RC109 NovDec 2023 - Magazine - Page 14
INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS
DENVER, U.S.
GLENBROOK GREENHOUSE
PERTH, AUSTRALIA
EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY CITY CAMPUS
EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY (ECU) City is Western Australia’s first comprehensive city university campus. As the centerpiece for one of the largest contracts from the Perth City Deal,
ECU City represents a collaboration between the Australian Government, Western Australian Government, and the City of Perth.
As lead engineers, Stantec’s integrated team is providing civil, structural, mechanical,
electrical, hydraulic, fire protection, specialist lighting, and vertical transportation engineering as well as building and traffic planning services.
The new vertical campus is located directly above Perth Transport Authority’s busport
and the Fremantle and Joondalup train tunnels, which requires a balance be found
between limiting the load and preventing movement from the underground assets. The
designs also require alignment with the extremely sensitive acoustic needs of the performance rooms and studios to reduce noise interference.
Targeting a Five Star Green Star rating, the project will feature adaptive and energy
efficient climate control with natural ventilation.
When completed, ECU City will integrate creative industries, business, and technology
courses with ECU’s internationally recognized Western Australian Academy of Performing
Arts (WAAPA). The new campus aims to attract more than 9,000 students and staff when
it opens in 2025, growing to more than 11,000 students and staff by 2034.
“We have a clear vision and ambition for Western Australia’s first comprehensive city
campus, and that is to deliver a remarkable university as well as a landmark for Perth’s
CBD,” said ECU vice chancellor, Professor Steve Chapman.
“Students, staff, and visitors will be treated to a sensory experience from the moment
they step in. It will be like nothing they have ever known.
“ECU City’s design, both physically and symbolically, reaches outwards, with a strong
visual connection to its surroundings.”
14 RENEW CANADA – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
ful completion of Denver Public School’s (DPS) Glenbrook Greenhouse—the first commercial greenhouse
in the U.S. owned by a school district. This project is
reshaping the way students are nourished and educated, providing fresh, locally grown produce to feed
over 90,000 students across more than 200 schools.
Spanning four acres in Denver, Colorado, this
$4.5-million endeavour encompasses a 28,000sq. ft. greenhouse with the capacity to hold up to
35,000 plants. Features such as new site utilities,
a fire access loop, a storm detention pond, and a
warehouse area to facilitate distribution of vegetables
contribute to its functionality and safety.
Transforming an underdeveloped plot of land
into a state-of-the-art commercial greenhouse site
equipped with Controlled Environment Agriculture
technology, PCL has empowered DPS to grow local
produce on a large scale. This initiative is expected to
address health disparities among students, bridging
the gap between lower-income and higher-income
children attending DPS schools and contributing to
improved academic outcomes.
“Seeing this highly innovative and one-of-a-kind
project come to fruition is rewarding for PCL and the
entire project team. Being a part of the bigger picture
in providing students with fresh produce and nutritional value is why we partnered with DPS on building
this greenhouse,” said Ryan Schmidt, PCL Construction’s Denver district manager.
Since opening, the greenhouse has provided
vibrant fruits and vegetables, including cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, cucumbers, and strawberries.
Its approach extends to using bumblebees as pollinators, enhancing crop quality, increasing yields, and
reducing labour.
RENEWCANADA.NET
PERTH: EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY , DENVER: PCL CONSTRUCTION
THIS PAST JUNE, PCL Construction marked the success-
