Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/607779
DECEMBER 2015 | 59 "And to try to build that in the air would have been impossible," says Mark Platt, the construction manager for Laing O'Rourke. In fact, Laing O'Rourke partnered with Toronto-based Gillam Group and established a strategy for a fast build based on the earliest possible water-tight date. This was one area where the complexity of the project could be seen as an advan- tage. The building is essentially a square surrounded by an ovoid steel skeleton to which the cladding is attached – and the interior of which forms the perimeter walls of the circulation gathering spaces. This complex cladding system's structure was sheathed from the inside and used to enclose the structure to keep the wind out and retain heat through two of Ontario's coldest winters in recent memory. As such, explains Platt, masonry and dry wall activities took place from January to March despite no permanent windows, curtain walls or cladding in place. The BIM model used 48 separate models to link to the master as-built model. Doing so allowed the construction of the project to move at a dizzying 71-week pace. "For a building of this size and complexity, that schedule was a considerable chal- lenge," says Zoran Markovic, an associate principal at ARUP, the consultant that worked on all engineering aspects of the building, from mechanical, electrical and communica- tions to civil. All except for the cladding's structure, which was the work of Blackwell Structural Engineers. Inside, users are reminded of the building's outward expression both by the curved perimeter walls and by the triangular window clusters that allow light to flow into the upper floor levels at varying heights. Much of the building consists of lab space and social or congregating spaces, often where walls and locker doors double as writable surfaces. Perhaps one of the most impressive learning spaces is the highbay on the lower level. Constructed as a building within a building, this civil engineering lab is a 4,000-square-foot block rising three storeys. An engineering challenge in itself, it's the highest such facility in the province and is spanned structurally by two 32,000-pound transfer beams to make the space column free. As for features, it is serviced by a 13,500-pound, 20-ton capacity gantry crane. The three-foot-thick reinforced concrete floor has over 400 tie-down assemblies – and another 140 in the strong wall. Outside, just beyond the highbay doors, to the south side, the building gives out onto the innovation courtyard. The large wide paths surrounding the centre con- nect to a wide plaza that overlooks Stong Pond. It's finished in high albedo concrete pavers and flanked by two sloping green roofs. Consisting mostly of sedum, juni- pers and grasses, one roof covers a building mechanical space and the other a series of doors hiding garage bays where students can work on rovers and other large mechanical projects. "Most people wouldn't realize it's a green roof until they see the light wells pok- ing through at grade," says Scott Torrance, the landscape architect on the project. His firm designed these sloped green roofs as well as the one topping the building, which features a patio of concrete pavers and benches with a stunning view of the Black Creek Valley. Once the site of a parking lot on the far side of nowhere, the Bergeron Centre building's presence brings an interested and interesting student population to this little appreciated natural corner of campus. A Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence – York University PHOTOGRAPHY BY DOUBLESPACE PHOTOGRAPHY/COURTESY GILLAM GROUP INC. STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS blackwell.ca Supplier of Miscellaneous Metals and Structural Steel For One Bloor Condo Proud to be associated with - Tucker Hirise & GreaT Gulf Group on THis projecT 118 Manville Rd., Toronto, ON M1L 4J5 Ph: 416-752-1100 | Fax: 416-752-1103 Email: sales@mriw.com Model Railings.indd 1 15-11-10 2:22