All photos © Stephanie Whiting, Photography West Cover Story Overcoming the Learning Curve Design and construction of the UBCO Fitness and Wellness Centre By Patrice R. Tardif, LEED AP T he University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) campus is located in the province’s southern interior, on the outskirts of Kelowna. The school strives to provide an active and vibrant community life for resident students—a considerable challenge given the distance from the city centre and the doubling of the student population in just 15 years. 1 While some of the university’s facilities, including those for competitive athletics, have accommodated the growth in demand, recreational and fitness facilities have not. The Athletics and Recreation Department converted an existing storage area adjacent to the gym into a weight room and cardio 8 October 2013 CC_Oct13.indd 8 workout area, but this was only a temporary fix for what was clearly an ongoing problem. A permanent solution became possible only when the university received a substantial private donation toward the construction of a new dedicated fitness facility. The donor stipulated two conditions—the new facility should demonstrate innovative use of local wood products and, given the donor’s ownership of an aircraft maintenance company, have an aviation theme. The university chose to implement this project through a design/build competition, which was ultimately won by Kindred Construction and McFarland Marceau Architects in partnership with Equilibrium Consulting as structural engineers. 2 Co nstruction Canada 10/8/13 11:44 AM