December 1, 2011

Diamond and Schmitt project for University of Ontario Institute of Technology gets Ontario Concrete award

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

A state-of-the-art facility in Oshawa, the General Motors of Canada Automotive Centre of Excellence, scored top honours in the architectural merit category in the 2011 Ontario Concrete Awards.

Designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects and constructed by Carillion Construction Inc., the University of Ontario Institute of Technology facility offers a wide range of testing facilities.

The building is considered a rare combination of industrial research and educational programming coexisting under the same roof.

“The utilization of concrete was essential in providing a robust yet simple solution to address the various challenges while showcasing concrete’s various qualities such as strength and durability, its natural protection against fires, built-in sound and vibration isolation in addition to its inherent aesthetics,” the architects said in their submission.

A total of 11,600 cubic metres of concrete was used on the project, which consists of a six-storey research centre and three-storey climatic wind tunnel. The team included structural engineers Halcrow Yolles and ready-mix supplier Dufferin Concrete, a division of Holcim (Canada) Inc. Avenue Building Corp. was the concrete formwork subcontractor.

The award, in a category in which architectural considerations or design predominately influenced the overall project, was one of 10 presented at a banquet in Toronto held in conjunction with the Construct Canada trade show and conference.

Also in the winners’ circle were the following projects:

Structural design innovation:

York University Life Sciences Building, Toronto. Undertaken by a team that included NXL Architects, SSG Architecture Inc., Blackwell Bowick Partnership Ltd. and Carillion, the 160,000-square-foot building incorporates “bubble deck” technology, the first in Toronto to do so. The use of this innovative technology presented a number of challenges, which required close collaboration between consultants, contractors and building officials. Concrete supplier was St. Marys CBM.

WATERFRONT TORONTO

Toronto’s Sherbourne Common was the winning project in the architectural hardscape category in the 2011 Ontario Concrete Awards. The park is the first in Canada to incorporate a neighbourhood-wide stormwater treatment facility. Public art is integrated with the water infrastructure to create a municipal space that is both functional and attractive.

Architectural hardscape:

Sherbourne Common in Toronto. Undertaken for Waterfront Toronto by a team that included landscape architects Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg, Quinn Dressel Associates and Eastern Construction Co. Ltd., the municipal park incorporates 2,300 cubic metres of concrete. Material supplier was Innocon. Concrete was used in a wide variety of applications, including reflecting pools, an ice rink slab/splash pad and precast/cast-in-place art features. Hardscape subcontractor was UCC Group Inc.

DUFFERIN CONCRETE

A textured form liner was used for the supporting columns on the Lake Street Bridge in St. Catharines.

Infrastructure:

Queen Elizabeth Way widening from Seventh Street to the Garden City Skyway in St. Catharines. The project, which was undertaken for the province’s Ministry of Transportation by a team that included Morrison Hershfield and Dufferin Construction Co., involved in part reconstruction and widening of the QEW from four to six lanes for a distance of approximately 9.4 kilometres. Seven bridges were either rehabilitated or reconstructed as part of the $167 million project. Concrete supplier was Dufferin Concrete. Precast concrete bridge girders were supplied by Armtec Ltd. Partnership.

Institutional building:

Toronto Pearson International Airport value park garage, Mississauga. Designed by NORR Ltd. and constructed by EllisDon, the precast concrete facility can accommodate 8,500 vehicles. Construction was completed in 23 months using almost entirely concrete materials. RES 2000 Structures Inc. was a key subcontractor. Suppliers included Armtec Ltd.

Material development & innovation, cast-in-place concrete:

Lafarge Technical Centre, Toronto. Dedicated to the design and development of innovative concrete products, the LEED Gold facility was undertaken a team that included architect John D. Dorris and Ireland Engineering Associates Ltd. Lafarge incorporated a range of innovative and sustainable ready-mix concrete products in the project. Material supplier was Innocon.

Material development & innovation, precast concrete:

Toronto Pearson International Airport value park garage. Precast concrete was used extensively in construction of the six-level facility. In all, an estimated 37,000 cubic metres was used for precast members. Material supplier was Armtec Ltd.

DOMINUS

The curved and rotating design of the towers in the Absolute World development challenged the project team.

Mid to highrise residential:

Absolute World in Mississauga. Undertaken by a team that included Burka Architects Inc., Sigmund Soudack & Associates Inc. and Dominus Construction Group, the Fernbrook/Cityzen development consists of 50-storey and 56-storey condominium towers. A total of 61,900 square metres of concrete was used in the $180 million project. Premform Ltd. delivered an innovative concrete forming method. Innocon supplied a self-consolidating concrete product capable of meeting the contractor’s various requirements.

Specialty concrete products:

Courtcliffe Park phase 3, Hamilton. The project, undertaken for the city by a team that included AMEC Environment and Infrastructure, CRL Campbell Construction and Drainage Ltd. and King Paving & Materials Co., involved redevelopment of three soccer pitches and expansion and improvement of an existing granular parking lot. Low-impact design techniques were incorporated, including pervious concrete, grass pavers and naturalized medians in conjunction with a bioswale. The city partnered with the Centre for Pavement and Transportation Technology at the University of Waterloo on the pervious concrete pavement component. Concrete supplier was Inter County Concrete Products.

Sustainable Concrete Construction:

Enermodal office building, “A Grander View,” Kitchener. The new three-storey, 22,000-square-foot office features insulated concrete form construction for the walls and precast concrete hollow-core slabs for the floors and roof. The building, which has achieved LEED Platinum in two categories, was designed and constructed by a team that included Robertson Simmons Architects Inc., MTE Consultants Inc. and Melloul-Blamey Construction Inc. Materials suppliers included Dufferin Concrete and Coreslab Structures (ONT) Inc.

The awards are sponsored by 17 associations and companies, among them the Ready Mixed Concrete Association of Ontario, the American Concrete Institute-Ontario chapter, the Ontario Cast-in-Place Concrete Development Council, the Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute and the Ontario General Contractors Association.

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