[Halifax] Nova Scotia Power HQ | ? fl | ? m | Completed

[W.Sobchak]

Nice Photos KPH, this shows what can be done with old industrial buildings... Now for the grain elevators...

[rajoclock]

Here's the link:
http://www.archdaily.com/317150/nova...mh-architects/

They've got some great photos, too (these are just some of them - there are more at the link):

[NS Power]

All,

We're pleased to say that the building - which we call 1H, after the active substation outside - has achieved LEED Platinum Certification. It's the first building in Atlantic Canada to do that. While we're pretty proud of this, we recognize value it has added to the community, local businesses and the city.

Construction started in 2009 and employees moved in late in 2011. Some of the unique features of the building include:

• Energy and water savings to the tune of approximately $650,000 a year
• Harbour heat pumps use water straight from the Halifax harbour for heating and cooling purposes.
• Chilled beams in the building decrease energy use and increase thermal comfort.
• Over 75% of occupied spaces have access to daylight, with occupancy and daylight sensors used throughout the building to reduce or eliminate unnecessary lighting.
• Rain water is collected and re-cycled for use in and around the building.
• As the starting point of Halifax’s boardwalk, the building provides a new access point to the harbour.
• The boardwalk level of the building houses a cafeteria open to members of the public.
• The Discovery Centre, Nova Scotia's hands-on science centre will be relocating to the building in the future.

For interest, here's a link to the media release announcing the certification. Below is a photo showing the transformation of the property from back when the building was a generating station (photo is from the 70s I believe) to today.

Thanks again for your interest in this project.

[MonctonRad]

Congratulations!

An excellent building!!

[someone123]

It is a nice building. The aerial on the right makes it clear however that it's not very well integrated into the surrounding neighbourhood. Hopefully we will see some development on those parking lots over the next few years.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by someone123

It is a nice building. The aerial on the right makes it clear however that it's not very well integrated into the surrounding neighbourhood. Hopefully we will see some development on those parking lots over the next few years.

It'd be nice to see some development that extends the feel of Bishop's Landing southward, to bridge that parking lot that divides it from the power station.

Of course, Bishop's Landing seems kind of self-contained and closed off on its west-facing side. So something that could also integrate the corner of Water and Morris, and provide a sort of visual/pedestrian corridor over to Hollis, would be awesome. (I would not shed tears if this meant the office building at the corner of Hollis and Terminal Road were to bite the dust.) There's so much buildable land around here, anyway.

[terrynorthend]

Beautiful building, quite neat. Kinda sterile though, don't ya think? One wonders if any work actually takes place in the building.

[fenwick16]

I think compared to most office buildings this building would be an interesting place to work. It's right next to the harbour, has lots of open space and natural light. I don't think that office workers could ask for much more.

[Hali87]

NSP fired up by building’s green award
March 21, 2013 - 6:40pm BY REMO ZACCAGNA BUSINESS REPORTER

Nova Scotia Power’s new corporate headquarters on the Halifax waterfront has been recognized for its energy-efficient features.

Earlier this month, the Canada Green Building Council officially designated the $53.4-million building with platinum certification from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

...

Once a tenant is found, the company will work with it on installing more green features, including the harbour heat pumps.

“We will look to extend that to whoever the tenant is in the other part of our building,” Currie said.

If the tenant is the Discovery Centre, as is being discussed, Currie said more visual energy-efficient apparatuses will likely be added.

Source

Hopefully the Discovery Centre will be able to capitalize on the opportunity to showcase progressive architecture and engineering in the building itself; it would be a good boost to what they already have. The south boardwalk could actually become a lot more coherent as well; eventually it will be HMCS Sackville/Maritime Museum - Discovery Centre - Market - NSCAD - Pier 21, with things like Summit Plaza and all of the international/historical monuments along the way. Sort of an "edutainment district", really all that would be missing is an aquarium.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Best glass we've seen in halifax?

[haligonia]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

Best glass we've seen in halifax?

I think so. The surrounding area needs some work, but the building on its own is stunning.

[alps]

One thing I just noticed in that before/after: the border between the present-day boardwalk and lawn appears to follow the alignment of the former rail tracks. I'm guessing the tracks were taken up and the boardwalk installed in their place, and then those smaller structures were demolished later. Neat, nearly indiscernible vestigial element to the project.

The building looks great, though I would echo the hope that it will be better integrated into the surrounding neighbourhood in the future. I hope the parking lot they upgraded across the street isn't going to stick around forever.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by terrynorthend

Beautiful building, quite neat. Kinda sterile though, don't ya think? One wonders if any work actually takes place in the building.

By sterile, you mean clean?

It doesn't look like a "creative" workplace, but it appears clean, bright and organized: totally appropriate for an office building. I don't think there is one type of workspace that is suitable for all types of work, I'd expect a law office to look different than the office for the Jazz Festival, or corporate headquarters for Google.

I'm just projecting, but the photographs of the interior lead me to believe I'd feel calmer and more organized working in a space like this.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by alps

One thing I just noticed in that before/after: the border between the present-day boardwalk and lawn appears to follow the alignment of the former rail tracks. I'm guessing the tracks were taken up and the boardwalk installed in their place, and then those smaller structures were demolished later. Neat, nearly indiscernible vestigial element to the project.

Great observation! I hadn't noticed that before...

As I look at the boardwalk extension to connect the northerly section and how the former location of the tracks to the south has been changed to pedestrian-friendly space, I realize that it's a great illustration on how former industrial land can be converted to a really nice public area for all to enjoy.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by terrynorthend

Beautiful building, quite neat. Kinda sterile though, don't ya think? One wonders if any work actually takes place in the building.

I dunno, looks like a very pleasant open space to me. I'd love to work in a building like that with all the glass looking out to the harbour and a really spacious feel overall. I'm left with the feeling that the air quality in this building must be really good... priceless from the perspective of somebody who has worked in buildings built in the sixties and seventies in the past!

Looking forward to visiting the cafeteria one of these days to check it out in person...

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

... Looking forward to visiting the cafeteria one of these days to check it out in person...

I read that there was a publicly accessible cafe/cafeteria. It's a shame that it's not more apparent from the outside. I guess it's publicly accessible, but not publicly welcoming.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

I read that there was a publicly accessible cafe/cafeteria. It's a shame that it's not more apparent from the outside. I guess it's publicly accessible, but not publicly welcoming.

I didn't know about it until I read NSPower's post above.

Haven't been down there in a while to know whether there's any kind of signage indicating a public-accessible cafeteria. Maybe they want to keep a low profile so as to keep its main focus as a cafeteria for their employees?

[coolmillion]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

I didn't know about it until I read NSPower's post above.

Haven't been down there in a while to know whether there's any kind of signage indicating a public-accessible cafeteria. Maybe they want to keep a low profile so as to keep its main focus as a cafeteria for their employees?

As great as the LEED platinum certification is and as nice as the design of the building turned out (especially the interior - pretty special), I think it's pretty bad that there isn't a better interface with the boardwalk. This speaks to the comments of others above about the lack of integration with the surrounding areas. It's almost as though the design was conceived independently of the context: just the building and parking, and bit of greenery (with one small door on the harbour side... I doubt anyone will venture in in search of the cafe).

It's smack dab in the middle of one of the nicest pedestrianized areas of the city, filled with tourists in the summer, locals on weekends for the market and special events like Jazz Fest, Tall Ships, etc. The designer/architect could have easily incorporated more friendly uses at boardwalk level without compromising the building as a whole.

Also, as you can see in the aerial photo of the new building, the stretch of Morris between the Vic and Lower Water doesn't have a proper sidewalk. The parking stall pavement just blends right in with the street. It was completely redone at the same time as the upper parking area I believe, but they kept the parking configuration and didn't install a sidewalk. I noticed this the other day while walking home from the market. It's one of the only stretches of downtown street I can think of that doesn't have a sidewalk. I'm curious if this is NSP land.

[ScovaNotian]

From what I recall, it is not so much the architect but the NSUARB that is to blame for the limited integration of the building with the boardwalk. Emera was prohibited from running more extensive gastronomical operations, wasn't it? They might not even be able to advertise what is there on the outside of the building.

[coolmillion]

Originally Posted by ScovaNotian

From what I recall, it is not so much the architect but the NSUARB that is to blame for the limited integration of the building with the boardwalk. Emera was prohibited from running more extensive gastronomical operations, wasn't it? They might not even be able to advertise what is there on the outside of the building.

Oh, I hadn't heard or read anything about those negotiations. What ever the case, it's a lost opportunity.