Hilly Brown Building
Southport, Portage la Prairie MB

8600m2 Canadian Armed Forces Pilot Training School

The plan is a simple, 2 storey rectangle - with a big notch marking the main entry. An outer band of rooms with direct access to daylight is wrapped around a central cluster of classrooms, which because of specialized AV and computer equipment, need strict light control. Between these inner and outer zones are top-lit, double height corridors with open stairs and connecting bridges. The clerestory windows above it bring indirect light deep into the building.

Program areas include three, full-motion simulator bays, a fixed simulator lab, lounges, offices, a large multi-purpose room, a library, a gym and a medical suite. An "antique" helicopter is suspended in the lobby.

On the exterior, a silver and white checkerboard follows the spatial and structural divisions of the interior and echoes typical airfield markings and navigational flags. On sunny days the pattern appears and disappears as one moves around the building - the building becoming alternatively white or patterned.