Breaking ground

The site for the new academic building with Howe Hall in the background. (Bruce Bottomley photo)

Three down. One to go up.

The old Faculty of Management Building, the former church annex and "Banner Manor"—all at Coburg and LeMarchant—are now dismantled to make room for a new academic building.

“It was difficult work to take the five-storey tower building down,” says Jeff Lamb, assistant vice-president, Facilities Management. “We would like to thank everyone who was affected – both those who live and work nearby – for their patience during the demolition. It’s always dusty and noisy and taking down a five-storey building isn’t a simple task.”

The dismantling was done in an environmentally responsible way, which takes longer than blowing something up (not allowed by law on the Halifax peninsula) or smashing everything with a wrecking ball. Everything that can be reused is recycled, including old bricks and the steel from the girders that formed the old building’s skeleton.

Now, the empty piece of land will be transformed into the site for a new $33-million building that was approved June 24 by Dalhousie’s Board of Governors. Excavation for the four-storey new academic building is scheduled to begin at the end of this month. Target date is July 28.

The building will have a partial “green” roof on top of the classroom section, a cistern to collect water to flush toilets, solar panels and solar walls, bike racks, lockers and even showers for building occupants who wish to run or bicycle to work.

The building is designed by Halifax architectural firm Fowler, Bauld and Mitchell Ltd., with the hope of having it certified a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building. LEED is a rating system with points earned for aspects of a building that are environmentally friendly.)

But before everyone sees “green” they will hear drilling.

“I know no one looks forward to construction dust and noise, drilling through bedrock is noisy, but the excavation work should be over by mid-September,” says Mr. Lamb, adding that “ the new building will be such a wonderful addition and replaces buildings that had significant outstanding maintenance problems. They no longer adequately met the university’s program and technology needs.” Once the site is ready, the building will start to rise and the tenants should move in by mid-2010.

Tenants will be the College of Continuing Education (moving from City Centre Atlantic on Spring Garden Road), the School of Social Work, the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) and research lab space for the Faculty of Computer Science. OTN is headquartered at Dalhousie. It’s conducting the world’s most comprehensive examination of marine life and ocean conditions, and how they’re changing as the planet warms.

The building is one of two Dalhousie projects with a 2008 construction start. The other project, the Life Sciences Research Institute (LSRI), will be constructed on the Carleton Campus, beside the Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building.

Artist's rendering of the new academic building at Coburg Road and LeMarchant Street.