Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/178323
REUBEN KRABBE / LUMIC PHOTOGRAPHY Flooring that lasts! 86/ AUGUST 2012 p.84-87IKEA richmond.indd 86 patterns that the stores generate. This allowed us to articulate to the City of Richmond on how access and parking design could work within the local area, and what level of infrastructure would be needed to support the development demands." Sweden Way was consequently widened to accommodate additional vehicle turning lanes, bike lanes and pedestrian sidewalks; a new vehicular connector road will be built to the south of the store to provide access from Knight Street to Jacombs Road. "This will create simpler, safer traf ic low to the store and neighbourhood; currently, southbound Knight Street traf ic must merge west onto Bridgeport then weave across multiple lanes before making a left-hand turn onto Sweden Way," explains Svehla. With a building of this size, cooperation with the City of Richmond was vital, particularly with only 12 months budgeted for construction. "One challenge with this project was meeting the stormwater reduction requirements for Richmond," says Svehla. "To achieve this, a comprehensive stormwater management program was developed, which includes pervious concrete sidewalks to reduce stormwater runoff and the utilization of harvested rainwater from the roof for landscape irrigation and toilet use." The biggest problem, unsurprisingly, was the sheer size of the construction forms, which required a systematic approach to the placement and arrangement of last-minute deliveries, as storage areas were at a premium. The concrete moment frames, relatively uncommon in Vancouver, were detailed carefully with rebar supplier Harris Rebar to ensure codes were satis ied and construction would run smoothly. The structural steel seismic connections into the concrete moment frames were quite demanding. "We had large diameter anchor rods and long embed plates within heavily reinforced concrete," Korchinski says. "Thankfully, Ledcor was diligent in making sure the seismic connections were detailed and built to our satisfaction." Though the project faced numerous challenges during the construction period, the team handled each problem with aplomb. Ground water discovered during excavation was dealt with via a series of special pumps and wells; during unpredictable winter weather, the roo ing company was kept on standby, ready to start at 4 a.m. at a moment's notice. Maintaining parking and access for the existing store and nearby businesses was a dif icult feat, too, though diligence from IKEA and Ledcor helped avoid disruption. "Through the planning process, IKEA showed a strong commitment to working with the City in developing solutions while being a good neighbour through consulting local businesses," says Henderson. Opened in April to the public, on time and on budget, the new, improved IKEA Canada Richmond is already a vital part of the neighbourhood. ■ LOCATION Knight Street and Bridgeport Road Richmond, B.C. OWNER/DEVELOPER IKEA Properties Limited PROJECT MANAGER Pivotal Projects Inc. ARCHITECT ABBARCH Architecture Inc. GENERAL CONTRACTOR Ledcor Construction Limited STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Sterling Cooper & Associates ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Falcon Engineering GEOTECHNICAL CONSULTANT Levelton Consultants Ltd. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT Pottinger Gaherty Environmental Consultants TRANSPORTATION CONSULTANT Bunt & Associates CIVIL/SURVEY CONSULTANT R.F. Binnie & Associates Ltd. TOTAL AREA 348,000 square feet TOTAL PROJECT COST $80 million IKEA Canada Richmond 7/13/12 10:42 AM