BYLAW No. 242
A BYLAW OF THE TOWN OF BANFF IN THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA
WHEREAS the Town of Banff Incorporation Agreement between the
Governments of Canada and Alberta, and Section 634 of the Municipal Government Act
Chapter M-26, R.S.A. 2000 and amendments thereto, authorize Council to designate an
area of the municipality as a redevelopment area and to adopt, by bylaw, an area
redevelopment plan;
AND
WHEREAS the Town of Banff wishes to establish an area redevelopment plan
for the lands designated as the PB (Banff Centre) Land Use District under Town of
Banff Land Use Bylaw 31-3 for the purpose of preserving and improving land and
buildings in the redevelopment area; rehabilitating buildings in the redevelopment area;
removing buildings from the redevelopment area; and establishing, improving, and
relocating roads, public utilities, and other services in the redevelopment area;
NOW THEREFORE the Council of the Town of Banff, duly assembled, enacts
the Banff Centre Area Redevelopment Plan Bylaw attached as Schedule A, and the
Banff Centre Area Redevelopment Plan attached as Schedule B, which describes the
objectives of the plan and how they are proposed to be achieved and the proposed land
uses for the redevelopment area.
REPEAL
Bylaw 193 is repealed upon this Bylaw coming into force.
CITATION
Bylaw 242 may be cited as the Banff Centre Area Redevelopment Plan Bylaw.
ENACTMENT
Bylaw 242 comes into full force and effect after the date of final reading and on the date
of final passing and execution by the Superintendent, Banff National Park, on behalf of
the Minister of Environment.
READ a first time on this 18th day of July, A.D., 2005.
READ a second time on this 12th day of September, A.D., 2005.
READ a third time and finally passed this 12th day of September, A.D., 2005.
_______________________
John Stutz
Mayor, Town of Banff
_________________________
Robert Earl
Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Banff
APPROVED on behalf of the Minister of Environment, Government of Canada, this
____ day of __________, A.D. 2005.
__________________________
Superintendent, Banff National Park
Area Redevelopment Plan
2005
September, 2005
Table of Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Executive Summary
Chronology of the Plan
The Banff Centre Mandate
3.1
Legislative Authority
3.2
Policy Mandate
Mission and Vision
4.1
Mission
4.2
Vision
4.3
Uniqueness
4.4
The Banff Experience
Area Redevelopment Plan
5.1
Legislation
5.2
Objectives
5.3
Public Participation
5.4
Consistency with Statutory Plans
5.5
Process
5.6
Purpose
5.7
Guiding Principles
Campus Redevelopment Context
Development and Redevelopment Sites
7.1
Development Site A
7.2
Development Site B
7.3
Development Site C
7.4
Development Site D
7.5
Development Site E
7.6
Redevelopment Site 1
7.7
Redevelopment Site 2
7.8
Redevelopment Site 3
7.9
Redevelopment Site 4
7.10
Redevelopment Site 5
7.11
2001 ARP Campus Plan
7.12
2005 ARP Campus Plan
7.13
Site Development Overview
Programming Levels and Capacities
1
3
3
9.
4
10.
6
11.
8
9
9
10
10
11
11
12
12
13
13
14
15
16
17
12.
13.
14.
Land Use Principles
9.1
Vehicular Traffic
9.2
Site Access
9.3
Service Traffic
9.4
Parking
9.4.1 Peak Demand Parking
9.5
Pedestrian Networks
Causeway
9.6
Development Guidelines
10.1
Campus Identity
10.2
Building Entrances
10.3
Building Massing
10.4
Building Materials and Design
10.5
Landscape Guidelines
Buildings
11.1
Arrivals
11.2
Sally Borden Building
11.3
Donald Cameron Hall
11.4
Music Huts
11.5
Leighton Colony
11.6
Heritage Chalets
11.7
Glyde Hall
11.8
Jeanne and Peter Lougheed Building
11.9
Maintenance Building
11.10 Theatre Lobby Development
Landscape
12.1
Existing Landscape
12.2
Landscape Plan
12.3
Landscape Structure
12.4
Responding to Topography
12.5
Natural Corridors
12.6
Forest Restoration
12.7
Forest Edge
12.8
Informal Clearings
12.9
The Commons
12.10 Storm Water Management
12.11 Signage and Wayfinding
Sustainability
Related Publications and Reference Documents
18
19
20
20
22
22
23
25
25
25
26
26
28
28
29
29
29
30
30
31
31
31
32
32
33
34
34
34
35
35
36
36
37
38
39
1.
Executive Summary
This Area Redevelopment Plan is a statement of
strategic direction and intent regarding the future
development of The Banff Centre campus and meets the
statutory requirements of the Alberta Municipal
Government Act. The specific timing and sequence of
development and redevelopment described in the Plan
will depend on the availability of financing and other
resources, and on the program priorities of The Banff
Centre as determined from time to time during the life of
this Plan.
The Centre's objective in developing a strategic Area
Redevelopment Plan is to acquire approval in principle
for the development and redevelopment proposals it
describes. This level of approval will then allow the
Centre to proceed with fund raising, detailed functional
and design analysis and planning, and campus
redevelopment activities as needed to bring the Plan to
fruition.
The approval of specific projects, as they come on
stream, will be subject to the requirements of the Banff
Community Plan, the Banff Land Use Bylaw, the
provisions of the Canadian Environmental Assessment
Act, and all other statutory or regulatory requirements
applicable to development on campus.
Throughout the planning process the Centre has been
cognizant of the Town's desire to be a leader in
environmental planning and to becoming a sustainable
National Park community. The Centre recognizes and
supports the objective that all new development or
redevelopment must adhere to the principle of no net
negative environmental impact and must be designed to
minimize air, water and soil pollution, reduce resource
consumption and waste, and protect natural systems.
It is the intention of this Plan that all replacements of
existing facilities included in the Plan will result in net
positive environmental benefits, and that all new facilities
will be built to the highest practical environmental
standards. This will be accomplished by taking full
advantage of available technology. In addition,
opportunities will be pursued to rehabilitate and restore
appropriate areas of the campus to a natural state.
A comprehensive Environmental Screening Report,
examining all aspects of this Area Redevelopment Plan,
was completed in June 2005. The 2005 ARP meets the
No Net Negative Environmental Impact criteria of Parks
Canada. The screening report was approved by Parks
Canada in August 2005, with a determination that
“adverse environmental impacts not likely significant”.
The primary purpose of this Area Redevelopment Plan is
to enable implementation of the Board-approved Campus
Master Plan. In addition, it provides strategic and
environmental direction as described above, and together
with the Infrastructure Master Plan, guides the
development and redevelopment planning and decision
process; provides an enhanced artist and guest
experience; rationalizes the redevelopment of the Centre;
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Area Redevelopment Plan – 2005
Page 1
improves traffic flows and parking; supports the
objectives of the Banff Bow Valley Heritage Tourism
Strategy; and furthers the objectives of the Centre's
environmental management system.
No growth in the residential capacity of the campus is
contemplated or included in the Plan. The maximum
residential capacity of the campus will remain at 800
beds, as stipulated in the Centre's 1988 Master Plan
(adopted as an Area Redevelopment Plan by the Town in
October 1992).
Redevelopment of buildings proposed in this Plan is
designed to improve the quality of the facilities and
services available to programs and clientele. There is no
intensification of use as a result of the changes in service
and amenity space, and there are no changes in
residential capacity. No changes to the permitted or
discretionary uses, the development regulations or any
other provision of the Town of Banff Land Use Bylaw
#31-3 for the Public/Institutional (PB) Banff Centre
District are being requested. The Centre will implement
this plan within the existing regulations for the PB Banff
Centre District.
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Area Redevelopment Plan – 2005
Page 2
2.
3.
Chronology of the Plan
This Area Redevelopment Plan supercedes the Area
Redevelopment Plan approved by the Town of Banff in
2001, and reflects the continuing evolution of campus
planning as documented in a series of plans and reports:
•
•
•
•
•
1988 Master Plan (Wayne H. Wright Architects
Limited)
2000 Environmental Screening Report
2001 Area Redevelopment Plan
2002 Infrastructure Master Plan
2004 Campus Functional Program
Extensive documentation of programming, operational
and capital planning also provides context and foundation
for the Area Redevelopment Plan:
•
•
Four Year Business Plan (a rolling four-year plan
developed annually and approved by Alberta
Ministry of Advanced Education)
The Banff Dialogues – an exploration of the vision
of The Banff Centre
The Banff Centre Mandate
3.1
Legislative Authority
The Banff Centre for Continuing Education operates
under the authority of the Post-Secondary Learning Act,
Chapter P-19.5, Revised Statutes of Alberta, 2003, with
the objective of providing to the public the opportunity of
access to a broad range of learning experiences with
emphasis on the fine arts, management studies,
language training and environmental training. [PostSecondary Learning Act, December 4, 2003, Section 51]
3.2
Policy Mandate
The Banff Centre provides a broad range of continuing
education opportunities in the areas of fine arts,
management
studies,
language
training
and
environmental training. The primary delivery mechanism
of programming at the Centre is through on-site
residential
courses,
workshops,
seminars,
and
conferences. The Centre operates on a year-round basis
in serving its clientele. The primary clientele are those
already having suitable academic credentials and/or
professional experience in their discipline who, therefore,
would benefit from The Banff Centre experience. As
such, the clientele are derived from the provincial,
national, and international communities. The Centre
engages in cooperative ventures with other organizations
and institutions to the extent possible. [Approved by the
Minister
of
Advanced
Education
and
Career
Development, July, 1992]
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Area Redevelopment Plan – 2005
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4.
Mission and Vision
The Banff Centre is a globally respected arts, cultural,
and educational institution and conference facility.
The Banff Centre is internationally recognized as:
• a leader on the local, national and international
stages in the development and promotion of
creative work in the arts, sciences, business, and
the environment
• a catalyst for creative thought, lifelong learning,
the development and showcasing of new work,
and the advancement of applied research
• a resource for individual and group renewal and
transformation, and an enabler of innovation and
creativity for participants and staff to question
assumptions, explore ideas, embrace change, and
exemplify excellence
• a destination of choice for conferences
For almost 75 years, the impact of the inspiring mountain
location, the creative atmosphere, the diverse group of
participants from many backgrounds and disciplines, and
the strong support from Centre staff have combined to
make a powerful experience that is intellectually,
physically, and emotionally stimulating.
4.1
Our Mission
The Banff Centre is a catalyst for creativity, with a
transformative impact on those who attend our programs,
conferences and events. Our alumni create, produce and
perform works of art all over the world, lead our
institutions, organizations and businesses, and play
significant roles in our cultural, social, intellectual and
economic well-being, and in the preservation of our
environment.
4.2
Our Vision
There is no other place like The Banff Centre!
The Banff Centre is a beacon attracting exceptional
creators and thinkers from around the world to our
powerful, inspiring campus. We are recognized worldwide as an essential destination on the career pathway of
highly creative individuals.
The Banff Centre enables both emerging and established
individuals to interact within a multidisciplinary and
multicultural environment, allowing them to push
boundaries, to experiment, to share knowledge, to create
and showcase new work, and to develop new ideas and
solutions for the present and the future.
The Banff Centre offers a deep, intensive experience for
all who come here, developing potential and
transforming careers.
4.3
What is unique about The Banff Centre?
Our participants and guests tell us there is no place in the
world like The Banff Centre. They tell us that The Banff
Centre experience changed their lives, and that it was a
turning point in the growth and development of their
careers.
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Area Redevelopment Plan – 2005
Page 4
“Banff has offered artists the opportunity to
pursue their work in an environment of
inspiring physical grandeur, in company
with fellow artists engaged in the act of
creative exploration, in an institutional
culture shaped by profound respect for the
creative process. The gifts that Banff has
offered to the creative spirit: the power of
place, the luxury of time, the synergy of
community, the opportunity to pursue hard
creative work both in isolation yet in a
community of like-minded people, remain
important and relevant.”
The Banff
Dialogues
4.4
•
•
•
•
The Banff Experience:
a rich community of creative individuals of diverse
ages, backgrounds, and disciplines, living and
learning together, inspiring each other
unique and productive collaborations, applied
research, and creation of new work among
individuals in the arts, sciences, and business
individually crafted programming enables people
to attain their goals and dreams
a focused and creative atmosphere in an inspiring
mountain campus
The Banff Centre is a key contributor to Canadian
culture, society and well-being. Each year, thousands of
talented Canadians in the performing, visual, literary, and
media arts come to Banff, and hundreds of thousands of
audience members enjoy performances in our theatres
and exhibitions in our venues; and are inspired by new
work created at the Centre.
Our Leadership Development program pioneers new
ways of looking at leadership and new methodologies for
leading in an increasingly complex world. For 50 years
business and community leaders developed new skills,
and refocused their vision in the supportive, creative,
multidisciplinary environment offered by The Banff
Centre. Our public and customized programs equip both
emerging and seasoned leaders with the competencies
they need to succeed using unique and creative
methodologies.
The Banff Centre is committed to the development of an
understanding and preservation of mountain resources
and the environment. Through our Mountain Culture
programming and our exemplary environmental
stewardship, the Centre is a leader in environmental
practices.
Since 1952, Conferences have been a core activity of
The Banff Centre, providing delegates from Alberta,
Canada, and around the world with world-class meeting
facilities in a specialized environment that fosters a
creative and inspirational learning experience. Delegates
benefit from the creative energies and showcasing of our
arts, leadership and mountain culture programming, and
events.
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Area Redevelopment Plan – 2005
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5.
Area Redevelopment Plan
5.1
Legislation
Under Section 634 of the 1999 Municipal Government
Act a Council may designate an area of the municipality
as a redevelopment area for the purpose of any or all of
the following:
1. preserving or improving land and buildings in the
area;
2. rehabilitating buildings in the area;
3. removing buildings from the area;
4. constructing or replacing buildings in the area;
5. establishing, improving or relocating roads, public
utilities or other services in the area;
6. facilitating any other development in the area.
5.2
Objectives
The Banff Centre Area Redevelopment Plan must
describe the objectives of the plan and how they are
proposed to be achieved. It must also identify the
proposed land uses for redevelopment areas and any
proposals for the acquisition of land for any municipal
uses, school facilities, parks and recreation facilities or
any other purposes.
52.3 Public Participation
Under 636(1) of the Municipal Government Act, while
preparing a statutory plan a municipality must provide a
means for any person who may be affected by it to make
suggestions and representations, notify the public of the
plan preparation process and of the means to make
suggestions and representations, notify the school
authorities with jurisdiction in the area to which the plan
preparation applies and provide opportunities to those
authorities to make suggestions and representations.
5.4
Consistency with All Statutory Plans
The Banff Centre Area Redevelopment Plan to be
adopted by the Town of Banff must be consistent with all
statutory plans adopted by the municipality, including the
Town of Banff Community Plan and the Banff National
Park Management Plan.
5.5
Process
Through continued site analysis, studies, working group
meetings, and conceptual design briefs interesting
patterns were revealed about The Banff Centre, such as
existing land uses and recommended focus of the
campus.
5.6
Purpose
The purpose of this Area Redevelopment Plan is to
identify and provide viable planning solutions to enable
The Banff Centre to continue to evolve its delivery of
programs. This Area Redevelopment Plan reflects
current legislation, statutory plans, policies, guidelines of
three levels of government as well as current knowledge
and understanding of mountain communities.
By
adopting and implementing these plans The Banff Centre
will be able to continue to secure its place within
Canada’s oldest national park as an institution of
excellence and higher learning.
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Area Redevelopment Plan – 2005
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5.7
Guiding Principles
The Area Redevelopment Plan is a document which
provides strategic guidance for the long term
development and redevelopment of The Banff Centre
lands and is approved by Town Council. Final approval
rests with the Minister responsible for Parks Canada.
The Area Redevelopment Plan supports the objectives of
the Banff Bow Valley Heritage Tourism Strategy, which
has the fundamental goal “to sustain mountain parks and
park communities by encouraging experiences that foster
awareness, understanding, appreciation, and support for
the unique nature, culture and history of the Rockies.”
The long term development and redevelopment direction
of The Banff Centre is a cumulative result of studies,
examinations, working group meetings, user group
meetings, public consultation, and extensive analysis of
the site and its unique features. The Town of Banff and
Parks Canada have been consulted through all phases of
planning.
The Area Redevelopment Plan supports the rationale for
redevelopment of The Banff Centre lands. Through
redevelopment
and
coordinated
environmental
stewardship The Banff Centre is able to improve the
efficiency and effectiveness of the campus, with no net
negative impact on the environment, while enhancing
and supporting its core educational mandate.
The Area Redevelopment Plan addresses existing and
potential traffic issues in order to create a more functional
mountain campus setting that encourages traffic
efficiency and user experience through signage,
procession, access, and comprehensive design.
The Area Redevelopment Plan facilitates a focus to the
mountain campus setting, through the development of a
centrally located area as the arrivals centre. The central
location will also provide for better orientation for visitors
to both the centre as well as the unique mountain
environment.
The Area Redevelopment Plan supports the goals and
objectives of the Banff Community Plan which is the
primary planning document for the Town of Banff.
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Area Redevelopment Plan – 2005
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6.
buildings into the landscape providing a sense of
unity for the campus;
Campus Redevelopment Context
The deteriorated condition of Donald Cameron Hall
(DCH) resulted in a special allocation of funds from
Alberta
Infrastructure
for
the
purpose
of
restoring/replacing the facility and eliminating its
significant deferred maintenance burden. With the core
funding to address the deficiencies in this building
secured, the Centre engaged in extensive analysis and
planning to develop options for redevelopment, not only
of DCH, but indeed the entire campus due in part to the
diverse nature of the activities and services located within
this complex building.
•
providing a framework for the protection and
reforestation of the site through the introduction of
landscaping measures that provide identified
places for reflection and appreciation of art within
the landscape;
•
developing an architectural language that reflects
the transforming experience of visiting The Banff
Centre.
DCH encompasses 9,000 gross square meters (gsm) of
interior space, distributed among classrooms, offices,
food service facilities, computing and telecommunications
facilities, and staff accommodation.
With the 2001 Area Redevelopment Plan providing
development guidelines for the site, the examination of
campus redevelopment in general and DCH replacement
in particular has led to an evolving campus master plan
with the following key components:
•
limiting vehicular traffic to the perimeter of the site
and introducing a network of pedestrian pathways
to provide a setting more conducive to personal
engagement and interaction;
•
developing a cohesive strategy to integrate the
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Area Redevelopment Plan – 2005
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7.
Development and Redevelopment Sites
The 2001 approved Area Redevelopment Plan identified
five (5) development sites and four (4) redevelopment
sites. The 2005 Area Redevelopment Plan modifies and
realigns these sites to some degree, and adds one (1)
redevelopment site. All sites are presented graphically in
the campus maps 7.11 (2001 ARP) and 7.12 (2005 ARP).
The following tables illustrate the key elements for each
site and the significant differences between the 2001 and
2005 plans.
7.1
Development Site A
North side of campus adjacent to St. Julien Road (“gravel pit”)
Proposed Uses
2001 ARP
Multi-unit staff housing
Visitor parking
7.2
2005 ARP
No development
No change in visitor parking
Significant Differences
Reduction in development area
No change to existing conditions
Development Site B
Adjacent to the north-west side of Eric Harvie Theatre
Proposed Uses
2001 ARP
Integration of a variety of potential
uses that compliment the Performing
Arts uses of this area
Possible uses include a library/
archive facility and/or a performing
arts facility
2005 ARP
No development
No change to current landscape
Significant Differences
Reduction in development area
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Area Redevelopment Plan – 2005
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7.3
Development Site C
West side of Lloyd Hall
Proposed Uses
2001 ARP
Registration / Rental/ Lounge
exhibition
Registration centre for all participants
and groups
Front
office,
reservation
and
reception functions
Retail sales, lounge and exhibition
areas
Short-term parking
7.4
2005 ARP
Shift area to the west, leaving
meadow adjacent to Lloyd status
quo, and covering current St. Julien
through road
Relocation of Donald Cameron Hall
to the east of current site
Replacement of Donald Cameron
Hall with two adjacent buildings
Significant Differences
Relocation of DCH
Expansion of amphitheatre on
west side of DCH
Retention of meadow on west side
of Lloyd Hall
Closure of St. Julien through road
Development Site D
Elevated Link between Sally Borden Building and Professional Development Centre
Proposed Uses
2001 ARP
2005 ARP
Significant Differences
Elevated link incorporating recreation Elevated link between Sally Borden Introduction
of
elevated
link
/ exercise room
Building
and
Professional between east and west terraces of
Development Centre
the campus
Elevated link (causeway) between
Arrivals building, Sally Borden
Building, and Donald Cameron Hall
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Area Redevelopment Plan – 2005
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7.5
Development Site E
Leighton Artist Colony
Proposed Uses
2001 ARP
2005 ARP
Significant Differences
Up to three (3) additional artist Two (2) additional artist colony units, Reduction in new artist colony units
colony units on two potential site one on each of the two site locations
locations within the Artist Colony within the Artist Colony area
area
7.6
Redevelopment Site 1
North side of St. Julien Road adjacent to Eric Harvie Theatre
Proposed Uses
2001 ARP
2005 ARP
Demolition of existing staff housing, No changes in staff housing
replacement with new staff housing
units, possibly multi-family type
Significant Differences
Reduction in new development
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7.7
Redevelopment Site 2
West side of campus between Donald Cameron Hall and Eric Harvie Theatre
Proposed Uses
2001 ARP
Redevelopment to replace existing
guest accommodation
Replace
and
expand
existing
administration offices
Additional classrooms
Potential renovations/expansion of
Max
Bell
Building
(increase
auditorium
seating)
and
DCH
(increased food services area)
Potential for a covered link between
Max Bell Building and DCH
7.8
2005 ARP
Significant Differences
Replacement of Farrally and Vinci Reduction in number of buildings in
Halls (Heritage Chalets) into retreat- this area
style accommodations for groups of
15-30.
Each building self-contained in terms
of bedroom, lounge, meeting, and
dining spaces.
Smith Hall demolished to make way
for small encroachment of new DCH
onto existing Smith footprint
Redevelopment Site 3
South of existing Services Building
Proposed Uses
2001 ARP
Replacement and expansion
existing storage facility
2005 ARP
of No changes to Maintenance building
and service yard
Some of the small storage sheds
adjacent to the Leighton Colony to
be removed after storage facilities
below the Arrivals building are
completed
Significant Differences
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7.9
Redevelopment Site 4
Southern side of campus adjacent to Don Becker Residence
Proposed Uses
2001 ARP
2005 ARP
Significant Differences
Don Becker Staff Residence potential No changes in staff residence and Reduction in building expansion
expansion and upgrading
visitor parking
Relocation of Gateway feature to
Multi-level parking
Redevelopment Site 5
Development of a Main Entry Gateway
feature
7.10
Redevelopment Site 5
South of Music and Sound Building and adjacent to St. Julien Way
Proposed Uses
2001 ARP
N/A
Arrivals
parking
2005 ARP
Building with
Significant Differences
short-term New building
Relocation of existing Music Huts
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Area Redevelopment Plan – 2005
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7.11 2001 ARP Campus Plan
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Area Redevelopment Plan – 2005
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7.12 2005 ARP Campus Plan (orange colour denotes development areas)
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Area Redevelopment Plan – 2005
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7.13 Site Development Overview
(square metres)
Site Area
175,970
Allowable
Coverage
Existing
Coverage
2005 ARP
Coverage
2001 ARP
Proposed
1. Site Coverage
38,700
22%
30,700
17%
33,470
19%
37,650
21%
2. Landscaped Area
87,985
50%
121,419
69%
110,861
63%
113,969
65%
3. Roads and Parking
49,272
28%
23,756
14%
22,876
13%
24,256
14%
4. Floor Area
87,985
50%
65,300
37%
72,530
41%
75,850
43%
Allowable
Existing
Sit e Coverage,
Roads &
22%
Parking, 28%
Landscaped,
50%
Roads &
Parking, 14%
2005 ARP
Site
Coverage,
17%
Landscaped,
69%
Roads &
Parking, 13%
Site
Coverage,
19%
Landscaped,
63%
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Area Redevelopment Plan – 2005
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8.
Programming Levels and Capacities
This Area Redevelopment Plan does not alter the
residential accommodation capacities for artists and
participants. Appendix A to the Centre’s lease with Parks
Canada states, in part, “Residential capacity on campus
will be limited to no more than 800 beds for students,
staff, and faculty” for parcel “DE” within which all
residential accommodation is located.
The capacity of Smith Hall, which will be demolished, will
be replaced by Vinci Hall which will convert from
administrative to residential use.
The 57 staff accommodation bedrooms currently in
Donald Cameron Hall will not be included in the new
Donald Cameron buildings or relocated on campus. This
staff accommodation capacity will be replaced off-site in
Phase II of the Rocky Mountain Co-operative Housing
complex, in accordance the Town of Banff Housing
Policy No. C12.
Redevelopment of buildings proposed in this Plan is
designed to improve the quality of the facilities and
services available to programs and clientele. There is no
intensification of use as a result of the changes in service
and amenity space, and there are no changes in
residential capacity.
Total parking capacity is
unchanged.
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Page 17
9.
Land Use Principles
9.1
Vehicular Traffic
St. Julien Road
Currently St. Julien Road and Buffalo Street/Tunnel
Mountain Road serve as the main access roads to The
Banff Centre. St. Julien Road, from the junction of St.
Julien Way through the campus to Tunnel Mountain
Road, is a private road maintained by The Banff Centre.
However, it also bisects the campus. With the
pronounced grade changes across the site, the need to
link the two halves of the campus is crucial to achieving
an overall integration of the site, not only in physical
terms but also as a method to knit together the various
programmatic components. The upper half of the site
has traditionally been associated with music, performing
arts and mountain culture; the lower half has
accommodated visual and media arts, leadership
development programming, conference activities, and
most administrative services.
The location of St. Julien Road encourages vehicular
traffic to take a shorter route through the campus. There
are no traffic calming measures in effect, nor is there a
significant entrance feature in place to indicate that
drivers and pedestrians have arrived at The Banff Centre.
It is possible to drive through the centre of The Banff
Centre without realizing that you have arrived.
In order to create a safe and more coherent vehicular
traffic system, St. Julien Road will be truncated at either
end of the site and terminated by two turn around cul-desacs. Service and emergency vehicles will still be able to
pass through the site on a service road that will pass to
the west of Donald Cameron Hall. Access to the north
and south entrances of Donald Cameron Hall will remain
open to the public but the roads will be designed to
favour pedestrians and limit vehicles to speeds of
10km/h. The existing heavy delivery traffic servicing
Donald Cameron Hall will no longer access the core of
the campus, but rather will load and off-load at the new
Arrivals Building.
Vehicular traffic flow and entry points
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The Banff Centre also recognizes the importance of
cycling, and will support this mode of transportation
through the provision of adequate lane widths and
markings, and designated cycle stalls at the major
destination zones.
Directing all visitors to the new entrance will create a
single point of entry. The proposed “Arrivals Building” will
provide guests with an opportunity to experience the
magnificent views of the mountain ranges as soon as
they arrive in addition to giving them an overview of the
campus.
9.2
Site Access
The main access to the campus will be redefined so that
all traffic will be redirected to the highest part of the site,
adjacent to the theatre complex. Private vehicles, vans
and buses, and all delivery vehicles will enter the campus
at the Arrivals Building, and re-distributed at that point to
parking locations or one of the two exit routes. This
redefinition will ensure that traffic coming to the centre
will be evenly distributed on the north (St. Julien Road)
and south (Buffalo Street) access roads from the town.
The realignment of the intersections of St. Julien Road
and St. Julien Way and of St. Julien Way and Tunnel
Mountain Road are integral to the definition of the traffic
flow to the upper terraces of the site. These two
intersections will be reconfigured to become 90 degree
intersections, and grade issues at the junction of St.
Julien Road and St. Julian Way will also be addressed in
the reconfiguration. This will express the significance of
a main entrance to the site and will also serve as a
symbolic gateway that indicates arrival at the centre.
Major sculptural elements will be sited at these two
locations to signify the purpose and history of The Banff
Centre.
The Banff Centre will work with the Town of Banff to
ensure that signage within and at the perimeter of the
Town assists in achieving this distribution, and The Banff
Centre will work with regular delivery and transportation
services to ensure that transport vehicles do not
unevenly load either route.
The street modifications proposed in this document are
consistent with the recommendations of the Infrastructure
Master Plan (Section 11.1 – Transportation).
Creating a single point of entry into the site is essential to
the integration of the site. Currently, the campus lacks a
central point of arrival and it is unclear to visitors who are
arriving at The Banff Centre for the first time where they
should go to register or access the various components
of the facility.
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The plan is to locate loading areas away from the main
points of public access to the buildings. Discreet
servicing and dedicated service zones have been
established for all of the new facilities envisioned by the
master plan.
The long-term plan of the facility is to
integrate new service entrances in existing buildings
remote from the front doors.
9.4
Parking
The location and configuration of parking areas is integral
to the evaluation of traffic patterns and wayfinding
strategies for the site.
Perimeter roads, main access, St Julien truncated
through campus
9.3
Service Traffic
The separation of artist and participant access to
buildings from the service access will be integral to
improved artist and participant experience at The Banff
Centre.
At present many of the service points in buildings are
located adjacent to the main pedestrian entrance. In
some cases the main entrance is also the service
entrance.
This often results in clusters of service
vehicles and staff outside the front door obscuring the
entrance and disrupting groups that may spontaneously
form in these areas.
The closure of St. Julian Road to through traffic will
eliminate some of the short-term parking that is near the
Sally Borden Building. To partially replace this parking,
existing short term parking on the shoulder of St. Julien
Road south of the Professional Development Centre will
be formalized.
The total on-site parking capacity will be increased to 501
stalls, as summarized in the following table which
compares the plan to the inventory presented in the 2002
Infrastructure Master Plan:
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Location
Parkade (Music and Sound Building)
Don Becker Residence
Overflow Parking Lot (North
Entrance)
Parking Lot (Services Building)
St Julien Road
Bus Parking (Rear of Lloyd Hall)
Lloyd Hall - East side (rear)
Professional Development Building
St Julien Road (Donald Cameron
Hall)
Donald Cameron Hall (Business
Centre)
Eric Harvey Theatre
Arrivals Building Upper Plaza
# Parking Stalls
2002 IMP
194
122
2005 ARP
194
122
44
40
35
20
13
8
44
53
9
20
41
8
6
-
5
2
489
2
8
501
Parking areas will be limited to the existing areas and
one new surface short-term parking lot to the west of the
Music and Sound Building. This new parking is required
to facilitate activities at the new Arrivals Building. The
total number of parking stalls on the site will increase to
501.
Parking Area locations are illustrated in the following
graphic (green indicates formal parking, orange indicates
peak period (overflow) parking):
Green – formal parking; orange – peak period parking
Parking at the Tunnel Mountain trailhead gravel parking
lot on St. Julien Road will remain available. Pedestrian
paths will be introduced on the shoulder of St. Julien
Road to separate vehicular and pedestrian traffic
between the Theatre Complex and the gravel parking
area.
These paths will join with future sidewalk
construction/upgrading by the Town of Banff on the west
side of St. Julien leading to the campus boundary to
provide safe and continuous pedestrian walkways into
the campus. This recommendation is consistent with the
recommendations of the Infrastructure Master Plan.
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9.4.1 Peak Demand Parking
The Banff Centre recognizes that for some events, the
formal parking on campus is insufficient. These events
are infrequent, and typically involve large numbers of
participants who are accommodated in Banff hotels and
come to the campus for their program activities.
Informal parking during these special events will continue
to be accommodated on Tunnel Mountain Drive and St.
Julien Road in the zones indicated in orange on the
above graphic. The Banff Centre will improve the road
shoulders on Tunnel Mountain Drive for the areas most
impacted during these occasional situations.
The Banff Centre will work to minimize and effectively
manage peak demand parking loads through a number of
measures:
• The Banff Centre will continue to utilize shuttle
services from Banff hotel properties for major
event transportation.
• Integration wherever possible with Town of Banff
transportation systems.
• Encouragement of staff car pooling through
designated car-pool parking spaces to reduce staff
parking requirements.
• Direct mass transit from Calgary for large groups,
achieved by working with group organizers.
• Reduction in staff parking requirements resulting
from relocation of staff housing from campus to
Rocky Mountain Housing Cooperative, where
shuttle services will be provided.
• Employment of parking guides for large group
arrivals.
9.5
Pedestrian Networks
Strengthening the relationship between buildings, open
spaces and landscape is fundamental to creating a sense
of unity. Open spaces between buildings are not residual
spaces but spaces that can be occupied by artists,
participants and staff.
Open space serves as an
opportunity for artists, participants and staff to interact
with the landscape in this unique setting.
The
transformative experience offered by The Banff Centre
can be enhanced by encouraging people to walk through
the site and by creating opportunities for people to enjoy
not only the magnificent views available but also intimate
views of landscape vignettes and sculpture.
The
passage of people through the landscape should be
viewed as a creative opportunity.
Existing Network
There are a number of sidewalks that relate to individual
buildings but that do little to unite several buildings into a
collective. Wayfinding is not intuitive and artists and
participants are often unaware of how to reach their
destinations. There is a general level of confusion as to
where to check-in and a lack of clear orientation at
building entrances. The purpose of the various buildings
is not apparent to people moving through the site without
detailed instructions.
The pedestrian often feels secondary to vehicles on the
site. Sidewalks are located alongside the road but do not
lead directly to building entrances and are frequently
interrupted by service roads or parking areas. This lack
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of consistent planning for the pedestrian has resulted in
numerous informal ad hoc trails being made by people
looking for short cuts.
These trails are extremely
damaging to the fragile soil that exists at this elevation.
People will be encouraged to move through a reestablished natural environment.
In cases where
vehicular roads are required for service or emergency
access they will be designed in a manner that orients
them to the pedestrian in the first instance.
Proposed Network
A new system of paths that connect the site on east-west
and north-south axes, and the introduction of defined
upper and lower loops will improve wayfinding as well as
creating different experiences for people as they move
through the re-established native environment.
Pedestrian paths and sidewalks will be integrated with
Town of Banff and Parks Canada paths, sidewalks and
trails. A new pedestrian sidewalk will traverse the entire
campus from north to south, connecting at the north
campus boundary with the Town of Banff sidewalk on St.
Julien Road, and at the south with the trails at the
junction of Tunnnel Mountain Drive and the current St.
Julien Road.
One of the goals of the landscape plan is to encourage
people to spend time outside while at The Banff Centre.
The natural setting is unparalleled and part of the
educational experience should involve the opportunity to
commune with nature.
The definition of pedestrian paths is a key component of
the landscape design. The introduction of a series of
public open spaces of varying scales and degree of
formality creates a series of nodes or “targets” that
encourage pedestrian movement through the site. These
experiences will be made richer through the use of
defined seating areas, sculpture, water features and a
series of landscape vignettes.
The plan will also encourage the utilization of outdoor
spaces where artists, participants and staff will be able to
gather. Pedestrian movement through the site will be
prioritized and be made separate from vehicular traffic.
9.6
Causeway
The elevated causeway has been conceived as a spine
that links the components of the Centre in an east-west
2direction. From the new point of arrival a curved bridge
will allow the visitor to move through the site at a level
below the treetops to connect with the new dining room in
the Sally Borden Building and the residential suites in
Lloyd Hall and the Professional Development Centre.
The walkway is intended to allow guests to travel from
the highest elevation on the site by slowly ramping down
to the lower without having to negotiate steep roadways
that are often treacherous during winter months.
The opportunity to arrive at the Centre after a long
journey and step out into nature is an exciting motif. The
moment of arrival and the first glimpse of the mountains
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are both key components of the “Banff” experience. The
walkway will pass above regenerated parts of the
landscape providing opportunities for constructed views
and an early opportunity for the visitor to gain a
comprehensive understanding of the campus layout.
The bridge will extend beyond the Sally Borden Building
and connect to the third floor of Donald Cameron Hall.
From this point the visitor may enter the “commons” or
pass through the building to the Max Bell and Trans
Canada Pipe Line buildings to the west or through an
above ground link to either Glyde Hall or the Jeanne and
Peter Lougheed Building.
The causeway is viewed as a signature piece of
architecture that unites the various components of The
Banff Centre. The structure will be essentially open at the
sides but covered. Adjustable components can be used
to provide shelter from cold winds in the winter months.
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10.
Development Guidelines
10.1 Campus Identity
A visitor to The Banff Centre should be able to clearly
understand that the campus is composed of a series of
buildings that have been developed in a manner
consistent with the mission of the facility. The buildings
should be a physical representation of the principles and
vision that guide The Banff Centre. The collection of
buildings and the space that binds them together is more
important than any one individual building. It is the
relationship of buildings to one another, their hierarchy
and the spaces created between them that are truly
important. A building can be a wonderful intervention into
a greater landscape if it contributes to opportunities for
artists and guests to enjoy and understand their
surroundings.
Conversely, a building can serve to
separate people by drawing them away from spaces that
are designed for congregation.
The facilities provided in each building should be
considered as part of the total campus so that a desire to
provide resources in each building does not dilute the
overall “life” of the centre.
10.2 Building Entrances
In principle, building entrances should be gathered
together to create a level of activity adjacent the building.
This will serve to increase the interaction between visitors
to the centre. Entrances should be clearly identifiable
and should allow the visitor to quickly ascertain the
purpose of the building. On entering a building users
should be able to orient themselves immediately to the
site, adjacent buildings and to the interior layout of the
building.
The intention in all new buildings is to separate service
access from the main public entrances.
10.3 Building Massing
The by-laws of the Town of Banff restrict the height of
new construction to three storeys and 13.5 m in height.
Proposed buildings comply with the intent of this
requirement. There are some isolated areas where the
specified maximum height is exceeded because of
localized depressions in the ground plane and others
where mechanical equipment is located on the roof level.
Computer massing studies, completed as a part of the
master plan process, indicate limited impact of the new
buildings on the existing view corridors. Threedimensional models inserted into photographs taken from
Highway 1, the Town of Banff and the Rimrock hotel
demonstrate that even though the new individual
buildings will have a presence on the campus that is
different to the current situation, the overall impression of
a complex of buildings on the site is not intended to
change significantly.
When developing the form of the new buildings,
environmental strategies have been taken into
consideration. The buildings have been oriented with
careful consideration to site conditions (soil conditions,
grades, landscape elements), position relative to solar
passive design and natural ventilation, the internal
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planning of the building in relation to neighbouring
structures and an efficient choice of structural,
mechanical and electrical systems.
passive design and natural ventilation. Where large
areas of glass have been employed, exterior blinds or
large roof overhangs will be introduced to limit reflected
glare from the buildings.
10.4 Building Materials and Design
Campus unity is not only accomplished at the site level
but in the development of the building language. Three
buildings will be added to the current building stock.
Minimal exterior architectural lighting will be employed,
and timing devices will be introduced to both building and
site lighting to promote a dark skies policy.
Local materials such as wood and rundlestone will be
incorporated into the palette of interior and exterior
materials. These materials, together with glass and
metal, will be used in a manner that will provide a
contemporary interpretation to Banff Design Guidelines.
Buildings designed in an environmentally responsive
manner that address their unique functions and that
reflect the strong sense of community at The Banff
Centre will ultimately provide an architecture that reflects
both the uniqueness of the setting and The Banff Centre
itself.
10.5
The preliminary designs present an interpretation of the
existing buildings. The majority of buildings on the site
have been designed with flat roof structures, relatively
simple massing and a fenestration pattern that is
reflective of the interior functions. By continuing in this
manner, the new buildings will be complimentary to the
existing while respecting Banff Design Guidelines.
Landscape Guidelines
10.5.1 Major Pedestrian/ Event Spaces
Proposed Locations: Donald Cameron Hall (West Side),
potentially Music Building / Theatre Forecourt.
Materials/ Layout: Orthogonal, relating to building layout.
Grading to be level and stepped if necessary, with
changes in grade negotiated by rundlestone clad walls
with level tops. Large unit pavers in plazas. Seating to
be sawn stone blocks (e.g. amphitheatre) and seat walls
with stone detailing (plazas, terraces).
Lighting: Spaces to be well lit, directional lighting to pick
out activity spaces and landscape features. Interior
fixtures in gallery spaces and lobbies to spread ambient
light into adjacent exterior spaces. Amphitheatre to be
discreetly lit with step lighting, with additional specialized
stage lighting during performances.
In some areas large expanses of glass will allow
panoramic views from the building and will assist in solar
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10.5.2 Interior Roadways/ Sidewalks
Proposed Locations: St. Julien Way, St. Julien Road.
Materials/ Layout: 7m wide asphalt roadway with 2m
wide concrete pavement and curb. Follow existing layout
where possible to avoid impact on existing vegetation
and grade.
and intuitive layout connecting building entrances, plazas
and parking facilities.
Lighting: 4m metal poles 20m on centre (5:1 mounting
height) with full cut off luminaries to eliminate light
pollution.
10.5.5 Minor Pathways/ Trails
Proposed Locations: Leighton Artists Colony, Music Huts,
Chalets, Forest Trails.
Materials/ Layout: Gravel or stabilized soil pathways,
winding routes to follow topography and negotiate
existing trees.
10.5.3 Combined Service and Emergency Routes/
Major Walkways
Proposed Locations: Between Donald Cameron Hall
(North Side) and Lougheed Building; Between
Professional Development Centre and Arrivals Building.
Materials/ Layout: Permeable Unit Paving to encourage
run off infiltration, laid out in relaxed curves and reverse
curves to soften into landscape while allowing large
vehicle movement.
Lighting: Low level bollard lighting relating to scale of
pathways.
Lighting: LED (possibly solar powered) light mounted on
waist high flexible ‘wand’. Modest light acting as a trail
marker - should give off enough light to be visible without
illuminating adjacent walkway. Only to be used on trails
servicing buildings or chalets.
Lighting: Less intensity than roadways – pools of light
rather than continuous illumination. Accent lighting at
intersections, building interfaces and landscape features.
Lighting must not restrict width of required emergency
vehicle clearance.
10.5.4 Pedestrian Walkways
Proposed Locations: All interior walkways not designated
as service routes or minor trails.
Materials/ Layout: Slow, generous curves following
grade. Concrete pavement with sandblast finish; Direct
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11.
Buildings
All buildings with proposed modifications are identified
below:
11.1 Arrivals
The Arrivals building will be the first destination for artists
and participants. Located adjacent to the music and
sound building it will house reception and a gallery that
will highlight the work of the institution.
The main floor will contain an arrivals hall, a gallery
space, the front desk, a boardroom and ancillary support
spaces. Eight temporary parking stalls and a bus drop
off bay will be situated immediately to the east of the
building.
The arrivals hall, gallery spaces and main front desk are
located on the southwest façade where they enjoy a
broad overview of the surrounding mountain ranges, the
Bow Valley and the overall campus. A stair and elevator
will link the main level to a lower floor where artists and
participants can access the causeway (see Section 9.6),
the parking garage and the various pedestrian paths that
connect the upper and lower terraces.
In addition to guest functions, the lower level will contain
the main food and beverage receiving area and a
maintenance storage facility. The loading areas
associated with these two components of the program
are oriented to the south so that they will remain hidden
from guests in the gallery area above.
11.2 Sally Borden Building
The Sally Borden Building is the main athletic and
recreational facility serving The Banff Centre and the
wider Banff community. It is a two-storey building with a
full service basement. The swimming pool, gymnasium
and support spaces are located on the main floor while
the fitness/weight room and café are housed on the
second floor. The rooftop was at one time used as tennis
courts.
A two-storey addition is proposed to be constructed on
top of the existing tennis court to accommodate the main
dining areas and kitchen facilities for the campus. The
dining areas and kitchen facilities are currently located in
Donald Cameron Hall. The first of these additional floors
(ground level on the east side of the building) will
accommodate the main kitchen, staff dining areas and
kitchen support functions. The second additional floor
will be the main dining room. With spectacular views
over the Bow Valley and towards Mt. Rundle, Mt.
Norquay and Cascade mountain the dining experience in
this space will be unparalleled by any comparable facility.
The floor plate will be divided into a 350-seat main dining
room and a 125-seat special dining room offering artists
and participants an opportunity to savor a creative menu
in a more intimate setting. A small wine bar will offer an
opportunity to extend the dining experience.
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11.3 Donald Cameron Hall
The new Donald Cameron Hall will be the home of the
“learning commons”. The commons will be a dynamic
space that integrates learning spaces with social
opportunities by combining a full-service learning
resource centre / library with meeting spaces,
communication points, public performance and gallery
spaces, and a cafe, pub, and lounge areas that overlook
the Bow Valley. The commons is a place where people
will be able to meet spontaneously and explore the wide
variety of learning opportunities available at The Banff
Centre.
The new Donald Cameron Hall will actually be comprised
of two separate but adjacent buildings, the smaller of
which will house administrative offices. The larger
building will contain a suite of multi-purpose rooms
(studios, classrooms) along with the learning commons.
A central spine will serve as a gallery for artistic display
that draws the casual visitor into the artistic aspects of
the centre. The main atrium will open to a broad plaza
offering casual seating during summer months and
access to an outdoor amphitheatre located partially on
the footprint of the existing Donald Cameron Hall.
The atrium contains a central staircase that links the
three levels of the building. At each landing a large
platform extends across the extent of the atrium to a
balcony that overlooks the Bow Valley to the west. Each
of these balconies is envisaged as a casual seating area
where people can gather to appreciate the view. During
the summer months, large sliding doors can be opened
at the ground floor and on each of the balconies. The
proposed layout of the new Donald Cameron Hall is
simple to allow people to orient themselves and to be
able to find meeting spaces intuitively.
The existing Donald Cameron Hall will remain operational
until the new buildings are fully functional and occupied.
11.4 Music Huts
Twenty-eight small practice studios reserved for
musicians in residence at The Banff Centre are scattered
throughout the southeast quadrant of the site. A number
of these huts are located within the proposed floor plate
of the new arrivals building, and will be relocated south of
Lloyd Hall in close relationship to other huts already in
that area.
11.5 Leighton Colony
“The Leighton Studios provide a secluded retreat for
individual artists to engage in self-directed uninterrupted
creative work.”
Two additional studios are planned for the Leighton
Colony in locations identified in the 2001 Area
Redevelopment Plan.
The requirement for privacy and seclusion in this area
has been long established at The Banff Centre and
pedestrians are strongly discouraged from entering the
area. The structure of paths leading to and within the
Leighton Colony will be reviewed as part of the
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implementation of the master plan. Some effort will be
required to repair the environmental damage caused by
the dirt footpath that passes through the Leighton Colony.
Dirt trails cause significant and lasting damage to the
fragile soil and undergrowth that exists at this elevation.
Modifications to the forest enclosure for the purpose of
wildfire risk mitigation have altered the secluded
character of the Leighton Colony. The studios are now
exposed to view and noise from the adjoining Tunnel
Mountain Road and proposals have been made within
the Landscape Plan to address this in the short and
longer term.
11.6 Heritage Chalets
Built in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, Smith, Vinci and
Farrally Halls are three of the original buildings of The
Banff Centre. As such, they are representative of the
site’s history.
The Campus Functional Program recognizes that in their
current configuration these buildings will only be able to
accommodate between 10 and 20 rooms and will
therefore need to be expanded to meet the functional
requirements. The plan is to renovate Farrally and Vinci
Halls into retreat style accommodations for groups of 1530. It is anticipated that each building will be selfcontained in terms of lounge, meeting and dining spaces.
Smith Hall will be demolished as the administrative wing
of the new Donald Cameron building encroaches upon its
footprint.
The new Farrally and Vinci will be similar in character but
better suited to the Centre’s requirements for educational
program delivery.
The significance of the existing
buildings is not their architecture but the setting of a
group of small buildings within a landscape of great
beauty.
It is proposed that the two new buildings be constructed
within the canopy of the existing forest. These buildings
will be accessed from a central courtyard north of the
reconstructed Donald Cameron Hall and from a trail
leading from the truncated St. Julien Road. The buildings
would be constructed on three levels, one level
containing meeting rooms, another level for communal
dining and living rooms and a third floor reserved for
bedrooms.
The structures would utilize indigenous
materials that relate to overall aesthetic and design
guidelines.
11.7 Glyde Hall
Glyde Hall houses the Walter Phillips Gallery and the
majority of the studios used by the Visual Arts programs.
The building accommodates some of the most dynamic
activities on the site and should be more accessible to
the range of people visiting the Centre. Access to the
Walter Phillips Gallery is obscure and as a result
unfortunately a great number of visitors miss the
opportunity of viewing the exhibitions.
The Campus Functional Program identifies the failings of
the building envelope in Glyde Hall and identifies work
that is required to improve the climate controls within the
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Walter Phillips Gallery, the other gallery spaces and
individual studios.
New links between the new Donald Cameron complex
and Glyde Hall are planned. A major entrance to the
facility will occur at the link between these two buildings.
The objective is to engage the residents of Glyde Hall
more completely in the operation of The Banff Centre and
to encourage short-term guests to explore the creative
endeavor that occurs within Glyde Hall.
11.8 Jeanne and Peter Lougheed Building
The Jeanne and Peter Lougheed building was completed
in 1988 and is the locus for the Centre’s Media and
Creative Electronic Environment programming. As with
Glyde Hall, the activity in this building is not perceptible to
the short- term guest. The entrance to the Jeanne and
Peter Lougheed Building is obscure with no relationship
to the adjoining buildings or major pedestrian routes. The
central pedestrian spine is removed from the activities
that occur within the building and does not link to any of
the main pedestrian routes on the campus.
An opportunity exists in the plan to tie this atrium to the
new entrance shared by DCH and Glyde Hall. Another
opportunity exists to link this atrium to the proposed
pedestrian loops between Sally Borden and Max Bell and
the TransCanada Pipelines Pavilion.
11.9 Maintenance Building
The maintenance building and the service yard will
remain as is. Some of the small storage sheds adjacent
to the Leighton Colony will be removed after the storage
facilities below the Arrivals Building are complete.
11.10 Theatre Lobby Development
The three theatre buildings at The Banff Centre - Eric
Harvie Theatre, Margaret Greenham Theatre and the
Rolston Recital Hall in the Music and Sound Building are located at the eastern edge of the campus along St.
Julien Way. These buildings are oriented away from the
rest of the campus and the only relationship between
these buildings and the others on the site is a shared
loading area and access to an underground parking
garage.
The pedestrian link between the theatre buildings and
other buildings on site is across an asphalt parking lot
that also serves as overflow bus parking, or via a
pathway that leads from the front of the Theatre and runs
east/west and connects with paths that lead to St. Julien
Road, Lloyd Hall and most buildings on the lower
campus. The plan allows for a new series of paths to this
location.
While it is not possible to change the orientation of these
buildings, it is possible to knit them together through the
creation of a common lobby space. A new lobby will
provide sufficient social spaces for the festival events that
occur within the theatre complex in addition to adequate
food service and washroom areas. The lobby can be
more logically tied to the pedestrian network and to the
below grade parking.
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12.
Landscape
12.1 Existing Landscape
The landscape has evolved since the formative stages of
The Banff Centre. The initial landscape design was
predominantly lawn in selectively cleared forest,
accented by garden features along the active frontages
of buildings. The coniferous canopy was left more or less
intact with the exception of the clearings next to Eric
Harvie Theatre, Lloyd Hall and Donald Cameron Hall.
Over time, the landscape character evolved to include
more naturalized landscape with less manicured lawn.
The landscape design for the more recent Professional
Development Centre is a good example of this style of
landscape design.
The forest canopy in high use areas is declining as a
result of changes to the natural environment such as
compaction, adjusted water table and past maintenance
practices. Recent thinning of the forest canopy has also
altered the natural state while reducing potential forest
fire risk. Due to forest fire suppression, the existing
landscape is a monoculture with little opportunity for
biological/ecological diversity.
In general terms, the landscape requires a combination
of renewal and ongoing management. While the campus
will remain an inhabited site, a restorative approach is
needed to preserve and enhance naturalized areas while
minimizing and consolidating high use areas.
12.2 Landscape Plan
The primary goal of the landscape plan is to identify a
core area for The Banff Centre, reinforce the structure of
the campus, and provide landscaping and aesthetics.
This focal space would be the hub for the site, and
provide a key area for formal gatherings and social
interactions.
Composed of a formal terrace, a
performance amphitheater and a cultivated lawn, it
should inform and organize the structure of the
surrounding site. This area has been identified as the
site of the existing Donald Cameron Hall, enjoying a
central position on the lower terrace and impressive
views to the Bow Valley.
In direct contrast, the surrounding landscape should be
soft and naturalized, drawing its inspiration from the
natural montane landscape characteristic of the Bow
Valley. Cultivated lawn should be replaced in favour of
meadow plantings, orthogonal plazas with curvilinear
walkways. Selective clearing may be employed to open
up the more centralized areas to give sunlight and views,
allowing native deciduous plantings to be introduced to
enhance the existing coniferous stands and allow for
ecological diversity.
Where new development has left the forest edge
exposed, a ‘buffer’ planting scheme using native
deciduous and successional evergreen plantings should
be introduced to reinforce and protect exposed tree
stands. The linear planting schemes would introduce
colour and understorey to the forest edge. The screening
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qualities of such vegetation would be invaluable to
private facilities such as the Leighton Artists Colony, sited
in an area of thinning Lodgepole forest.
Stormwater management techniques will be selected
from current best management practices to handle runoff and contaminants from activities such as on-site
parking.
Such techniques should be seen as an
opportunity to inform and organize the landscape of the
Centre, providing an educational device to inform the
visitor of the movement of water through the site.
As one moves to the peripheries of the site, the natural
corridors and dense coniferous forest should be
maintained and protected, preserving the Centre’s unique
character and setting.
Pathways through dense
woodland should be consolidated or removed, and
signage and wayfinding methods should be employed to
reduce the impact of the trail system around the centre.
The interplay between the natural site, building
composition and landscape design reveals the landscape
structure for the campus. The key role of landscape
design in this composition is to provide a sense of
exterior structure. The principle features in this regard are
circulation and spatial structure.
The landscape design, in reinforcing this basic structure,
should draw distinction between the terraces, create
clear and accessible linkages up and down between
them, punctuate the campus entrance hierarchy and
build upon the natural landscape characteristic of the
existing site.
12.3 Landscape Structure
As the landscape structure evolves it should aim to clarify
and integrate the two existing (upper/east and
lower/west) natural terraces.
The campus is currently organized around two terraces,
one above the other on the lower slopes of Tunnel
Mountain. St. Julien Road traverses the site between the
terraces, while St. Julien Way and Tunnel Mountain road
climb the slope on either side to ring the upper perimeter
of the campus. The terraces overlook the panorama of
the Bow valley.
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12.4 Responding to Topography
The proposed landscape plan will use the site’s unique
topography to lend impact to the arrangement of new
elements and features.
The terrain of the site is its unique and identifying feature.
Retaining walls and site walls should be used to create a
series of stepped terraces throughout the landscape to
interpret and celebrate the drop of elevation across the
site. Built or clad in native rundlestone, the walls will
emerge out of the hillside in an almost organic manner,
holding a level top to establish a datum against the
sloping ground. Walls should be used to distinguish
meadow areas from more formal areas, to punctuate
plazas, and to define the built form of the landscape.
Paved surfaces should be arranged in a clear hierarchy.
Starting from periphery trails, as the visitor moves closer
to the campus core, the trails expand to minor and major
walkways (accommodating service and emergency
vehicles). In turn, formal plazas and terraces will define
the central area of the campus. By articulating these
systems with scale and materials, the visitor will be
instinctively aware of their bearings within the site.
12.5 Natural Corridors
The existing natural corridors should be maintained and
protected from human intervention and use.
The coniferous montane forest is the natural condition of
the site. The more steeply sloped areas are most intact,
due in large part to their unsuitability for development. As
a result, the site is traversed by two more or less
continuous sloped areas that support natural wildlife
habitat corridors through the site.
These corridors should be preserved and managed as
natural areas with minimal intrusion by future site use
and development. Foot traffic should be discouraged to
prevent compaction of roots. Consolidation of path
systems and enhanced signage and wayfinding should
be considered to prevent casual foot traffic from entering
existing natural areas.
12.6 Forest Restoration
Selective reforestation should be pursued with native
species that will tolerate the shade of the existing
Lodgepole pine forest. Access to existing forest areas
should be restricted and / or consolidated.
Some areas of Lodgepole pine, notably adjacent to the
Leighton Artists colony, are showing signs of stress, and
do not currently exhibit significant signs of succession to
other native evergreens such as Douglas fir.
Where a continuous forest canopy is still desirable and
not in contradiction to Parks Canada and Town of Banff
fire prevention strategies, selective reforestation should
be pursued with native, shade tolerant evergreens such
as Douglas fir and Engelmann Spruce. Such species
should be able to tolerate the shade of the Lodgepole
forest. Clearings and sunnier aspects may be replanted
with deciduous trees and shrubs, such as trembling
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aspen. It is notable that both aspen and Douglas fir are
rated as less susceptible to fire than Lodgepole pine.
Some areas of forest restoration with mixed native
species have already been initiated, an example being
the slope adjacent to Sally Borden Building. As is the
case with the sites natural corridors, it is imperative that
superfluous trails are minimized and access restricted to
the existing and restored forest areas. Ad hoc trails
should be rationalized and consolidated, while
comprehensive wayfinding systems may be employed to
reduce the incidence of shortcutting and associated
trailside damage. New walkways should be direct and
intuitive to negate the need for people to leave them.
12.7 Forest Edge
The forest edge should be repaired and enhanced with
mixed, mainly deciduous plantings.
Past development such as buildings and infrastructure
generally appears to have been cut directly into existing
pine forest. Since the roots of most of the species are
sensitive to such intrusions, this carries the risk of blowdown, which has been experienced on some areas of the
site and more extensively in surrounding areas of the
town.
As future development is implemented, the exposed
forest edge must be repaired and reinforced by
deciduous tree and shrub species. Trembling Aspen,
Balsam Poplar and Red Osier Dogwood will flourish in
the sunnier growing conditions at the forest edge.
Adjacent to the existing coniferous forest edges, this
strategy will provide screening and an enclosure
(Leighton Artist Colony), and provide a natural
understorey zone that is of high ecological value.
12.8 Informal Clearings
Meadow planting should be employed as a low
maintenance open space treatment that is sympathetic to
the montane landscape setting.
The natural ground cover of the montane forest is a mix
of low native grasses and alpine plants that produces an
informal carpet below the filtered light of the coniferous
canopy. The existing campus clearings are generally
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manicured lawn although on the shoulders of these
spaces there is a transition to the native ground cover.
The approach to maintaining these clearings while
shifting to a more natural and environmentally friendly
ground cover is to extend meadow mix seeding of low
grasses and perennials which at times may bloom, but
for the most part will create a carpet of informal grasses
and foliage. Wildlife will still be able to traverse these
meadow areas and maintenance may be reduced to
seasonal pickup of deadfall and removal of any unwanted
seedlings. Once established, little or no irrigation should
be required.
12.9 The Commons
Cultivated lawn should be restricted to the core area of
the campus, where it will be used for social gatherings
and contrast the adjacent natural landscape treatment.
The large open space below the learning commons
terrace and stepped amphitheater will remain the primary
lawn area. This will allow large group gatherings to spill
beyond the commons terrace and accommodate foot
traffic while visually complementing the campus centre.
The selected grasses should be as resistant to drought
as possible to minimize the need for active irrigation. As
the lowest site in the campus, rainwater runoff will be
directed for passive irrigation where feasible and
practical. An important aesthetic consideration for the
lawn will be the transition to meadow. The visual line
created by this cutting limit is an important influence in
the visual canvas of the commons and should be
carefully delineated to please the eye from key vantage
points within the campus.
12.10 Storm Water Management
Storm water management systems will slow and cleanse
run off on site, while informing the character of the future
landscape structure.
Existing site drainage is handled by conventional above
and below grade storm drainage techniques. Although
some areas are serviced by formal storm water systems,
most of the run-off from the site discharges overland.
Current problems include some cross road drainage and
minor periodic wash-outs.
The strategy for storm water management improvement
stems from the desire to improve storm water quality and
reduce runoff volumes. This is a key concern due to the
site’s location in the Bow Valley and adjacency to the
Bow River.
Proposed storm water management systems should aim
to utilize current drainage technology in order to slow
down the water leaving the site, reducing the risk of
erosion and washout. A series of infiltration trenches
and basins will be used to cleanse run-off of suspended
solids and pollutants whilst encouraging groundwater recharge. As well, there is a desire to use storm water for
irrigation and landscape features in a creative manner
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that demonstrates best practices of sustainable site
design. The storm water handling system thus becomes
both a feature and key organizing element of the site
landscape.
and image of the Centre will be developed to
complement the program of site, building and circulation,
and integrate with Town of Banff and Parks Canada
wayfinding strategies.
Stormwater drainage
12.11 Signage and Wayfinding
Finding one's way to and within the Centre is an
important factor in the quality of the visitor experience.
With some degree of visibility of the Centre from the
Town, finding the site is not difficult. Knowing where to
arrive, check-in, park and find your way around the
facilities and campus is more challenging.
A clear hierarchy of signs and directories which is
compatible with the character of the buildings, landscape
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13.
SUSTAINABILITY
The highest standards of environmental design have
been considered for all new development. The Banff
Centre has mandated that all new buildings shall seek
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
certification. LEED is a standard established by the
United States Green Building Council and endorsed by
the Canada Green Building Council that encourages a
careful analysis of proposed buildings with respect to site
selection, water and energy efficient design, selection of
building materials and consideration of indoor
environmental quality. The goal is that every new
building will obtain a minimum of a silver rating.
The Banff Centre has an opportunity to showcase their
leadership in environmental stewardship through a
choice to develop buildings in a manner that causes
minimal impact to the landscape and to the environment
in general.
Commitment to the LEED process will add cost to
construction budgets because it demands that building
development be undertaken in a more durable, energy
efficient manner. This commitment may, at times, be
challenged by budgetary considerations. Leadership and
ongoing commitment to the environmental goals of the
project will be critically important to achieving the overall
aim of showcasing a commitment to environmental
stewardship.
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14.
Related Publications and Reference Documents
The Banff Centre
• 2005-2009 Four-year Business Plan http://www.banffcentre.ca/about/publications/
• 2005 The Banff Centre Environmental Screening Report http://www.banffcentre.ca/about/revitalization/
• 2004 Campus Functional Program (Milne Report)
• 2002 Infrastructure Master Plan (Earth Tech (Canada) Inc.) http://www.banffcentre.ca/redev/
• 2001 Area Redevelopment Plan (Stantec Consulting Ltd.) http://www.banffcentre.ca/redev/
• 2000 Environmental Screening Report (IRIS Environmental Systems) http://www.banffcentre.ca/redev/
• 1988 Master Plan (Wayne H. Wright Architects Limited)
Other
• 1988 Banff Community Plan http://www.banff.ca
• Banff Land Use By-Law http://www.banff.ca
• 2005-2010 Parks Canada Corporate Plan http://www.pc.gc.ca/docs/pc/plans/plan2005-2006/index_e.asp (see
Section 3)
• Banff National Park Management Plan http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/docs/plan1/plan1a_e.asp
• Province of Alberta Municipal Government Act http://www.municipalaffairs.gov.ab.ca/mahome/ms/ActsRegs.cfm
• Canada Green Building Council http://www.cagbc.org/
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