View from parking lot of front elevation of two storey building with illuminated glazed facade

King Township New Municipal Administration Centre

King Township has outgrown its existing facility and has purchased a surplus school from the local school board for repurposing into an Administration Centre.

In Spring of 2016 the Township of King retained +VG Architects to undertake the design and Construction of their new Municipal Administration Centre. The scope of this project was based on the Strategic Space Needs Assessment, also completed by +VG in 2015.

As part of this project, three options were developed at the concept design stage which included existing Building Condition Assessment and comparison costing for each option. The result of this high level investigation was a fundamental decision to proceed with a new administration building on the school site.

The building design incorporates many green initiatives like geothermal mechanical systems and enhanced sustainable site strategies, and is anticipated to meet either LEED Silver or Gold level certification.

LOCATION

King City, Ontario

COMPLETED

2019

SIZE

46,300 ft²

SERVICES

New Construction

PHOTOGRAPHY

David Whittaker

AWARDS

2020 Institutional Wood Design Award
Canadian Wood Council

PRESS

Ontario recognizes excellence in wood architecture
Construction Canada

Awards honour wood construction across Ontario
Canadian Consulting Engineer

City officials break ground on Kingston East Community Centre
The Whig

True to Form: Greening of King Township Municipal Centre symbolic of sustainable push by +VG Architects
Green Building + Architecture Magazine

Municipal centre pays homage to King Township’s natural heritage
Daily Commercial News


Glazed double height front entrance with wood rafter cantilever roof and landscaped exterior courtyard

New Tecumseth Municipal Offices

The Town of New Tecumseth continues to expand, placing pressure on the existing Town offices which were built in the 1960’s and no longer support staff and services to the Community.

In 2018, +VG was commissioned to design a new Municipal Administration facility on the site of a surplus elementary school in the centre of Alliston. The design repurposes the core structure of the school building while providing new state of the art, energy efficient mechanical and electrical IT systems. The existing gymnasium has been repurposed to accommodate the Council Chamber with a new glassy addition to create a public lobby and gathering space.

The project successfully creates a new Civic precinct in the Town connecting Alliston’s existing curling rink and cenotaph to the north, with the new Administration Centre site and recreational sports fields to the south. A key aspect to the overall design was to ensure the new facility was equally a space for public gathering and events as well as a centre for providing administrative services and governance to the community.

LOCATION

Alliston, Ontario

COMPLETED

2023

SIZE

44,350 ft²

SERVICES

Retrofit of Alliston Public School

CATEGORY

Institutional


Glazed double height front entrance with walkway and parking lot with trees, grass and rocks in foreground and blue sky

Milton Hydro Utility Operations Centre

Completed in 2016, this Operations Centre project involved conversion of a former manufacturing facility into new office headquarters for Milton Hydro Distribution. The headquarters consolidated Utilities staff from multiple locations.

The functionality of the building was designed with employees in mind. +VG provided contemporary office design including flexible office spaces and furnishings that provide employees with a safe, healthy and fully accessible environment. Program space included specialized offices, as well as a 59,000 ft² warehouse/garage (which can also be used as a post-disaster facility) and HazMat storage.

Designed with future expansion in mind, the new offices are technologically smart and include innovative energy management and LEED design principles. The new facility is eco-friendly with a low operating cost.

+VG was responsible for planning, design and implementation, as well as FF&E management. The project involved collaborative design leadership as well as presentations to Council, senior management and staff. +VG interfaced with Project Management, and Authorities Having Jurisdiction (including securing all municipal and regional permits). The project was completed using Fast-Track scheduling without disrupting ongoing office functions.

LOCATION

Milton, Ontario

CLIENT

Milton Hydro Distribution

COMPLETED

2016

SIZE

59,000 ft²

SERVICES

Renovation

CATEGORY

Institutional


Elevation of glazed three storey building at dawn with blue sky and green grass

Grey County Administration Centre

Grey County had identified the need to review its facility requirements as a result of growth needs of the community, a desire to create consistency in space, and to develop a team that promotes better working environments and more effective community service.

The County engaged +VG Architects to provide a documented, definitive Space and Programme Analysis and Master Planning for the Administration Centre and the adjacent POA Courts building. A clear space needs programme for growth was developed with the detailed input of County stakeholders and staff, based on County criteria:

  • Space Planning and Functional Plan
  • High Level Functional Design and Programming
  • Flexibility through good design for the future
  • Layouts of furnishing for spaces designed and integrated to allow for optional functionality, privacy and security
  • Smart Workspace Design / Collaborative Workspaces
  • High quality and healthy atmospheric environment / enhanced daylighting and air circulation
  • Easily expandable without disturbing the existing operation
  • Implementation of Advanced Technologies
  • Sustainable Design / low operation and maintenance costs through the use of quality materials and systems

The Study culminated in a Master Plan for development of the site and its buildings. Strategies were examined, for making existing space more functional, improve circulation and visibility, and to make the buildings more attractive and community friendly. The Report gave Council confidence to proceed to implementation. +VG Architects were hired to implement the plan and construction is now complete.

LOCATION

Owen Sound, Ontario

CLIENT

County of Grey

COMPLETED

2016

SIZE

50,000 ft²

SERVICES

Renovation

CATEGORY

Institutional

PHOTOGRAPHY

Mario Madau


View from parking lot of illuminated two storey building with lamp posts and Canadian flag at dusk

Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board Education Centre

Hamilton-Wentworth DSB is consolidating all facilities that deliver non-instructional programs and services to a New Education Centre.

The Board currently has its departments and services spread throughout four facilities with its main office downtown and other programs like warehouse/workshop, computer services and other administrative staff spread throughout three schools. Two major benefits to this consolidation are overall area reduction and operational efficiency.

+VG assisted the Board in an extensive evaluation of a number of potential sites for the New Education Centre. We professionally assessed 18 sites. The objective was to identify viable sites available for purchase that did not have limitations that compromised program needs.

+VG worked closely with Board personnel to confirm the number of departments/services, support spaces, population of staff per department, types and number of workstations, and offices. Common areas and outdoor areas such as parking, loading, and open space were defined.

+VG gained a clear understanding of direct and indirect relationships (adjacencies) of department to department, public areas, staff areas, meeting areas, storage areas, etc.. General concepts of open office areas vs. private office areas, multi-functional spaces, multi-use meeting areas, consolidated storage areas, views, and natural light were determined.

+VG met directly with all Board User Groups and retrieved very specific information with respect to the inner workings of each department. An understanding of inter-relationship requirements produced efficient and effective building and operations planning for the new Centre.

Cost estimates were prepared by the Board’s Cost Consultant, based on detailed functional program/space program and block schematic design building plans prepared by +VG. Concept site plans were also prepared by +VG. The design phase is currently underway, on schedule.

LOCATION

Hamilton, Ontario

CLIENT

Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board

COMPLETED

2015

SIZE

115,700 ft²

SERVICES

New Construction

CATEGORY

Institutional

PHOTOGRAPHY

Mario Madau


View of illuminated front entrance and building from open courtyard at night

Hamilton City Hall

Hamilton City Hall was designed in the modernist International Style by Canada’s first municipally-employed architect, Stanley M. Roscoe.

Constructed in 1960, it has become one of the few intact examples of this style of architecture in Canada, and exemplifies a progressive movement away from the Victorian historicism of Hamilton at the time. Attributes of the International Style found in the design include: massing and geometry, open interior plan, structural grid system and the use of curtain wall, flat roofs, finishing materials of steel, concrete and marble, and the integration of art (as opposed to ornamentation) into the design.

The 2010 heritage rehabilitation of this modernist International Style building included:

  • Relocation of services to the main floor to provide greater ease of access for the public
  • Improvements to the building’s energy performance by insulating exterior walls, and installation of high efficiency mechanical systems
  • Upgrades to meet current OBC requirements including barrier free accessibility
  • Replacement of major building services and integration of contemporary technology

Challenges of the Heritage Conservation Plan:

  • Integration of new building systems while respecting the heritage building fabric
  • Replacement of exterior marble cladding with more durable cladding due to life safety and structural stability concerns caused by deterioration of the original marble in the southern Ontario climate
  • Protection and restoration of Italian glass mosaic tile used extensively on exterior soffits, spandrel panels, and fascia, and interior walls and ceilings
  • Protection and restoration of terrazzo flooring, interior wood paneling and doors, luminescent stone panels, marble interior paneling, aluminum handrails and guards, and curtain wall
  • Conservation of interior art murals including cleaning, protection and relocation of one mural
  • Rehabilitation of the Council Chambers with dome skylight

LOCATION

Hamilton, Ontario

COMPLETED

2010

SIZE

180,000 ft²

SERVICES

Heritage Consulting Services for Rehabilitation

CATEGORIES

Heritage
Institutional

AWARDS

2012 Toby Award (Office Building of the Year Award, Corporate Facility)
Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA Toronto)

2011 Award of Merit (Restoration)
City of Hamilton Public Works Department


Steps leading to new double height front entrance lobby with cantilever steel trellis roof

Milton Town Hall

This unique design achieves an exciting and graceful balance of heritage and modern architecture.

The new two-storey addition is connected by a glass link to the existing historic Town Hall. Creating a visual separation between the link and the new addition is a stone wall that rises five feet higher than the rest of the building.

Central to this theme is the enhancement and formalization of the existing arrival to the building, through a transparent, transitional glass gateway. The structure of the Atrium is located in the current entrance to the historic building, as a significant expression of its activities and interests of its users. The gateway naturally flows out onto the public courtyard to form an invisible transition.

Throughout the planning, design, and construction process, +VG Architects worked closely with staff, stakeholders, and the community, by leading a process based upon meaningful consultation.

The interior allows for flexibility in planning and future change. The design incorporates a healthy workplace, through generous spaces, inviting materials, natural light, and natural ventilation brought together in an imaginative and creative manner.

Generous windows, skylights, atrium spaces, and stairs offer staff and visitors access to daylight and views, thus creating welcoming environments with a friendly, non-institutional feeling.

CLIENT

Town of Milton

COMPLETED

2009

SIZE

50,000 ft²

SERVICES

Expansion

AWARDS

2010 Public Works Project of the Year
Ontario Public Works Association


Halton Provincial Offenses Office

As the winner of a design-build competition, +VG Architects designed a POA Courthouse for the City of Burlington that was reflective of the landscape of Halton Region.

The north portion of the building is made of limestone to represent the escarpment to the north, and the south glass portion is meant to represent Lake Ontario south of the city. The landscape is further reflected within the use of repurposed telephone poles around the glass portion of the building.

While effectively giving the building an institutional feel, they are also reminiscent of the forestry of the region before urbanization and agriculture developed. The glass is highly reflective in hopes that it will almost double the look of the poles, to reinforce the environmental aspects of the region within the design. Deliverables included:

  • Landscaping that was also in connection to the agrarian path. It is meant to look somewhat like an orchard or farm field, with linear organization and spatial definition. The natural environment is echoed in the design through the selection of landscape materials; tree species were selected to reflect the Carolinian typology of the region.
  • Enhancements to courthouse functionality and barrier-free accessibility. Among these enhancements were the size and configuration of washrooms and holding cells for barrier-free accessibility. We included a barrier-free courthouse on the ground floor level along with a related barrier-free retiring room for a Justice of the Peace.
  • The glass section, facing south, contains all the staff office areas and justice retiring rooms. The people working in these areas benefit from the abundance of natural light provided by the glass wall. The stone section, facing north, contains the police and security functions of the Courthouse as well as access to the Justice of the Peace secure parking garage, the Sally Port and incoming service rooms.
  • Products and materials chosen were low maintenance and provide long-term durability. As an example, we chose to use a porcelain ceramic tile throughout the public lobby and washroom areas for these reasons. The colour scheme we chose is primarily natural, neutral colours warmed with traditional colour accents, intended to emphasize the calm and dignified proceedings that characterize the courthouse functions.

LOCATION

Burlington, Ontario

COMPLETED

2019

SIZE

34,000 ft²

SERVICES

New Construction

CATEGORY

Institutional

PHOTOGRAPHY

David Lasker