Algonquin College in the Ottawa Valley (ACOV) is a long-standing institution in Pembroke, which had out-grown it’s existing campus. The new ACOV building sits on a riverside site close to downtown Pembroke, and was designed to house a number of technical departments in a single campus building. The building encompasses 99,731 sf over four floors of classrooms, faculty offices, computer labs, automotive shop, carpentry shop, nursing simulation labs, and science labs. It also features a ‘Learning Commons’ consisting of a main library, study halls, study rooms, and an information technology group. The student-run recreational facilities include a student lounge, fitness centre, and gymnasium. The building also houses a full commercial kitchen and servery, incorporating a learning kitchen for culinary arts students. There has always been a large measure of community support for the project, and community connection and access were important considerations throughout the project. The building was designed to achieve LEED Gold certification, a mandatory client requirement. The design includes high efficiency mechanical systems, a high performance envelope, a constructed wetland and bioswales, along with rainwater harvesting and daylighting strategies.
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