Attawapiskat First Nation Fire Hall

Additional Info

Award Winner : ATCO Sustainable Communities Inc. (ASCI)

Architectural Excellence : Attawapiskat First Nation is a remote Indigenous community in Northern Ontario that was in need of a fire hall. This building was designed as a combination of a modular unit for the administrative section and a pre-engineered steel building for the fire truck bays. Due to the challenges with the project logistics, the module for the administrative section was designed in a very compact manner. It provides direct access to the vehicle bays and consists of an office and washroom, as well as mechanical room, locker room and storage area. The exterior of both the modular and pre-engineered sections were designed and finished to match, which provides the appearance of one unified structure. Red color of the cladding highlights the building use as a fire hall.

Cost Energy Effectiveness : The extremely remote location of the community and short building season provided an excellent opportunity to utilize off-site construction in order to complete the project in a timely and effective manner.

Design Firm Name : ATCO Sustainable Communities

Engineering Firm Name : Steenhof Building Services Group

Installer Firm Name : ATCO Sustainable Communities

Occupied Date : 10/7/2014

Owner Firm Name : Attawapiskat First Nation

Production Start Date : 7/10/2014

Project Location City : Attawapiskat

Project Location State Name : Ontario

Technical Innovation : The extremely remote site location presented one of the major project challenges. The product was shipped to site in succession on truck, train, ferry, and truck again. The module was craned into place prior to the construction of the pre-engineered building and properly flashed to provide a seamless connection of the buildings.

Poor soil conditions resulted in soil removal to a depth of 3’, which then needed to be replaced in 6” compacted lifts. Only a small concrete mixer was available in this remote community, as a result the foundation slab needed specialized design and was poured continuously for 48 hours.

A metal roof system was utilized to provide additional structural integrity. Specially designed expandable flashing was utilized where the modular unit connects to the pre-engineered building to allow for differential movement due to the snow load caused by drifting.

Total Square Feet : 150