Durham Consolidated Courthouse

Order in the court┬áOntarioÔÇÖs new state-of-the-art consolidated courthouse is a model for government involvement in infrastructure development and environmentally friendly green construction, Linda Seid Frembes finds. There is a bit of a revival going on in Oshawa, Ontario. Located approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of Toronto, OshawaÔÇÖs downtown area is seeing new life with infrastructure projects like a new arena, a new streetscape design, and the debut of the state-of-the-art 450,000-square-foot Durham Consolidated Courthouse.   The technologically advanced, environmentally sensitive courthouse will combine the Superior Court and Ontario Court justice in a five-story building outfitted with 33 courtrooms, three motion rooms and conference rooms.The new courthouse is the first project developed for the Ministry of the Attorney General and delivered under Infrastructure OntarioÔÇÖs Alternate Financing and Procurement (AFP) program, a government-led effort to provide affordable, long-term financing options in support of infrastructure development. ÔÇ£The Durham Courthouse is the first integrated design, build, finance and maintenance project for us,ÔÇØ says Peter Wilson, vice president of project delivery for Infrastructure Ontario, a Government of Ontario agency. ÔÇ£The DBFM model integrates three key elements of design, construction, and facilities management supported by a long-term financing solution. The model accurately reflects optimal whole lifecycle costs by the ability to predict costs in advance.ÔÇØInfrastructure Ontario is working with a consortium that includes Babcock and Brown Infrastructure Group, PCL Constructors Canada Inc., WZMH Architects, and Johnson Controls LP to deliver the project. According to Wilson, Infrastructure Ontario is focused on transaction management such as the request for qualifications (RFQ), request for proposals (RFP) and the construction phase. WilsonÔÇÖs delivery group, called project delivery, is the main driver, but the organization includes a number of supporting departments including finance, legal, procurement and communications.ÔÇ£Projects are assigned to our agency by the provincial government,ÔÇØ explains Wilson, whose expertise and bulk of projects lie in healthcare and government buildings. ÔÇ£Then we procure a consortium that will follow the DBFM model to deliver the project.ÔÇØThe Durham Courthouse project began in March 2005 when the RFQ was issued. An RFP was issued in February 2006, with the winning bidder named in March 2007. Construction work began on June 28, 2007. ÔÇ£The construction phase typically lasts two and a half to three years. Operating agreements typically are 30 years,ÔÇØ says Wilson. The courthouse is consolidated from eight locations across the Durham region to gain efficiencies and to provide more modern facilities. The needs of the consolidated workforce were taken into account in output specifications that define the required performance of the building and in the room design layout. There is also a strong interest by the government for green design and reducing energy consumption. ÔÇ£We chose known certification standards to guide the design,ÔÇØ says Wilson.Durham Consolidated Courthouse conforms to Canada Green Building CouncilÔÇÖs Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design in New Construction (LEED-NC) Silver certification standards, with the goal to increase energy management and foster energy conservation. Upon completion, the courthouse will also request certification for LEED Existing Building (LEED-EB) Gold status. ÔÇ£Attaining the LEED-EB gold certification will ensure high environmental performance during the full operating term,ÔÇØ adds Wilson.The courthouse will also be certified under the Building Owners and ManagersÔÇÖ Association (BOMA) Go Green Plus program, which requires recertification every three years and is used as a tool to measure the environmental performance of commercial buildings.According to Infrastructure OntarioÔÇÖs Website, the courthouse will feature an abundance of green features, including 700 square meters of green roof that helps reduce energy use and absorb storm water runoff, reflective Energy StarÔÇôcompliant roofing material that lowers surface temperature, a storm water irrigation system that will reduce water demand by using rainwater to irrigate lawns and gardens, and ultra-low-flow plumbing fixtures and dual flush toilets. ÔÇ£These sustainable design efforts result in better, healthier buildings that also meet the value-for-money objectives of the government,ÔÇØ says Wilson. The Durham Consolidated Courthouse also includes the latest technology, particularly six courtrooms installed with videoconferencing to reduce the amount of travel for incarcerated defendants to and from prison facilities. According to Infrastructure Ontario, there are two remote video testimony rooms to accommodate vulnerable and child witnesses, as well as enhanced accommodation for translation.Despite the additional technology and green building initiatives on the project, Wilson notes that his agency practices procurement efficiency and is adamant against budget overruns and scope creep. ÔÇ£To combat scope creep, we examine the facility program carefully. We use block diagrams to test the accuracy of the program prior to RFP release.ÔÇØInfrastructure Ontario has also taken steps to gain efficiency by standardizing processes and documents like RFQ, RFP or output specifications. The agency mandates a certain period of time to complete each stage of the process for each project. Wilson notes that the carefully mapped timeline ensures efficient transaction processes for both the public sector and its private sector partners. Recently, the Durham Consolidated Courthouse was recognized for its design excellence by the AIA Academy of Architecture for Justice. It was one of 28 projects selected for publication in the 2008 Justice Facilities Review magazine. According to the AIA, descriptions of the projects and their architects will be published in September 2008 and become part of a traveling exhibit that will tour the country throughout the year.As Infrastructure Ontario moves forward, its impact on public/private partnerships has left a lasting impression on the people of Oshawa. While the notion of government agencies actively involved with managing infrastructure projects is relatively new to North America, the Durham Consolidated Courthouse is an outstanding example of success.ÔÇ£There are numerous economic stimulus benefits for Oshawa. WeÔÇÖve revitalized a part of downtown, some of which was a former brownfield site,ÔÇØ says Wilson. ÔÇ£Projects like these are supportive of provincial Growth Plan policies that utilize existing infrastructure.ÔÇØThe courthouse will be completed by the end of 2009 and fully occupied by early 2010.┬á