High Performance Design: B+H and the Toronto 2015 Games

High Performance Design B+H and the Toronto 2015 Games

AMERICAS • ASIA • MIDDLE EAST bharchitects.com

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Contents High Performance Design B+H and the Toronto 2015 Games

Cover page: w Pan Am Centre (B+H) This page: Markham Pan Am Centre; photo courtesy of Infrastructure Ontario

High Performance Design

Introduction

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1. B+H’s Master Planning, PDC and Architect of Record Roles

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2. Case Studies

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3. High Performance Design

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4. Overlay & Legacy

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5. A High Performance Body of Work

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6. Team Credits

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Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (B+H)

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Introduction High Performance Design looks at one of the largest undertakings to date in B+H Architects’ more than 60-year history.

In 2010, Infrastructure Ontario (IO) issued a Request for Proposal for Master Planning, Planning, Design and Compliance (PDC) Services for several sports venues for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Games. The team that B+H assembled clearly impressed the crown corporation responsible for delivering public infrastructure improvements for the Province of Ontario: although two separate Master Planning/PDC packages were to be delivered under the Province’s Alternative Financing and Procurement model, as was a third package for Architect of Record responsibilities under a traditional BuildFinance model, IO ultimately awarded all three contracts to our team.

What this meant was that we had Master Planning and PDC responsibilities on four major new venues for the Games that would commence in Toronto and around the Greater Golden Horseshoe on July 10, 2015. These included the facility known during the Games as the CIBC Pan Am / Parapan Am Aquatics Centre and Field House, and afterward as the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre. Featuring two Olympic-size indoor pools, a diving tank, and a vast field house, this $205-million complex on the University of Toronto’s Scarborough Campus is the largest single investment in Canadian amateur sport history, and the new home of Canadian Sport Institute Ontario. We also had Master Planning and PDC responsibilities on the velodrome, the track and field stadium, and the soccer stadium for the 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Games; the last of these, Tim Hortons Field, will do double duty after the Games as the home of the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and as a community soccer stadium. As well, we were Architect of Record on three other projects: a state-of-the-art aquatics and athletic complex in Markham, Ontario; the Toronto 2015 field hockey venue; and the renovation of the Etobicoke Olympium into the aquatics events training facility for the Games.

In May 2015, TO2015, the organizing committee for Toronto’s Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, announced that work was largely complete on all Games facilities, and that they were approximately $53.5 million under their $672-million budget for capital infrastructure spending. B+H and the expert team we assembled played a vital role in ensuring that sports venues designed for the Toronto 2015 Games would be among the best in the world – not only during the Games but for decades of intensive legacy mode use. In High Performance Design, we take pleasure in outlining the roles we played in delivering the best possible sports venues to the athletes of Canada and the world, on time and in a way that demonstrably managed risk successfully on the public’s behalf.

Bill Nankivell, CEO

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Markham Pan Am Centre Photo Courtesy of: Infrastructure Ontario

B+H’s Master Planning, PDC & Architect of Record Roles

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B+H’s Master Planning, PDC & Architect of Record Roles Envisioning High Performance Venues for the Games and Beyond

By Lisa Bate, Mark Berest and Kevin Stelzer (Principals, B+H Architects)

High Performance Design goes to press at a time when Canada is about to

In May 2015, TO2015, the organizing committee for the Toronto 2015 Games,

host the largest sporting event in its history: the Toronto 2015 Pan American

issued its fourth-quarter financial report 49 days before the start of the

and Parapan American Games. Starting on July 10, 2015, more than 10,000

Games. TO2015 announced that they were approximately $53.5 million under

athletes, coaches and officials from 41 countries throughout the Americas

budget for capital infrastructure spending, having spent $551.7 million of

and the Caribbean will compete in 51 sports, staged in venues throughout

their $672-million capital budget, with completion still pending at that point

Southern Ontario’s ‘Golden Horseshoe’ region.

on only two venues. (B+H was PDC consultant on one of them, the CIBC Pan Am / Parapan Am Athletics Stadium at Toronto’s York University, and had no

THE ESSENCE As Infrastructure Ontario’s selected prime Master Planning, Planning, Design and Compliance (PDC) consultant, B+H Architects played a wide-ranging and vital role in ensuring that Toronto and 17 communities within an almost 200km radius would be ready to take on the world for the Games.

THE BIG PICTURE

involvement on the other, the Pan Am Shooting Centre in Innisfil, Ontario.)

Completion on both of these venues was expected well in advance of the Games, with the final construction total remaining well under budget.

Our successful completion of our Games roles demonstrates B+H’s ability to design buildings that meet the highest criteria, often as Olympic prequalification fields of play for international competitive athletics, as well as reinforce the values of Infrastructure Ontario’s LEED® Silver minimum

On an official visit to Toronto in March 2015, the International Paralympic

sustainability standard and track record of delivering 97 per cent of built

Committee’s chief executive officer, Xavier Gonzalez, stated that Toronto

projects on budget with 72 per cent delivered early or on time to date. It

was exceptionally well prepared for the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.

also attests to our strength in managing projects that have numerous and

Marcel Aubut, head of the Canadian Olympic Committee, expressed a similar

diverse stakeholders and sponsors. This project involved stakeholders from

sentiment in June 2015. One month before the July 10 opening ceremonies,

four municipalities, two of Ontario’s largest universities, a professional

he declared that the Toronto 2015 games were already a “fantastic success,”

CFL franchise (the Hamilton Tiger-Cats), dozens of accredited amateur

due in large part to the world-class sporting venues built for the event and

sport organizations, the Pan Am organizing committee, Toronto 2015, and

the organizing committee’s thorough preparedness.

municipal, provincial and federal funding agencies.

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Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (B+H/Sasaki)

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THE BACK STORY

Infrastructure Ontario subsequently determined that the Sports Venues PDC Lead would also serve as Architect of Record, not PDC, on several of the other

In the spring of 2010, Infrastructure Ontario, a crown corporation responsible for delivering public infrastructure improvements for the Province of Ontario, issued a Request for Proposals for Master Planning and Planning, Design and Compliance (PDC) Services for the sports venues for the Pan

major Pan Am / Parapan Am projects, including the Markham Pan Am Centre in Markham, Ontario; the field hockey centre at the University of Toronto’s downtown campus; and the renovation of Toronto’s Etobicoke Olympium aquatics facility into a training site.

Am and Parapan Am Games. These Games are the world’s third-largest international multi-sport Games, only surpassed by the Asian Games and the

In May 2010, Infrastructure Ontario announced that the team led

Olympic Summer Games and are funded nationally and provincially, as well

by B+H had won the competition to serve as Sports Venues Master

as locally by 17 different municipalities.

Planning and PDC Consultant as well as Architect of Record for the BuildFinance venues for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.

The scope of services encompassed Master Planning and PDC services for all major new sports venues, including an athletics stadium at York University in

Although IO issued two separate bundles of Master Planning and PDC

Toronto; an aquatics centre at the University of Toronto’s Scarborough Campus;

responsibilities and one bundle for Architect of Record with a Build-Finance

the reconstruction of Hamilton, Ontario’s Canadian Football League (CFL)

traditional model, in what we submitted we clearly impressed them with our

stadium as a venue that would host soccer during the Games and do double

ability to deliver complex projects on target, on time and on budget, while

duty as a CFL stadium and a soccer field in its post-Pan Am life; and a velodrome

building trust among clients and stakeholders. The result: IO awarded all

for track cycling (with Milton, Ontario, subsequently selected as its location).

three bundles to us.

Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (B+H/Sasaki)

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Throughout the years leading up to the Games, B+H managed one of the

venues plans for Toronto’s 2008 Olympic bid (working with John Baker

largest and most multi-faceted scopes of work in the history of our practice,

Design, who would subsequently be a Games Overlay consultant on our

which was founded in 1953 and now has a staff of more than 400 architects,

Toronto 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am bid). As well, before we won the Pan Am

interior designers, landscape architects, and other design professionals

bid, the organizers of the Toronto 2015 Games had already selected another

worldwide. In this book, we profile each of the high performance, sustainable

B+H project, the Abilities Centre in Whitby, Ontario, as a venue for the

Pan Am / Parapan Am facilities for which we were the Master Planning and

Parapan Games.

PDC Consultant or the Architect of Record. First, however, we would like to outline why our role was key to the success of the Games, what it involved,

Completed in 2012, the Abilities Centre was conceived as a global centre of

and how we managed its complexities to ensure that these sports facilities

excellence for practical knowledge and insight into providing recreation,

would not only function superbly during the Games, but also serve their

athletic and performing arts facilities for people with varying degrees of

communities exceptionally well in legacy mode.

abilities and challenges. This world-class, barrier-free indoor complex hosts local, national and international sporting events. It contains a walking/training

Prior to winning the Pan Am / Parapan Am Sports Venues bid, B+H

track, full-size basketball courts, a fitness facility, and a sensory therapy room.

Architects had extensive experience in developing master plans for major

In 2013 it received an Award of Excellence from the International Olympic

athletic competitions and designing large, high performance athletic

Committee (IOC) / International Paralympic Committee (IPC) / International

facilities. Our firm played a leading role on the team that prepared the sports

Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS).

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AFP AND PDC

From this, B+H developed detailed design drawings for each venue. In addition to validating the program for legacy, for the communities they will

Infrastructure Ontario (IO) managed the delivery of the facilities for Toronto 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games using the delivery model that the Province of Ontario terms Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP).

(This model is also often referred to as P3, which stands for Public – Private Partnership.) IO uses AFP as a means to achieve the on-time and on-budget

serve, and games modes, this level of detail added to the conversation about materials, finishes and assemblies. The PDC team was also responsible for ensuring that the specifications, called Project Specific Output Specification (PSOS) developed for each facility would meet or exceed all relevant performance standards.

delivery of complex projects involving public funding. Five key principles guide IO’s AFP process:

Although unforeseen complexities can never be eliminated from a major design and construction project, the highly detailed design developed by

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The public interest is paramount

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Value for money must be demonstrable

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Appropriate public control/ownership must be preserved

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Accountability must be maintained

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All processes must be fair, transparent and efficient

the PDC consultant provided a higher degree of cost certainty than would otherwise have been possible.

LOGISTICS In the early phases of planning for the Games, B+H led a team of

In IO’s AFP system, the Planning, Design and Compliance consultant (PDC) is involved at every project stage from master planning through to construction completion. With B+H Architects in place as PDC consultant, Infrastructure Ontario was not just pricing a program, but an exemplar or illustrative design developed for each venue’s actual site, through an intensive process involving research of recent best-in-the-world facilities of the same type and in-depth consultation with each facility’s full spectrum of end users and stakeholders. It was an intensely creative process, designed to get all stakeholders on the same page through Visioning Sessions, concept design and schematic design. On average, meetings involved no fewer than 16 people, with two or three stakeholders, IO representatives and consultants sitting down with us at the table. This intensive design programming process was completed in approximately six months.

For each of the sport stadium projects within the scope of work, B+H began by developing a master plan and functional program, followed by the preparation of block diagrams and budgets for approval purposes. Sports venues for international competition at its highest level are extremely complex facilities.

Before the bids were issued, we as PDC consultant had determined through the illustrative design process that the program would in fact fit and work on the site. Significant advancement of the site planning process, including pre-negotiation of the urban design with the municipal authorities, was also part of the PDC role. Our team produced the Blocking, Stacking and Massing drawings indicating what needed to go where and how the primary vertical and horizontal circulation patterns would connect the elements.

25 sub-consultants, with areas of expertise that included scheduling, geotechnical and environmental consulting, code, ergonomics, sound and AV, signage and wayfinding, and food services. In consultation with this wide-ranging complement of highly skilled specialists we developed the PSOS for each venue. This was very much a design process as well as the creation of a detailed set of specifications: it in fact encompassed a complete illustrative (or exemplar) design set of drawings for each venue.

After developing the PSOS, we assisted with the preparation for the Request for Qualification (RFQ) and Request for Proposal (RFP) documents for the AFP bidders. The most intense stage of the bid process was the Open RFP Stage. B+H led the full consultant team through four rounds of Design Presentations (DP) and several Commercially Confidential Meetings (CCMs) related to design for each of the three consortia. Following the close of the RFP, B+H worked with Infrastructure Ontario (IO) in evaluating the bid responses to choose the successful proponents. Lastly, during the construction stage, we managed compliance monitoring on IO’s behalf.

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STAGES

Stage 4 – Construction Compliance Monitoring

There were four stages in our master planning and PDC role for the large

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Providing ongoing reports on construction progress

Pan Am / Parapan Am sports venues, and our key responsibilities in each

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Assisting IO with identified changes or modifications

were as follows:

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Working closely with the Architect of Record while monitoring construction progress

Stage 1 – Master Plan and Functional Program •

Development of a Master Plan

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Development of a Functional Program. This included Visioning Sessions to build consensus amongst Games and Legacy stakeholders

Stage 2 – Project Planning and Design

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Ensuring that the switch from (pre-Games) Legacy Mode to Games Mode to (post-Games) Legacy Mode would occur smoothly from a compliance point of view

DESIGN-BUILD-FINANCE PROJECTS AND BUILD-FINANCE PROJECTS B+H was PDC consultant to Infrastructure Ontario on four of the major

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Preparation of Block Diagrams (essentially a full design for cost and site fit test purposes)

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Preparation of Budgets for approval purposes

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Municipal Planning Approval Process - Notice of Approval with Conditions (NOAC)

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Development of Project Specific Output Specifications (PSOS) including

sports venues that were Design-Build-Finance (DBF) projects, which means that the team that designs and builds the facility also finances it. Alongside our PDC role, we were Architect of Record responsible for three BuildFinance (BF) Pan Am / Parapan sports venues. (On a BF, the client secures the architect’s design services separately from the subsequently issued bid for the project’s building and financing.)

representative design drawings for each venue •

Preparation of RFQ and RFP documents

MANAGING RISK ON THE PUBLIC’S BEHALF On each of our projects for the 2015 Games, B+H worked rigorously with

Stage 3 – RFQ and RFP Periods •

Answering bidders’ questions during the RFQ and open RFP stage

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Answering questions raised by consultants and sponsors throughout the selection process

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Playing an advisory role in selecting approximately three bidding consortia to advance to the closed RFP round

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Each of the selected proponents made full-day design presentations to IO and the PDC consultant, at dates in advance of key deliverables deadlines. We as PDC consultant provided on-the-spot feedback as well as written analysis to the bidding consortia teams, so that they could refine their design toward a compliant result

our clients at Infrastructure Ontario, stakeholders, cost consultants, and our subconsultant team to optimize the value of the design and ensure that the scope matched the budget. Many iterations of the costing estimates were produced, reviewed, and revised sequentially during the design phases to control any possible escalation and scope creep.

These large projects were designed and built under tight time constraints, and the risk mitigation that is central to the AFP model entailed considerable administrative effort on our part. The many governmental bodies involved in the Toronto 2015 Games were and are keenly aware of the risks of cost overruns and construction delays. They also knew that not all major sports facilities built in Canada to host major international competitions have been success stories in legacy mode. Determined that there would be no white elephants this time around, they stressed from the outset the importance of programming and designing these facilities to become vital and financially viable centres of community activity after the Games.

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B+H’S PDC TEAM At once visionary and pragmatic, the team we assembled for this ambitious project possessed the specific skill set that Infrastructure Ontario demanded.

B+H, as Prime Consultant, worked in close collaboration with two senior sub-consultant firms whose expertise complemented our own. Sasaki Associates, based in Watertown, Massachusetts, brought extensive master planning, sports venue, urban design and landscape architecture experience to the team. Our other key partners were John Baker Design and Event Knowledge Services. Based in Sydney, Australia, and Lausanne, Switzerland, respectively, these firms have shaped several of the most successful and complex Games of the past two decades, including the 2007 Pan Am Games in Rio de Janeiro, the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, and the 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens, and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

OVERLAY & LEGACY Two words that were absolutely central to our approach to the Sports Venues Master Planning, PDC and Architect of Record roles for the Toronto 2015 Games are “overlay” and “legacy.” The eyes of the world will be on Toronto during the weeks of the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, and its events will take place in sports venues that are exceptionally well designed for athletes of the highest calibre and the fans who will watch them live and in person or via broadcasts around the world. We understood from the outset, however, that these facilities had to be ‘right-sized’ for their pre- and post-Games lives.

In the project profiles that follow, we outline our team’s ingenious approaches to the challenges of overlay – the art of ensuring that these venues will easily accommodate a huge but brief influx of athletes, spectators, officials and media for the duration of the Games. After the Games, these venues will revert to legacy mode: they have been carefully designed and programmed to adapt to a range of community athletic centre and sports training facility uses that will ensure their long-term fiscal viability.

The Toronto 2015 Games will be a spectacular burst of glory, but the sports venues that B+H Architects planned, designed or renovated for this once-ina-lifetime event are in it for the long run.

A NOTE ON THE SPORTS VENUE NAMES: The Legacy Mode name for each venue appears on the opening spread and title for each case study. In most cases, due to Games sponsorship, these venues will be known by a different name during the Games. The ‘Games’ name is listed near the top of each case study. All subsequent references are to the Legacy Mode names, unless otherwise noted.

Lisa Bate was B+H Architects’ Principal in Charge (PIC) on the Toronto 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Sports Venues Team and is now the firm’s Managing Principal, Shanghai and Executive Vice President, Asia.

B+H Principals Mark Berest (Toronto) and Kevin Stelzer (now based in Shanghai) were PIC Land Venues and PIC Water Venues on the Pan Am / Parapan Am team respectively.

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By the Numbers High Performance Design The $205-million Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre on the University of Toronto’s Scarborough Campus is the largest single infrastructure investment in Canadian amateur sports history

SHAREHOLDERS Stakeholders in the Pan Am / Parapan Am Sports Venues package for which B+H Architects was either Master Planning and Planning, Design and Compliance (PDC) Consultant or Architect of Record included: Four municipalities Two of Ontario’s largest universities (University of Toronto and York University)

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Markham Pan Am Centre (B+H)

One Canadian Football League (CFL) franchise (the Hamilton Tiger-Cats)

Toronto 2015 (the Pan Am / Parapan Am organizing committee)

Dozens of accredited amateur sport organizations

Municipal, provincial and federal funding agencies

Rank of the Pan Am / Parapan Am Games in terms of world’s largest international multi-sport games (Only the Asian Games and the most recent Olympic Summer Games are larger)

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Largest

sporting event in Canadian history: the Toronto 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Games

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NUMBER OF INDOOR OLYMPIC-SIZE POOLS IN THE GREATER TORONTO AREA BEFORE THE TORONTO 2015 GAMES

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NUMBER OF INDOOR OLYMPIC-SIZE POOLS IN THE GREATER TORONTO AREA AFTER THE TORONTO 2015 GAMES

7,500+ 25 Number of competing athletes in the Toronto 2015 Games

Number of sub-consultants on the team B+H Architects managed in its Toronto 2015 PDC Consultant and Architect of Record roles

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Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre Courtesy of UTSC; Photo Credit: Ken Jones

Case Studies

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Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre Toronto, Canada

Courtesy of UTSC; Photo Credit: Ken Jones

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Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre size: 272,500 ft² | 25,320 m² spectator seating, games mode: 5,000 (competition pool) and 3,500 (field house) spectator seating, legacy mode: 3,500 (competition pool) and 1,500 (field house) games name: CIBC Pan Am / Parapan Am Aquatics Centre and Field House b+h architects’ role: Master Planning and PDC (Planning, Design and Compliance) Prime Consultant architect of record: NORR

Hosting swimming, diving, fencing, modern pentathalon, sitting volleyball

more easily achieve separate flows for athletes and spectators – a security

and roller sports events during the Pan Am / Parapan Am Games, the

requirement for all Toronto 2015 sports venues. The winning Design-Build-

$205-million Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (TPASC) is the largest single

Finance consortium incorporated both of these strategies into their design,

investment in Canadian amateur sport history. Its aquatics centre is one of

along with our proposed layout for most of the facility’s main components.

the first in the country to contain two 50-m pools (a competition pool and an adjustable-depth training pool), and a diving tank. The field house boasts a gymnasium large enough to accommodate four basketball courts or six volleyball courts; a fitness area; a running track; and a sports medicine clinic.

In the spring of 2015, this building became the first on the UTSC campus to earn LEED® Gold certification. Its most noteworthy sustainable features include a geothermal system that provides 4o per cent of the facility’s heating and 99 per cent of its cooling, and a green roof covering 30 per cent

Located on the north edge of the University of Toronto’s east-end

of the roof area.

Scarborough campus (UTSC), on land jointly owned by the university and the City of Toronto, the facility will serve in legacy mode as an athletic centre for both university and community use. It is also the new home of the Canadian

THE CHALLENGE: ‘Right-sizing’ the venue for Games and Legacy modes

Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO), which is part of Canada’s network of institutes providing state-of-the-art science and sport performance services to the

B+H’S STRATEGIC RESPONSE:

nation’s top-flight athletes.

The TPASC requires a total of 8,500 spectator seats in games mode The complex occupies a site classified as a brownfield due to large amount

and 5,000 seats in legacy mode – and that’s a big difference. Building

of contaminated soil that would have to be removed prior to construction.

an overly large facility to accommodate the 3,500 (rented) seats

The exemplar design that B+H Architects developed proposed a means of

used only for the Toronto 2015 Games was not a sustainable option.

turning this liability into an asset: instead of replacing the contaminated

Instead, B+H proposed installing a temporary wall in the aquatics

soil with a comparable amount of clean fill, B+H advocated sinking a large

centre, to be removed after the Games and replaced by a permanent

portion of the building into the excavation, which minimized the amount

wall that would enclose a much smaller area. The bid-winning

of infilling required. We also advocated placing the main public entrance

consortium adopted this approach.

and the athletes’ entrance on opposite sides of the building, in order to

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Courtesy of UTSC; Photo Credit: Ken Jones

Courtesy of UTSC; Photo Credit: Ken Jones

Courtesy of Infrastructure Ontario

Courtesy of UTSC; Photo Credit: Ken Jones

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York University Athletics Stadium Toronto, Canada

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York University Athletics Stadium* size: 59,115 ft2 | 5,495 m2 spectator seating, games mode: 12,500 spectator seating, legacy mode: 3,000 (permanent) plus 2,000 (relocatable) games name: CIBC Pan Am / Parapan Am Athletics Stadium b+h architects’ role: Master Planning and PDC Consultant architect of record: Cannon Design

The new venue that will host track and field events during the Pan Am and

In legacy mode, York’s new stadium will host more than athletic

Parapan Am Games will be a versatile stadium for York University in legacy

competitions, with concerts, orientation events, and even movies under the

mode. Its 400-metre track and infield match the calibre of the best-in-the-

stars as part of the mix.

world athletes who will be competing on them in Toronto 2015 events. The track, in fact, meets Class 1 certification by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF); only two other Canadian tracks – one in

THE CHALLENGE: Maximizing accessibility and flexibility

Moncton, NB, and one in Sherbrooke, Quebec – have achieved this level of certification. A carefully selected blend of grasses in the infield will be

B+H’S STRATEGIC RESPONSE:

trimmed to a height of precisely one inch for the Games. After the Games, for added flexibility, the long jump pits can be moved outside of the track ring to transform the infield into a rugby pitch. Spectator sitelines (“C”-values) were a particularly important consideration here – track and field events are the biggest draw at the Pan Am / Parapan Am Games. York’s new stadium not only meets all high performance “C”-values criteria for track and field, but also achieves them for rugby.

In light of both the Parapan Games’ mandate to inspire the world through competitive events for top-level athletes with disability and the in-process, staged implementation of compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), the venues for the Toronto 2015 Games meet the highest standards of accessibility.

At York University’s new stadium, attention to accessibility manifests itself in everything from corridors wide enough to enable athletes

As lead Master Planning and Planning, Design and Compliance (PDC)

in racing wheelchairs to pass each other to spectator washrooms

consultant, B+H Architects was instrumental in ensuring that this new

equipped with height-adjustable hydraulic change tables.

stadium could be inserted into York University’s already densely developed Keele Campus in a way that would enhance the urban design of the whole and preserve views to the campus’s protected Boyer Woodlot. A wide, partially covered walkway extending under the upper tier of the stadium along its west side will establish a link to the new Steeles West subway station and link to existing pedestrian pathways on the campus.

Notable sustainable aspects of this LEED® Silver-targeting venue include a rainwater harvesting system that will support the irrigation system for the field of play, and energy recovery systems.

Although York’s stadium would have 12,500 seats during the Games, the university required only a fraction of that number in legacy mode.

Initially, the venue was supposed to have 5,000 permanent seats. B+H worked with York to revise that number down to 3,000 permanent seats; as well, the facility can accommodate 800 relocatable seats on its roof and 1,200 more in the side stands, bringing total legacy mode seating up to 5,000 seats when needed for major events.

*NOTE: The Legacy Mode name for this venue has yet to be determined.

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Plan (B+H)

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Tim Hortons Field Hamilton, Canada

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Tim Hortons Field size: 333,220 ft2 | 30,957 m2 (GFA of Stands) spectator seating, games mode: 22,500 spectator seating, legacy mode: 22,500 games name: CIBC Hamilton Pan Am Soccer Stadium b+h architects’ role: Master Planning and PDC Consultant architect of record: Cannon Design

The venue for Toronto 2015 soccer events is the stadium that in legacy mode

condition, particularly along Cannon Street to the north, which can now

serves as the home of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, a Canadian Football League

host community events such as farmer’s markets. The original north stands

(CFL) franchise. Determining whether to retain the site of the Tiger-Cats’

overhung the sidewalk to the south; removing them also improved spatial

existing Ivor Wynne Stadium or build a new venue in another location was

relationships between the stadium and the surrounding neighbourhood.

not a straightforward matter. Several alternative sites were considered, but in the end Infrastructure Ontario and the sponsors chose to remain on the existing site. With that decision, another debate emerged. The existing

THE CHALLENGE: Designing a stadium that works equally well for soccer and football

stadium dated back to 1928, and its east/west orientation had never been ideal; glare is much more of a problem for football players – and for the

B+H’S STRATEGIC RESPONSE:

broadcasters of their games – on a field running east/west than on one with a north/south orientation. The simplest and most cost-effective approach would have been to retain the stadium’s orientation and its aging north stands. But ultimately, as the result of a complex exercise undertaken by B+H and our team to assess the options, Toronto 2015, the City of Hamilton, and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats management decided that the long-term gains of demolishing the north stands and reorienting the field 90 degrees would outweigh the more costly construction involved.

The new stadium in Hamilton is a combination FIFA and CFL field of play. Although soccer and football are played on the same artificial turf and there are numerous precedents for combined fields of play for the two sports, getting the sightlines right is a careful balancing act.

Soccer fields are wider and football fields are longer. Soccer fans like to be in close and low to the action, while for football fans the optimal seats are elevated high enough above the field that players standing along the sidelines do not block their view. The Project Specific Output

Although the exceptionally harsh winter of 2013 and a dispute between

Specifications (PSOS) that B+H Architects developed for the stadium

the contractor and various sub-contractors delayed construction of the

presented a balanced seating configuration to accommodate each

new stadium, it was ready in time for the Toronto 2015 Games, and both a

sport and provide great viewing opportunities for both. By specifying

professional football team and amateur soccer interests in the Hamilton

the use of temporary (chalk) markings on the field as opposed to

area gained a fine venue. In addition to an entirely new stadium with greatly

sport-specific permanent lines, the PSOS also enhanced the stadium’s

improved stands, sightlines, and public amenity spaces, the Hamilton

ability to switch back and forth between football and soccer usage.

Tiger-Cats gained a new strength and conditioning facility and enhanced HD broadcast capabilities, and were able to relocate their off-site offices within the stadium. The field can host three amateur soccer games concurrently, and the stadium provides change room space for as many as 12 teams at once. The city acquired open public space that greatly improves the urban

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Photo: Michael Muraz

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Mattamy National Cycling Centre Milton, Canada

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Mattamy National Cycling Centre size: 139,000 ft2 | 12,920 sq. m2 spectator seating, legacy mode: 1,500 b+h architects’ role: Master Planning and PDC Consultant concept design architect: FaulknerBrowns

spectator seating, games mode: 2,500 games name: Cisco Milton Pan Am / Parapan Am Velodrome architect of record: Cannon Design

The new velodrome in Milton, Ontario, is a dramatic game changer for the

vicinity will augment the legacy mode user base for both the track cycling and

sport of cycling in Canada because it brings our top athletes back home to

the more general recreational facility components of the velodrome.

train and compete. Although Canada has had two previous Olympic-size (250-m) tracks, neither still exists. (Please see “B+H’s Strategic Response” below.) Prior to the Milton venue’s construction, there were only a few full-size

THE CHALLENGE: Ensuring a viable post-Games future for a Canadian velodrome

velodromes throughout North America. Canada’s cycling team used one in Los Angeles as its training base, and also relied on shorter tracks in London, Ontario, and Vancouver.

Establishing requirements for high performance facilities that would convert easily to legacy mode use by a wider audience was a key part of B+H Architects’ role as Master Planning and PDC (Planning, Design and Compliance) Sports Venue consultant for the Toronto 2015 Games. Working within the framework that B+H developed, track designer Dale Hughes of Rochester Hills, Michigan – widely regarded as one of the world’s top three designers in this highly specialized field – banked the Siberian spruce wood oval of Canada’s new velodrome so that it will be fast enough to satisfy cyclists at the apex of the sport while providing a safe training ground for riders at more junior levels. The gradient increases less sharply on the entrance to a curve than it does on the curve’s exit, which enhances safety for less experienced riders while still delivering the geometry that will make the setting of new world records at the Toronto 2015 Games a real possibility.

B+H’S STRATEGIC RESPONSE: Countries such as France and Germany, where track cycling is an extremely popular sport, have no difficulty sustaining dozens of Olympic-size velodromes. In Canada, however, there have only been two previous full-size velodromes – one built for the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg and the other for the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montreal. Both Canadian venues proved fiscally unsustainable in legacy mode. The Winnipeg track cycling facility was ultimately demolished. After the removal of the Montreal velodrome’s track in 1989, the facility reopened in 1992 as the Biodome, a research and conservation centre for plants and animals. To ensure that Milton’s velodrome would have a viable post-Games future as the home of high-performance track cycling in Canada while also meeting the general recreational and community centre needs of the Town of Milton, B+H developed PSOS criteria that • Enable the facility’s infield to be used between cycling competitions for recreational basketball and volleyball, or to host events such as trade shows or

Milton emerged as the most desirable site for the velodrome for several

wedding receptions for as many as 1,800 people • Utilize the length

reasons. Peter Gilgan, head of the Milton-based residential developer

and shape of the concourse to accommodate the Town of Milton’s first

Mattamy Group, is an avid cyclist who donated $9 million of the funding

indoor walking/running track • Provide two strength and conditioning

for the $56-million facility. (The Government of Canada [Sport Canada]

centres (188 m2 and 127 m2) that can be used for general training

contributed $38.4 million.) Mattamy Group is building a large subdivision

(cardio, weights, yoga, dancing) and also for technologically advanced,

adjacent to the velodrome, and a new Wilfrid Laurier University campus in the

cycling-specific training for top cyclists.

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Photo: Michael Muraz

All other photos: Toni Hafkenscheid

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Courtesy of Infrastructure Ontario

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Etobicoke Olympium Etobicoke, Canada

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Etobicoke Olympium location: Toronto, Ontario size: 59,000 ft2 | 5,473 m2 (GFA Renovated Area) b+h architects’ role: Architect of Record

In addition to generating the new construction of several major sports venues, the Toronto 2015 Games was the catalyst for the $20-million

THE CHALLENGE: Deriving maximum value from a 40-year-old venue’s renovation

revitalization of a facility that already has 40 years of intensive use behind it.

A state-of-the-art aquatic and fitness complex when it opened in Toronto’s

B+H’S STRATEGIC RESPONSE:

west end in 1975, the Etobicoke Olympium contains an Olympic-size pool, a community pool, dive tower, a gymnasium and a fitness centre. Renovating the Olympium for use during the Pan Am / Parapan Am Games as the

Making the right renovations to a sound but aging building is inherently more sustainable than building anew.

main training facility for athletes competing in swimming, synchronized

Like the new facilities designed and constructed for the Toronto 2015

swimming, diving and water polo events involved extensive mechanical and

Games, the revamped Olympium is expected to meet Infrastructure

electrical upgrades, the recalibration of the dive tower to FINA (Féderation

Ontario’s requirement for progressive sustainability standards within

Internationale de Natation) dimensional tolerances and the expansion of

an existing facility. Significant mechanical upgrades, including a new

its upper platform to accommodate synchronized diving, and a thorough

Building Automation System (BAS), the replacement of air handling

refresh of the lobby and reception area.

equipment with high-efficiency, variable speed control units, and the installation of humidity control units, have improved the venue’s

One of the most exciting aspects was the decision to enhance the Olympium’s existing Olympic-size pool with an entirely new, prefabricated panel liner Renovaction system by Italy’s Myrtha Pools, the reigning world champion of high-performance pool design and manufacture. The result is that the Olympium now has an up-to-date ‘fast-water’ pool – one that facilitates fast times for top athletes by minimizing wave refraction through energy dissipation. This is achieved through means including water depth, gutter/edge design, and the use of perforated materials where possible. The renovated pool also incorporates an advanced filtration system and two new, stainless steel moveable bulkheads that make it possible to divide its volume into three zones for different, simultaneous uses.

operational efficiency and air quality. A new emergency generator ensures that competitive events can proceed even if a power outage occurs. Completed on a tight budget and on a schedule that minimized down time in this well-utilized facility, the renovation that B+H managed as Architect of Record enables the Olympium to remain a top-tier competitive aquatic sports venue and community athletic centre for decades to come.

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Courtesy of Infrastructure Ontario

B+H

Plan (B+H)

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The Back Campus Fields Toronto, Canada B+H

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The Back Campus Fields size: Two full-size pitches (635 ft2 x 1048 ft2 | 59 m2 x 97.4 m2) plus surrounding area spectator seating, games mode: 3,000 spectator seating, legacy mode: No permanent seating (portable team benches used) games name: Pan Am / Parapan Am Fields b+h architects’ role: Architect of Record

Grass playing fields at the University of Toronto’s central St. George

three times as much of the year as their grass predecessor, which was often

Campus have been transformed into two world-class field hockey pitches

more mud pit than field throughout much of the autumn.

for the 2015 Games. The warm-up pitch and the competition pitch both meet the international Global Class 1 field of play criteria established for all international competitions by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), based in Lausanne, Switzerland. They are the first two international-calibre playing fields for the sport in Ontario, and the new University of Toronto complex doubles the number of high-quality fields available for the sport

Both pitches within the Pan Am / Parapan Am Fields are water-based turf fields: in accordance with international sport federation regulations, fields of this type are irrigated before, during and after matches to reduce friction on the ball and create an impeccable field of play.

THE CHALLENGE:

in the Greater Toronto Area.

Creating a world-class Canadian home for one of the world’s most During the 2015 Parapan Am Games, the venue will be the site for five-a-side

popular sports

and seven-a-side football matches.

B+H’S STRATEGIC RESPONSE: According to FIH regulations, only high-quality artificial turf fields are deemed suitable for international-calibre competition. Although King’s College Circle at the heart of the St. George Campus remains a natural grass expanse, the decision to replace the field long known as the “Back Campus” with two artificial-turf pitches was a controversial one for the university. It is worth noting, however, that these new high performance pitches are suitable for many sports in addition to field hockey, and that they can be used for nearly

Ice hockey may still be Canada’s national pastime, but a growing number of new Canadians hail from countries where field hockey is king. As Architect of Record on this project, B+H designed a field hockey centre that ranks with the best in the world and created a legacy condition in which intramural, competitive and community field sports of many kinds have a much longer annual calendar of use.

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Photo: Michael Muraz

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Markham Pan Am Centre Markham, Canada

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Markham Pan Am Centre location: Markham, Ontario size: 147,460 ft2 | 13,700 m2 spectator seating, games mode: 4,000 spectator seating, legacy mode: 2,000 games name: Atos Markham Pan Am / Parapan Am Centre legacy name: Markham Pan Am Centre b+h architects’ role: Architect of Record

Plan (B+H)

Section (B+H)

Originally conceived as the Pan Am venue for water polo, the Markham

to lighting levels and controls was also crucial to shaping an optimal

Pan Am Centre also evolved over the course of its programming into the

environment for athletes and spectators.

field house that would host badminton, table tennis and Parapan table tennis events during the games. In legacy mode it serves as a community recreation centre that can contain 12 badminton courts – or six volleyball courts and two basketball courts – in addition to a two-level fitness centre and a wide range of multi-purpose rooms.

Sustainability is always a focus of B+H, and and the Toronto 2015 mandate of LEED® Silver certification is a welcome challenge. Demand-operated ventilation, high capacity air-side heat recovery, sophisticated building automation, effective thermal insulation and advanced lighting were but a few of the design solutions implemented on this project. Due to the impressive

The centerpiece of the Markham Pan Am Centre, however, is its 10-lane

results achieved through building systems integration and the design team’s

Olympic pool. In high performance pool design, the Italian company Myrtha

close collaboration with engineers and stakeholders, this project in fact

is the world’s acknowledged leading expert. The depth-adjustable floor

achieved LEED® Gold certification. The City of Markham is adding a large

in the Markham Pan Am Centre’s Myrtha pool accommodates activities

photovoltaic array on the roof – a feature that the design anticipated and

ranging from water polo to diving to learn-to-swim classes for the smallest

allowed for through structural fortification and electrical infrastructure.

children. Two moveable bulkheads enable the pool’s division into zones for up to three simultaneous activities. High performance athletes consider Myrtha’s products the “sine qua non” of fast pools: they are designed

THE CHALLENGE: Designing community-building architecture at a civic scale

to dissipate rather than refract wave energy, and minimize recirculation turbulence, which enhances the possibility for record-setting times.

Knowing where to insert signature architectural elements and where to ensure that the building would not interfere with the field of play was a large part of B+H’s role as Architect of Record. The composite glulam wood trusses above the pool are a good example of the former, while the more conventional steel trusses and black box interiors of the badminton and table tennis courts enable spectators to focus easily on the small ball or shuttlecock in play. Careful control of air movement was necessary to prevent the HVAC system from interfering with badminton play. Attention

B+H’S STRATEGIC RESPONSE: The Town of Markham recently became the City of Markham, and the Markham Pan Am Centre is a key component in the urban core densification that is transforming a former suburb into a truly metropolitan environment. As Architect of Record, we designed a building that opens onto an expansive public plaza and engages with the street: a colourful screen of variegated metal fins, symbolizing the multitude of nations taking part in the Games, adds dynamism to the façade. Inside, a grand, triple-height central corridor draws natural light deep into the building through skylights and clerestory windows.

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Photo: Michael Muraz

All other photos: Toni Hafkenscheid

Courtesy of Infrastructure Ontario

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Courtesy of Infrastructure Ontario

B+H

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Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre Courtesy of UTSC; Photo Credit: Ken Jones

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in Beijing, described her response to the competition pool in the Toronto

close contests between exceptional athletes at the top of their game.

Pan Am Sports Centre. “Call me a pessimist, but I didn’t believe we would

The conditioning of top-tier athletes has made huge strides since the first

ever have a facility like this one in Canada,” Wilkinson wrote. “... I swam in

modern Olympics were held in 1896 and the inaugural Pan American Games

a dark, hot, cramped pool with too much chlorine and no fresh air for 10

of 1951. Performance standards are now so high that most new world

years. The pool built for this summer is big and bright; the water is the ideal

records only marginally exceed existing ones. When no more than a fraction

temperature for training and racing. There is ample space for not just one

of a second, a centimetre or a single point separates the gold and silver

swim team, but multiple to train simultaneously. The competition pool is

medalists, the quality of the venues in which their competitions take place

deep enough for synchronized swimming and there is a separate diving tank

has to be impeccable.

to host the best divers in the world.” Wilkinson, who had competed in the acclaimed Beijing Water Cube in the 2008 Summer Olympics, declared that

A key measure of the success of a multi-sport event such as the Pan Am

the Pan Am Sports Centre’s pool was equally impressive.

/ Parapan Am Games is the number of records set. For the Toronto 2015 Games, B+H Architects, in its Sports Venues roles as either Master Planning

B+H was Infrastructure Ontario’s prime Planning, Design and Compliance (PDC)

and Planning, Design and Compliance (PDC) consultant or Architect of

consultant on the Pan Am Sports Centre. Below we highlight some of the high

Record, played an important part in ensuring that the best athletes of the

performance features of that venue, and some of the other Toronto 2015 projects

Americas and the Caribbean would compete in and around Toronto on fields

on which we played a Master Planning and PDC or Architect of Record Role:

of play that meet the world’s highest standards. Equally important, we were instrumental in ensuring that the experience for fans watching Pan Am and Parapan Am events live or via broadcast feeds would be state-of-the-art.

Venue – Legacy Mode Name: Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre Games Name: CIBC Pan Am / Parapan Am Aquatics Centre and Field House B+H Architects’ Role: Master Planning and Prime PDC Consultant

On the pages that follow, we share some of the high performance considerations that shaped our approach to the master planning, programming and design of major sports venues for the Toronto 2015 Games.

THE BEST POSSIBLE FIELDS (AND TRACKS AND COURTS AND POOLS AND MORE) OF PLAY

Highlighted Feature #1: Two 50-metre pools This aquatics complex is the first in Toronto, and only fourth indoor facility in Canada, to contain two Olympic-size, 50-metre pools: one used for competition, and the other as a training pool. In terms of logistics and offering high-level athletes the best possible warm-up and cool-down

Although Olympic Games require larger quantities of spectator seating than

experience, having more than one Olympic-size pool offers tremendous

Pan Am / Parapan Am Games competitions, the fields of play created for

advantages. The competition pool can be used intensively for competitive

the Toronto 2015 Games are most definitely of Olympic calibre. On May 14,

events while athletes have the opportunity to get ready for their races in

2015, the Toronto Star published an article titled, “Olympian Julia Wilkinson

an environment that truly replicates the competition venue. They can also

says Pan Am Games will be huge for Canada.” Its author, a swimmer who

warm up for events shortly before they compete, as opposed to having a

had been a top Canadian contender at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games

gap between their scheduled practice time and the race.

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Photos: Toni Hafkenscheid

Highlighted Feature #2:

Highlighted Feature: 400-metre track

Canadian Sport Institute Ontario training facilities

The 400-metre track at the CIBC Pan Am / Parapan Am Athletics Stadium

While majority of the new Toronto 2015 Sports Venues will be first and foremost for community use after the Games, the decision to relocate Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO) within the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre ensures that this facility will remain a key training site for top-tier athletes – while also serving athletic centre needs for the University of Toronto and area residents. CSIO provides training and support services designed to help Canada’s pre-eminent athletes ‘own the podium’. B+H Architects’ master planning and PDC responsibilities for this venue included producing the Project Specific Output Specifications (PSOS) and a highly developed

is the first track in Ontario built to International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Class 1 standards and only the third in Class 1 track in Canada; the other two are in Moncton, New Brunswick, and Sherbrooke, Quebec. To receive this certification, a track must undergo stringent testing to ensure that its thickness, smoothness, strength, consistency of colour, and drainage all meet the highest international standards.

Venue – Legacy Mode Name: Mattamy National Cycling Centre Games Name: Cisco Milton Pan Am / Parapan Am Velodrome B+H Architects’ Role: Master Planning and PDC Prime Consultant

design that resolved numerous adjacencies-related challenges. Our design incorporated such advanced CSIO program elements as a section of runner’s

Highlighted Feature #1: The 250-metre track

track integrated with pressure sensors and motion-capture technology, and a

The 250-metre indoor cycling track designed by Michigan’s renowned

dry-land training centre for divers, featuring dive pits and trampolines.

Dale Hughes fuses advanced technology with the highest standards of craftsmanship. Its gradient ranges from 13 degrees to 42 degrees, and the

Venue – York University Stadium Games Name: CIBC Pan Am / Parapan Am Athletics Stadium B+H Architects’ Role: Master Planning and PDC Prime Consultant

transitions between its flattest and steepest sections have been carefully calibrated to enable world-class cyclists to reach top speeds while giving those who aspire to join their ranks a safe place to hone their skills. The secret lies in designing a track with a more gradual gradient increase on the entrance to its curves than on their exit. This makes the circuit safer for less experienced riders without compromising the velocity that top cyclists can attain.

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Highlighted Feature #2: Computrainers

SIGHTLINES

One of the most impressive aspects of the velodrome built in Milton, Ontario for the Toronto 2015 Games is that it is simultaneously a highly specialized training facility for elite athletes and an inclusive community centre. Its two strength and conditioning centres accommodate general public uses such as yoga classes and cardio and weight training, while also containing state-ofthe-art equipment that assists top cyclists in their quest to get even better.

This includes CompuTrainers, a software-integrated system enabling riders to transform their race bikes into stationary bikes by inserting them into a compact set of braces; the technology combines performance metrics such as pedal stroke analysis with sophisticated race simulation capability.

For each sport featured in the Pan Am / Parapan Am Games, the governing international sports organization determines the minimum spectator sightline requirements, or “C” Values, for international competition. All of the Sports Venues that B+H Architects worked on for the Toronto 2015 Games met or exceeded the minimum “C” Values, and in many cases did so for multiple sports. (For example, Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario, will be the soccer venue known as CIBC Hamilton Pan Am Soccer Stadium during the Games and is the home stadium of the professional Canadian Football League team the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in legacy mode. Please see the case study for this venue on p. 26 for more information on the challenges of

Venue - Legacy Mode Name: Markham Pan Am Centre Games Name: Atos Markham Pan Am / Parapan Am Centre B+H Architects’ Role: Architect of Record

meeting its “C” Values.)

BROADCASTING CONSIDERATIONS High Definition (HD) broadcasting has become the norm for major sports

Highlighted Feature: An accommodating environment for players and fans FINA specifications for water polo call for a uniform depth of two metres throughout the field of play; for synchronized swimming training, a pool should be three metres deep. The depth-adjustable pool at the Markham Pan Am Centre can meet either requirement. Spectator seating provides an exceptional unobstructed “C” value sightline condition of 90 or better.

SECURITY

events in recent years, and the high lighting levels HD requires have created new challenges for ensuring that live spectators and the fans at home can see the games well. This is particularly true in aquatic events: HD requires light levels of 1,000 to 1,500 lux, which are four times higher than the lux values considered desirable by FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation), the international governing body of swimming, diving, water polo, synchronized swimming and open water swimming.

When the Pan Am / Parapan Am Games were last held, in Guadalajara,

The safety of athletes, fans, officials, volunteers, vendors and many other

Mexico, in 2011, glare was a significant problem for spectators at indoor

participants is vital to the success of any major athletic event. A major

aquatic events: improperly positioned high-intensity lights for HD shone

component of B+H’s master planning, PDC and Architect of Record roles

directly into the eyes of people in the stands and also reflected off the water.

on the Sports Venues was to establish circulation routes that maintained

Aware of the HD-related problems associated with the Guadalajara Games

separate flows for athletes, the general public, and what is known as ‘games

and other major, recent international competitions, B+H Architects, as

family’: a group encompassing officials, amateur sports associations,

Architect of Record on the Markham Pan Am Centre, designed this venue’s

sponsors and athlete’s relatives. Maintaining separate flows is like working

aquatics centre with a higher ceiling than would have been required for

out an intricate three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle, but it’s a challenge we’re

a comparable complex with more minimal broadcasting requirements.

used to solving. Our experience in other sectors, healthcare in particular,

Although this venue’s primary legacy mode function is to serve community

was definitely an asset to us here. B+H Architects has designed several large

sports and recreation purposes, the City of Markham also intends to use it

hospitals in recent years in North America, Asia, and many other parts of the

for high-level competitions, and the fact that it can handle HD with ease

world, and on all of them, it has been essential to maintain ‘back-of-house’

puts it in the running to host major events.

circulation routes for staff and patients in their care that are separate from public circulation routes, and also to maintain separate flows between soiled linen and waste and clean supplies.

AN ACCESSIBLE GAMES At a time when the phased implementation of the Accessibility for Ontarians With Disabilities Act (AODA) is strengthening accessibility standards

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throughout the province, the buildings designed to host Toronto 2015

devices. The needs of the visually impaired have also influenced the design

Pan Am and Parapan Am events are in the universal design vanguard for

of the stadiums. The stadium hosting soccer events during the Games and

athletes, spectators and all who are involved in the Games in one way or

known in legacy mode as Tim Hortons Field, the home of the Canadian

another. The Abilities Centre, a B+H project completed in 2012 in Whitby,

Football League’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats, incorporates the City of Hamilton’s

Ontario, convincingly demonstrated our accessible design expertise to

urban braille system not just at its main entrance, but around the entire

Infrastructure Ontario. Designed for athletes with and without disabilities,

perimeter of its block.

it had already been selected as Toronto 2015 Parapan Games venue before we were awarded Master Planning, Planning, Design and Compliance, and Architect of Record roles for the Pan Am / Parapan Am Sports Venues.

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A SUSTAINABLE GAMES The new Toronto 2015 Sports Venues we worked on meet at minimum LEED® Silver requirements; it should be noted that two of the largest and

The municipalities, universities and other legacy mode owners and operators of Games facilities are inheriting buildings that anticipate more stringent accessibility standards and demonstrate enlightened approaches to the goal of universal accessibility.

One of the noteworthy features incorporated into the stadiums for the Toronto 2015 Games are what are known as “super risers”: in places where able-bodied spectators would be standing, these platforms provide equitable viewing for fans who use wheelchairs or other mobility assistive

most complex projects within this scope of work, the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre and the Markham Pan Am Centre, recently attained LEED® Gold certification. We are proud as well to have been part of a planning process that minimized private transportation to the Games. Instead of building new parking lots at the venue sites, the key transportation strategy deployed for the Toronto 2015 Games involved having people either use public transit or drive their cars to existing parking lots and taking shuttle buses from there to the venues.

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Overlay & Legacy

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Overlay & Legacy: Designing for the Games and the Future Fundamental to B+H’s approach to the Sports Venues for the Pan Am /

What JBD and EKS brought to our team was a thorough understanding of

Parapan Am games was the idea that legacy mode was their natural state:

overlay requirements for top-tier international multi-sport competitions.

they had to work well not only for their brief stint in Games mode in the

These can include:

summer of 2015, but for decades of service to their legacy user community.

• What this meant in practice was that overlay, the temporary infrastructure

The segregation of up to seven accredited and non-accredited groups within the venue and externally:

brought in during the Games that would exceed normal legacy mode 1. Athletes

requirements, was a tremendously important consideration.

2. Spectators We worked with two of the very best and most experienced specialists in

3.

Technical Officials

the field: John Baker Design (JBD) and Event Knowledge Services (EKS). John

4.

Media

Baker would subsequently join the staff of Toronto 2015 as Vice President

5.

Games Family (e.g. coaches, officials, athlete’s relatives)

of Games Overlay. John had served as Sports Practice Director for the

6. Sponsors

Australian architectural firm of Bligh Voller Nield before founding his own

7.

Workforce (volunteer and paid)

company in 2004. He was responsible for major venue design and master planning projects associated with the 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens, and 2008 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games, the 2007 Rio Pan American and

•

Additional seating, tents, platforms and ramps

•

Games-specific signage and the temporary covering up of legacy mode

Parapan Am Games, and the 2010 Delhi and 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

signage •

wayfinding signage, Sponsor signage, and field of play markings

On many of those projects, JBD worked in conjunction with EKS, a firm with extensive experience in planning and working on Games in Europe,

•

the Americas, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. Shortly before joining our team for the Pan Am / Parapan Am Sports Venues bid, JBD was lead

“Look of the Games” materials, which may include flags, banners,

Additional electrical, mechanical, waste water, ventilation and air conditioning requirements

•

infrastructure consultant to EKS on the successful Rio de Janeiro 2016

The potential inclusion of venue security perimeters beyond those normally applied, requiring additional space

Olympic and Paralympic Games bid.

•

Modifications to access and circulation

•

Considerations generated by scheduling multiple competition sessions daily, including crowd management and venue servicing

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•

•

Support infrastructure for the media, including broadcast compounds

continue to collaborate on projects that benefit from the synergy between

and venue press centres

our firms.

Additional venue technology requirements, including scoreboards and video screens

•

•

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Looking back on what B+H, in close association with Sasaki Associates and JBD/EKS, was able to accomplish on the Sports Venues for the Toronto 2015

Increased demands on building systems, including power and sports

Games, we are particularly pleased with how we were able to ‘right-size’ and

lighting

program these athletic complexes for their post-Games life. We’re proud,

Specific Parapan requirements – i.e. not only full accessibility, but also in some cases adaptations to equipment and fields of play

for example, of the role we played in ensuring that a 12,500-seat stadium, known as the CIBC Pan Am / Parapan Am Athletics Stadium during the Games, could be the stadium York University wanted it to be in legacy mode:

While JBD and EKS focused on how to bring in the right overlay for the Games and then switch the venues back into legacy mode after the Closing Ceremonies, our other senior sub-consultant, Sasaki Associates, possessed a wealth of experience in designing outstanding Games venues that had proven their worth in legacy mode. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Sasaki takes an interdisciplinary approach that complements B+H’s own integration of architecture, landscape architecture, urban design and interior design.

Sasaki was involved in the planning for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and the firm’s portfolio includes several million square feet of completed athletics and recreational space. Sasaki and B+H had partnered on numerous projects prior to our successful Pan Am / Parapan Am Sports Venues bid, and we

one with just 3,000 permanent seats and an additional 2,000 temporary seats that remain folded up and stored in its ceiling and walls until needed for a major event. We’re proud that the as-built plan for the $205-million Pan Am Sports Centre, the largest single investment in amateur sport in Canada, to a large extent followed the design we developed for it as Infrastructure Ontario’s Master Planning and Planning Design and Compliance Consultant.

We’re proud to have served as Architect of Record on the Markham Pan Am Centre, which is as much a key civic component in Markham, Ontario’s rapidly developing downtown core as it is a state-of-the-art athletic complex. At B+H Architects, we’re glad to have played an important part in bringing the 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Games to Toronto and Southern Ontario, and we look forward to future challenges.

Markham Pan Am Centre (Michael Muraz)

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Handover to Owner

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Handover to Owner

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First Canadian Place - Recladding (Toronto, Canada) Photo Credit: Tom Arban

A High Performance Body of Work

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Sports ON THIS PAGE AND ALL OTHERS IN THIS SECTION B+H IS THE DESIGN ARCHITECT AND ARCHITECT OF RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED.

MOSAIC STADIUM REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA size: 170,000 ft | 15,700 m2 status: In Progress; client: HKS Sports & Entertainment

B+H is the Architect of Record and HKS Sports & Entertainment Group is Lead Design and Sports Architect for the Mosaic Stadium, the new home of the Canadian Football League’s (CFL’s) Saskatchewan Roughriders. This versatile stadium’s standard capacity of 33,000 spectator seats can be expanded to 40,000 for concerts and other events. A translucent roof and open south end zone connecting the stadium to the community create a sense of spaciousness. Substantial completion is expected in August 2016; opening kick-off is set for June 2017.

ABILITIES CENTRE WHITBY, ONTARIO, CANADA size: 130,000 ft2 | 12,080 m2 status: Completed in 2012; client: Abilities Centre

The Abilities Centre was conceived as a barrier-free centre of excellence for people with varying degrees of abilities and challenges. It hosts local, national and international sporting events, and will be a key venue for Parapan competitive events in the Toronto 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Games. In addition to a walking/training track, full-size basketball courts and a fitness facility, the Abilities Centre contains a sensory therapy room and spaces for life skills and performing arts programs. It is the recipient of a CISC – Ontario Steel Design Award and an Award of Distinction from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) / International Paralympic Committee (IPC) / International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS).

Photo Credit: Toni Hafkenscheid

UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK – RICHARD J. CURRIE CENTER HEALTHY LIVING VILLAGE FREDERICTON, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA size: 120,000 ft2 | 11,150 m2 status: Completed in 2011; client: University of New Brunswick

B+H worked in association with Sasaki Associates – subsequently our design partners on the Toronto 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Sports Venues – and ADI on the signature health, wellness and research complex for UNB’s Fredericton campus and the greater Fredericton community.

This five-story complex contains three full-sized gyms: two for recreational purposes, and one that hosts high-performance athletic events as well as graduation ceremonies. The Currie Center also encompasses a fitness facility, a sports medicine clinic, meeting space and a performance hall.

Photo Credit: Greg Richardson

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Education UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR ED LUMLEY CENTRE FOR ENGINEERING INNOVATION WINDSOR, ONTARIO, CANADA size: 310,000 ft2 | 28,800 m2 status: Completed in 2013; client: University of Windsor

Photo Credit: Toni Hafkenscheid

This flagship Faculty of Engineering complex meets emerging teaching and research demands and was developed in conjunction with local business leaders to stimulate industry partnerships. The building contains flexible high-tech classrooms, specialized research labs, faculty offices, and student study and activity spaces. Targeting LEED® Gold certification, it includes leading-edge sustainable technologies and “live” building monitoring systems to energize student learning while reducing energy consumption. The thermal mass of the Lumley Centre’s hollow-core concrete plank structural floor framing acts as a heat storage system and an air delivery system that exploits the free heat radiated by the sun, occupants, and equipment.

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA – AMS STUDENT NEST / SUB VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA size: 251,050 ft2 | 23,320 m2 status: Completed April 2015; client: UBC Alma Mater Society

Designed by DIALOG and B+H, the Student Union Building (SUB) at UBC strives to be a model community: one that is ecologically, socially and financially sustainable. The integrated design process involved students, UBC representatives, engineering sub-consultants and others who worked closely with the architects to determine how best to pursue a LEED® Platinum rating.

Strategies adopted to minimize energy and resource consumption over the life of the building include a high-performance envelope, natural ventilation, daylight harvesting, and rainwater harvesting. Food services, a retail component, a theatre, clubrooms and a roof garden are organized around the SUB’s central atrium/agora.

ARAB CENTRE FOR RESEARCH AND POLICY STUDIES DOHA, QATAR size: 602,779 ft2 | 56,000 m2 status: Under Construction; client: Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies Institute

The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies is an independent, research-intensive postgraduate academic institution specializing in the social sciences and humanities.

Academic spaces will include a library, cultural centre and student services; there will also be residences on campus for professors, researchers, and fellows. The floor area is configured around garden and courtyard spaces to enhance student living and research activities. The project will be designed to QSAS green building standards.

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Healthcare ST. CATHARINES HOSPITAL AND WALKER FAMILY CANCER CENTRE ST. CATHARINES, ONTARIO, CANADA size: 960,000 ft2 | 89,187 m2 status: Completed in 2012; client: PCL Constructors Canada Inc.

B+H, in joint venture with STH (Silver Thomas Hanley), led the design team of the Plenary Health consortium that Infrastructure Ontario selected to design, build, finance and maintain this Niagara Healthcare System complex. The 375-bed hospital has consolidated acute and ambulatory services onto a new site for the residents of St. Catharines and the immediate area. The hospital provides improved local access to specialized services such as cardiac catheterization, cancer treatment and longer-term mental health care. This project was the first hospital in the Niagara Region to achieve LEED® Silver certification. Its efficient footprint reduces energy consumption as well as travel time for staff.

MARKHAM STOUFFVILLE HOSPITAL REDEVELOPMENT MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA size: 505,900 ft2 | 47,000 m2 status: Phase 1 (Construction) completed in 2013; Phase 2 (Renovation) completed in 2014 client: Markham Stouffville Hospital / Infrastructure Ontario

B+H, as Architect and Prime Consultant, was retained in 2007 with Associate Architect Perkins + Will to provide full Master Plan, Design and Compliance services on the basis that the project would be awarded as a Design, Build, Finance and Maintain (DBFM) contract. Following the Master Plan’s completion and the securing of rezoning and site plan approval, the project was converted to a Build-Finance (BF) model with the B+H team providing full consulting services.

The work involved a new wing of 382,250 ft2, plus renovations to 146,290 ft2 of the existing 322,460-ft2 facility. This project is targeting LEED® Silver certification.

GLENEAGLES MEDINI HOSPITAL JOHORE, MALAYSIA size: 1,400,000 ft2 | 130,064 m2 status: Phase 1 will be completed in July 2015 client: Pantai Hospitals Sdn Bhd (Parkway Group)

B+H, in collaboration with Associate Architect STH (Silver Thomas Hanley), recently won the design competition for this 450-bed complex, which will be built in three phases on a 14-acre site. Regional materials will enhance the exterior and link the hospital to the architecture and imagery of other iconic buildings throughout the region. Selective use of glass on the facades will project an image of openness and offer daylight and views. The design reflects a commitment to sustainability and will provide a healing environment that maximizes healthcare efficiencies. The thorough master plan developed for this project will accommodate growth and future use.

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Commercial MARS CENTRE PHASE 2 TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA size: 1,026,360 ft2 | 95,352 m2 status: Completed in 2014; client: MaRS Discovery District

Photo Credit: Shai Gil

This 21-storey research laboratory/office building is the final piece of the MaRS Centre in downtown Toronto. It anchors the University Health Network (UHN) campus in the Discovery District, an area encompassing many hospitals and research institutions. With its concentrated volume of medical research laboratories, MaRS Phase 2 is designed to be a point of convergence for ideas and innovation and an entity that fosters collaborations between science, business and government. The building has achieved LEED® CS Gold certification.

Phase 2 more than doubled the size of MaRS, transforming it into Canada’s largest science, technology and research centre.

FIRST CANADIAN PLACE - RECLADDING TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA size: 375,000 ft2 | 34,840 m2 status: Completed in 2012; client: Brookfield Properties

Photo Credit: Tom Arban

An extensive renovation of Canada’s tallest office tower reinforced this 1970s landmark’s iconic presence on Toronto’s skyline. The work involved removing 45,000 existing marble panels, installing new insulation, and recladding the building with 375,000 square feet of fritted glass spandrel panels. Infrastructure upgrades completed in tandem with the recladding resulted in LEED® Gold EB:O&M certification for First Canadian Place. Interior renovations that updated common areas were also part of the project, on which B+H was Architect of Record and Design Collaborator, and Moed de Armas & Shannon Architects was the Design Architect.

SHANGHAI GENERAL MOTORS – RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND MANUFACTURING FACILITIES SHANGHAI, CHINA size: 1,345,490 ft2 | 125,000 m2 status: Completion scheduled for 2017; client: Shanghai General Motors

Photo Credit: Kingkay Architechtural Photography

At this research and testing facility – once a purely industrial campus – automobiles move from prototype to conception to display. While many of the spaces are pragmatically functional, the overall design reflects the luxury and dynamism associated with the auto industry through a few boldly compelling moves, such as weaving an existing canal through the landscape. A new exhibition space that tells visitors the story of GM’s brand is the jewel of the site. The project included a package detailing comprehensive energy-saving solutions.

Options such as green walls, raised floors and hollow core slabs provided the client with a varied menu of means to achieve sustainable design.

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Team Credits

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Credits Consultant Team

Prime Consultant:

Sound and AV Consultant:

B+H Architects

Engineering Harmonics

Sports Architects and Equipment Consultant/Advisor:

AV Consultant for Markham Pan Am Centre: Novita

Sasaki Associates

Overlay Consultant and Velodrome Consultant:

Environmental Specialist, Waste Management Specialist and Wildlife Consultant:

John Baker Design (JBD) / Event Knowledge Services (EKS) / Ron Webb

CH2M Hill

Sports Consultant:

Garda

Life Safety Specialist and Physical and Electronic Security Specialist:

R.F. Binnie & Associates Ltd.

Leed Certification Advisor: Structural Engineers:

Jain & Associates

Quinn Dressel Associates

Traffic & Transportation Specialist and Civil Engineers:

Transitional / Operational Occupancy Planner / Move Coordinator: TBA / Trearty Bridel + Associates Inc.

Delcan

Signage And Wayfinding Specialist: Landscape Architect:

Kramer Design Associates

Quinn Design Associates

Urban Planner:

Vertical Transportation and Internal Traffic Management:

Malone Given Parsons Ltd.

Gerard N. Henry

Mechanical Engineer:

Food Service:

TMP Consulting Engineers

Trend Foodservice Design and Consulting

Electrical Engineer:

Aquatic Consultant:

Mulvey & Banani International Inc.

Rectec

Code Consultant:

Ergonomic Consultant:

LRI Engineering Inc.

Optimal Performance Consultants

Code and Life Safety Consultants for Markham Pan Am Centre and Etobicoke Olympium: LMDG

Acoustic Consultant: Aercoustics Engineering Limited

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Credits The B+H Pan Am / Parapan Am Team

Bill Nankivell

Peter Carter (PM, Velodrome PSOS)

CEO

Geoff Hodgetts (PM, York Track PSOS)

Lisa Bate

Holly Jordan (PM, Tim Hortons Field PSOS)

Principal in Charge

Michael Lam (PM, Markham Pan Am Centre)

Mark Berest

Dan Levin (Job Captain, Markham Pan Am Centre)

Principal in Charge, Land Venues

Scott Ling (Coordinator, Tim Hortons Stadium PSOS)

Kevin Stelzer

Principal in Charge, Water Venues

Frank Portelli (Job Captain, Markham Pan Am Centre)

Douglas Birkenshaw

Matthew Roberts (Specifications Director)

Design Principal

Gabriela Savu (PM, Velodrome)

Sonny Sanjari

Jesika Steprans (PM, Etobicoke Olympium)

(PM, Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre PSOS)

Karlene Mootoo (PM, Field Hockey) Diane Valentine (PM, Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre compliance)

Eduardo Acob

Matthew Firestone

Haley Maharaj

Stephane Raymond

Christopher Williams

Stephen Addeo

Tom Hook

Judith Martin

Iqrar Rizvi

Rebecca Wong

Mark Belcastro

Kazim Kanani

Marcin Milkowski

Ivo Riet

Melodi Zarakol

Mohsen Boctor

Safora Khoylou

Nicholas Patterson

Katherine Semkiw

Fan Zhang

Krysia Bussiere

Peter Kitchen

Alba Paz Rios

Kate Slotek

Shaowei Cheng

Amie Lee

Lucy Peng

Nooshin Talebiani

Boian Dabov

Mark Longo

Mariangela Piccione

Sean Truckel

Taylor Davey

Jie Lu

Robin Proctor

Maggie Wang

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