Merritt distinction: within an area of previously untouched forest in British Columbia, a new technical institute seeks to merge aboriginal heritage and modern day sustainability.Situated in a forest clearing on the northern side of the city of Merritt in BC, the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology Nicola Valley Institute of Technology is an aboriginal run, private institute in Merritt, British Columbia, that was started in 1983. External link
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As the first phase of a concentric masterplan--which is oriented on the cardinal points cardinal points Noun, pl the four main points of the compass: north, south, east, and west and centred on a ceremonial arbour--three levels of accommodation emerge from the gently sloping south-facing site to form a graceful terraced arc. While all levels are accessible at grade, the main entrance is via an easterly hall that forms the heart of the institute; a gently tapering Tapering Gradually reducing the amount of a drug when stopping it abruptly would cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Mentioned in: Narcotics tapering, n triple-height space that reinterprets the traditions of the tepee tepee or tipi (both: tē`pē), typical dwelling of Native North Americans living on the Great Plains. It was usually made by arranging tent poles into a conical frame and spreading skins, usually buffalo hide, tightly over with its centralized cen·tral·ize v. cen·tral·ized, cen·tral·iz·ing, cen·tral·iz·es v.tr. 1. To draw into or toward a center; consolidate. 2. fireplace and glazed lantern. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] From this central point of orientation, students and teachers can descend to the basement laboratory suite (contained within a recessed masonry plinth to the south), proceed through to the library, bookstore, cafeteria, and reception spaces on the ground floor, or rise to the set back upper level which contains the principal teaching and faculty office spaces. Recognized by natives as a precious resource, timber has been used relatively sparingly throughout. However, despite this restraint, the nature of wood dominates the character of the spaces both inside and out, with yellow cedar rain-screen cladding and acoustic panelling, and over 250 laminated and faceted douglas fir Douglas fir: see pine. Douglas fir Any of about six species of coniferous evergreen timber trees (see conifer) that make up the genus Pseudotsuga, in the pine family, native to western North America and eastern Asia. columns. Capped and delicately supported with steel castings, columns rise up to 36 feet (11m) in resonance with the site's forest setting. Elsewhere concrete soffits and glazed screens complete the building's muted palette, and support the environmental aspirations by increasing thermal mass Thermal mass, in the most general sense, is any mass that absorbs and holds heat. In the architectural sense, it is any mass that absorbs and stores heat during sunny periods when the heat is not desirable in the living space of a building, and then releases the heat during , transparency, and daylight penetration. Designed to perform 35 per cent below ASHRAE ASHRAE American Society of Heating, Refrigerating & Air Conditioning Engineers (American Society of Heating Refrigerating re·frig·er·ate tr.v. re·frig·er·at·ed, re·frig·er·at·ing, re·frig·er·ates 1. To cool or chill (a substance). 2. To preserve (food) by chilling. and Air-conditioning Engineers) standards for energy efficiency, the mass of the structure and performance of the envelope are augmented by fully integrated passive ventilation and day lighting strategies with the glazed lantern drawing light and air to the core of the plan, and operable operable /op·er·a·ble/ (op´er-ah-b'l) subject to being operated upon with a reasonable degree of safety; appropriate for surgical removal. op·er·a·ble adj. windows throughout (all achieved within the tight budget of C$1280 / [m.sup.2]). The ecological impact on the site was also a significant consideration, with minimal cut and fill, the provision of carefully integrated storm water retention areas, and the replanting of all disrupted areas with native species. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Despite its relatively large scale (being over 120m in length), this new institutional building sits respectfully within its context with an appropriately monumental discretion. Built into the ground, with a planted roof and centralized wind chimney, it also successfully combines and subtly reinterprets the traditions of the pit-house and the tepee--two of the regions most enduring architectural typologies. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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