December 4, 2008

ONTARIO CONCRETE AWARDS

The Fifth Town Artisan Cheese factory building won an Ontario Concrete Award for architectural merit.

Ontario Concrete Awards

Design of Fifth Town Artisan Cheese factory showcases concrete’s versatility

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

An artisan cheese factory in Picton, a current candidate for LEED Platinum status, was the winner in the architectural merit category in the 2008 Ontario Concrete Awards.

Designed by Toronto’s Lapointe Architects and constructed at a cost of $2 million by K. Knudsen Construction Ltd. of Belleville, the project is defined by an exposed concrete block wall that dissects the building into retail and production functions.

Above and below-grade walls are constructed of Durisol, a stay-in-place wall forming system manufactured from post-industrial waste wood chips, mixed with cement slurry.

The cores of the Durisol blocks were filled with Agilia concrete which included a 50 per cent slag mixture.

The thermal mass of the concrete walls combined with the added insulation value of the Durisol block produced a “durable and energy-efficient” wall system.

Sealed concrete floors, containing 50 per cent slag concrete, were used throughout high traffic areas.

Subterranean concrete cheese aging caves are also made with 50 per cent slag.

“We were asked to design a sustainable building that was as environmentally responsible as possible, with the hopes that the facility would strictly adhere to the concepts of reduce, reuse and recycle,” said architect Francis Lapointe.

“In order to achieve that goal, we quickly settled on concrete as the principal construction material.”

Located on a 20-acre site on the shores of Lake Ontario, the facility was developed in close collaboration with the owner, the Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co.

If awarded LEED Platinum, the factory would be the first industrial building in Canada to achieve this designation.

The award was one of nine handed out last night at a banquet held in conjunction with Construct Canada.

Below is a list of other projects in winners’ circle this year.

ONTARIO CONCRETE AWARDS

Chinguacousy Skate Park (architectural hardscape).

Chinguacousy Skatepark, Brampton – Architectural Hardscape

The 18,000-square-foot skateboard plaza is made entirely of EcoSmart concrete, which contains a high proportion of fly ash.

Talbot Trail Bridge, Wheatley – Infrastructure

This project required the complete removal of an existing twin-culvert structure and its replacement with a new “ridged frame” clear-span concrete structure.

Bay Adelaide Centre, Toronto – Material Development and Innovation

The 51-storey tower in the heart of the financial district is a steel structure with a concrete core and composite floors. The core walls were constructed using self-consolidating concrete (SCC). The building, which was topped off September 30, 2008, used a total volume of 17,300 cubic metres of SCC for the core walls.

ONTARIO CONCRETE AWARDS

West Village Suites (mid to highrise residential).

West Village Suites, Hamilton – Mid to High Rise Residential

The nine-storey, 214,000-square-foot student condominium has been designed to LEED Platinum standards. The project was constructed of insulating concrete forms (ICF) walls with precast concrete hollow-core slab floors as well as precast stair units, landings and balconies. The slabs were chosen for their long spans, fire rating and speedy installation. The use of hollow-core slabs allowed 7,000 square feet of precast to be installed a day.

Island Park Drive, Rapid Bridge Replacement, Ottawa – Specialty Concrete Applications

The project included the replacement of both the eastbound and westbound overpass bridge decks of highway 417 that travel over Island Park Drive. The replacements were done in a single weekend shift utilizing rapid bridge deck replacement technology.

ONTARIO CONCRETE AWARDS

Concrete slabs are hoisted into place for Humber College, Building B (structural design innovation).

Humber College Building B, Toronto – Structural Design Innovation

The three-storey, 83,700 square-foot academic building incorporates a combination of concrete tilt wall and precast concrete slab construction.

“Lien on Me” House, Etobicoke – Specialty Concrete Products and Sustainable Concrete Construction

The project involved rebuilding a single family home by The Holmes Group, which pulled together a team of more than 100 companies. The goal was to create a house that was eco-friendly, energy-efficient, water and mould resistant and designed to stand the test of time. The house was constructed with reinforced concrete walls carrying three levels of hollow-core slabs.

The awards are sponsored by 14 associations and companies, among them the Ontario chapter of the American Concrete Institute, the Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, the Ontario Region of the Cement Association of Canada, the Concrete Floor Contractors Association of Ontario, Ready Mixed Concrete Association of Ontario, Reinforcing Steel Institute of Ontario, and the Ontario General Contractors Association.

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