Completed in the Fall of 2011, the Nova Scotia Power Corporate Headquarters (NSPCH) has been recognized with a multitude of awards: the 2011 Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Engineering for Refurbished Historic Buildings, the 2012 Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor’s Medal of Excellence, and the 2013 SAB Magazine Canadian Green Building Award. The NSPCH is also currently shortlisted for the 2013 World Architecture Festival Awards and the 2013 International INSIDE: World Festival of Interiors Award for Creative Reuse.
Designed by Toronto-based WZMH Architects with Halifax-based Fowler, Bauld & Mitchell Ltd. as Associate Architect, the building occupies a prominent location in downtown Halifax, with significant frontage on the public boardwalk that lines the western edge of the city’s harbour. The LEED Platinum project involved the retention and adaptive reuse of a former power generating plant to become offices for the provincial electrical utility. An innovative construction strategy was utilized that involved the reuse of the existing steel structure and exterior concrete cladding, in conjunction with the insertion of floors within the existing volume.
A five-storey atrium connects the neighbourhood to the waterfront, offering spectacular views of the harbour. This public space, in conjunction with a galleria that provides an indoor street that parallels the boardwalk, promotes casual interaction between employees. Glazed inter-floor stairs on the building perimeter and exterior balconies at the atrium keep users in contact with the harbour.
In a gesture that acknowledges the building’s initial use, the original steel structure has been retained as a feature, and skylights sit in the base of former chimney stacks along the roof of the galleria.
The facility houses over 500 staff in approximately 18,000 gross square metres and provides parking for 150 cars.
For more information, please visit www.wzmh.com/projects/nova-scotia-power-corporate-office-facility/.