PCL Agile Shipping Container Site Office
Additional Info
Award Winner : PCL Agile
Architectural Excellence : Purpose-built by PCL Agile for a PCL project team working on a greenfield hospital site, the building needed to function as a collaborative and modern site office that could be repurposed following the project’s completion. To minimize rework for future reuse, the design philosophy centred on minimizing the amount of design modules, while enhancing repetition for flexibility of use. Another key design element involved creating two spines down the length of the building which creates efficient flow and a clear view from one end to the other. At 8,960 square feet, the complex features 28 modules with individual dimensions of 8’x40’x9’, with space for 4 meeting rooms, 27 private offices, 4 washrooms, a kitchen and 5 collaborative working spaces. The interior is invitingly spacious and bright, with the majority of wall surfaces featuring white board functionality. With a unique look and color palette based on PCL’s pantone shades, the building stands out from other on-site trailers.
Cost Energy Effectiveness : To create its own cost-effective site office solution, PCL worked collaboratively with WZMH and Steenhof on the design and constructability plan to maximize use of repetitive elements to reduce costs and enhance efficiency, without compromising schedule, quality or safety. Including the repurposed shipping containers, the primary structural material of the site office is steel. The average weight of each module is approximately 12,000lbs. The roof frame was built on the shop floor and hoisted and fastened. For ease of relocatability, structural steel corner casts were added to the top of the modules to enable them to be stacked, without causing damage to the roof structure. While the site office will be utilized for approximately 3 years during its current use, the complex has a life expectancy of 20-25 years, enabling the office to be re-used for future project site offices, including a design that permits 4 modules to be reconfigured to make a smaller site office.
Design Firm Name : WZMH Architects
Engineering Firm Name : Steenhof Building Services Group
Green Building Description : The perimeter walls of the shipping containers, each approximately eight to ten years old, were spray foamed to bond with the steel structure, eliminate condensation risk and allow good thermal comfort within the complex. Large windows run along the length of the perimeter, and accompanied by large interior glazing sections and light-colored walls, natural light permeates into the middle of the building. All equipment has a high efficiency rating, all light fixtures are LED, and 6 supply and exhaust fans provide the office with good indoor air quality. Manufacturing in the factory environment ensured the complex was built with a high degree of accuracy, with tight joints that enhance insulation and minimize air infiltration. DfMA also supports carbon offset and eliminates a significant amount of waste through lower embodied energy throughout the lifecycle of the project. Any extra materials were also recycled, which minimized the amount of waste going to landfill.
Installer Firm Name : PCL Agile
Occupied Date : 9/8/2017
Owner Firm Name : PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (Toronto)
Production Start Date : 5/14/2017
Project Location City : Etobicoke
Project Location State Name : Ontario
Technical Innovation : The challenge of this project was to create a well-planned and highly collaborative, sustainable and efficient office space at a low cost to compete with the existing standard of wood structure trailer complexes. The project’s schedule was very aggressive, with a timeline of approximately five months from concept to completion. Upon procuring the shipping containers, sections were cut and reinforced with additional steel support. A roof was added to prolong the building’s life. Four different module types were repeated to create the complete site complex, an efficient strategy from both a design and construction perspective, which enables PCL to take the complex apart and put it back together like LEGO in different patterns on one or multiple sites, a solution that enables the provision of small, medium and large office complexes. With space becoming more of a high commodity in urban areas, the design-build team also developed a conceptual plan for consideration of future vertical use.
Total Square Feet : 8960