A new armoury at Halifax’s Willow Park site is bringing together three army reserve units under one roof, providing modern facilities that will support the units’ ability to train, work, and deploy on exercises and operations.
The units―36 Service Battalion, 36 Signal Regiment, and 33 Field Ambulance―are currently spread out in older, separate buildings, which will be demolished as part of the $36-million, modified design-build project. The new LEED Silver facility reflects the Department of National Defence’s focus on meeting operational requirements, while also increasing energy efficiency and reducing the environmental footprint, including greenhouse gas reduction. Features include well-configured administration and training areas, an outdoor compound for military vehicle fleets, common mess areas, and a large drill hall.
“It has a recruitment office as well, which is pretty important to the Army Reserves,” says Todd Osmond, DCC Coordinator, Construction Services at CFB Halifax. “The key was to provide a functional building for all three users.” DCC supported the project with construction contract management services, including environmental coordination, commissioning, and fire and life safety inspections.
One unseen but critical element of the project was the replacement of nearly a kilometre of steam line with a new direct-bury piping system, which was done under tight timelines between mid-May and October 2017, when the steam plant was not in use.
“Elements like these sometimes get lost, as everyone looks at the building itself, but this element of the project was important to the Halifax Base as a whole,” Osmond notes.
The armoury was completed on August 31, 2018.