ROTARY CHALLENGER PARK - JIM & PEARL BURNS CENTRE The special attention paid to each urban context, budg- etary and schedule concern, and rigorous project manage- ment form the basis of SAHURI + Partners’ project execution. “Our goal is to collaborate closely with each client, and to explore and respond to their needs,” says Joanne Smith, partner, architect, and business manager. “Through the design process, we ensure every stakeholder has a voice, and every project is based on the integration between the creative team, the client, and the site itself.” As members of a community that thrives on the Alberta oil and gas industry, the firm also has abundant experience in designing large-scale energy sector administration and production facilities. After touring facilities designed by SAHURI + Partners in this sector, energy industry leaders have appreciated the company's quality design solutions and have commissioned the firm to design similar projects for their respective companies. PRIORITIZING SUSTAINABILITY As a committed adopter of sustainable design early in his career, Tim Sahuri was among the first architects in the industry to become a LEED® Accredited Professional with the Canada Green Building Council and U.S. Green Building Council. With this long-running environmental focus, the firm ensures many of its projects are designed to meet LEED® and other environmental program standards. “We have high expectations for our work and believe in a responsibility to the community and the environment in equal measure,” says Sahuri. “Our commitment to sustain- able design serves as a foundation to all the projects we take on.” His team is comprised of diversely skilled people who are as passionate as they are creative. They're constantly ATCO ELECTRIC GRANDE PRAIRIE ADMINISTRATION & OPERATIONS CENTRE evolving their ideas about architecture through exploring proven and new design principles. This aids them in creat- ing sustainable community structures, and learning some- thing from each completed project. COMMUNITY FOCUSED SPACE A general theme and solution the firm adopts is integrat- ing a common space into a central area of each design – a public meeting place where people can gather, relax, and interact. Many SAHURI projects feature this common de- sign thread, regardless of what sector the facility serves. “This designated social hub has proven to be a commu- nity rallying point and a true community centre that tends to dissolve the ‘us and them’ attitude and creates a stronger community spirit within an organization,” says Smith. “It’s a purposeful integration of public space for facility users, which still respects user-group privacy, the environment, project budgets, and the specific building functions.” This strong, prioritized community focus suggests SAHURI + Partners is a good candidate for consideration by economic development authorities and public agencies seeking to combine community spirit with cost-effective projects. The firm continues to move forward, grounded lo- cally in Canada with community facility projects, while also regularly tackling remote projects and design competitions that expand the company's geographical diversity to other parts of the world. “In our work, we seek to uplift the soul and inspire peo- ple who use these buildings,” says Sahuri. “Our goal is to design something functional but unusual so people notice and engage with the architecture. It shouldn't serve simply as a backdrop.” For more information, visit www.sahuri.com. Design for life. Architecture | Interior Design | Master Planning Shell Scotford Administration and Production Complex Calgary | Kelowna www.sahuri.com The Canadian Design and Construction Report — April-May 2015 – 49