Completed in in 2013, the new RCMP E Division Headquarters facility is the federal government’s largest accommodation project to date in the Pacific Region. A public-private partnership (P3) between the Government of Canada and Green Timbers Accommodation Partners, it relocates and consolidates existing RCMP headquarter units throughout Metro Vancouver into one new location within the City of Surrey.
This new facility is designed to meet post-disaster specifications, with the requirement that it remains operational after a major seismic event. The performance objective can be best described as “immediate occupancy”: the structure maintains most of its pre-earthquake strength and stiffness and the building’s systems necessary for normal operation are expected to remain functional. Glotman•Simpson achieved this more stringent performance objective by designing a self-centering system that has post-tensioning in the shear walls, which centres the building; this includes yielding rebar to dissipate energy from an earthquake. Collapse prevention systems were installed to reduce the risk of progressive collapse in case of an explosion in the building.
LEED Gold certified, this new facility meets current safety and security standards, and provides office and purpose built accommodation for over 2,700 E Division personnel.