Tuesday November 12, 2019 ~ LANGFORD
by Mary P Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
It took a while to get the Charter building up and running. The networking solutions company bought the land in 2016 where locals will remember the Borton’s Spas & Pools Ltd and the old Shaw building used to be.
The hole was dug within three months but it took a while for design to be debated and honed. They broke ground in spring 2017 and final stages of construction this year saw fire inspection last month, with landscaping now coming together for next week’s official opening on November 14.
Rising from the half-acre property at 2614 Sooke Road in Langford, the 16,500-sq ft four-level building is the Charter Telecom Inc headquarters. They serve clients locally, in BC and across Canada with back-end connectivity and networking infrastructure that makes possible a lot of what people rely on for everyday good cyber-service in business, government, health care and education.
As an exclusive partner of the Silicon Valley-based Cisco Systems (networking and telecommunications hardware), an elite portfolio partner of Juniper Networks (automated network/cloud infrastructure), and a 20-year provider of Avaya Inc products (for cloud-based communications), Charter says its solutions architects work with the industry’s best products to simplify complex networks and build high-performance information technology (IT) infrastructure.
In 2016, under the leadership of Charter CEO and founder Paul Chandler, the company acquired Boardwalk Communications – one of the top Cisco network integrators in Western Canada. That increased Charter’s national team of industry experts and their breadth of technology products and services offerings, positioning themselves as a national technology leader with the capacity of larger IT companies without losing focus on the customer service and understanding of business needs both companies had built their success on. The personable ambiance at the new building is palpable, supported by bright modern artwork and a forest of indoor tropical plants dispersed around the building.
One of the Charter flagship product/service offerings is a purpose-built health care web-based video conferencing solution for clinician-to-patient consulting so you and your doctor can chat remotely and securely. The same Charter expertise has also recently enabled the local Sooke School District 62 to expand its wireless-based capabilities at the administrative level and in schools in the west shore.
The ‘passive house’ standards of the building exceed the more commonly known LEEDS standard, says Charter President Kelly Michell. He was keen to explain how the construction process uses ample cross-laminated pressure-sealed timber which produces much less dust during construction. “It was built like a log house — everything had a place to go,” says Michell. Walls carry up for all four storeys. Local contractors did much of the work on the Charter building, learning about passive house construction along the way.
Technology of the building includes temperature and air control, particularly heating/cooling (holding 19°-21°C) and levels of carbon dioxide as achieved through a central computerized venting system. No drafts or temperature swings. Efficiencies include 90% less energy consumption than a traditional building. Cool air is brought in and stale air exits; low levels of airborne particles. Body heat is calculated into the mix. Even the amount of window light is part of the enviro-management.
It’s a low-maintenance building with tons of sensors that feed data into a robust system of on-site computers equipped with 96 data ports. If you’re in the building with your smartphone, the Charter building knows you’re there. In fact, even as you approach the building, if employees have their smartphone with them, the computer system knows they’re coming and they won’t have to manually fiddle with access codes (the alarm system computes recognition and unlocks the door). For regular employees it will turn on the lights as they approach their work area in the morning, and it knows what sort of coffee they like. No need for indoor security cameras; the sensors pick up everything they need to know about regular occupants and visitors. Teleconferencing is available on screens in every room. Inside the building it’s quiet thanks to triple-pane glass and thick insulation.
Interior comforts include the open-space concept for work areas and meetings (called collaborative spaces and huddle rooms). An open social stairwell has seating for large communal gatherings. A 1,000 sq ft training room (that can double as a party room) is on the penthouse floor. The top floor also includes a private 2-bedroom suite and roof top patio. There’s even a putting green for golf enthusiasts. And of course the building is enhanced with attention to seismic readiness.
There are about 35 workstation computers; almost half of those can be taken off-premises, with all data stored within the Charter building. Many of the staff live within walking or cycling distance of their employment spot at Charter; some personnel relocated to Langford to be part of the growing community. Jobs range from finance, administration and sales to engineering technology, technical architecture, and logistics, says Charter’s Chief Financial Officer Sherrey McGowan.
Some native landscaping, cedar-and-steel fencing and mini-path create a welcoming modern setting outside the building alongside the 32-space parking lot. There’s an arrangement with the church next door for overflow parking. Bicycle storage is provided at parking lot level. Langford Fire has their own building access with keys secured in a special holder near the main door and loading dock.
Charter choosing Langford for their headquarters speaks volumes about the growth of the city and its regional economic impact. The municipality’s consistent and persistent approach to welcoming the arrival of businesses as well as fostering their growth produces notable results with a range of positive spin-offs.
==== This article was first published on page 1 of the November 8, 2019 print/PDF edition of West Shore Voice News. More Charter news coming in the November 15, 2019 issue of WSV.