This year, Pomerleau completed the renovation of Gros Morne National Park’s Visitor Centre, which welcomes tens of thousands of visitors from around the world annually.
The renovation involved the demolition of the existing visitor reception centre building and the reconstruction of a revamped building, almost double the size of the original one. What is unique about the project, though, is its mass timber properties.
Gros Morne National Park Visitor Centre is the second mass timber application that Pomerleau has executed in Newfoundland and Labrador. Of the 14 timber beams used in the new structure, seven were refurbished from the original building.
With more than 20 mass timber projects completed or ongoing, Pomerleau is contributing to Canada’s net-zero targets. Wood requires six times less carbon for its production than steel or concrete. Pomerleau has adapted to the increasing usage of mass timber on sites by using innovative tools like wireless and connected remote sensors to monitor the humidity of timber elements in real-time.
The project is targeting LEED Silver certification for its environmental efforts, which include the use of mass timber and wood framing, new solar panels, and the incorporation of high-efficiency HVAC, electrical and water systems.
While reconstructing the centre, Pomerleau worked with Parks Canada to ensure the little brown bats, who once roosted in the original centre’s theatre, were protected throughout the entire construction process. This involved demolishing the theatre before the bats’ roosting season and providing them with new bat condos with entrances at the same elevation as the original theatre. The existing siding was salvaged from the old building and installed on the new habitats, creating tactile familiarity. Schedule changes were also incorporated to reduce noise disruption.
The revamped visitor centre exemplifies how infrastructure can be rebuilt sustainably.
Featured image: (Pomerleau)