Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/177525
PHOTOS: PHILIP CASTLETON St. James Cathedral by Don Procter n the eastern shadows of downtown Toronto's skyline, construction is wrapping up on a signi icant addition to The Cathedral Church of St. James, an imposing Gothic Revival landmark built in the 1850s. After more than two years of construction, St. James is reopening its 1909 Parish Hall and a 34,000-squarefoot glass and steel three- loor addition featuring a 'spectacular event hall,' of ice space and clergy residences. The addition replaces a 50-year-old building well past its prime, says Rob Saffrey, director of operations and inance for the church. Planning, design and construction of the $17-million project has been anything but easy. Restoration, marrying new with old and dealing with unexpected structural problems while minimizing disruption to ongoing operations were among the issues facing the building/design team. The builders also faced strict protocols concerning excavation to avoid disturbing unmarked graves that date back as early as the late 1700s, says Saffrey. Saffrey says the project challenged builders "with a number of issues that one could not know about ahead of time. With any building project of this type there has to be constant adjustments related to site conditions where the existing structure is tied in to the new one." The church retained The Bridgeton Group Inc. as development manager. Ian Jones, president of Bridgeton, says meeting the owner's requirements while stick-handling through the various permit approval stages was complicated by a ive-month municipal worker strike in 2009 that shuttered the building permits department. To minimize delays, the architect was instructed to fast- I St. James Cathedral p.82-83St. James.indd 83 track the drawings, allowing non-permit work (such as non-structural demolition and hazardous waste removal) to proceed during the strike. That time was also used to procure materials and deal with other issues regarding project documentation, says Rick Gosine, project manager, The Dalton Company Ltd, construction manager for the project. Jones says a number of surprises were discovered during demolition of the L-shaped 1959 building, including a concrete loor slab below the existing one and missing structural beams. "Dealing with unknowns and tying the new structure into the old one was a challenge." At issue was making sure the addition's three loor elevations were aligned with the Parish Hall loors. Some changes were required on site to the prefabricated steel structure to make connections to the old Hall, points out Gosine. "But any of the changes required had a minor impact on the schedule." Prior to any digging outside the easement area the archaeological consultant, Archaeological Services Inc., was required to evaluate the soil for artifacts, says Jones. "For example, when an old fuel tank under the parking lot was removed, the archaeologists had to be on hand every day to make sure the grounds weren't disturbed." Retaining The Dalton Company at the preconstruction stage helped smooth the process. Any time a complex project involves demolition and renovation like the St. James Cathedral project, it serves the owner well to retain an experienced builder to assist with planning the work, says Gosine. While unexpected problems cropped up throughout the project, there were no major surprises for the construction manager primarily because Dalton did its homework at the preconstruction stage. "I don't think a company that builds green ield projects and is inexperienced in projects of this nature would have been suitable for the project." In addition to identifying ways of making up for lost time resulting from the strike, Dalton's job involved overseeing renovation and restoration work to the Parish Hall. Fast-tracking wasn't an option because the century-old building had been "stripped of its character" over the years. "Many of its nicer characteristics had been removed and the space was chopped up in a way that did not use the high ceilings and natural brick to their best advantage," says Saffrey. "The new design honours the original, exposing much of the original brick in the interior and utilizing the ceiling heights and natural light to their full advantage." The glass addition is clad in curtainwall comprised of a vertical capless glazing system. A stainless steel outrigger structure supports a system of tempered glass sunscreens. By intent, the design is understated so as to not overwhelm the character and details of the original Parish Hall, says Robert Cadeau, associate architect in charge, architectsAlliance, the project architect. To avoid disturbing a 200-year-old unmarked gravesite on the church property, the addition conforms to the original footprint of the 1959 addition. While the 62-year-old structure was demolished, its foundation was left to help support the new steel structure with concrete hollow-core slab loors. To support the old Parish Hall, about 140 helical piles (four to ive feet long) were drilled on an angle under the basement. The piles proved a speedier method than traditional underpinning, says Gosine. "The piles also provided the structural engineer with more certainty for the load bearing capacity." LOCATION 65 Church Street Toronto, Ontario OWNER/DEVELOPER St. James Cathedral Centre ARCHITECT architectsAlliance DEVELOPMENT MANAGER The Bridgeton Group Inc. CONSTRUCTION MANAGER The Dalton Company Ltd. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Blackwell Bowick Structural Engineers MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL ENGINEER Lam & Associates Ltd. ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONSULTANT Archaeological Services Inc. TOTAL AREA 34,000 square feet TOTAL COST $17 million The interior of the 1909 Parish Hall was gutted, insulated, the mechanical/electricals were upgraded and the building was brought up to ire safety code standards. Repairs were made to the slate roof and damaged copper eavestroughs, lashing and trim were replaced. The 'patchwork' of window changes done over the years were replaced with thermally ef icient windows sympathetic to the Parish's originals, says Cadeau. "The project was quite an architectural challenge," adds the architect, noting that designing an addition that seamlessly bridges to the heritage building was a prime objective set out by the owner. At the same time, the church wanted the new addition to "refresh its imagery" with a modern design. "I think that we were successful and that idea comes across in the contemporary design." ■ FEBRUARY 2012 /83 1/23/12 10:48:21 AM