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AUGUST 2016 | 95 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY KEEWATIN-ASKI LTD. the local vegetation. Instead of bringing in material for plantings, local plants were carefully removed and replanted where the landscape design required, enhancing their chances of survival and appearing as if they had grown there naturally. Building a large new school, or any building, in a community as remote as Pikangikum is quite a different proposition than construction in an urban community, of course. The most daunting challenge was the time line, recalls Penn-Co Construction project manager Joe Strain, which was so tight that the construction team had to break ground when the design and drawing stage was only 30 per cent completed. One of the other major challenges were the existing site conditions, an existing forested site that was also one of the community's low points. "This resulted in a very wet and mucky site, which bogged down equipment and caused many challenges. We worked through the site conditions with a combination of temporary and permanent site features," says Strain. These included new drainage features, swales and slopes, to help redirect water. Penn-Co project co-ordinator Zeb Hudon continues that clearing the forest, retaining the underlying peat and reshaping the site for drainage were only some of the obstacles they faced. "Once the site was cleared, we had to excavate down to bedrock to install the foundations, which ended up being 12-metres down in some places. And also, because there were no local sources of aggregate, we had to truck it in from neighbouring communities over the winter road," says Hudon. The remote location meant that services were critical, according to lead mechanical designer for the project, Chris Ott of SMS Engineering. "System failure in a remote setting such as Pikangikum can have serious consequences for both users and equipment," he points out. "Service and parts for downed equipment can take weeks to get when the ice road is not in place. Heating and ventilation systems are designed with a redundancy that is able to perform at full capacity, even in the event of a partial system failure. "This school is a place of learning for not only younger students, but for the entire population of Pikangikum. It was important to us that this vital part of the community be accessible year-round," says Ott. Murray concludes: "This school, with its sensitivity to the spiritual and practical needs of the community, may mean that things will happen that hadn't happened before." A LOCATION Pikangikum Indian Reserve No. 14, Pikangikum, Ontario OWNER Pikangikum First Nation DESIGN-BUILD BRIDGING CONSULTANT Keewatin-Aski Ltd. (KAL) ARCHITECT Number TEN Architectural Group GENERAL CONTRACTOR Penn-Co Construction Canada Ltd. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Crosier Kilgour & Partners Ltd. MECHANICAL/ ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT SMS Engineering Ltd. CIVIL CONSULTANT Neegan Burnside Ltd. LANDSCAPE CONSULTANT Scatliff + Miller + Murray TOTAL SIZE 100,000 square feet TOTAL COST $57.8 million Pikangikum First Nation School 8:30 AM Congratulations to Penn-Co Construction on another successful project! We are honoured to be part of the Pikangikum First Nation School project. 1654 Field Street | Winnipeg, MB 204.788.0648 | www.silexfiberglass.com Silex Fibreglass Windows.indd 1 16-06-27 3:23 Proud to be part of the Pikangikum First Nation School SMSeng.com AAA Electric 1988 Ltd. Serving the industry in your area We are honoured to be part of the Pikangikum First Nation School project 1400 Valour Road | Winnipeg, MB | 204.943.9073 | info@aaaelectric.ca A A A AAA Electric.indd 1 16-07-11 8:03 Bison Mechanical Limited 1301 Admiral Avenue Winnipeg, MB R2X 1E6 Phone: 204-947-1046 Fax: 204-947-1048 is proud to have been the Mechanical Contractor for the Pikangikum First Nation School Project Bison Mechanical.indd 1 16-07-08 2:10 204.667.3981 | 566 Dobbie Ave. Winnipeg, MB | abesco@mts.net | abesco.ca Proud to provide the structural steel and miscellaneous metals for Pikangikum First Nation School. Ltd.indd 1 16-07-19 12:13 PM

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