McMaster University - Student Centre Building

Photos: ( from top): Sports Bar, Food Court Atrium, Building Exterior

The new multi-use building for the university student union facilities comprises the following components:

• New building connecting to two existing university buildings totalling 150,000 square feet housing new student services and associated offices, full food court, servery and kitchen/banquet facilities, games room, bar and restaurant, meeting/seminar rooms, and lounges with atriums.
• Special construction features include dual purpose reinforced concrete caissons to act as retaining walls to support adjacent existing buildings and new building foundations, three types of concrete floor systems, and domed steel roof structure.
• Mechanical and Electrical engineering featured Atrium window sprinkler system, emergency power for make-up air handler, kitchen exhaust, building hot water heating system, BAS controls and electronic washroom fixtures for the building to function as an area of refuge for the campus, perimeter radiant ceiling panel heating, harmonic reduction transformers on electrical system and audible/visual annunciation on addressable fire alarm system.
• New systems include a precast concrete service tunnel tied into the existing campus tunnel network for chilled water, steam, city water, compressed air, natural gas, electrical main and emergency power, DDC central network, and data and communications infrastructure.
• New hybrid variable volume air handlers utilizing dedicated air handlers and duct distribution for cooling and ventilation air combined at the room level with electronic dual duct VAV boxes for individual room demand-based outside air supply and temperature control to spaces.
• Chilled water-to-glycol heat exchangers for winter free cooling of campus chilled water system, DDC controls and special lighting system/controls tailored for optimum levels per area use for the building environmental conditions.