Skilled Trades and Technology Centre

The Skilled Trades and Technology Centre (STTC) is a milestone achievement in the history of Red River College Polytechnic.

Funded by Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation (MIT) and operated by Red River College Polytechnic, the Skilled Trades and Technology Centre is a state-of-the-art $60M investment that boosts skilled trades training at RRC Polytech’s Notre Dame Campus by 30%.

Totalling 104,000 square feet, the STTC houses new laboratory, shop space and classrooms for up to 1,1000 students per year in high-demand trades and technologies. This includes carpentry, electrical and heating, sheet metal, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC).

The STTC also supports technology and innovation in other related industrial sectors such as robotics and automation, hydraulics and pneumatics, materials, electronics, computer aided design and the Innovation Lab for applied research initiatives, industry and student projects. The STTC also works in conjunction with the Centre for Applied Research in Sustainable Infrastructure.

The building’s design includes flexible learning spaces for student/industry collaborations, and sustainable technologies and achievements such as:

• a centralization of all campus recycling activities
• the use of LED lighting throughout
• an additional three rapid charging stations for use by students and visitors
• applied to be LEED Gold Certified

Construction began in May 2015 was completed in 2018.

Facts about the Skilled Trades and Technology Centre

Construction

• Over 2,300 people were employed in the construction of the STTC. Nearly 500 additional people were employed as architects, engineers, draftspeople, project managers and specialty consultants (acoustics, sustainability, etc.).
• Students contributed to the construction of the facility by building work benches featured in the labs, tool cribs and electrical training panels.
• Tools and artifacts representing the trades taught in this building, including hammers, pliers and wrenches, are embedded directly in the floors of STTC. All the tools embedded in the floors were diverted from landfills.
• The concrete flooring is highlighted with 60,000 lbs of reclaimed copper and brass topping.
• Mock-up wall and window assemblies were built and tested for performance by the College’s Building Efficiency Technology Access Centre.

Environment

• The entire landscape at STTC was designed as a living laboratory for RRC Polytech’s Indigenous programs.
• There are over 120 trees, 750 shrubs, 2,500 perennials and 2,200 square metres of prairie seed mix in the student courtyard, including 40 species of locally-developed prairie hardy fruiting trees, shrubs and vines
• The student courtyard features specialized planting details using root growth trenches to help the trees thrive under a paved surface.
• A xeriscaping test garden runs along the entire south face of the STTC and uses native and adaptive ornamental shrubs and perennials developed in Manitoba.
• The STTC was designed to be fully accessible from every point and to be future-proofed for a rapid transit hub.
• The STTC is linked to surrounding neighbourhoods for improved access, including more than 2,500 square metres of new sidewalk and 50 new bike stalls.
• The central skylight, internal tubular skylights and generous exterior glazing mean that over 80% of the interior spaces are considered “fully daylit” – on a sunny day, lights aren’t needed in classrooms, labs or public spaces.
• The shade screen in the southwest corner is inspired by the patterns and voids seen in birch bark, relating back to the birch forest-inspired building cladding design.
• The STTC includes over 1,000 roof/wall sensors and a weather station to measure performance, temperature and moisture content.

Sustainability

• The STTC features the first modular tray green roof in Manitoba, which is being used as a test roof and monitored by RRC Polytech.
• A geothermal well pumps 525 gallons of water per minute through the building to use as both a heating and cooling source. Due to the aquifer beneath the Notre Dame Campus, this is one of the most high-performing systems in Canada
• The solar panels on the STTC utility building provide 3KW of power that, when combined with the skylights and wall glazing, make the utility building almost 100% self-sufficient on certain days.
• There are solar tubes inside the facility that produce 1,200 watts per tube in the full summer sun.
• The STTC was designed to be adaptable enough to Manitoba’s climate that it does not need a permanent irrigation system.
• A passive storm water management system includes a rain garden monitored by RRC Polytech students, plus a bioswale leading to a meadow with native and adaptive prairie tall grass.

Project Partners

Photo Gallery

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