Red Deer College Student Residence

The 60,000-sq.ft. Red Deer College Student Residence was designed and completed to meet the needs of athletes participating in the 2019 Canada Winter Games; the wooden structure was opened to students for the winter 2019 semester. The college envisioned a building that could provide students with both shelter and fun, rather than having them take every opportunity to leave the premises. This student residence also functions as a hotel, providing accommodation for short- and longterm stay of students, faculty and external users.

A key driver in the design process was the college’s belief that isolation and lack of community support for students can have a negative impact on their mental, physical and emotional well-being. To that end, the design team proposed a hybrid between a student residence and a set of seven distinct public gathering spaces scattered around the perimeter of all five stories of the building. The team focused on supporting the mental health of students, increasing the conventional amount of space by a factor of 10.

To create opportunities for more natural light, air volume and interaction between students, the design team eliminated the need for double-loaded corridors and negotiated the size of the standard student unit with the college. This new design thinking dramatically increased the quality of inner life of the building by creating a meaningful relationship between the building and the surrounding landscape, while maintaining the budget and overall square footage of the project. In fact, the seven gathering spaces are simply “pauses” in the system of student units.

Helping the design team achieve its well-being goals is a hybrid structure composed of GLT posts and lintels, GLT floor panels, dimensional lumber and a steel skeleton supporting the GLT transfer slab. A 153 kW photovoltaic array is integrated into three sides of the facade, offsetting 40 percent of energy demand. Although the Red Deer College Student Residence did not have a mandate to meet any green building certification, it was designed to a LEED Gold standard. With its R35 walls, R45 roof, R7 windows and Passive House Certified fiberglass curtain wall, the structure exceeds NECB requirements.

The building also maximizes solar heat gain in the winter and features low-VOC materials, 100 percent LED lighting and a reduced parking stall count. The interior atmosphere is enhanced by operable windows for natural ventilation, indoor plants, ample daylight and well-framed views. Special attention was given to encourage walking and minimize use of the elevator, promoting interaction and a sense of community.