June 29, 2006

ELLISDON CORPORATION

The heavy lift of the central utility plant stack at the William Osler Health Centre took place this month.

Construction

Turbo fast track schedule offers unique challenges

Construction of health centre ‘two years’ ahead of normal schedule

DON PROCTER

correspondent

BRAMPTON

At one million square feet, the William Osler Health Centre under construction in Brampton is big. And it is going up quickly. Very quickly.

The 23-month building schedule is “at least two years” faster than a normal schedule, says Kelly MacDermid, superintendent, EllisDon Corp, contractor for the design-build job.

“People — even subcontractors — that saw us start March 28 cutting grade and digging our first hole for a tower crane just shake their heads at how much has been accomplished so far,” he said.

“I don’t think there is any project that compares to this job in Canada.”

The $550 million facility (building costs are about $175 million) will be a major full-service acute care community hospital when it is completed next February.

EllisDon’s challenge with the turbo-fast-track schedule is to juggle a steady stream of about 30 subtrades and about 450 workers coming and going on the site.

ELLISDON CORPORATION

This aerial photo shows the extent of the one-million-square-foot William Osler Health Centre currently under construction in Brampton.

In some construction sectors of the complex, scheduling seems to defy logic.

For example, the wall and ceiling contractor for the in-patient building, Select Drywall & Acoustics, has to shoot the top track for wall partitions, which the mechanical contractor uses as a guide for its installations, prior to ceiling installation.

“They (mechanical contractor) have a sweet deal because they have a completely empty floor to work on,” explains Select’s project estimator Marcello Salvato. “We have to go in, and frame and board after they are done.”

That can be a nearly-impossible task. In places, mechanicals are less than 1.5-inches away from the framing; in others, there is just enough clearance for board installation if installers were to lie on their backs on the ductwork to get the job done.

That goes against best safety practices, however, so Select is meeting with structural consultants and builders to work out a better solution.

One idea is to remove ductwork so Select can install its ceiling, but because of the turbo-paced schedule, an alternative solution — a spray-on ceiling — might be the preferred option, says Salvato.

“It is like doing four 30-storey condo towers in one.”

Mark Tatone - Select Drywall & Acoustics

Another patience-trying aspect is the “tremendous amount” of bridging required to accommodate mechanicals, which adds 30 per cent more time to wall and ceiling work at the hospital, points out Select’s Mark Tatone.

He says Select’s contract, which is mainly for the six-storey in-patient building, is probably the biggest job for the shortest schedule-ever for the firm.

“It is like doing four 30-storey condo towers in one. It makes our work at the new terminal at the airport (Pearson International) look like a piece of cake.”

The in-patient building contains 650,000 square feet and has 85,000 linear feet of walls, almost half a million square feet of ceilings, and a stroll from one end to the other is about 1,000 feet.

Another challenge for Select is the amount of metal backing specified for the hospital.

“Almost every wall requires it and as the job progresses, there are a lot of architectural revisions we have to accommodate,” explains Salvato, adding that metal backing is “even required for coat hooks.” Select uses 14- and 18-guage metal flatstock backing. Plywood is not permitted anywhere in the hospital partly because of concerns of off-gassing.

Select’s project manager Vince De Blasis says because of the tight schedule, he is often given short notice on where his crew -- sometimes 40 to 50 workers -- should be.

Planning on the fly how to effectively fit his crew, materials and such equipment as scaffolding and scissor lifts into confined spaces can be daunting.

Aside from a few minor glitches, the project remains on schedule, although no double shifting has been required. That begs the question, why do other projects take so long to complete?

MacDermid says the builders are meeting schedule because of a “solid team effort” and a well-organized schedule.

“Mind you, you really never sit and take a proper lunch break. You start up your computer and start going through your site instructions while you eat a sandwich.”

It is not the kind of pace that anyone should keep up for a long time, he adds.

“It would take its toll on your body and mind if you did.”

Prime consultants for the job include: Parkin Architects Limited, in joint venture with Adamson Associates Architects; The Mitchell Partnership Inc., mechanical engineer; and Stephenson Engineering Ltd. in joint venture with Marshall Macklin Monahan are the structural engineers

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