Teamwork Is The 'Glue' That Binds Us
May 15, 2016
Admiring the graceful curves of the lofty ceilings in the central atrium area of Sunova Credit Union's building located in Winnipeg's Riverbend, your eye is easily drawn to the beautiful wood beams that make this space possible. The same holds true of its twin in Oakbank, Manitoba. Peter Grose, President & CEO of Westland Construction, points out that these are not just ordinary wood beams. "What you are actually looking at are layers of carefully selected timbers joined by means of heat, pressure and adhesives. These glued laminates are typically called glulams."
Why was this specific material used?
With the slogan 'bank brighter', Sunova Credit Union was seeking an innovative design that would not only create a beautiful building in the community, but one that was also 'green'. Prairie Architects delivered these goals in their design by ensuring over 90% of regularly occupied spaces receive natural daylight, as well as by using a sustainable product like the timber in the glulam supported roof section. Once Westland completed the construction the result was a building that received LEED® Silver Certification.
Mark Lumbard, Westland's onsite project Superintendent, reminds us that, "Glulam is more than meets the eye. By bringing together multiple layers of material in the right way, you end up with a resulting product that is pound for pound stronger than steel with some significant advantages over concrete." Peter went on to relate that just like glulam, when an owner and a team of professionals come together in the right way and with the right 'glue', obstacles can be overcome. This unified approach can produce equally beautiful and innovative solutions. One way to unite these parties together on the same side of the table is an approach called 'Construction Management'. "In this case," adds Peter, "Westland in essence joins the client's team and assumes responsibility for overall management and construction. Not surprisingly, this is the method most likely to produce an on-time, on-budget, and successful result."
As so often is the case when you bring the right professionals together as a team, the results can be graceful and soaring, which is just like the roofline of Sunova's Riverbend location in Winnipeg.
- This article was published in issue #8 of our BUILDING UP newsletter. Click here to see the full newsletter, along with other issues.
- Click here to see more photographs of this exciting project, or visit our full Projects Gallery to see some of our other projects.
