Fathom Five National Park Visitor Centre
Public building a model of self-sufficiency
The south elevation, with its lower roofline, draws the visitor in and houses the non-public offices and meeting room. The large dormer captures natural light.
by Andrew Frontini .Tobermory lies at the northern tip of Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula, a unique geological formation that separates Lake Huron from Georgian Bay. Home to both the Bruce Peninsula National Park and the Fathom Five National Marine Park, the peninsula is also the starting point of the 800km Bruce trail that follows the Niagara escarpment to Niagara Falls.
Due to Parks Canada’s own strict environmental regulations, building the new visitor centre near any of the dramatic coastline was not an option and instead the building occupies a rocky and densely wooded site a five minute walk along the Bruce trail from Tobermory Harbour.
The site development has a parking lot, picnic shelter and observation tower as well as the 1500 sq.m visitor centre that includes a public lobby, gift shop, theatre, exhibition space and administrative offices.
The roofline defines the form of the building, rising from south to north before dropping dramatically to form a cliff-like north facade - an abstraction of the limestone escarpment upon which the building stands. Landscape and building combine to support the exhibition program, which provides an overview of the park’s natural and cultural history as well as showcasing the building and its sustainable design strategies as examples of environmental stewardship.
To get the most from the project budget and to maximize energy efficiency, the plan is compactly organized under the single slope with the exhibits and theatre taking advantage of the high interior volumes created by the rising roofline and descending grade. The administrative offices and public washrooms are to the south beneath the low end of the roof. The main roofline is broken by the sloped volume of the entrance that serves to draw the visitor into the heart of the interpretive experience.
The building is designed to be seen from the 24m high viewing tower, and so its computer automated ventilation system, photovoltaics and solar hot water array (which together meet 85% of the building’s hot water needs) are all composed as part of a dramatic roofscape. Also visible from the tower is the building’s on site peat bio-filter sewage treatment system. This along with a well and ultra-violet water treatment plant was necessitated by the difficulty of bringing services to the remote and rocky site.
Other elements of the projects sustainable design in self-sufficiency are the use of air-source heat pumps and the reduction of electrical load through daylight harvesting and motion sensors. The building materials were selected carefully and include both reclaimed timber decking from a local 19th century mill and local Bruce Peninsula limestone.
A south-facing porch and a forecourt off the main entry create suntrap microclimates sheltered from prevailing north winds. These help to mitigate winter heat loss from glazed areas such as the offices and lobby. Curtain wall glazing utilizes heat mirror technology with a Mylar interlayer that provides an R6 thermal performance and greatly reduced solar heat gain without compromising the transmission of natural light.
A modular heating and cooling system with zoned thermostats and controls is integrated with these architectural microclimates. This allows spaces that are benefiting from natural heat gain to be mechanically isolated to lower the overall heating volume.
Continuous rows of motorized awning windows are located at the low and high points of the lobby and exhibition hall, as well as an intermediate set of dormer windows that collect the prevailing breezes. The operation of these vents is tied into the building thermostat and a central digital control system that automatically shifts the building between the modes of natural ventilation, air conditioning and heating.
The building expresses its self-sufficiency in its water supply and sewage disposal. A 300-foot deep well collects water from the striated bedrock. Water is stored in a cistern beneath the building which also serves as a fire fighting reservoir and is treated through UV lamp technology.
The peat bio-filter on-site sewage disposal uses peat filter technology to purify liquid waste to a refined state with an effluent that meets Park’s Canada’s stringent standards for this sensitive ecosystem.
Credits
- Architect: Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners, Toronto
- Structural Engineer: Halcrow Yolles, Toronto
- Mechanical and Electrical Engineer: Crossey Engineering, Toronto
- Energy Consultant: Enermodel Engineering, Kitchener
- General Contractor: Allen-Hastings Ltd., Chesley, ON
- Photos: Ben Rahn/ A-Frame Inc., Toronto
Materials
- Structure: SPF glulam post and beam structure, timber purlins, supporting cedar tongue and groove decking, insulation and metal roofing; R40 roof and R30 walls.
- Exterior: Siding metal, factory-finished wood, and western cedar finished with Ecostain, a clear water based sealer and preservative; curtain wall glazing utilizes heat mirror technology with mylar interlayer.
- Systems: Hallet UV Lamp - UV water purification, Eco Flow - peat bio filtration, Lennox - air handling/heat pumps, Solcan - photovoltaics.