RC113 JulyAugust 2024 - Magazine - Page 13
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POMERLEAU COMPLETES GROS
MORNE RECONSTRUCTION:
A MASS TIMBER STRUCTURE
This year, Pomerleau completed the renovation of Gros Morne National Park’s Visitor Centre, which welcomes
tens of thousands of visitors from around the world annually.
The renovation involved the demolition of the existing visitor
reception centre building and the reconstruction of a revamped
building, almost double the size of the original one. What is unique
about the project, though, is its mass timber properties.
Gros Morne National Park Visitor Centre is the second mass
timber application that Pomerleau has executed in Newfoundland
and Labrador. Of the 14 timber beams used in the new structure,
seven were refurbished from the original building.
With more than 20 mass timber projects completed or ongoing,
Pomerleau is contributing to Canada’s net-zero targets. Wood
requires six times less carbon for its production than steel or
concrete. Pomerleau has adapted to the increasing usage of
mass timber on sites by using innovative tools like wireless and
connected remote sensors to monitor the humidity of timber
elements in real-time.
While reconstructing the centre, Pomerleau worked with Parks
Canada to ensure the little brown bats, who once roosted in the
original centre’s theatre, were protected throughout the entire
construction process. This involved demolishing the theatre
before the bats’ roosting season and providing them with new
bat condos with entrances at the same elevation as the original
theatre. The existing siding was salvaged from the old building and
installed on the new habitats, creating tactile familiarity. Schedule
changes were also incorporated to reduce noise disruption.
The revamped visitor centre exemplifies how infrastructure can
be rebuilt sustainably.
The project is targeting LEED Silver certification for its environmental efforts, which include the use of mass timber and wood
framing, new solar panels, and the incorporation of high-efficiency
HVAC, electrical and water systems.
RENEWCANADA.NET
MAY/JUNE2024 – RENEW CANADA 13
