May 14, 2009

CANADIAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION

The Camilla and Peter Dalglish Atrium at the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) in Burlington, designed by Diamond + Schmitt Architects, won an Award of Excellence in the Architectural category of the CISC’s Ontario Steel Design Awards.

Blackwell Bowick Structural Engineers’ work on Lakefield College School near Peterborough won an a Award of Merit in the Engineering category.

An Award of Merit in the Green Building category went to Read Jones Christofferson Consulting Engineers for the GO Transit Streetsville Bus Facility.

Engineering and Architecture

Ontario Steel Design Awards salute excellence

PETER KENTER

correspondent

An atrium in Burlington’s Royal Botanical Gardens and a rapid replacement bridge project on Highway 417 in Ottawa received Awards of Excellence at the 19th annual Ontario Steel Design Awards, sponsored by the Ontario Region of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction.

Diamond Schmitt Architects took home an Award of Excellence in the Architectural category for its design of the Camilla and Peter Dalglish Atrium at the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) in Burlington. The steel-and-glass structure provides an all-season barrier-free link between the RBG Centre and Hendrie Park Gardens and provides a multi-purpose space for visitors, displays and special events.

“Structural steel was selected for the large spans and the slender members we could use,” says Vincent Goetz, a Diamond Schmitt architect involved in the project’s design. “We wanted to achieve a greenhouse aesthetic without obscuring the fact that we were using steel. The steel is coated with a white epoxy paint, but it’s obvious that we’re using steel. The columns are fabricated out of 19 mm-plate, not standard off-the-shelf selections, to give the steel a hard edge and crisp lines.”

Hollow steel truss members were also used as utility conduits to allow clear sight lines through the large expanses of glass.

McCormick Rankin Corporation brought in an Award of Excellence in the Engineering category for its rapid replacement of the Highway 417 Clyde Avenue overpass in Ottawa. The project was designed to replace the entire bridge in an overnight construction session, so that it could be re-opened to traffic the following day, the first application of rapid replacement technology for a major highway bridge in Canada.

“We chose steel for several reasons,” says Michel Vachon, Structural Design Manager on the project. “One was the light weight of the material.

“The existing bridge had a sub-standard clearance over Clyde Avenue, and with steel we were able to devise a compact girder that allowed us to increase that clearance under the bridge.”

The bridge was built off-site and constructed over several months, then fitted with an adjustable bearing system to ensure that the structure would fit into place within narrow tolerances. “Steel construction also gave us the opportunity to employ a flexible design that allowed replacement in minimal time,” says Vachon.

“We identified all potential problems at a risk management session and after our final conference I was convinced the replacement was going to work according to plan. The actual replacement unfolded like a well-rehearsed orchestra — no hiccups.”

An Award of Merit was presented to another McCormick Rankin bridge project in the Projects Converted into Steel category — replacement of the Sioux Narrows Bridge connecting Kenora and Fort Frances. In order to preserve the historical appearance of the bridge, constructed in 1936, the design incorporated modern steel girders with timber trusses.

Awards of Merit in the Engineering category were presented to:

Halcrow Yolles for its innovative use of steel in the Transformation AGO project for the Art Gallery of Ontario, which was evident in the building’s massive facade, staircases and 10-storey South Tower.

Blackwell Bowick Structural Engineers for Lakefield College School near Peterborough, a LEED Gold student recreation centre and outdoor education wing. Cable-stiffened steel trusses support the building’s signature vaulted wood ceiling while maintaining the style of the existing campus buildings.

Awards of Merit in the Green Buildings category were presented to:

Read Jones Christoffersen Consulting Engineers for the GO Transit Streetsville Bus Facility, designed to house and service more than 200 buses. Steel trusses helped achieve clear site lines and open spaces unobstructed by a large number of columns.

Enermodal Engineering for the Orlando Speculative Industrial Warehouse in Brampton.

The use of recycled steel and the construction of a steel solar wall designed to assist with heating have helped make the project a candidate for LEED certification.

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