The development process for the Active Living Centre continues to move forward in Vernon, as project managers work through the Pre-Validation phase of the multi-year project to design and build a new indoor recreation facility near the Kal Tire Place and Kal Tire Place North twin arenas.
The City of Vernon is pleased to announce that Group2 Architecture Interior Design Ltd. has been selected to provide Architect Services for the facility.
“Group2 brings more than a decade of Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) experience and extensive experience designing similar recreation facilities to Vernon’s IPD process,” said Doug Ross, Manager, Project Program. “The company was chosen following a thorough review and interview process of respondents to the City’s Request for Proposals (RFP). We are looking forward to working with Group2, and thank everyone who submitted a proposal to offer Architect Services for the project.”
The City’s IPD team and representatives from Group2 will begin touring facilities in other communities next week in the Lower Mainland to gain inspiration for the design process, learn from other facility operators’ successes and hear about what other communities would change about their facilities if they could.
“We are extremely excited to have been selected as a partner in developing such an important and impactful project as the Active Living Centre,” said Craig Webber, Principal, Group2 Architecture Interior Design Ltd. “We look forward to engaging collaboratively with the City of Vernon, a diverse group of construction partners and interested parties to create an amazing facility for the community.”
An RFP for General Contractor Services for the Active Living Centre closed on May 12 and the successful contractor is expected to be awarded in early June. Procurement for the remaining IPD Partners (consultants and major trades) will be released via RFP in the coming weeks.
In addition to the Architect Services announcement, the City is excited to release its new Active Living Centre project website, www.vernonalc.ca.
Citizens are invited to visit the website to receive ongoing updates about the project, including details about when and how they can offer feedback on the design of the facility. The website content will be expanded as more information becomes available. Public engagement on the design phase of the project is expected to take place between June and December of this year.
You can also follow the City of Vernon on its social media channels, using the handle @cityofvernon on Facebook and Instagram.
Integrated Project Delivery background
An important aspect of IPD is that the model merges all parties into a single shared multi-party contract. It transforms the traditional Design-Bid-Build, low bid, change order, adversarial relationship, into one that is team focused and value added, encouraging behaviours that lead to exceptional project performance and value. IPD merges the owner, architect, general contractor, and trade partners early on, to form a team that together conducts a validation phase. The validation phase is conducted over approximately 4-months and project partners together perform preliminary design, intensive cost estimating, and agree upon a Target Cost to owner for the project. This process delivers the kind of detailed and committed budget certainty early on that the City of Vernon requires for this high-profile project.
You can learn more about the IPD process at www.vernonalc.ca.