Our design creates a compact, efficient structure and landscape that will serve the Elkford community for 75+ years.  Two structures, a Municipal Office building and a “Warming Hut”, are flanked by two outdoor spaces, a town plaza and a picnic area. All straddle the ridge above the playing field and have views out across the town to the mountains that define the town.

AN ELKFORD PROJECT: The town chose the project site “because of the opportunity to enhance a town centre plaza and take advantage of the proximity to the Community Conference Centre and existing community recreational amenities. A community toboggan hill and fire pit can be enhanced as well as the relocation of the Community Veteran’s Memorial through landscape design. The location also offers the opportunity to take advantage of natural lighting to enhance energy efficiency through solar design, and create a positive working atmosphere.” This statement drove both the siting of the building, along the ridge overlooking the existing playing field, and the landscape design, a series of outdoor rooms. The location of the new outdoor rooms, shielded from the surrounding residential neighbours, gives a new centre to Elkford.

THE “WARMING HUT”: Sitting between the two outdoor rooms is a structure we are calling the “Warming Hut.”  Since Elkford is a centre for wilderness adventure, a space intended to be the primary public outdoor venue for the town should include amenities for those exploring the outdoors. The hut, just up the hill from a trail that runs along Boivon Creek and across from the Conference Centre which houses the visitor’s centre, could be the jumping-off point for those heading out on a long hike, cross-country ski, or snowmobile ride.  Alternatively, it is the perfect place to finish your day, throw some food on the grille, catch up with neighbours, and warm up a bit. The large surface area of asphalt around the Recreation Centre, the Aquatics Centre and the Conference Centre, which is only utilised during events, could also serve as a parking area for snowmobilers and other outdoor adventurers.

BEAUTIFUL DURABILITY: Durability is always an essential aspect of JIM’s work. It is well known that projects in the north must survive harsh climates, but the high demands placed on structures through intensive use is equally important.  The benefit of durability is not just that it saves clients money in maintenance costs. Durability also means that the project will maintain its aesthetic and functional qualities.   

FLEXIBILITY: Flexibility is of primary importance. In the case of Elkford, as the coal markets change, the project will need to continue to meet the community’s needs. The ‘Warming Hut’ is an important venue to manage resource-based volatility. It provides a place in which the community gathers for meals, socializing, and participation in town life. Flexibility also played a role in the building design with three separate spaces that can be used in a variety of ways by the community.

The proposed design is for a 584 m2 (6,400 sf) new office building extending across a level area at the top of the community sledding hill. The building has a footprint running west to east of 43.58 m [143 ft] x 12.32 m [ 40.5 ft] with the council chamber projecting at a dimension of 6.11 m [20 ft] x 10.06 m [33 ft]. The building will be located as close to Fording St. as is permissible by the Elkford Zoning Bylaws.

THE PORCH: The main entry and lobby are located at the centre of the long bar directly across from the council chamber. To the east is the office area and to the west the service spaces and public washrooms. Secondary entrances occur on the east and west of the building. The primary entry is from a covered walkway or “porch” that faces the main parking area for the existing Conference Centre and 13 new parking spaces for the Municipal Office Building. A wood wall faces Fording Street and offers a surface for building signage without detracting from the urban landscape or adjacent residential community.

Coming from the “porch,” visitors and staff enter a large vestibule (fire alarm and generator panels in the closet to the east). A bench to the west provides the opportunity to remove wet winter gear before entering the building and a small coat closet just inside the building allows the occupants to drop off their outerwear before visiting the rest of the building.

COUNCIL CHAMBERS & LOBBY: The lobby and council chambers make up the public program and are the showcase spaces. The lobby is an extension of the open office space and will have a long bench on the west side with cafe style seating for the local community to use on visits. The reception area will reside on the east side of the lobby providing control for the office spaces.

Upon entering the building, visitors will immediately have a view towards the glass partition separating the Council Chamber from the Lobby, allowing clear identification of their likely destination. Unlike the majority of council chambers, the council chambers is immersed in the natural landscape of Elkford with views of the adjacent landscape and beyond to the mountains on three sides. A CLT panel provides a small but useful opaque backdrop for the council tables on both the east and west side while providing lateral resistance. Large curtains can fully enclose the space and provide additional insulation when the space is not in use. An accordion partition would allow the space to be divided to give the Municipal Office two smaller conference rooms for an additional cost.

A wood panel ceiling provides space for the flush mounting of light fixtures and other electrical devices, a projection screen, and the tracks for window curtains. The flooring of the lobby and the council chambers is porcelain tile.

THE OFFICES: The office wing is divided into two sections. One section is comprised of eight (8) enclosed offices on the north and east ends. On the south end is an open office area where we are showing the current location of the workstations, printing/copying area, secure file storage (rated enclosure) and the servery/kitchen. The open office area will have southern views towards the mountains and the Boivon Creek. The primary structure is made up of Cross -Laminated Timber panels that are exposed throughout the office area maintaining the same aesthetic qualities of the successful Conference Centre. The ceiling of the open office area will be exposed CLT panels with thin steel ties rods extending across the ceiling. The ceiling surface in that room will be up light to keep the surfaces brighter at night.

Framed partitions will be used in the enclosed offices to provide more flexibility for the interior arrangement of the building and will be finished with either wood panelling to match the CLT panels or gypsum wallboard. Single windows in the enclosed offices will provide ample daylight and planting on the north end of the building will provide privacy from the adjacent parking lot. In the enclosed offices the ceilings will be acoustic tile which will also be used for most of the service spaces. The floor in all the office spaces will be carpet tile which will improve the overall acoustics of the space with the hard CLT ceiling.

ACCOMMODATING THE SOLAR PANELS: Accommodating owner-supplied solar panels was a key criteria for the design. The roof of the structure is a simple gable roof with 1/2 of the roof area south facing at a 35º. The standing seam roof will be designed to accommodate a CS Clamp up to 3 pounds per sf. The flat roof over the Council Chambers provides access to the solar array for maintenance and snow removal.

SNOW & ICE MANAGEMENT: Although much of the building form and its orientation was driven by the energy performance of the building relative to the PV system and passive design strategies, snow management in the highest town in Canada is paramount. The shedding of all snow from the roofs is controlled so that it avoids pedestrians. All entrances into the building are either at the eaves of the building where ice or snow sliding is less likely or under the protection of an exterior canopy. In all areas of potential snow sliding, a large planting strip will keep pedestrians away from the snow slide hazard areas (see the landscape plan for snow slide hazard area extents). Snow guards and lines will prevent any sliding on the metal roof. Their layout will be engineered by the installer to make sure that they are located based on snow engineering principles. Snow management is also carefully considered in the detailing of the roof.