July 22, 2009

HARIRI PONTARINI ARCHITECTS

An aggressive construction schedule will be the biggest challenge on the Richard Ivey School of Business job in London, Ontario.

Projects

Tight deadline for Western's Richard Ivey School of Business project

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

Construction giant EllisDon is gearing up to build a new home for the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario following its selection as construction manager/general contractor on the $100 million project.

Groundbreaking is to take place by the end of the summer.

Brian Waltham, the construction company’s London-based vice president for southwestern Ontario, said the key challenge will be the aggressive construction schedule.

The project is to be completed by March, 2011.

“It’s going to be tight,” Waltham said in an interview. “The entire team is going to have to work together as a well-oiled machine to ensure everything runs smoothly. There’s no room for error.”

The new 235,000-square foot building, being designed by Toronto’s Hariri Pontarini Architects, will be located on the west side of Western Road in front of Brescia College.

The project is being fast-tracked. The business school and the architects are currently working on programming elements.

The team includes structural engineering consultants Halcrow Yolles and mechanical and electrical engineering consultants Smith + Andersen Consulting Engineering.

Waltham said subtrade tenders will be issued next month.

Trades will be prequalified to bid the work based on their ability to perform, to meet the aggressive schedule and construct a first-class building.

“Quality is everything,” Waltham said. “The prequalification process will be pretty stringent. We want to make sure we get the right people. This is a world-class business school and a world-class facility.”

The project is the largest in the university’s history. A LEED Silver designation is being targeted.

“It’s not only a landmark for the university and Ivey,” said Waltham whose firm has had the project in its sights since it was first announced. “It’s a landmark for the city of London.”

The federal and provincial governments each are providing $25 million under post-secondary infrastructure investment programs. The university is contributing $22.5 million while Ivey is raising $27.5 million from private donations.

Carol Stephenson, dean of the business school, said in a statement that the bid from EllisDon “rose above the rest.

“EllisDon has its roots in London and we’re very pleased to have chosen a local firm with more than five decades in the construction industry.”

Geoff Smith, president and CEO of EllisDon, said his firm is ‘extremely excited” to be a partner in building a state-of-the-art facility for Ivey.

“As a hometown company, we are looking forward to participating in such an important and prestigious project.”

Print | Email | Comment