Builders’Builders’ Construction Association’s Quarterly Perspective DigestDigestVol. 2 No.2 Summer/Fall 2008

RBCRBC CentreCentre Toronto’sToronto’s mostmost environmentallyenvironmentally friendlyfriendly officeoffice towertower

SScrcrapingaping tthehe ssky:ky: TheThe newnew BayBay AAdelaidedelaide CenCentrtree AA newnew eerraa inin ststeeleel strstruuctctuurreess PPuubblilicc-p-prrivaivattee papartrtnenersrshiphipss pipicckk upup sspeedpeed PM# 40787580 PM#

140 years of Service photo by John Leperre, Ellis-Don

Walters Group 1318 Rymal Road East Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8W 3N1 Tel: 905-388-7111 www.waltersinc.com 14 YOURTOTALSERVICECOMPANY

Does your insurance program have structural problems? Put the proper framework in place with HKMB HUB Property & Casualty > Surety > Loss Control HUB International is a leading insurance and surety broker for the construction industry. We are known for our market-specific expertise, comprehensive programs, exceptional service and cost-effective pricing. RADAR SCANNING & X-RAY HUB International has extensive resources, regional specialists and risk management professionals who are expert in addressing the needs of your business. If you’re wondering if your coverage is secure or properly priced or you’re not getting the responsive service you deserve, then call HKMB HUB.

HKMB HUB International Construction & Surety Team www.hkmb.com ANYWHERE/ANYTIME www.hubinternational.com 416-597-0008 • 800-232-2024 1 888 457-8120 www.graffconcrete.com At your service across Canada and the United States.

 | Builders' Digest Summer/Fall 2008 contents Features 9 Setting a 'gold' example With the new RBC Centre, Toronto is set to welcome the city’s most environmentally friendly office tower to date By Liz Katynski 16 P3s pick up speed A look at public-private partnerships and the increasingly important role they play in the GTA By Liz Katynski 17 Scraping the sky The represents the first tower to be built in Canada in more than two decades By Kelly Parker

Page 9

Features 21 Steeling for change Modern technology drives a whole new era in the design and construction of steel structures By Kelly Parker

Page 21 Page 17

DEPARTMENTS 6 President’s Message By John Mollenhauer 25 Upcoming Events 26 Advertisers' Index

Builders' Digest Summer/Fall 2008 |  President's message

Builders’Toronto Construction Association’s Quarterly Perspective Digest

TCA Builders’ Digest is published for the Toronto Construction Association 70 Leek Crescent, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1H1 The modern Tel: (416) 499-4000 • Fax: (416) 499-8752 constructor www.tcaconnect.com Toronto Construction Association

As little as 10 years ago, I would not Publisher Robert Thompson have characterized the construction Editors Jeanne Fronda, industry as "dynamic." Dan Kenning By that I mean that methodologies and Associate Editor Roma Ihnatowycz technologies related to how we designed and constructed buildings had been rela- Sales Supervisor Sharon Komoski tively unchanged since the turn of the cen- Sales Executives Les Bridgeman, Gary Fustey tury. Admittedly, we had the advent of the Bruce Jones, personal computer in the early ’80s and Contributing Writers Natalia A. Feduschak, global communications with the intro- Nestor Gula, Liz Katynski, duction of the Internet in the early ’90s, Eric Lee, both of which had considerable impact. John Mollenhauer, John Schofield But realistically, the notion of becoming sophisticated and embracing these new Production Team Leader Adrienne N. Wilson John G. Mollenhauer, President technologies was clearly not our highest Senior Graphic Design Specialist James T. Mitchell Toronto Construction Association priority. Part of that was pure economics. Computer aided design (CAD), for exam- ple, took years to become commonplace. Published by: But times have changed. And we have without question become a

dynamic industry. These days, conversations prefaced by “remember when” are usually referring to the way things were just three or four years 5255 , Suite 1000 Toronto, Ontario M2N 6P4 ago … not three or four decades ago. Toll Free: (866) 216-0860 ext. 229 The “modern constructor” has morphed into a construction science [email protected]

professional preoccupied by such things as structured financing, quanti- 1 Wesley Avenue, Suite 301 Winnipeg, MB Canada R3C 4C6 fied risk mitigation, labour productivity indicies, sustainability, building Toll Free: (866) 201-3096 information modelling, occupational health and safety protocols and Fax: (204) 480-4420 www.mediaedgepublishing.com “footprint” reductions. Good God! It’s no wonder we have so many disputes. We’ve all had to President Kevin Brown learn a foreign language and every time we get it halfway figured out, it Senior Vice-President Robert Thompson changes again. From a builder’s perspective, managing a construction company used Production Manager Nancie Privé to be all about bricks and mortar. As a result, the average Joe with the

wherewithal to arrange a little bonding could hang a shingle and open for All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the business. Not so anymore. On the contrary, the modern constructor needs association. Published October 2008. a plethora of new management skills to survive profitably … and the tools Publication Mail Agreement #40787580 to apply that knowledge effectively. Return undeliverable copies to: Toronto Construction Association Before we talk about new technologies, let’s deal with the new face 70 Leek Crescent, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1H1 of an old problem: cash flow. As North American contractors, we are Phone: (416) 499-4000 • Fax: (416) 499-8752 used to doing the work first and being paid later. I say North American because in some parts of the world, the cash flow shoe is on the owner’s foot. In any event, the cash flow related challenge for the modern con- structor isn’t simply coping with the added layers of scrutiny that push average payment terms out past 45 days. That, theoretically, is surmount- able if contractors have the wherewithal to increase their lines of credit, interest rates stay affordable, lien acts adjust timelines, and all parties to a contract manage to keep their paperwork current.

 | Builders' Digest Summer/Fall 2008 President's message

Yes I know, that’s a lot of "ifs." However, in terms of complex- Finding qualified office staff will be equally difficult. As a ity, this pales when compared to understanding the financing/ result, our industry will inevitably continue to rob Peter to pay cash flow nuances for contractors who choose to bid AFP work. Paul in key project management roles. The alternative is dealing Infrastructure Ontario’s DBFM model, for example, requires with an unknown and there is far too much at risk for that. that successful consortia members be accountable for maintain- Enough about things we can relate to like money and ing an asset for upwards to 30 years in addition to the deferred people. Who amongst the old school practitioners understands cash flows associated with their build-finance model. electronic plans rooms, BIM, sustainability, green rating systems As a result, the modern constructor who plays the private- and the notion of a zero footprint, to name a few of the newer public partnership game has to be able to talk the talk, put real technologies/methodologies? numbers to mitigating risk and find creative ways to securitize The answer is simple. Unless we are committed to continu- enormous bonding increases. The alternative is opting not to do ing professional development and/or relying on kids just out AFP work of course, but we are talking about billions of dollars of school to act as technology mentors, we can’t possibly keep worth of new construction. up with the changing demands of an industry that is changing Another old problem with a challenging new twist for the con- so rapidly. structor is labour. In fact, despite the fact that employment in The good news is that our industry is never intimidated and the trades has grown at nearly double the aggregate provincial always manages to adapt, so I like our chances. We have proven total labour rate since 2001, we have still managed to exhaust time and again that we can pull through. the entire available skilled labour pool in Ontario. But fasten your seat belts, folks. The ride is just beginning to Add the fact that many trades are targeting higher levels of get interesting. |BD certification and it becomes clear that successful contractors Respectfully, will need to plan their labour requirements months in advance. Failing to plan will jeopardize labour quality at a minimum and put contractors at risk of increased skilled labour-related legal liability and/or occupational health and safety infractions, both John G. Mollenhauer, President of which are expensive. Toronto Construction Association

Builders' Digest Summer/Fall 2008 | 

ENVIRONMENT

SSettettiinngg AA By Liz Katynski ‘gol‘goldd’’ eexxampampllee

With the new IT MAY BE ONE OF THE FIRST HIGH-RISE OFFICE buildings to be built in RBC Centre, since the building boom of the '80s, but the $300-million RBC Centre marks a far more Toronto is set important "first." It is in fact one of the most environmentally friendly office towers to welcome going up in the country. Located at the southwest corner of the city’s most Wellington and Simcoe streets, the 43- storey, 1.2-million-square-foot building was environmentally completely designed to LEED NC Gold friendly office standards, which stipulate the industry’s toughest measures to ensure sustainability. tower to date Everything from heating and lighting all the way to waste management was planned and devised with an eye on the environment. PCL Constructors Ltd., the general contractors for the project, left “nothing to chance,” explains Darius Zaccak, the company’s construction manager for the Centre. To ensure that all coordinators and project managers were aware of LEED guidelines, PCL appointed a LEED coordi- nator responsible for all related documen- tation for certification. “Quality control to meet the criteria is very well defined from the start,” says Zaccak. A rendering of the new RBC One of the most important environ- Centre, a building designed to mental steps being taken is the recycling LEED NC Gold standards of 99 per cent of construction waste, with PCL ensuring that nothing slips through the cracks. “PCL uses reputable recyclers and we check to ensure they comply. We’ve taken that extra step to ensure account- ability,” says Zaccak. “We are seeing more of this trend in the industry, especially on the large and sophisticated projects.” Under LEED requirements, the site control plan includes sediment control to prevent environmental contamination. It covers the transportation of soils with sedi- ment and construction waste recycling. Any water pumped from the excavation was double filtered in sedimentation tanks and tested before being released into the city sewer. Waste from the job site was sorted

Builders' Digest Summer/Fall 2008 |  ENVIRONMENT into metals and general waste, with metals sent to a recycling On the exterior wall, a roller blind system shields occupants depot and general waste to a separation depot. from glare and its light shelf moves up and down to reduce The green-friendly building will feature windows that open glare in summer and provide the most natural light in winter. for fresh air on the lower 10 floors, as well as increased air The lighting systems are driven by sun sensors on the roof exchange throughout the entire structure. The overall feel will and a computer system with software designed by a German be airy and open, with walls made of glass. “This is a wide open company. Indirect light fixtures offer 70 per cent directed design with full-height glass walls, encouraging private offices upward and 30 per cent directed downward light, for increased and meeting rooms on the inside,” says Greg Andrushko, reflected light and reduced glare. Thanks to the quality of the director, Project Management for The concrete surface, lighting is more uniform throughout. Corporation Ltd., developers of the Centre. “It’s pretty slick,” says Neal Barkhurst, partner, Bregman + Hamann Architects, the architects of record for the project, INNOVATIVE LIGHTING who worked together with design architects KPF Architects of One of the most novel introductions is a computer-controlled New York. Barkhurst describes the structure itself as “a normal lighting and shelf system — the first such system installed in building turned upside down.” Built with flat slab concrete Canada. Within this system, automated blinds adjust to the columns and no ceiling suspended in the base, heating, position of the sun to allow maximum natural light without cooling and electrical is supplied beneath the raised access glare. The so-called light shelf is made of a two-foot piece of floor. Sprinkler pipes and light fixtures are located on the polycarbonate on a hinge that adjusts up or down to reduce underside of the floor above. glare and let daylight in. To cool the building, there are no chillers. Instead, the Altogether there are four individual systems for lighting: Deep Lake Water Cooling provides cooling to the building two that provide natural light and two that provide electric by delivering chilled water to floor by floor compartmental light. From the exterior wall inwards there are three zones. As VAV air handling units that serve the under floor plenum.I n natural light increases, the electric lights in each zone turn on colder months, the building is heated off — the city or off. Occupancy sensors ensure there is light when people are of Toronto’s district hot water and steam supplier for down- present and that it follows them as required in the building. town office building mechanical systems. It heats the water

When one of Canada’s largest financial institutions

hired us to work on one of Canada’s largest LEED projects

they understood something important

We build a future that works.

For a workplace to be proud of call 416.703.5100 or visit our website at www.govanbrown.com GovanBrown Construction Managers Interiors | Base Building | LEED Projects

ToronTo | oTTawa | Calgary | VanCouVer

10 | Builders' Digest Summer/Fall 2008 Hilti Tool Fleet Management

Hilti Tool Fleet Management is an innovative We’ll manage your tools program designed to save you time and so you can manage positively impact your bottom line: • New fleet of Hilti tools, ensuring peak your business. performance, rotated on a 1 to 4 year basis • No shipping costs at any time • Covers virtually all repairs and servicing needs through the entire agreement • Less administration time managing your tools • Exclusive Internet portal to track your tool fleet Contact your Hilti Account Manager for a Hilti. Outperform. Outlast. customized presentation today.

Hilti (Canada) Corporation 1-800-363-4458 • www.hilti.ca ENVIRONMENT sent through the pipes around the perimeter of each floor. While the common dark roof provides a heat island effect that retains heat in the building, this one’s white roof reflects it. It’s topped with reflective material, white precast pavers. “The quality and reflectivity of the pavers was important,” says Barkhurst. City regulations normally require a specific controlled flow of storm water, typically done on the roof. However LEED requirements involve retaining the reclaimed water for irrigation and for flushing toilets and urinals on the first six floors. All rainwater from the RBC Centre’s roof is collected in two large cisterns in the basement for this use, and plumbing is water efficient throughout. “This is a whole different thinking on how to deliver a building,” says Cadillac Fairview’s Andrushko. “Building to LEED certification is smarter, not more difficult. You think about the building differently. There are requirements, but what more you spend on construction is made up in operating savings within a few years. It pays for itself.” FULL POWER BACK UP The RBC Centre is also the first building in the city to include 100 per cent emergency power backup. With four generators located on the roof, three will continue to run the building at full capacity in the event of power failure. The fourth acts as a backup for the backups. The generators are bi-fuel, running on half diesel and half natural gas, and they store enough fuel to run full service for three days. They can also be topped up to run even longer. The RBC Centre will collect rainwater into two large cisterns, to be used for irrigation and the flushing of toilets on the first six floors The interior of the RBC and the RBC

Arnold Diker Cell: (416) 605-0559

Mirko DiSabatino EXCAVATINGACTIVE & CONTRACTING (1985) LTD. Cell: (416) 717-4278 ENVIRONMENTAL CONTRACTING INC.

150 Creditstone Road Concord, Ontario L4K 1P2 Tel: (905) 660-9966 Fax: (905) 669-3959 [email protected] We are proud to be part of the Bay Adelaide Centre Project www.activeexcavating.com

12 | Builders' Digest Summer/Fall 2008 ENVIRONMENT

Dexia Investor Services Group portion of the building is being the project shared a loading dock with the simultaneous designed by GovanBrown, construction managers for LEED construction of the neighbouring Ritz Carlton Hotel and Gold CI (commercial interior) Certification. This includes another office building. As well, the schedule has been about 620,000 square feet of space over the podium and office tight, with the first two floors – future home to RBC – set tower of the building, with a conference centre, rooftop patio to open next June, and monthly turnovers to follow on and 6,000-square-foot retail branch on the ground floor. other floors. “GovanBrown is proud to be the construction manager on Then there was the 2007 labour strike and last year’s not only one of the largest interiors project in Canada but one harsh winter. “We had an inordinate amount of snow,” says of the largest LEED CI Gold projects,” says Jon Taylor, partner PCL’s Zaccak. “We have a certain expectation of winter. at GovanBrown, a company that has actively participated in When it is more severe, we suffer. But with the co-opera- sustainable building practices over the past three years. tion of the trades, our delays were mitigated.” Like many construction projects, work on the new high- Thanks to the hard work of all involved however, every- rise, which began in August 2007 and should be completed thing is still on schedule. Come next spring, the city in September 2009, has faced its fair share of challenges. can proudly welcome a spectacular new green-friendly These included material-handling logistics, primarily because building to its imposing skyline. |BD

Group Effort Additional companies involved in the construction of the RBC Centre include: Halcrow Yolles, structural engineer; TMP, mechanical engineers; Mulvey and Banani International Inc., electrical engineers; Enermodal, LEED consultant; Anpro Environmental Group, excavation; Deep Foundation Contractors Inc., shoring and casings; Allnue Structures Inc.. framework; Gilbert Steel Ltd., rebar supply; CMB, concrete supply; Modern Niagara Toronto Inc., mechanical; Plan Group, electrical; Antamex International, windows; and ThyssenKruff Elevator Inc. RBC and Dexia are the prime tenants.

RBC Centre Bregman + Hamann Architects with KPF Architects

481 University Ave, Suite 300, Toronto, Canada M5G 2H4 www.bharchitects.com

Builders' Digest Summer/Fall 2008 | 13 Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships

An addition to the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto represents one example of a public-private partnership

Canadian Council for

Public-Private Partnerships By Liz Katynski A look at public-private partnerships and the increasingly important role they play in the GTA

THEY’RE HERE AND THEY’RE STARTING TO ATTRACT Partnerships. “There are payments and This includes, most famously, the more interest from construction compa- penalties, incentives to get a job done on massive Brampton Civic Hospital. nies in the Toronto area. We’re talking time. Sloppy management is costly.” Coined Alternative Financing and about public-private partnerships, or “It’s not for every company,” continues Procurement (AFP), these partnerships P3s as they’re known in the trade. Peatch. “Everyone on the building side provide the provincial government with These partnerships are just what of the team takes on some risk, and they one very important benefit. “This brings their name implies: the public and have to demonstrate a willingness to a certainty to government that they private sector working together on a assume some responsibility. Each party never had before,” says Peatch. “There project. In these arrangements, the has a piece of the puzzle and has to accept is a huge amount of transparency public sector attracts a private partner contractual responsibility.” on these large scale projects of great who brings financial certainty, tight What’s important, says Peatch, is for public interest.” controls on construction costs and companies to go in with “their eyes wide In 2005, the Ontario government scheduling, and possibly reinvestment open.” P3s are not for everyone, especially formed Infrastructure Ontario, an agency in a project to keep it in a great state of not at a time when there is no shortage of tasked with assigning AFPs. To date it repair for 20 or 30 years. conventional work around. For compa- has assigned 35 projects, 18 of which For the contractor, P3s can be quite nies willing to assume the risks, however, are currently under construction. This lucrative, so long as they are managed P3s can prove an excellent opportunity. represents $6 billion in capital construc- properly. However for those contrac- tion in the Ontario market, with 100,000 tors failing to meet their commitment jobs to be created through 2010. to ensure the project is up and running MORE ACTIVITY IN ONTARIO Bondfield Construction Company Ltd. as per the terms of the agreement, they One of the more recent new develop- is one of the companies currently working can turn into a costly venture. ments in the area of P3s has been the on an AFP project – the Runnymede “Agreements are highly incentivized,” increased interest shown by the Govern- Healthcare Centre located in the west says Jean Peatch, executive director, The ment of Ontario in partnering with the end of Toronto. So far progress has been Canadian Council for Public-Private private sector on its large-scale projects. good and the partnership has been an 14 | Builders' Digest Summer/Fall 2008 Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships effective one, according to John Aquino, vice- president, Bondfield Construction Company The $63-million Runnymede Ltd. Whatever challenges do exist, he says, Centre Healthcare project is they are well worth it. expected to be completed in “There are more risks but we are very the summer of 2010 happy to do this type of work,” says Aquino. “We are in business to build, and if this is the way of the future for government projects, we want to be a part of it. It seems the government will be doing more of these in the future, so it is important to us to be able to do it.”

P3S IN THE GTA In the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), there are currently about 10 AFP projects underway. These include the following major projects:

DURHAM CONSOLIDATED COURTHOUSE The $334-million Durham Consolidated Courthouse is the first design build main- tenance project with the private sector covering architecture, design, construction and building maintenance for 30 years. One of the largest green buildings in Ontario, it is being built to strict environmental stand- ards, conforming to the Canada Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) stand- ards. It will also be certified under the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Go Green Plus program every three years. The Durham Courthouse project is a new building, created on reclaimed land – the former General Motors site in downtown Oshawa. It’s expected to open in fall 2009, consolidating Superior Court and Ontario Court justice services from eight locations in the Durham region. The building will Canada’s leading include 33 courtrooms, three motions rooms, conference/settlement rooms and “SPECIALTY” Insurer other justice services.

The Courthouse features a green roof and T BONDS i0VSOBNFEFöOFTPVSQSPNJTFw reduced water and energy use for a minimal environmental footprint. General contrac- AC tors on this job are PCL Constructors Ltd. According to Ernst and Young Orenda

Corp.’s Value for Money assessment (VFM), ONTR there is an estimated $49 million savings in C completing this project through AFP rather than traditional construction process.

SUNNYBROOK HEALTH SCIENCES CENTRE Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre’s $142-million M-Wing Shell and Perinatal We also o er: and Gynaecology Project started in May t$SFEJU*OTVSBODFt'JEFMJUZ#POETt(VBSBOUFF(0-%¥ 2007, and is expected to be completed t$PNNFSDJBM4VSFUZt%JSFDUPSTBOE0óDFST-JBCJMJUZ gcna.com in 2010. Builders' Digest Summer/Fall 2008 | 15 Four floors are being added to a wing at The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

The project will add four floors above the centre’s clin- being constructed next door to the original facility, and once ical services wing. Two will be home to the Perinatal and completed the old hospital – originally a public school built in Gynaecology Program, welcoming and caring for the most 1908 and converted to a hospital in 1945 – will be demolished. high-risk pregnancies and critical newborns with a state-of- This new facility will more than double the number of beds the-art Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. These programs are from 95 to 200 and provide enhanced space for services, including to be relocated here from Women’s College Hospital. physiotherapy, occupational therapy, communication and swal- There will be 68 beds and 48 bassinets to accommodate lowing therapy, audiology services, respiratory therapy, custom- about 4,250 births per year. About 25 per cent of these are ized dietary programs, recreation therapy and social services. high-risk pregnancies and the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Bondfield Construction Company Ltd. will build and finance Unit will care for those one-in-five babies weighing less the project with financing by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension than three pounds. Fund. They will be paid only when construction is completed. General contractors are Vanbots. VFM, according to Price- waterhouseCoopers LLP, is an estimated $14.1 million. According to KPMG LLP’s VFM, this method is saving an esti- mated $10.91 million compared to construction under a tradi- tional model. RUNNYMEDE HEALTHCARE CENTRE The $63-million Runnymede Healthcare Centre Project was started in November 2007 and is expected to be TRILLIUM HEALTH CENTRE completed in summer 2010. It is a larger new facility that The $104.1-million Trillium Health Centre Project was started in will replace the old Runnymede Healthcare Centre. It is June 2007 and includes the Mississauga and West Toronto sites. The Mississauga site will house a new cardiac catheterization lab, an operating room for cardiac surgery, additional cardio- vascular intensive care beds, additional coronary care beds, an increase of up to 135 in-patient beds, and additional diagnostic and support services. The West Toronto project includes expansion of ambulatory surgical care facilities, redevelopment and expansion of the urgent care centre, creation of a cancer detection and treatment facility, creation of healing gardens, and expansion of a new south entrance. Overall, new construction will add 196,004 square feet, with an additional 86,156 square feet of renovations for a total of 282,160 square feet of total redevelopment space. EllisDon is building and financing the project. The VFM by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP estimates a savings of $12.9 million. |BD 16 | Builders' Digest Summer/Fall 2008 CONSTRUCTION

SScrapcrapiinngg thethe skskBy KELLY PARKERyy

The Bay Adelaide Centre represents the first tower skyscraper to be built in Canada in more than two decades

Photo credit: Walters Group 2008.

Builders' Digest Summer/Fall 2008 | 17 CONSTRUCT347ION Site Visit Report 12 - Photographs March 5, 2007 WITH THE CONSTRUCTION BOOM THAT HAS BEEN underway in Canada’s major cities — The Bay Adelaide particularly Toronto — over the past couple Centre is the first tower skyscraper to of decades, it’s incredible that Brookfield be built in Canada in Properties’ Bay Adelaide Centre (BAC) more than 20 years would include the first tower skyscraper to be built in Canada in over 20 years. Yet it does. Set for completion next July, the 50-storey, 1.1-million-square-foot West Tower is the first of a three-phase develop- ment of the site. This is the site’s second recent develop- ment, after an aborted attempt almost 20 years ago to erect a 57-storey office tower at the Bay and Adelaide corner at a cost of almost a billion dollars. The economic down- turn of the early ’90s halted the project after the completion of the underground parking garage and several storeys of a massive concrete service shaft that would become known as “The Stump.” It is fitting then that a structure that served as a reminder of Toronto’s economic diffi- culties is now being replaced with a tower that will mark the city’s resurgence, even as Stones for the mock-up are waiting to be one A of new BAC’s delivery most striking of stones visual has features been cleaned calls to mind Toronto’s early days. returned to Clifford’s main yard. “Backand inis theready early for part repair of last work century to thisbegin. part of Bay Street was really the downtown, and there were a number of buildings on both sides of the street that were about that same height – about 12 to 14 storeys,” says Robert Sampson of WZMH Architects. They were known collectively as the Bay Street Canyon. The city wanted to preserve a notion of that and designated an existing building on the site as an historic structure. Photo credit: © William Conway/Progress Photography.

Modern Niagara TORONTO INC. Mechanical contractors and engineers

Proud to have been the Mechanical Contractor on the prestigious Royal Ontario Museum Renovation and Expansion Congratulations & thanks to the whole team

12 Penn Drive, Weston, Ontario M9L 2A9 Tel: (416) 749-6031 Fax: (416) 749-4673 www.modernniagara.com Photo credit: Walters Group 2008. Group Walters credit: Photo 18 | Builders'A repair Digest Summer/Fall mortar 2008 patch has been cut out and Larger stones can be repaired on their skids. is being redone. Smaller stones must be unpacked and spread about the shop to enable repair work. CONSTRUCTION

A compromise was reached to retain says Walter Koppelaar of Walters Inc., has been incorporated into the BAC that347 façadeBay Street “so that one could appre- which suppliedSite V isit the Report structural 12 steel - Photographs for includes two completeMarch and5, 2007 separate ciate what that canyon feeling was like,” the project. “By the time we’re erecting standpipes on each floor and a glass says Sampson. steel at the top of Bay Adelaide, there are curtain wall designed for blast resist- probably people putting trim and hard- ance in the lower 10 floors. There is ware on the doors of the bottom floors. also increased bite on the glazing to RESTORATION It dramatically complicates the building hold the glass in place, with curtain wall Because the façade was damaged, site because it becomes very much a anchors designed to transfer the load of building around it wasn’t an option; the vertical site, which is a safety challenge.” that blast to the structure. decision was to restore it, requiring an On the subject of safety, the 9-11 “The ground floor lobby is designed attention to detail akin to how a team attacks signalled a new era in building structurally for load reversal,” explains of archaeologists approaches a dig. “We design and construction, and the blast Sampson. “In other words, if there is ended up creating a cataloguing system event containment technology that a blast event on the ground floor, the that involved a full measuring of the façade; sketching it out stone by stone and brick by brick,” explains Sam Trigila of Clifford Masonry. After disassembly, the numbered pieces were completely restored, with &ROMCOASTTOCOASTIN#ANADATHEREISJUSTONECOMPANYWITHTHE new pieces crafted where necessary, before reassembly began with every- COMPLETERESOURCESNEEDEDTOSUPPLYEVERYTYPEOFSTEEL thing going back into its original REINFORCEMENTPRODUCTUSEDINANYMAJORCONSTRUCTIONPROJECTTODAY location. “That numbering and cata- loguing process would have normally been a 10-week process of drafting and measuring before we touched the first piece,” says Trigila. “But we jammed Stonesit into for eight the mock-up weeks because are waiting of sched to- be (ARRIS2EBAR)NCA new delivery of stones has been cleaned returneduling constraints.” to Clifford’ s main yard. ISTHE(ARRIS3TEEL'RandOUPSOPERATING is ready for repair work to begin. Scheduling also demanded the resto- COMPANYSPECIALIZINGINREINFORCINGSTEEL ration happen simultaneously with the construction above, necessitating 3HOULDYOUREQUIREANYOFTHE protective measures. FOLLOWINGSERVICES This overlapping of different construc- &ABRICATION tion phases is a unique challenge of erecting a tall tower. “The higher you are $ETAILING the more trades are working below you,” 0LACING %POXY#OATING

0OST4ENSIONING

"AR3UPPORTS

7IRE-ESH

"AR3PLICES

*534')6%53!#!,,!.97(%2%).#!.!$!

&ABRICATION$ISTRIBUTION#ENTRES 7INDSOR ,ONDON (AMILTON 4ORONTO /TTAWA 6ANCOUVER #ALGARY %DMONTON 4HUNDER"AY -ONTREAL (ALIFAX 3T*OHNS 2EGINA 3ASKATOON &ORT-C-URRAY

%POXY#OATING0LANTS 6ANCOUVER (AMILTON -ONTREAL

WWWHARRISREBARCOM Photo credit: Walters Group 2008. Group Walters credit: Photo A repair mortar patch has been cut out and Larger stones can be repairedBuilders' on their Digest Summer/Fallskids. 2008 | 19 is being redone. Smaller stones must be unpacked and spread about the shop to enable repair work. CONSTRUCTION

loading on the second floor slab is jacks itself up the building. Michael site lay-down area,” emphasizes Koppe- upward and not downward, so it is struc- FitzGibbon, of the general contractor laar. “You’re taking steel from the truck turally designed to withstand that. We’ve EllisDon, says that BAC represents the up into the air, so you’d better have the also got an alternate load design, largest application they’ve ever used right piece there at the right time.” meaning that the building can withstand this apparatus for and the first time it’s Koppelaar notes the most significant the loss of a column without collapsing.” been used in Toronto. “The system is a challenge was building the support Incorporating the historic façade combination of tracks, rails and shoes apparatus for the tower crane – a and security measures added to the that climbs hydraulically,” FitzGibbon contraption that climbs up the interior challenge of fulfilling Brookfield’s explains. “We don’t have to use the of the elevator core, essentially walking requirement to have the tower meet tower crane to climb the forms like a its way up the building. the standards to be LEED Gold certi- conventional formwork system.” “It’s a style of apparatus that hadn’t fied. “With this project, Brookfield Structform International Ltd./ been used in some 20 years, so there Properties is helping lead the way for Hardrock Forming Co. is the sub- was not a lot of expertise available,” says high-performing, socially conscious contractor for the forms. EllisDon’s Koppelaar. “We did find one person developments that will benefit our Michael Brodigan, who is overseeing that who had worked on one decades ago, tenants, employees, communities and process, points out they’re using high- and from that, designed and built our the environment,” Ric Clark, president strength concrete designed specifically own custom-made, hydraulically oper- and CEO of Brookfield Properties to meet the needs of the BAC project ated climbing basket.” Corporation, announced last fall. by Canada Building Materials (CBM). That innovation underscores a level “The fast cure/high early yield… lets of talent within the Toronto construc- GERMAN TECHNOLOGY us climb these forms after eight hours,” tion community that will come in handy That aside, there is still the matter of says Brodigan. as the redevelopment of Bay Street getting the building up, and BAC is There was also the challenge of progresses. “I think in years to come the rising at a rate of one floor every three building within the tight confines of notion of the Bay Street Canyon is going days, thanks to a German-designed Toronto’s financial district. I“ t requires to take on a different meaning,” says self-raising forming system. Called the a high degree of coordination from a Sampson. “It’s going to be 50 storeys PERI Automatic Climbing System, it logistics standpoint because there is no instead of 12.” |BD

Proud to be part of the team Congratulations

275 Comstock Road Scarborough, Ontario M1L 2H2

Tel: 416-751-7844 Fax: 416-751-8460 Email: [email protected]

010 100011011 00101010 Alan Schneiderman IT Consultant 010 100011011 00101010 bus: 416 901 5227 cell: 416 706 1020 010 100011011 [email protected] LAN/WAN - Microsoft/Novell - Hardware/Software Servers/Workstation - Home/Office 010Install, Upgrade, 100011011 Repair, Diagnostics/Troubleshooting 00101010 Over 20 years experience delivering cost effective computer solutions

20 | Builders' Digest Summer/Fall 2008 STEEL Steeling for change Modern technology drives a whole new era in the design and construction of steel structures By KELLY PARKER

The steel 'pods' inside the Leslie Dan Pharmacy Building at the are hanging classrooms containing small lecture halls

AMONG THE HEADLINES COMING OUT OF BEIJING prior to the Olympics was coverage of a structure that deserved more attention than it got: the Bird’s Nest stadium. The impressive building is a visual chaos of seemingly random steel “twigs” inter- twined to create a stadium. In the modern Olympic era – and beginning with Montreal’s saucer-like venue – the stadium-as-art piece that the host city concocts is really its calling card. The Beijing National Stadium certainly fit the bill. The stadium might also be the best example of the influence of modern technology on the design and construc- tion of steel structures. It shows that the most innovative development in steel fabrication isn’t a bender or hydraulic sheer. It’s the computer. Technology is giving designers and fabricators unprecedented versatility. For example, M&G Steel is gaining notice for its use of robotic technology, including a five-axis articulated arm developed for the auto industry, which has now been modified for steel fabri- cation. Its single head takes care of multiple tasks like thermal cutting of beams and the drilling of holes, elimi- nating the need for torch cutting. Builders' Digest Summer/Fall 2008 | 21 AZIMUTH THREE ENTERPRISES

C & A STEEL CANAM CANADA Amercoat Canada CENTRAL WELDING & IRON WORKS GROUP

Draft-Tech Inc.

Bolair

Dowco Consultants

Pure Metal Galvanizing Dymin Steel Inc.

J & M Sandblasting & Painting PARADISE STEEL

QUAD STEEL INC.

Moore Brothers Transport

Terraprobe Testing Ltd.

ArcelorMittal International

Gerdau Ameristeel Evraz Oregon Steel Mills STEEL

“We see a lot more automation coming very rapidly into our industry,” says John The most innovative development Mark of M&G. “Instead of the technology that has been around for 20 or 30 years in in steel fabrication isn’t a bender or terms of drilling and punching systems, we’re now into plasma cutting. That tech- nology has just started to take off over about hydraulic sheer. It’s the computer. the last year in our industry.” Automation is also making its way into Technology is giving designers and the drafting department. Digital modelling, and the use of SDS/2 or Xsteel-style drafting and detailing programs that show an idea fabricators unprecedented versatility in three-dimensional space, are allowing for the execution of more complex design ideas than ever. “If the drawings are right,” says Mike Gilmor, president of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC), “fabricators are able to put the thing together like a Today's high-tech breeze. Once you get the model right, and computer software everyone is happy with it, things can flow programs facilitate the rather well. These kinds of software are design and creation being used to convert the line drawings into of impressive steel solid models that can be used to see how structures these things fit together.”

MORE CONTROL The key is that the geometry has become much more controllable, which has allowed build- ings to take on more complex shapes while retaining cost and schedule predictability. “I’ve had people say to me that the Royal Ontario Museum couldn’t have been built without computers,” says Walter Koppelaar of Walters Inc. “I don’t think that’s true. You probably could have built it in the 1600s when you look at some of the cathedrals that were built. But it may have taken two life- times and cost much more. So, I think that technology has allowed architects a bit more freedom in terms of describing the shapes they want the buildings to be in.” One of Koppelaar’s favourite recent projects was the “pods” inside the Leslie Dan Pharmacy Building at the University of Toronto. Koppelaar calls them “potato- shaped” hanging classrooms, inside of which are small lecture halls. The top surfaces were flattened with one turning into the student lounge and the other a faculty lounge, both hanging in an atrium. “Computers allow all of that geometry to be resolved relatively efficiently,” says Koppelaar. “That’s the single biggest change, because the rest of the technology hasn’t changed that much. We’re erecting the steel pretty much as before.” Computers allowed the Sometimes, it comes right down to a great geometrygeometry ofof thethe steelsteel podspods atat concept executed the old-fashioned way: thethe Universityniversity ofof TorontoToronto toto bebe with big machines, brute strength and sweat. resolvedresolved relativelyrelatively efficientlyefficiently Steven Benson of Benson Steel cites Rogers Builders' Digest Summer/Fall 2008 | 23 STEEL Other Recent CISC Award Winners

ARCHITECTURAL AWARD & GREEN BUILDINGS AWARD Sportsnet’s Isabella Tower as one of his AWARD OF EXCELLENCE favourite recent projects. Renovation Fire & Emergency Services Training Institute designers wanted to take a concrete CISC FABRICATOR & DETAILER: Benson Steel Limited column out but it was supporting a major portion of the tower. They ended Steel was chosen as the dominant architectural element for this project because up using two trusses and lacing – about it was the only material that would give the design a light and articulated coun- 68 tons worth of steel – to support the terpoint to the building’s exposed, monolithic concrete core slabs and poured 14-storey tower. concrete elements. Steel was considered integral to the design. Benson explains that, “they removed The Institute is also the Greater Toronto Airports Authority’s first LEEDS ilver the exterior window framing, tied them project and steel played a major role in this application. It contributes to the into the existing structure, and then building’s energy savings, reduces the building’s reliance on virgin construc- they were able to saw-cut that concrete tion materials and reduces the project’s material transportation requirements column out to give them the clear span because of the steel industry’s local recycling and manufacturing presence. below that they wanted. That’s got to be Perforated steel cladding on the south elevation has been designed to form a one of the most unique jobs we’ve ever solar air heating plenum, which can preheat incoming air by up to 17 degrees done.” It also won them the CISC engi- Celsius above outdoor temperatures. This reduces the building’s energy use, neering award for the year. which is more than 30 per cent less than a building built to the Model National While computer software, robotics Energy Code. and other machinery aid in the execu- tion of increasingly complex designs, ENGINEERING AWARD there is still room – and need – for the human element. In fact, says Gilmor, it AWARD OF MERIT is key to the whole thing. “You still have Royal Ontario Museum Renaissance Expansion Project CISC FABRICATOR, DETAILER & ERECTOR: Walters Inc. to have human input in there to make sure everything is right,” he says. The intersecting gallery building superstructure is essentially five intersecting “That garbage in-garbage out message volumes constructed of structural steel frames. The inter-sections create two is still true, but you’re seeing much internal atria as key elements. The sloped walls of each structure provide vertical more complexity in the structures and support for the floors and extend to form roof elements. The cladding system is detailing. Architects are no longer a composite panel system that ranges in translucence from opaque to clear. bound by the traditional rectilinear forms. They are prepared to jump out Source: CISC’s Advantage Steel (Issue No. 30 Winter 2007) of the box and sculpt these structures in whichever way they think works.” |BD

Insurance and CanWell Financial Services Inc.

Experienced brokers willing to work and grow with small and medium size contractors and tradesmen. We have strong and stable insurance markets for most trades. We offer: • business insurance • commercial auto • professional liability • contract surety bonds

Norman Ritchie, BA, CIP CANWEll INsuRANCE ANd FINANCIAl sERvICEs INC. 80 Acadia Ave, ste. 306, Markham, ON l3R 9v1 2285 Speers Road, Oakville ON L6L 2X9 Tel: (905) 513-9802 ext. 228 Fax: (905) 513-9830 Phone: 905-469-6442 / Fax: 905-469-9662 / Website: mgsteel.ca Email: [email protected]

24 | Builders' 2285Digest Summer/Fall Speers 2008 Road, Oakville ON L6L 2X9 Upcoming Events

Toronto Construction Association TCA Annual Membership Campaign Oct. 20 to 24, 2008

Construct Canada 2008 Dec. 3 to 5, 2008 Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building

TCA Christmas Lunch Dec. 5, 2008 Tickets now on sale Book Now before this event is Sold Out

For further information, please contact: Mary McBride,Toronto Construction Association, 70 Leek Cres., Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1H1 Telephone:416-499-4000 ext. 104 • Fax 416-499-8752 • Email: [email protected] Young Construction Executives Club TCA's YCEC Swaminarayan Tour Nov. 18, 2008 (Includes a guided tour of the complex and Time: 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. admittance to the museum) TCA Members: $5.00 (Not open to non-members) BAPS Swaminarayan Complex, 61 Claireville Drive, Toronto, M9W 5Z7 Registration Deadline: Nov. 14, 2008

YCEC Lunch Bag Sizzler Nov. 5, 2008 - GPS Tracking for Fleet Owners Toronto Construction Association Guest Spaker: John Biondo, Sales Manager Eastern Region Trimble Construction Services Time: 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

YCEC Food Drive Nov. 19, 2008 to Dec. 19, 2008

For further information, please contact: Lenore Villeneuve at 416-499-4000 ext 113 or email at [email protected] • www.tcaconnect.com The Construction Institute of Canada Course: Sept. 15 to Nov. 3, 2008 Help with Green Building Rating Systems Mondays 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Course: Risk Management Jan. 12, 2009 to March 16, 2009 Mondays 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.

Course: Blueprint Reading and Estimating Sept. 16, 2008 to Nov. 18, 2008 Course (Level I) Tuesdays, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Course: Construction Law Sept. 24, 2008 to Nov. 26, 2008 Wednesdays 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Course: Planning & Scheduling for Sept. 25, 2008 to Nov. 27, 2008 Contractors Thursdays 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Seminar: LEED for Construction Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Seminar: Construction Liens and Trusts Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008 Registration: 8:30 a.m. Seminar: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Workshop: Bidding and Tendering Workshop Monday, Sept. 22, 29 and Oct. 6, 2008 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

For further information, please contact: Roxanne Drisdelle • Tel: 416-499-4000, Ext. 116 Email: [email protected] • tcic.ca

Builders' Digest Summer/Fall 2008 | 25 ADVERTISERS' INDEX

Active Excavating Harris Rebar...... 19 Peri Formwork Systems Inc...... 26 Contracting (1985) Ltd...... 12 www.harrisrebar.com www.peri.ca www.activexcavating.com Hilti North America...... 11 Priestly Demolition Inc...... 4 Belmont Rose Granite Corp...... 16 www.ushilti.com www.priestly.ca www.belmontrose.com HKMB Hub International...... 4 Walters Group...... Inside Front Cover Bregman & Hamman Architects...... 13 www.hkmb.com www.waltersinc.com www.bharchitects.com M & G Steel Ltd...... 24 Weirfoulds LLP...... Outside Back Cover Cadillac Fairview Corporation...... 8 www.mgsteel.ca www.weirfoulds.com www.cadillacfairview.com Modern Niagara Toronto Inc...... 18 WZMH Architects...... 20 Canadian Institute of www.modernniagara.com www.wzmharchitects.com Steel Construction...... 22 www.cisc-icca.a MultiVista...... Inside Back cover www.multivista.com Canwell Insurance & Financial Services...... 24 Murray Demolition...... 13 www.canwell.com www.quantummurray.com

Dean Chandler Roofing...... 20 Ontario Construction Secretariat...... 3 www.deanchandlerroofing.com www.iciconstruction.com

Govan Brown...... 10 www.govanbrown.com

The Graff Company...... 4 www.graffconcrete.com

Graham Construction and Engineering Inc...... 7 www.graham.ca

The Guarantee Company of North America...... 15 www.gcna.com

!  #" 

$%#&%      )  $($%$#$ #"&#$$ ! '## $(%# $! #%%'   $%$  '&$%   !% &#!# %$$%#*

                !   !   

26 | Builders' Digest Summer/Fall 2008 G-IBC FP4c Condo Business AD - MEC “WeirFoulds has serviced our corporate, real estate, leasing, design-build, construction, consulting and other legal needs for more than 35 years, as we expanded from a single location to a multi-faceted complex of companies with offices throughout the world.”

Victor Smith, CEO, Ingenium Group Inc., An Integrated Consulting and Design-Build Company

grew up with WeirFoulds.

To find out more, call Glenn Ackerley at 416.947.5008 or email him at [email protected].

Protect your future. Gain a competitive advantage. WeirFoulds LLP. 416.365.1110 www.weirfoulds.com