Surrey Arts Centre
The biggest design challenge proved to be completing the project while the existing facility remained fully operational.
The Surrey Arts Centre represents the heart of the arts and spans over
55,000 ft 2. Visitors can explore the arts in their community, both the visual and performing arts. The building features an atrium-style main entrance, an attractive lobby area, a theatre, and visual arts classrooms. The outdoor facilities include an outdoor courtyard, spectacular gardens, a children’s water playground, picnic areas, and a reflecting pool.
Cobalt performed mechanical design services for this renovation and addition project, which features a Class A art gallery. One of the most significant design challenges included a fully operational Centre during the new construction and addition renovations. This created challenges involving programming and scheduling in addition to indoor environmental quality concerns for staff and visitors.
Other challenges included the integration of new mechanical systems with the existing mechanical systems. A thorough investigation was conducted into the existing systems as there were no record drawings available. The mechanical goal was to ensure the entire building fit within its surrounding environment – Bear Creek Park.
High level collaboration across all design team members and careful planning contributed to successfully mitigating these concerns. The solutions involved liaising closely with on-site maintenance and facilities staff to cause the least amount of disruption possible. This project clearly demonstrates the possibilities achievable when coordinating all active stakeholders to discover workable solutions and being proactive in identifying and communicating potential design challenges.
- Other Civic & Cultural Projects
- City of Richmond Hamilton Fire Hall #5
- Cranbrook Airport
- Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre
- Semiahmoo Public Library & RCMP Facility
