Incubator for Excellence & Innovation

The vision for the new Wilson School of Design (WSOD) is to be the preeminent design school on the West Coast recognized for fostering innovation in technical fashion between fields of fashion, graphics, and interior design.

Located in Richmond, BC, in the delta of the Fraser River, the site conditions, including a very high water table, infirm soils, and seismic considerations, necessitated a structural approach that is at once very light but very stiff. In essence, the structure had to perform like a ship.

As Jane Jacobs observed: “new ideas need old buildings.” From New York to Milan, artists, designers and architects around the world work in studios in former historic industrial warehouse districts. Here, the industrial 19th century warehouse typology is evolved to create an open, rational grid with high ceilings and sustainable materials. It embodies first principles – 100% fresh air, natural light, views, and connection to the outdoors – with a flexible robust plan – heavy timber structural system, all to last 100+ years.

The program is organized into three zones. The Ground Zone is highly public and the main interface with industry. It includes testing labs and an incubator for BC Technical Fashion. The Mid Zone houses the teaching/studios, as well as Fashion, Interior Design and Graphics programs. The Upper Zone is designated for event/conference space.

As well as providing a new face and main entrance to the campus, the design re-orients the entire precinct to values of accessibility, sustainability, openness and transparency.

With over 300 apparel companies, BC’s lower mainland is a center of excellence for technical fashion design, and the new Wilson School of Design at Kwantlen Polytechnic University is set to be the preeminent school for this industry on the West Coast. The broader purpose of the University is to fuel the local economy by generating a steady pool of talent and expertise in the fields of graphic design, interior design, fashion marketing, and fashion technology. The design of the new school fosters interdisciplinary collaboration by positioning flexible design studios, labs, open offices and shared spaces across all five floors.

In a neighborhood dominated by cars and parking lots, the new Wilson School of Design represents a major step towards a healthier urban fabric. Responding to the new Lansdowne SkyTrain rapid transit station, the building’s highly visible entry, framed by a covered porch, draws students and visitors into the campus and creates a new front door for KPU on Kwantlen Street. This new gateway dresses the stage for the future transformation of Richmond’s Lansdowne Mall into a vibrant mixed-use community, and, given time, the world center for technical fashion design education.

Architecture and urban planning are rife with descriptions drawn from the soft arts, for example ‘creating a healthy urban fabric.’ Buildings – and cities – are simply extra layers of protection that we wear and should therefore be just as breathable and comfortable. Our primary line of containment – our skin –performs a complex array of functions that are critical to human life. Clothes establish a second skin that shields, represents, and performs. Similarly, the exterior skin of the Wilson School of Design serves multiple functions, providing protection from weather; regulating levels of air, light, and temperature; and reflecting Richmond’s dramatic sky, symbolic of the creativity and optimistic futures held within.

Jane Jacobs observed that “new ideas need old buildings". When an existing stock of historic warehouses are not available to repurpose, we can still employ the attributes that make this building typology so attractive for housing design activities.The CNC-milled post-and-beam timber frame of the Wilson School adheres to the same robust, rational plan grid that affords traditional warehouses their exceptional versatility. This flexibility allows many different forms of occupation of the building, over a semester or across generations.

A taut, glass curtain wall wraps the advanced wood structure. Varying degrees of reflectivity and transparency allow for natural light while providing a responsible level of thermal resistance and mitigating glare and solar heat gain. Operable windows bring fresh air in while the central atrium acts as an exhaust plenum. Concrete floors provide radiant heating and cooling. High ceilings, ample natural light, and fresh air provide student designers the headspace to dream, explore, test, and create. The project is on target to achieve LEED Gold certification.

As a signature gateway to KPU’s Richmond campus and producer of a sophisticated industrial workforce, the new Wilson School of Design represents a significant contribution to the vision and development of the Metro Vancouver region.

Material Used :
1. Seagate Structures - Mass Timber - CLT and Glulam beams and columns.
2. Phoenix Glass Inc. - Exterior Glazing - 600D SSG Curtain Wall
3. Hadrian - Toilet Partition - Ceiling Hung Elite Plus, Stainless Steel
4. Linea - Wood Ceiling Systems - Linea Plank, Grille & Acoustic Panel
5. Guilford of Maine - Fabric for Acoustic Ceiling and Wall Panels 
6. Fluxwerx - Interior Suspended Lights - Profile & View
7. Bega - Exterior Lights - L4 & L11
8. Alpolic - Composite Metal Panel Cladding 
9. Soprema - Roofing and Insulation
10. Mermet - Window Shades - E Screeen with Koolblack

Designed by KPMB Architects and Public Architecture + Communication, the Wilson School of Design at Kwantlen Polytechnic University is a modern post-and-beam wood structure with steel decking on a concrete raft slab, compared to a ship by the architects. Located in Richmond, BC, Canada, the facility was set to become a preeminent school for technical fashion design industry on the West Coast.  The design of the 60,000 sq ft design school fosters interdisciplinary collaboration by positioning flexible design studios, labs, open offices and shared spaces across all five floors. Housing six faculties—graphic 
design, fashion design, product design, technical apparel design, fashion marketing, and interior design—under a single roof, it is a true melting pot of everything creative.

The design objective was to deliver a healthy learning environment that would foster collaboration and to exemplify KPU’s burgeoning position as a sustainability leader in the education sector. Selected Fluxwerx suspended Profile luminaires, specified in various lighting distributions, complement the architecture while delivering even and appropriate lighting levels and color rendering for both large atriums and common spaces, lecture halls, and study areas.

Careful selection of energy efficient luminaires and ballasts reduced installed lighting power density by 32% compared to code baseline. The Wilson School of Design is 43% below ASHRAE 90.1-2007 standard, exceeding the Architecture 2030 Challenge by 18%. The lighting control system includes both occupancy and daylight sensors beyond code (ASHRAE 90.1-2007) in several spaces. Occupancy and daylight sensors, installed throughout the building, allow the lights to be turned off or dimmed when the spaces are vacant. While the lights are on, the daylight sensors dim the lights if there is sufficient daylight within the space. Manual dimmers, also provided in most spaces, allow users further adjustment of the light levels.

The design team worked closely with the School’s leadership, user representatives and climate engineers to establish guiding principles for energy efficient performance and to achieve LEED Gold. The end result is a modern, up-to-date learning space to the Kwantlen University campus, which seamlessly integrates lighting and architecture while meeting needed functionality requirements.

Sustainability:

LEED® Gold Certified

Awards:

2019 Wood Design & Building Award of Merit
2019 Architizer A+ Finalist
2019 Canadian Interiors 2019 Best of Canada
2019 ASHRAE BC Technology Award

Application: Education
Location: Richmond, BC
Client: Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Architects: KPMB Architects, Public Architecture + Communication
Lighting Design: AES Engineering / Pelle Björnert