CANA performed much of the concrete work. The building contains about 15,600 cubic meters of concrete.

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An experienced team from CANA Ltd. worked diligently to provide SMART Technologies with a first-class facility, which will house its world headquarters in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

This 200,000-square-foot building, located in Calgary’s University Research Park, was designed and constructed to meet LEED gold standards. “We came up with numerous cost-savings proposals throughout the project and worked with our subcontractors to make sure the alternatives were the most economical,” Construction Manager Bob Kwas says.

Kwas worked with an on-site management team that included project manager Dean Slater Consulting, GEC Architecture, structural engineer HMS Engineering, mechanical engineer Hemisphere Engineering, electrical engineer A.D. Williams Engineering, LEED consultants Foraytech Inc. and site work engineer MMM Engineering. The team kept construction of the facility on pace to meet its phased turnover.

Designed by Graham Edmunds Cartier Architects, the state-of-the-art facility houses all of the company’s non-assembly operations for its interactive whiteboards. The building has been designed to allow for future growth based on demand for SMART products and will house up to 900 staff when fully occupied. It also incorporates many green elements and is LEED gold certified, including for design considerations for sustainable site development, water savings, energy-efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

The elevators use less than 20 percent of the energy of regular elevators, and high-efficiency boilers with heat recovery from exhaust air increase efficiency. The project also earned points based on its proximity to Calgary’s light rail transit. Throughout construction, waste materials were separated, with more than 90 percent being recycled or diverted from landfill, Kwas says. Also, many of the materials used in the building have a substantial amount of recycled components.

Phased Approach
CANA sequenced construction to meet the phased occupancy demand from the owner. Because the property is located on a greenfield site in the research park, adjacent to another vacant lot, CANA had no difficulty mobilizing for the job. CANA and its excavating contractor mobilized on-site in late October 2006 to complete the 14-meter deep excavation, followed by the start of the foundations in December 2006. The contractors’ next order of business was constructing a five-level, below-grade concrete parkade, followed by the mainframe of the building.

The building will have three separate wings – the west wing is two stories high, the central wing is four stories high and the east wing is five stories high – to capture maximum natural light for all working areas. All employees will operate in open work spaces to ensure a highly collaborative work environment. Each wing connects to the core that houses the dining area, elevators and connecting corridors. Other building features include development and prototyping labs, a parkade, a bicycle parkade, a staff wellness center and a daycare center.

CANA hired more than 30 local subcontractors to assist with the project, but self-performed the majority of the concrete work, which totaled about 15,600 cubic meters. The last concrete pour was completed on July 30, 2008. Toward the end of the construction schedule, it hired an additional concrete subcontractor to help complete the concrete pours to meet its deadline.

One of the more unique features of the building was an 18-inch raised access floor, which houses mechanical, power and data systems. The raised floor allows SMART Technologies to easily reconfigure its office layout when it chooses, is easier to construct and install the ductwork and provides a higher level of air quality by using displacement ventilation as the fresh air flows past the occupants. “It’s really flexible for modifying the layout of the offices,” Kwas notes.

Additionally, the raised floor system ultimately reduces fan energy and chiller capacity because of the higher supply air temperatures and reduced supply air volumes. It also allows for an open concept ceiling and is quieter than traditional overhead systems.

To assist with the mechanical and electrical intricacies, CANA hired Custom Electric Limited and Botting & Associates to serve as the electrical and mechanical project managers, respectively.

Additionally, the triple-glazed curtainwall exterior – which also features zinc paneling, precast concrete panels, corrugated metals and aluminum – created a very strong building envelope. “You might think that all of these materials might not go together, but it’s really a nice-looking building,” Kwas says.

Making its Move
Phased occupancy began as early as December 2008. “The owner wanted a phased occupancy, so we worked around their schedule in terms of how they wanted to move the staff in,” Kwas says. “There was a combination of unfinished space and occupied space in all three wings.” To maintain a safe working environment, CANA coordinated with the city of Calgary building inspector and fire department to make sure all proper life safety measures were in place.

According to Kwas, SMART Technologies relocated about 100 people to the new office every couple of weeks from December 2008 to February 2009. CANA was substantially complete with the building by February, but is still reviewing the operating performance of some of the HVAC systems.

According to SMART Technologies, despite the economic climate, it continues to hire to meet the needs of its expanding worldwide customer base and expects to add more than 100 full-time employees to its Calgary operations and an additional 100 in other offices across North America and around the world this year. The company estimated that the 2010 fiscal year is expected to produce growing revenues. The company is most widely known for the SMART Board interactive whiteboard.