student from Halifax Independant School for her disign - 'Splash'. Look for Splash bike racks to be installed this summer at the ferry terminal on the Dartmouth Waterfront. http://www.halifax.ca/environment/design.html

WHW Participates in the 2011 Maritime Recreation Facilities Conference

The conference is organized by Recreation New Brunswick (RNB), Recreation Prince Edward Island (RPEI) and the Recreation Facility Association of Nova Scotia (RFANS). The event was filled with various events, session series and a trade show sure to please every recreation professional who attended. This year Joe Zareski and Anna Sampson represented WHW’s dynamic Sports and Recreation team and were on hand to demonstrate how WHW 'pushes the envelope' with our recreation projects throughout Atlantic Canada. Joe and Anna delivered a presentation to the delegates entitled "Trends in Recreation Design and the Design Process" and also displayed a playful new exhibit at the tradeshow portion of the event.

WHW 3D Renderings

The use of 3-Dimensional modelling programs has enabled WHW to analyze new designs during conception and lifelike models of buildings and their interiors can be presented to clients.

New designs are explored for 3-Dimensional form, interior space, volume, light, texture and colour. It becomes possible to examine an unlimited number of views within the proposed structure and these ideas can be conveyed to the client early in the design process to establish design direction and options for the building and siting. This technique results in a more precise, streamlined process allowing the client to evaluate the project in the formulation stage. Once the concept is finalized, the rendering becomes a point of reference for all parties involved in the project.

3D computer massing and detailed interior and exterior model studies are integral to our design process.  By superimposing a model onto actual site photos, the entire roject team is able to visualize and review the effects and appropriateness of alternate design solutions early in the process.  As a value-added component, 3D images can be useful marketing tools for fundraising campaigns and community awareness.

Open publication - Free publishing - More 3d

WHW voted one of the Top Places to Work!

WHW Architects was voted one of the top places to work in Atlantic Canada.
We are thrilled to have made the list on our first try! The award was announced at Pier 21, in Halifax, on May 17 and attended by 10 of our employees, partners and associates.

Congratulations to all of our valued people...you make this a great place to work!! 

Such an accomplishment called for a celebration!

Revit Training at WHW

WHW Architects is the leading design firm in Atlantic Canada, and we employ the latest tools and technology to help us stay there!  Have a look inside a recent Revit Training workshop held here at WHW Architects, lead by our own Mike Pfammatter.  Revit is an advanced software program that we use in our design work, which supports parametric and building information modeling. It helps to keep us at the leading edge of architecture, and to develop the best design solutions possible for our clients.

 Mike is our Revit Training & Applications Manager, a key member of our team who helps to ensure that we stay on the leading edge of design and client service.

Scott Cunning Earns CCCA Credentials

We're very proud that WHW Architects is Atlantic Canada's leading design firm, and know that we stay on the leading edge of our industry through the dedication and professionalism of everyone here.  We're pleased to recognize the tremendous achievement of our own Scott Cunning, who has successfully become a Certified Construction Contract Administrator (CCCA), and who is only the second person to earn this distinction in Atlantic Canada!

Scott earned his CCCA credential after successfully completing coursework through Construction Specification Canada, and after completing over 9,500 hours of mandatory, supervised experience (which for Scott included work on over 35 major construction projects that he worked on over his past 6 years at WHW Architects).  Scott is a key member of our Construction Contract Administration department at WHW Architects, which works with our clients, the design team, and contractors to ensure that our building projects are successfully completed.  He is also our company Safety Officer, serves on the board of directors of the Atlantic Canada chapter of Construction Specification Canada, and is widely known and respected in the industry for his dedication and hard work.

Congratulations, Scott! 

Scott Cunning (CCCA), on the left, is congratulated on his achievement by Peter Emmett (CCCA), Manager of Construction Contract Administration.

What is BIM?

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is the process of generating and managing building data during its life cycle. Typically it uses three-dimensional, dynamic building modeling software to increase productivity in building design and construction. The process produces the building information model, which encompasses building geometry, spatial relationships, geographic information, and quantities and properties of building components. WHW Architects is a regional leader in the development of BIM and is currently using Revit, a BIM software tool, on several projects including Confederation Court Complex Revitalization Project (model below), Queens Place Recreational Centre, Yarmouth Consolidated Memorial High School, and Bluenose Academy. Using Revit software, we are able to see and correct possible design conflicts ahead of time, reducing the potential for Change Orders. Also, when a change has been made to the Revit model it automatically updates all associated drawings and schedules, reducing errors and omissions. The recently awarded Yarmouth High School is a great example of this. There were NO QUESTIONS during the tender period related to referencing on the drawings! Removing the tedious task of referencing from the plate of our team members allows them to focus on more important tasks. Training is in-house and ongoing (image below) and we are working with our engineering colleagues to adopt this technology.

WHW at BuildGreen Atlantic 2011

WHW Architects was pleased to be a Gold Sponsor again this year of the annual BuildGreen Atlantic Conference May 4th and 5th.  The conference was a success, and we had a great time!  Check out the slideshow of our innovative display - which was a challenge to the conference delegates to investigate and explore new approaches to green building design in Atlantic Canada.  The display featured a special project in our office, for a solar-powered, electric-vehicle recharging station that will be built in Halifax.

WHW Participates in Annual BuildGreen Atlantic Conference

WHW is a Gold Sponsor again this year at the annual BuildGreen Atlantic Conference May 4th and 5th and is also participating in two of the education sessions. WHW chairman John Crace will be co-presenting “Atlantic Buildings 2030 – Roadmap for a Zero Carbon Future” with Alex Pavlovski of Green Power Labs and Aaron Caldwell of Enermodal. Stacey Hughes and Jane Abbott are co-presenting “High Performance Schools in Nova Scotia – A work in Progress”. WHW invites all its friends to join us at BGA. It all kicks off with a presentation by Sadhu Johnston at the McCain building, Dalhousie, on Wednesday evening. Reception 6:30, keynote address 7:30. Sadhu is helping the City of Vancouver reach its goal of “Greenest City in the World” by 2020.

WHW Photo Club!

WHW has formed a photography club! The idea is to share ideas, ask questions, practice new techniques and significantly accelerate the learning curve toward higher artistic and technical levels.

The club meets on the first Friday of each month to learn about cameras, composition, and the craft of photography – and to share the results of their fun “photo-assignment” (an informal contest of lenses), that provides focus for the club’s activities and discussions. The club’s April meeting featured a presentation by our own Robert Turner, who showed the large-format camera he built, explained it’s workings, and demonstrated it’s amazing features.

March’s photo assignment was to take photos around the office. View some of the images below. The assignment for April is to find those elusive signs of Spring – this time outside the office. Keep an eye out for those friendly WHW photographers who are out to capture the perfect image of the new season!

WHW visits the Data Cave

Spring has finally arrived in Halifax - and what better way to celebrate the change of seasons than a visit to the Institute of Computational Astrophysics, at Saint Mary's University.  This month, teams of WHW architects, computer modelers, and program staff have been visiting Saint Mary's to learn about their Data Cave facility, an 3D, interactive, full-immersion computer simulator operated as part of the Atlantic Computational Excellence Network (ACEnet).  This advanced facility is used by scientists and researchers throughout Atlantic Canada to model the behaviour of everything from star clusters and galaxies, to molecules and sub-atomic particles. 

The use of computers in architecture is quickly moving beyond simple physical design and presentation work, to include parametric modeling techniques such as BIM (building information modelling).  The idea is to allow architects and design teams to become more productive, and allow clients to integrate their long-term operating decisions with the physical structure of their buildings.  It's better design making better buildings.

During our visit to Saint Mary's, we had a chance to look into the future at how technologies and facilities such as the Data Cave might be used to visualize dynamic energy distribution, air quality, thermal comfort, acoustics, and other hard to conceptualize qualties that can make-or-break a great building. Our visit to the ACEnet facility at Saint Mary's University was hosted by Professor Robert Deupree, of the Department of Astronomy and Physics, and Director of the Institute for Computational Astrophysics.

Environments on Aging

On March 20 Tina Smith attended a 3 day conference in sunny Altanta, Georgia on Environments for Aging.  The conference was hosted by several organizations Vendome Group, Long-Term Living and HEALTHCARE DESIGN magazines, The Center for Health Design and the American Institute of Architects (AIA). 

The conference program addressed challenges of designing and caring for the aging population.  Key points of interest included culture change, new ways of thinking with the future of aging baby boomers, innovative design for dementia and persons with physical disabilities, sustainability and my favourite – the Elder-Centric Village™ Movement, a model for senior living and urban renewal.

There is a continued stigma occurring where our seniors are expected to retire into age-qualified, introverted communities for the remaining years of their lives.   Our urban centers are becoming less hospitable for persons with disabilities and our developing communities continue to support a ‘big box’ style of living with basic necessities that are not easily accessible, communities that lack diversity or age-friendly home design and reduced opportunity for ‘soft’ social integration in the form of  ‘walk-friendly’ amenities such as family-owned groceries, cafes, parks, etc.   Such occurrences continue to segregate our elder communities.   Furthermore, our senior facilities as well in their formality lack a certain ‘curb appeal’ that may welcome community interaction.

We are witnessing a culture change and our more senior community members are requesting change.  Our ‘new age’ senior population will be more active, will desire luxury, autonomy, choice and interaction, and will be very concerned with wellness and well-being.  These will not be the last years – but the best years.  It was an exciting conference for anyone interested in this topic.  I was also very happy to see in attendance Owner/Operators from our local community and hope that we have all returned home feeling inspired for what positive change can occur for the future of senior living in Nova Scotia.

The following are projects showcased at the event:

What's Happening with the Bandstand?

The Public Gardens Bandstand was featured on CBC's Information Morning on March 17th.  Click here to listen to a podcast of Don Connelly's interview with Lyndon Watkins as he explains why the refurbished iconic Bandstand is the re-creation of a dream.  The grand opening of the 'reborn' bandstand will be held on the Victoria Day weekend in May, a suitable 192nd birthday celebration for Queen Victoria.  The bandstand was originally built to mark 50 years of her reign.

Did You Know ....

... The air traffic control tower at Halifax Stanfield International Airport was referred to as the “jewel” of Canada’s air traffic control system by NAV Canada when it opened in the summer of 1997. It was the first project of its kind for WHW, and despite that, the design pushed the envelope of control tower design in Canada. The Project won a Lieutenant Governors Design Award in 1997. Pilots arriving at the Halifax Airport still refer to it as the “Stanley Cup”…a reference to its distinctive form.   

Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kids Sake

WHW staffers – led by Big Sisters Anna Sampson (Intern Architect) and Caley Scholer (Architectural Technologist ) – have been busy raising funds for The Bowl for Kids Sake event in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Here in the offices, we’ve had a ‘wear slippers to work’ day, a lunch time trivia competition and cupcake sale, and we’re looking forward to an upcoming raffle and a WHW social night at Durty Nelly’s next week. Raffle prizes were generously donated by Atlantica Hotel Halifax, Wade Atlantic and Remedy Spa.

WHW teams participating in the event are as follows:
WHW Gutter Brackets (Anna Sampson, Joe Dotten, Joanne LeClerc, Stephanie Nifort, and Michael Pfammatter)
WHW Door Strikes (Caley Scholer, Jon Kimball, Selen Levi, Kylie Mosher, Dave Phillips)
WHW A Frames (Charlene Johnson, Jane Abbott, Rob McLaren, Joe Zareski)

These events have been a great way to have some fun in the office and raise funds for a worthy cause. Thanks to the individuals and corporate sponsors who have been generous with their time and donations.

WHW Goes Skating at the Winter Games Oval

Halifax Public Gardens Bandstand

Work is well underway to restore the Bandstand in Halifax Public Gardens. When it emerges from its cocoon in about a month's time, it will sport a new copper roof (this is the new roof structure) and a paint scheme and details that will reflect its condition at the turn of the last century. The Bandstand was built in 1887 to celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. It was designed by Hamburg-born Halifax Architect Henry Busch, whose work also includes the AllianceAtlantis building on the corner of Brunswick and Sackville Streets, next door to WHW's offices.

Thinkers' Lodge Funding

Thanks to one million dollars in funding from various levels of government, including Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Cumberland Regional Economic Development Association, Municipality of the County of Cumberland and the Province of Nova Scotia, Thinkers' Lodge in Pugwash is getting a much needed restoration. The Lodge, which was the property of Pugwash-born industrialist Cyrus Eaton, came to World attention in 1957 when Eaton hosted the first Conference on Science and World Affairs there. It is possible that the dialogue that was begun at Thinkers' Lodge saved the world from an unimaginable nuclear disaster and the village has given its name to the Pugwash Movement, whose aim is to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

WHW Architects' Ron Burdock is excited to take this project to the next phase which will include restoration and rehabilitation of the old "Lobster Factory", the dining hall for the Lodge and an overall landscape plan for the site, as well as interpretive planning and design and development of a business plan. Ron and our colleague Gary Hanley have been working on an assessment, stabilisation and restoration of the property since autumn 2008. Work on the main Lodge building is nearing completion.

WHW Participating in Bowl for Kids Sake!

This March, three teams of WHW employees will be lacing up their bowling shoes in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters in this year's Bowl for Kids Sake event! More information on how to support the teams will follow.

http://www.bowlforkids.ca/

WHW hosts students from Dalhousie School of Architecture

As part of the Dalhousie School of Architecture’s Professional Practice Week, WHW hosted four students – in the office and on site at one of our recent projects – École Secondaire du Sommet.  We got to show the students a project – everything from how project work flows through our office to what happens on the site (thanks to Tom at Maxim Construction for helping out with the site tour).    

Stacey Hughes, John Crace, and Ramzi Kawar really enjoyed having the opportunity to share their enthusiasm for architecture with the students.  They were really impressed with the students as well – especially their diversity!  With experience in art history, archaeology, film, music, physics, advertising, and more, these students will really bring a great base of knowledge to their future projects.

LSRI nears Completion

Dalhousie's Life Sciences Research Centre, featuring the new Brain Repair Centre and InnovaCorp Research Facility is nearing completion. We are looking forward to grand opening in the spring of this year!