January 25, 2005

Photo courtesy UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

A view of new student residence under construction at University College in downtown Toronto.

Aecon makes final pour for Morrison Hall

By Patricia Williams

staff writer

Aecon Buildings commemorated the final concrete pour at the University of Toronto’s University College student residence with a formal topping-off ceremony late last week.

The $28-million (total project cost) Morrison Hall project is the first new on-campus residence at the historic college in almost 50 years. The project is being built on downtown St. George Street.

“This important milestone marks the completion of the significant effort put forth by the structural trades and the continued efforts of the rest of our trades to deliver this project to its scheduled completion,” said Mike Fullerton, project manager at Aecon Buildings.

Designed by Toronto’s Zeidler Partnership Architects, the residence will accommodate some 270 undergraduate students.

The design features a three-storey podium running east-west between St. George Street and the back campus. A 13-storey tower anchors the west end.

Completion is scheduled for this spring.

Fullerton said the tower crane is to be dismantled Feb. 5. Challenges that lie ahead entail getting the balance of the building enclosed and completing the interior finishes to achieve substantial completion.

The three-storey podium is well advanced, he said. Work was scheduled to get underway this week on the zinc cladding and the interior drywall finishes.

On the tower, windows have been installed to the fifth floor and drywall fra- ming to the sixth.

“Completing the tower on schedule is highly dependent on completion of the main elevators,” Fullerton said.

This work, which has been initiated, must be completed by mid-April in or- der to remove the man-and-material hoist and allow en- ough time to complete the building “zip-up.”

The project team includes structural engineers Halsall Associates Ltd., mechanical-electrical engineers Hidi Rae Consulting Engineers Inc., and landscape architects Ferris Associates Inc.

Subcontractors include: Toll Steel Industries Ltd. (structural steel); Innocon Inc. (concrete supply); Adelt Mechanical Works Ltd.; Nortown Electrical Contractors Associates; General Sprinklers Inc.; Marin (2000) Inc. (drywall); Global Architectural Metals Inc. (windows); Flynn Canada Ltd. (roofing); Vicwest (cladding); Lee Elevator Service Ltd.; and The Downsview Group (asphalt/paving).

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