The Arts Barns Redevelopment

The Arts Barn houses the artistical work of the Fringe Theatre Adventures Society. Originally constructed in 1952, this facility is currently the main venue for the largest fringe festival in North America. The Arts Barn was an aging facility well past its economically useful life. Portions of the existing building were partially demolished/reconstructed with another portion renovated. PCL-Maxam, a Joint Venture was retained as the Construction Manager to assist in the design and budgeting followed by management of the construction work. The redevelopment consisted of 2,000 m2 of new construction and 1000 m2 of renovated space. The facility includes a new 250 seat multi-form theatre, a smaller performing theatre, 2 rehearsal rooms and a full compliment of theatre support spaces. The mezzanine level houses the mechanical room, sound and light booths and the stage manager's control room. The main framing/structure of this facility is structural steel framing with open web steel joists supported by grade beams on belled piles. The exterior envelope is a mix of brick veneer, metal cladding and glazed aluminum framed curtain wall. The roof membrane is SBS roofing system over top of metal decking. The exterior walls are constructed of steel studs and finished with painted gypsum board. The interior partitions are constructed of concrete block for the theatre spaces and painted gypsum board for the support spaces. The slab on grade is a stained and patterned finish in the public areas, carpet in the office areas and exposed concrete in the workshop. A portion of the renovated space required roof strengthening in order to support increased snow loads. The facility incorporates several construction elements to enhance the sound performance of the theatre spaces including double block walls, a concrete topping on the roof and a high performance HVAC system. A suspended ceiling grid made of steel framing and aircraft cable that provides maximum flexibility for lighting as well as for hanging props in the multi-form theatre.