The Heavy Mechanical Trades Training Facility by the office of mcfarlane biggar architects + designers (omb) is the newest addition to the College of New Caledonia?s main campus in Prince George, BC.
Photo credit: Andrew Latreille Photography
Photo credit: Andrew Latreille Photography
The LEED Gold educational building supports the college?s mission to provide access to lifelong learning for the communities throughout the region.
In response to the region?s rugged natural landscapes and resources, the project addresses the need for high-quality heavy mechanical trades training and the development of expertise to service this equipment.
The $18 million building includes state-of-the-art educational training workshops, engine testing labs, tool and heavy equipment training aid storage, and computer training spaces. Student safety, low building maintenance, high-durability, and the acknowledgement that the college is principally a winter campus, were additional paramount aspects of the brief. Photo credit: Andrew Latreille Photography
Photo credit: Andrew Latreille Photography
The Heavy Mechanical Trades Training Facility was governed by strict schedule constraints that compressed design, documentation, and bidding to six months and limited construction to twelve.
With modesty and authenticity of vernacular industrial typologies rooted in the design approach, the architectural team translated this concept into five key design elements: enclosure, light, wood, masonry, and sust...