“Big Box” College of New Caledonia

“BIG BOX” College of New Caledonia | John A. Brink Trades and Technology Centre | Prince George, BC

mcfarlane |green ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN INC

BIG BOX College of New Caledonia John A. Brink Trades and Technology Centre Prince George, BC BIG BOX College of New Caledonia John A. Brink Trades and Technology Centre Prince George, BC BIG BOX College of New Caledonia John A. Brink Trades and Technology Centre Prince George, BC BIG BOX College of New Caledonia John A. Brink Trades and Technology Centre Prince George, BC


The project reclaims an abandoned Canadian Tire retail store for the College of New Caledonia.  The renovated building supports a range of activities, including specialized shop areas for carpentry, wood technology, electrical training, automotive repair and customized industry training, as well as classrooms and faculty offices.

The design team selected wood to offset the sterile and cold environment of the traditional “Big Box” store.  The design reflects a simple, honest and practical use of wood as the principal medium of the carpentry school which is one of the facility’s four main teaching programs.  Wood was used as a means of humanizing the project in both scale and material.  The project budget was modest and materials were chosen for the practical durability and overall effect.  The design team chose to use wood in a few distinct places in order to create the greatest impact with a limited amount of resource.  The cafe and the entrance elements demonstrate the elegance of simple wood construction, while at the same time, paying tribute to Prince George’s primary resource.  The engineered edge grain plywood floor was used for its durability and contrast to the existing Canadian Tire tile that was reused elsewhere in the building.  The wood floor area highlights the common use cafe area creating a material oasis in the practical and effective building.

Wood materials used:

  • Recycled edge grain plywood flooring
  • Recycled edge grain plywood large bench in the cafe
  • Fir plywood case work and benches in various shop spaces
  • Fir dimensioned lumber is used to enclose the freestanding cafe
  • Cedar fencing/screen and walls for exteriors
  • Fir plywood flooring and walls in electrical and carpentry shop spaces

Design team:

Architect:

mcfarlane | green ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN INC
15-B Chesterfield Place
North Vancouver, BC V7M 3K3
604.980.9924
communications@mg-architects.ca

Structural Engineer:

Equilibrium Consulting
1585 W. 4th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6J 1l6 604.730.1422

Code Consultant:

GHL Consulting
701 – 744 W. Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC V6C 1A5
604.689.4419

Cost Consultant:

TBKG Consultants
100 – 31 Bastion Square
Victoria, BC V8W 1J1
250.414.6465

General Contractor:

Western Industrial Contractors
4912 Hart Highway
Prince George, BC V2K 3A1
250.962.6011

pdf-small Project Fact Sheet – Big Box