Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1274063
J U LY 2 0 2 0 | 21 Structural Steel P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E SY WA LT ER S G RO U P + B EN S O N S T EEL L I M I T ED The Eaton Centre bridge is a good example of structural steel's ability to help realize bold archi- tectural statements. The 36.6-metre long box girder structure was designed to better integrate CF Toronto Eaton Centre with the Hudson's Bay and Saks Fifth Avenue flagship locations; prior to installation, the 95 tonne bridge was assembled adjacent to the shopping centre on James Street and lifted into place, with the box girder being vertically and torsionally cambered. Tim Verhey, executive vice president, engineer- ing and operations for Walters Group., says that while 2020 is shaping up to be a busy year for those in his profession, "there are indicators that 2021 will not be as robust." Meanwhile, Walters is busy with several notable projects in Toronto: it is in the finishing stages of the new CIBC Square commercial tower; in the midst of constructing The One (a hybrid concrete/steel resi- dential tower); and is preparing work on 160 Front Street, another commercial addition to Toronto's high-rise portfolio. Some of Quebec-based Supermetal's 2019 high- lights included completing fabrication of the girders for the Turcot Interchange in Sherbrooke, Quebec (a three year project that required SuperMetal to fabricate 16,000 tonnes of steel); completing the Atrio Tower in Colombia; and erecting steel for the 18-storey hotel Le Germain in Montreal using the innovative Upbrella system (the roof of the structure was installed early on and lifted floor by floor, allow- ing workers to erect the building envelope before each lift without ever being exposed to adverse weather). This year, Supermetal is erecting steel for the Medicago vaccine laboratory in Quebec City (the $245-million, 44,000-square-metre structure requires 2,700 metric tonnes of the material). Also, work is ongoing on an OSO-designed building at 400 West Georgia in Vancouver: this project is using 4,500 tonnes of steel to support a complex network of geometric shapes, and the 301-foot tall building will include living green walls and offset stacked cubes with glass floors, enabling views of the streets below. Additionally, Supermetal in Montreal is supply- ing the NouvLR consortium with four LRT stations each ranging from 200 to 1,900 metric tonnes. Of course, ongoing improvements in manufac- turing go a long way in helping companies expand and improve their activities, and Benson Steel is a good case in point. Currently celebrating its 40th anniversary, the award-winning company rose to prominence by delivering extraordinary services and products for every project, and president Steve Benson notes that, "my job is to move the company that my parents started ever-forward, by always adhering to strict safety standards as well as con- stant investment in software and plant machinery." One recent investment made by Benson is the HSFDB 2500/C Drill/Plasma Plate Machine by Peddinghaus. Peddinghaus developed the plate pro- cessor for fabricators looking for a machine with lower scrap and greater versatility than traditional plate processing machines. The HSFDB-C is the lat- est addition to the HSFDB family of plate processors, and it introduces the first roller feed plate machine to incorporate bevel cutting technology and hard stamp part marking. Benson explains the machine's benefits for his company in simple terms: "When it is ready for use this April, it will allow us to, among other things, put bigger diametre holes into thicker plates. This in turn will allow us to serve clients more efficiently as well as move into different markets on larger scale projects." While Benson Steel is involved in a variety of projects in 2020, Benson singles out a partner- ship with NYC Constructors on the Spiral Towers at Hudson Yards development, in Manhattan. "We've always been interested in improving job- site safety, and for this projects we're building the safety cocoons for the tower construction," he says, referring to a system that fully encloses the perim- eter of the building with pre-fabricated steel mesh panels installed on lightweight steel rails. The struc- ture incorporates walkways for workers and netting to capture small debris. As the building gets higher, the system is raised in sequence with construction so that it continues to protect workers at the top of the structure. Wesbridge Steelworks Ltd. is currently busy and the president of the company says the outlook is steady and the company will continue to focus on satisfying clients. Wesbridge recently completed one of its more notable projects, providing the struc- tural steel components for the new mental health facility at the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, B.C. This four-storey, 13,000-square- metre facility was built by Bird Design-Build Construction Inc. and opened this spring. While many of those involved in the structural steel sector believe that plenty of opportunities seem to be looming, the uncertainty caused by the U.S.'s complaint of steel dumping has caused some well- established firms to take stock of their operations and reorganize in order to do business more effi- ciently and seek new opportunities. That's the view taken by Supreme Group as it pre- pares to close its Delta, B.C. plant this September. The company has already closed its fabrication facil- ity in Winnipeg, and other restructuring includes a realignment of the management team and a reduc- tion in the workforce across all locations. On the plus side, Supreme Group's operations will continue under the direction of the management team in the Edmonton area office with no impact to custom- ers; and future fabrication work will continue from the company's facilities in Portland, Oregon, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and two plants in Edmonton. Supreme Group president Kevin Guile says, "We did not make these decisions lightly," but he adds that "Over its nearly 50-year history, Supreme has responded to many challenges; these recent changes will allow Supreme to operate more effi- ciently and drive better value to our clients across all of our markets." Indeed, the restructuring has already proven beneficial in that, according to Guile, "Our cost structure is way more competitive than before, and we've introduced this structure into our proposals, with the outcome being in mid-February we were awarded a major industrial supply and construction contract for Western Canada." A The Toronto Eaton Centre bridge. Benson's HSFDB 2500/C Drill/Plasma Plate Machine by Peddinghaus.