The Waterloo North Hydro company retained MSA to design this new building to serve as both the company’s head office as well as a service centre for the entire Waterloo North Hydro fleet. MSA’s role spanned the entire project and included schematic design, design development, construction drawings, tender, field review, post-occupancy, warranty and LEED facilitation services. MSA also coordinated the efforts of the entire design team which included leading regular coordination meetings with the owner and sub-consultants in the following disciplines: engineering (structural, electrical, mechanical and civil), costing, and landscape architecture.
This 100,000+ sq. ft., two-storey building is divided into two sections: one housing the administration offices for the company and the second consisting of vehicle storage and repair bays. The spaces in the building include exterior and interior storage areas, offices, public reception areas, shower and locker facilities, meeting rooms, lunch rooms, and an operations control room.
This new facility is LEED Silver Certified and has numerous ‘green’ features such as a geothermal heating and cooling system, a stormwater management pond, as well as landscaped open space that is both sensitive to the site and the area’s natural resources.
All photos by Jesse Colin Jackson
Awards:
2014 Award of Merit, New Institutional
Hamilton-Burlington Society of Architects (HBSA) Architectural Awards of Excellence