Building Strategies - Winter 2009

Winter 2008/2009

Done to Perfection

PM 40063056

George Brown Chef School Retrofit Developments in P3 2008 Ontario Concrete Awards

Photo courtesy of Tom Arban Photography

Ontario’s Construction and Infrastructure Magazine

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Providing Greater Value to Construction Project Design & Delivery

Contents

Workplace Health & Safety Corner

6 Editorial

I nfrastructure funds need to be spent wisely.

8 News

10 Updated changes to the electrical code address new technology and operating conditions.

18 Financing

Public Private Partnerships Once restricted to a few high profile projects, the use of this construction delivery is becoming wide spread in Canada.

21 Project Profile

College transformed George Brown College responds to the demand for increased culinary graduates with a three-storey glass addition, major alterations to its existing building, and renovated student chef restaurant.

25 Concrete Construction

Ontario Concrete Awards See photo layout of this year’s winners.

The design team’s vision for the new/expanded facility was to capture the almost contradictory essence of cooking, says Philip Hastings, principal, Gow Hastings Architects. “It has to be purposeful and planned, but also playful and entertaining.”

Legal Corner (Sponsored by: Glaholt LLP) 12 Infrastructure funds need to be spent wisely.

Environment Corner (Sponsored by: Tri-Phase) 14 Green Movement now moving to existing buildings.

Engineering Corner (Sponsored by: Manulife Financial) 16 3D technology pushes design boundaries.

18 26 Building Strategies Winter 2008/2009

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Editorial

Infrastructure funds need to be spent wisely

Providing Greater Value to Construction Project Design & Delivery

Volume 3 Number 4 • Winter 2008/2009 Publisher

N

o doubt cash strapped municipalities wanting to proceed with critical, and long delayed roads, bridges, and sewers, are welcoming the economic stimulus budget announced Jan. 27 by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. Among other measures, it promises an almost $12 billion investment in new infrastructure over two years.

The budget will result in a predicted $84.9 million deficit over a five-year period and reverse Canada’s enviable record of generating budget surpluses during the past decade.

Nevertheless, several industry groups suggest the spending is warranted.

In the context of the recent global economic downturn, infrastructure renewal and spending has emerged as the consensus choice of government officials, economists and academics. There are several good reasons why, says Canadian Construction Association president Michael Atkinson.

Not only does it permit governments to aggressively address the maintenance, repair and replacement of rapidly deteriorating core services, infrastructure spending produces far more jobs and economic activity than any other measures, including tax cuts. A $1-billion expenditure on infrastructure provides nearly double the stimulus of a comparable expenditure on tax cuts, says Atkinson, citing a Federation of Canadian Municipalities survey.

Taxpayer value will be enhanced as governments can benefit from lower labour and material costs brought on by

the economic downturn. Other benefits include the creation of long-term assets that will be enjoyed and used by future generations of Canadians.

With an estimated 44,000 lost jobs, the construction industry has the ability to meet the demands for government related infrastructure projects. While many of those losses were in home building, workers from that sector can adapt to non residential construction, says Atkinson.

The Association of Canadian Engineering Companies also says its members are prepared to work with all governments to ensure projects proceed in a timely and expeditious manner. In a letter to the federal government, president Jeff Morrison says ACEC believes recipients of federal infrastructure monies should be required to outsource work to the private sector to obtain the best project quality. Provinces or municipalities diverting those monies to inhouse departments won’t be spurring innovation or creating economic growth.

That proposal is probably welcomed by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation which is not happy with the budget.

While the federation considers infrastructure spending a wise investment, it wants strict private sector accounting practises and other safeguards in place. An audit of the Canada Infrastructure Works Program of the early 1990s revealed some money went to finance bocce courts and even a canoe museum in former Prime Minister Chrétien’s home riding, notes its acting federal director Kevin Gaudet. Let’s hope we don’t see a repeat this time!

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Building Strategies Winter 2008/2009

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News Consulting Engineers promote profession With many of its member firms struggling to meet the demand for engineering services, the Association of Canadian Engineering Companies has produced a video which will be presented to engineering students to encourage them to join the ranks of consulting engineering right out of school.

It will be available at the end of February and will be distributed at university career fairs, conferences, trade shows and special events.

The video has been divided into a series of modules which enable students to view subjects of particular interest to them, says Susie Grynol, the association’s director of public affairs and business practices.

“Originally it was to be about 21 minutes long, but our market research showed that students might not watch the whole 21 minutes.”

Filming by a production company began in July and included footage of three international projects involving Canadian engineering companies.

The film crew also traveled across Canada capturing projects and young engineers on camera. Sponsorships

by ACEC’s member firms help pay the cost.

A major goal of the video is to dispel many of the myths about the profession, “especially the one that years of experience are needed.

A student can join a consulting engineering firm right after graduation,” says Grynol.

In addition to the video, the association has set up a companion webpage. Visit www. engineeringlegacies.com

Hidden Heritage Reading Room Ceiling Unveiled

Photo credit to Diamond and Schmitt Architects

After being hidden away and forgotten for almost 100 years, the spectacular original ceiling

in the 1892 reading room in the University of Toronto’s Gerstein Science Information Centre is now in full view.

A dropped ceiling had hidden the room’s hand-carved wood trusses, rafters and a dramatic glass skylight.

The ceiling was discovered during a regular inspection of the reading room’s ductwork, says Gary McCluskie, principal, Diamond and Schmitt Architects, which oversaw a 10-year three-phase renovation of the information centre that was completed last fall.

“No one at the university could remember the ceiling ever being exposed and after some digging we discovered it was covered up during a renovation in the early 1900s.

At that time metal cross bracing was installed to support the ceiling trusses. We believe that the cross bracing was considered unsightly and covered up.”

Once the design team saw the ceiling they realized that it was originally exposed and through some research and digging through the university’s archives they pieced the history together. It then a matter of convincing the university to reveal the ceiling, which wasn’t hard to do, he says.

Despite being unseen for almost a century, the ceiling was in remarkable condition. Structural beams, arches and trusses were stabilized and, where needed, reinforced. Other work included cleaning thee neo-gothic carved details of the woodwork arches, columns, rafters and repetitive decorative details.

The reading room includes study space for 100 people with new lighting, furniture and shelving. The renovation, funded by the Frank Gerstein Charitable Foundation and the Bertrand Gerstein Family Foundation, was part of the larger transformation of the original university library, which also included

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Building Strategies Winter 2008/2009

upgrades to the administrative offices, the Marvin Gerstein Conference Room and new graduate and group study space on the second floor of the heritage wing, says McCluskie.

Infrastructure projects ready to go, says municipal federation More than 2,000 infrastructure projects would be ready to go as early as this spring if federal funding is made available, says the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. It released the list in early January before the unveiling of the January 27 federal budget.

The list of “shovel-ready” projects was derived from a survey of FCM members conducted over a sixweek period and includes simple rehabilitation projects to major new construction. If fully funded, these infrastructure projects would create over 150,000 jobs, the federation says.

“Last October, we released a study showing that infrastructure spending is the best stimulus tool around and we said that hundreds of municipal infrastructure projects would be ready to go this

Jean Perrault

spring if they received federal funding,” said FCM President, Sherbrooke Mayor Jean Perrault.

“We are releasing a snapshot that illustrates the scope of municipal needs and our capacity to put infrastructure dollars to work now.

“We can see from this list that the federal government can invest in projects that will not only create jobs now but boost Canada’s competitiveness, improve our environment and enhance our quality of life for generations to come,” said Perrault.

But he also cautioned that a faster federal infrastructure program was needed if the projects were to get funding in time to help fight the economic slowdown.

“A significant number of new infrastructure projects must get underway during the 2009 construction season to help counter the recession. Municipal

governments are ready to do their part to help the federal government get infrastructure dollars into action fast.”

The federation believes to accomplish that is for the federal government to adopt the Gas Tax Fund model as the way to flow money into these projects quickly so cities and communities can get started on new infrastructure projects, including simple-to-plan repair and rehabilitation, said Perrault.

Groundbreaking On December 8, David Caplan, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, visited University Centre for the official groundbreaking ceremony of its $180-million redevelopment project. Honoured guest, Emile DuHamel, a stroke survivor and former Toronto Rehab patient, and his grandson, Russell, helped turn the soil at the event.

At the peak of construction expected to be completed in fall 2011 - more than 300 workers will be on site daily. Over the course of construction, approximately $39.7 million will be paid in construction salaries and $44 million worth of materials will be purchased locally.

Highlights of the University Centre expansion and renovation project include: construction of a new 13-storey patient care and research tower, renovations to the existing 12-storey east wing and a four-storey north wing with a new, more accessible entrance for patients and visitors.

The project team, led by Aecon, includes financing arranged by Stonebridge Financial Corporation. Aecon signed a contract with the hospital to build and finance the redevelopment project for $112.1 million. The contract guarantees a fixed price and fixed completion date.

Spadina WaveDeck nominated for Brit Insurance Design Awards Waterfront Toronto’s Spadina WaveDeck has been nominated for a 2009 Brit Insurance Design Award in the category of architecture and is the first Canadian project ever to be short-listed for the awards.

The Brit Insurance Design Awards are the Design Museum of London’s annual exploration of the most innovative and forwardlooking new work in design. One hundred projects from around the

world are chosen in seven categories, which include architecture, fashion, furniture, graphics, interactive, product and transport.

The nominations are by a group of internationally distinguished design and architecture writers, critics and curators and cover a one-year period.

Opened last September, the Spadina WaveDeck is the first in a series of new public spaces being built along the waterfront.

Designed by West 8 of Rotterdam and Toronto-based du Toit Allsopp Hillier Toronto, the wavedeck is a gateway to the lakefront at a site that previously lacked public access.

The geometry of the 630 squaremetre timber deck uses playful curves that are constantly changing to provide for a flexible gathering space. The stairs act as an informal amphitheatre and the varying heights of the deck allow for different vantage points and ultimately different experiences with the lake. In the evenings, the space is kept animated with 24 underwater LED lights.

An exhibit showcasing the nominated projects will be on display at The Design Museum of London from February 12 – June 14, 2009 and the winners will be announced on February 24. This year, in addition to an international jury reviewing the nominees, the public is also able to vote for their favourites at www. designsoftheyear.com.

was stopped on Yorkville Avenue between Yonge and Bay streets. Bay Street was also closed south from Scollard Street to Bloor Street.

Designed by Peter Clewes of architects Alliance of Toronto, Four Seasons Hotel & Residences will be a mixed-use development featuring two towers. The West Residence will be a 55-storey building comprised of a 253-room Four Seasons Hotel on the first 20 floors, followed by 101 Private Residences above.

The 26-storey East Residence will contain 103 Private Residences and be connected to its sister building by an elevated pedestrian bridge. The two buildings will share a courtyard designed by internationallyrenowned landscape architect Claude Cormier.

David Caplan, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care and other dignitaries recently turned the sod to officially launch the $180-million redevelopment of University Centre.

The Private Residences component of the project is being developed by Bay-Yorkville Developments Ltd., a joint venture between Menkes Developments Ltd.,

Lifetime Urban Development Group and Alcion Ventures. Menkes Construction Ltd. is building both the hotel and residences. B

What brought Yorkville traffic to a halt on a Saturday afternoon?

Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood was abuzz during the busy holiday shopping season when 120 concrete trucks convened at six different pouring locations at the site of the new Four Seasons Hotel & Residences at Bay and Yorkville.

Coordination was crucial for Toronto’s largest residential concrete pour, which used 10,000 tons of concrete for the foundation of the West Residence. It took five months to plan the pouring process which required a construction crew of approximately 180, and used 120 concrete trucks running simultaneously for 12 hours.

When the entire Four Seasons Hotel & Residences Toronto is completed in 2011, approximately 420 million pounds of concrete will have been used on the 1,250,000-square-foot project.

Seven Toronto Police officers were positioned to control the flow of trucks and divert traffic which Building Strategies Winter 2008/2009

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Workplace Health & Safety Corner

Updated electrical code addresses 21st technology and operating conditions Each year in Canada 600 to 800 people experience workplace electrical accidents. A key component to electrical safety is awareness and consistent application of best practices for standards, regulations and safe work environments. The C22.1-2009 Canadian Electrical (CE) Code (21st Edition) addresses electrical safety, shock, and fire hazards of electrical products in Canada.

A

must-have safety tool since 1927, the Canadian Standards Association’s Canadian Electrical Code has provided the signature standards has provided signature standards for addressing shock and fire hazards of electrical products. Regularly updated to address changing technology and operating conditions, the CE Code Part I is a companion document to the CE Code Part II, a series of standards for the construction, testing and making of electrical equipment, including: • General requirements • Consumer & Commercial Products • Industry Products • Wiring Products Compiled with the help of industry volunteers and various levels of government, the Canadian Electrical (CE) Code, Part I serves as the basis for mandatory wiring regulations across Canada. Provincial or territorial regulators review and adopt the code into legislation by reference, often with a schedule of changes that amends the code for regional conditions. These amendments may be administrative in nature or may have technical content particular to the region.

New for 2009 The new Canadian Electric Code is code for safety and performance. To reflect changes in technology and operating conditions the 21st edition has moved from a four to three-year

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production cycle, similar to the American National Electrical Code.

The 2009 Canadian Electrical (CE) Code includes a number of updates, including: • tamper resistant receptacles, • bonding and grounding requirements, • requirement changes in hazardous locations, Who should care?

When it comes to electricity, doing it by the book is the only safe circuit to take.

The Canadian Electrical (CE) Code is applicable to all electrical, engineering and construction safety professionals. In particular: • Electrical Manufacturers • Electricians/Contractors • Electrical Engineers • Electrical Consultants • Electrical Maintenance • Electrical Distributors And: • Electrical Leagues & Associations • Unions / Brotherhoods • Regulators • Inspection Authorities • Electrical Apprentices • Designers Other Resources and Support Available • Two-day Comprehensive training on the 2009 Canadian Electrical Code is now available in English and will soon be offered in French beginning in the Spring of 2009.

• Conference Series on Electrical Safety. These

Building Strategies Winter 2008/2009

• •

•

•

•

training events are specifically designed to provide provincial regulatory bodies the forum for communicating provincial issues to participating stakeholders.

A new Training and Instructor Guide, which gives a concise briefing on the key changes and rationale. eLearning training modules, which align with CSA’s core classroom training.

Easily available through a Web browser, the modules provide inspectors with convenient access to self-training, anytime, anywhere and include quizzes and the capability for certification of completion.

The Electrician’s Self-Assessment Tool (or ESAT), and a companion ESAT Study Guide for those preparing for the Certificate of Qualification exam.

“Smart Standard” on CD-ROM. This contains the full text of the 2009 Code and Handbook and value-added features that accelerate the work of users.

Complete Code in Mobile Device Format (MDF). This solution enables users to download a software reader and the 2009 CE Code, right to their mobile device. B

In addition to the release of the updated Canadian Electrical Code, the CSA is also working on a national standard designated as CSA Z462 Workplace Electrical Safety.

It will be developed in alignment with established standards from the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA).

Legal Corner

By Duncan W. Glaholt, Glaholt LLP

P3: The Next Generation

Delivery method has matured

Y

ou have all read at some point over the past few years in relation to some public private partnership (P3) or other that all-in cost “might” have been lower under the traditional approach. Or maybe the criticism has been directed towards costs over the life of the project, often a very big number if looked at in isolation. The point being made by these critics is always the same: P3s cost more than conventionally procured projects. We would be better, such critics say, to tax and spend than lease to own. Critics point out that the public sector can borrow cheaper than private consortia which depend on the bond market. More strident critics focus instead on profit taking by the private sector.

What is more troubling, however, is the story behind the P3 headlines. That story is about infrastructure deficit. Infrastructure deficit is the gap between the infrastructure we have and the infrastructure we need. The numbers are scary. There is no other word for it. It is a problem all over the developed world. In Canada this deficit was estimated to be about $10 billion in 1985, about the time that the first public private partnerships surfaced in the United Kingdom.

A decade later Canada’s infrastructure deficit had grown to more than $50 billion. Two years ago it had surpassed $125 billion.

Unless we act immediately, this deficit could grow to over $400 billion by 2020. Canada’s highways alone are so bad that $17 billion is needed right now just to bring them up to safe standards. This pales by comparison to the U.S. infrastructure deficit, which will exceed $1.6 trillion by 2020, and Europe is not far behind. All of this is occurring in an economic climate that is gloomy enough to remind some of the depression of the 1930s.

Canada’s experiment with public private partnerships began about 2000, in the area of municipal wastewater treatment. The uptake at first was cautious. Not all of the P3 experiences in the U.K. had been happy ones. Our unions were justifiably protective of organized labour. By 2004, however, P3 development had matured to the point where it could deliver results in the more complex area of health care. There it met strong, highly politicized resistance. The hint that P3s carried with them of creeping privatization of health care services was unacceptable. Since these early projects P3s have been reconfigured into more sophisticated and palatable forms of “alternatively financed” projects including roads, bridges and even court houses and arts centres.

Public private partnerships are not what they used to be. The concept has matured and been brought into the mainstream. In May 2005, the Ontario government announced the formation of an infrastructure projects corporation. A few months later it issued a five-year infrastructure plan called “ReNew Ontario”, with meaningful financial support attached.

In the 2007 federal budget we saw a significant financial commitment by the federal government (approximately $13 billion over several programmes) to infrastructure renewal in partnership

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Building Strategies Winter 2008/2009

with the private sector. The 2008 federal budget announced the formation of PPP Canada Inc., a crown corporation specifically set up to capitalize on public private partnership possibilities.

The private sector has also helped the P3 industry in this country become better organized. The Canadian Council on Public Private Partnerships, a non-profit organization, was founded in 1993 to foster innovative forms of cooperation between the public and private sectors. Among its many activities, this group performs the valuable function of peer review of public private partnerships, publicly honouring innovation and excellence in this industry.

Deloitte Research, a part of Deloitte Services LP, now places Canada ahead of the U.S. in sophistication and activity of our public private partnership industry.

What about the well-known problems with public private partnerships? What about legitimate concerns over the incremental cost of private sector borrowing and the profit taking by the private sector? The ‘cost of borrowing’ camp do have a point to make, but the private sector is narrowing the gap by having governments backstop debt and thus reduce the risk involved in the financing to

“

The private sector has also helped the P3 industry in this country become better organized. The Canadian Council on Public Private Partnerships, a non-profit organization, was founded in 1993 to foster innovative forms of cooperation between the public and private sectors.”

the point that there is some rate convergence. The ‘profit taking’ camp also have a point, but again the private sector is narrowing the gap by sharing the benefit of any ‘windfall’ gains, in concessions sales or refinancing, or debt refinancing, for example.

What about value for money? Just ask any contractor who has recent experience on a P3 project here in Canada. They will tell you about value added to the project by centralizing all risk and reward with the contracting consortium so as to permit innovation and cost savings without elaborate and costly bureaucracy.

What does the future hold? Even the most conservative pundits point out that public private partnerships (or at least alternatively financed projects) are here to stay and with the massive infusion of infrastructure dollars that is expected over the next five to 10 years, this will be a growth area. B Duncan Glaholt is a Partner, Glaholt LLP barristers and solicitors

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Environmental Corner

By William Roth

Meteoric Green Movement takes new trajectory

T

he green building movement has evolved rapidly and has shifted from beyond newly constructed buildings to a focus on the operations and maintenance of existing facilities. Tenants are taking a more active role in greening their operations by partnering with their landlords via green leases. Another emerging trend is assessing the sustainable benefits of a building as part of the due diligence process.

While LEED for new construction, or LEED-NC, has become the standard for new buildings, it doesn’t address existing buildings or how they are operated once they become occupied. However, owners and managers have begun to integrate sustainable principles into the day-to-day operations and maintenance.

Currently there are two separate benchmarking standards available to owners for addressing the operations of their buildings: • The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Go Green and Go Green Plus programs – recently re-branded as BOMA BESt; and • The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB)

BOMA BESt provides owners and managers with four levels of certification. Level 1 represents the former Go Green certification.

Levels 2, 3 and 4 represent increasing scores on the Go Green Plus assessment tool from 70, 80, and 90 per cent respectively. All buildings previously registered with both Go Green and Go Green Plus are moving to this program. For more information, visit www. bomabest.com.

In the absence of a Canadian version of LEED-EB, some owners have registered their buildings with the USGBC LEEDEB program. However, the CaGBC is scheduled to launch its own version of LEED-EB in 2009, which is expected to be very similar to its U.S. counterpart.

The Real Property Association of Canada (REALpac) and BOMA International have also released guidelines and sponsored information sessions on green leasing.

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REALpac’s model lease and supporting green lease resource centre can be found at www.realpac.ca.

Continuous improvement and integrated approach to designing, constructing and operating buildings while minimizing the impacts to the environment form the basis for green building principles. A green lease is a partnership between the landlord and tenant focusing on maximizing the advantages of leveraging sustainability. Both parties can outline specific and measurable environmental targets related to both the base building and the tenant fit-up and occupancy.

A green lease makes sense for both environmentally committed landlords and tenants. More owners invest significant time and money into designing and/or operating their buildings in a sustainable manner, but there are limitations to what they can control once they lease the space. If a tenant doesn’t share the same commitment to sustainability, or doesn’t understand how to use the space to take advantage of the benefits, many of the sustainable outcomes won’t be achieved.

In turn, tenants can use a green lease to outline the initiatives that they will implement to make their occupancy as

Building Strategies Winter 2008/2009

aligned as possible with the benefits the building offers. In addition, it creates a contractual document outlining the specifics of the green program.

Given the rapid emergence and evolution of green principles in the commercial real estate sector, future new paths are expected, but challenging to predict. One trend among industry leaders is to incorporate green assessments in their due diligence assessments.

A realistic scope of work is necessary so that green due diligence can be conducted in conjunction with normal due diligence processes, but, as yet, there is no industry standard. Organizations are using a range of methods from a simple questionnaire added to a typical PCA to the completion of a LEED-EB checklist or BOMA BESt questionnaire.

What began not so long ago as a small movement in the design community has now become one of the driving forces behind the commercial real estate sector. B William Roth, P.Geo., is Director, Real Estate and Insurance, Central Canada, with Jacques Whitford Limited, now Stantec. For more information visit www.jacqueswhitford.com.

Engineering Corner

By Rolf Gibbels

Using 3D Technology to Push the Limits in International Sports Facility Design

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here are hundreds of new sports facilities being built across the world to host a range of events from The Olympics Games and Premier League Football to horse and car racing, tennis, gymnastics and swimming, as well as multipurpose venues that enhance national, local and community sports activities.

Some of the best of these facilities, including the 2008 Beijing Olympics Stadium, were developed using CATIA, (Computer Aided Three Dimensional Interactive Application) the 3D Model system developed by Dassault Systémes.

New bowl-shaped stadiums accommodating up to 90,000 spectators have become symbols and icons of their locations. They have been transformed from bad neighbour buildings sited out of town, disconnected from transport infrastructure and surrounded by huge parking lots, to city centre must-haves.

The spectacular 90,000-seat Beijing Stadium, months after the end of the Olympics, is still the most high-profile sports facility in the world and represents the peak of innovative and complex stadium design. More than 40,000 tons of steel was used in the construction.

The apparently random design is, in fact, very regular but gives the appearance of a natural form, hence its nickname – the bird’s nest. It was engineered to accommodate wind, earthquake stresses and other structural loadings.

Model data was given to subcontractors for component fabrication, assembly and erection with CATIA data being used, not only to produce the work, but also to check build veracity. The exterior design looks much more complex than it actually is, and was constructed from flat plate steel formed into box sections (with increased thickness to address variable high stress areas of the structure).

Using Bill of Materials optimization capabilities lead to more standard parts being developed and brought into the design of the impressive facade. Due to its geometry, the building only has two-fold rotational symmetry – therefore there are only two of any joint types or elements.

The building had to be radically re-designed at a late stage to lower cost. This reduced the steel content by 20 per cent and required considerable alteration to the building in many

16

areas. The use of a single 3D digital model made this work much quicker than would have been possible by other means and allowed the project to be brought in on time and within the revised budget.

Planning is of very high value in the development, construction and lifecycle operation of sports facilities. They must have flexible usage and, since their life may be more than 100 years, the needs of its users and other stakeholders will inevitably change.

These changes can best be understood and addressed using a 3D digital model, which can be repeated easily to accommodate changes of use and function.

Environmental impact is a major theme of modern buildings, and their public nature means that large stadiums and other sporting facilities must be examples of green credentials.

CATIA is being used in many buildings to design, refine and manufacture air circulation systems that reduce reliance on air conditioning by using passive or mixed mode ventilation.

Integration with Dassault Systémes’ SIMULIA finite element and computational fluid dynamic analysis software allows designers to simulate airflows within structures, improving comfort

Building Strategies Winter 2008/2009

levels for sportspeople and audiences alike.

Developing optimum geometry and sections is made easier with CATIA because it enables the input of parameters that have an effect on the design, and allows automation of certain aspects in the design process.

Importantly, this methodology also enables parameters held on spreadsheets to drive designs in CATIA. This often results in innovative and novel solutions that will comply with functional requirements—leading to better and more advanced buildings.

The physical making of the building (once the design is finalized as a 3D model) can be carried out by subcontractors under the guidance and control of planners and project managers using the central model as a data repository accessible by all collaborating partners. B Rolf Gibbels is Dassault Systemes’ industry leader for Energy and Construction. He holds a Masters degree in Structural Engineering from the University in Munich, Germany and has extensive experience working for leading engineering and architecture firms in Germany.

Financing Concrete

Public Private Partnerships now part of Canadian construction mainstream

By Dan O’Reilly

W

ith the exception of Prince Edward Island’s Confederation Bridge and Ontario’s Highway 407 electronic toll highway, public private partnerships in Canada were almost non-existent 10 or 12 years ago.

Now they’re a growing component of infrastructure construction and there’s keen, even enthusiastic, interest in this delivery method among government officials at all levels, the design and construction industry, and healthcare and service providers.

An indicator of that interest was the overflowing crowds at the Canadian Council for Public Private Partnerships (CCPPP) annual conference in Toronto near the end of November. Several hundred people attended the two-day event, which featured approximately 100 guest speakers including Alberta premier Ed Stelmach.

“I'm pleased to see that just about every Canadian province is represented on the conference agenda,” said Stelmach, suggesting that wouldn’t have been the case

18

at the first national conference 16 years ago.

“The fact that you're all here today is proof of how far P3s have come in Canada in a relatively short time.

“Alberta has long seen the great potential of public private partnerships and has used them successfully to meet its infrastructure needs in recent years. P3s have a lot of supporters in Alberta and I've long been one of them.”

With its healthy economy, however, Alberta has been able to pay the upfront infrastructure in the more traditional method instead of exploring alternatives, he said.

But one size doesn't fit all and the traditional way isn't always the best, said Stelmach,

“

Building Strategies Winter 2008/2009

explaining the province’s rapid growth has placed severe strains on its infrastructure, which needs to be rectified through options such as public private partnerships.

“Infrastructure spending represents continued economic activity at a time of uncertainty. It offers an economic stimulant when it's most needed not only for Alberta, but for the rest of Canada. P3s will be part of the package. Because P3s have proven to be good investments for Alberta, they will continue to be part of our capital plan.”

Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec are the “big four” provinces which have extensively used public private partnerships to bring hospitals,

Infrastructure spending represents continued economic activity at a time of uncertainty. It offers an economic stimulant when it's most needed not only for Alberta, but for the rest of Canada. P3s will be part of the package.

Financing roads, and other large scale expensive projects on stream, says Derek Burleton, senior economist, TD Bank Financial Group.

British Columbia, in particular, embraced this delivery method in response to the huge deficit the Liberal government inherited when it took office in 2001. That led to the creation of Partnerships British Columbia, an arm’s length agency that provides advice to public-sector clients on P3s. Several projects have either been completed or are under construction, especially in preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics, he says.

“I believe Canada is actually leading the United States,” says Burleton, explaining that while there has been considerable emphasis by the new Obama administration on the need for infrastructure spending to kick start the American economy, there has been little emphasis on achieving that goal through public private partnerships.

With the recent economic downturn and the credit crunch, the question now is the future for infrastructure spending in general and particularly P3s, he says.

“There’s an impetus to get the cash out the door. But it takes time to set up P3s and some of the projects being talked about now won’t happen until the next decade.”

However, there are some positive indicators when comparing today’s economic climate with the last recession of the early 1990s when governments were aggressively cutting spending under the “cash flow accounting” system then in place.

Under the accrual accounting now used, governments can write off a project’s cost over the lifecycle of project, says Burleton, who expects the provinces will follow the lead of the federal government and produce economic stimulus budgets.

Those were the signals Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty was sending before the unveiling of the Jan. 27 Federal budget. (The budget was delivered as Building Strategies was going to press.).

At the last fall’s CCPP conference, for example, the finance minister told delegates the government is committed to shoring up the nation’s infrastructure through initiatives such as the creation off PPP Canada Inc., the new federal public-private partnership office. It’s backed with $1.25 billion in federal funding.

“Canada is not immune. We are not an island,” said Flaherty, suggesting public private partnerships are an innovative measure to drive infrastructure projects during the current economic downturn.

There are no indications, so far at least, that downturn has hindered the progress of public private projects in Ontario through the province’s Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP) delivery model.

“We have 22 projects under construction and about another 10 to 12 in the procurement process,” says Jim Dougan, executive vice president of Infrastructure Ontario, the arm’s length crown corporation overseeing the renewal of the province’s infrastructure.

“Projects are happening and we expect that to continue throughout 2009, 2010, and 2011.”

To date, the overwhelming majority are hospitals and healthcare facilities. But what projects move forward are determined by the provincial cabinet, says Dougan.

Certainly the robust hospital revitalization in Ontario is attractive to Minneapolis-based Honeywell Building Solutions. It’s the facility management arm of Integrated Team Solutions, the consortium responsible for the construction, financing and maintenance of the new Woodstock General Hospital. The consortium also includes financier LPF Infrastructure Fund and builder EllisDon. Construction of the $268.7-million facility started in November.

“We wanted to establish a presence in Ontario and have worked with EllisDon on other (non P3) projects” says Jim Keesling, Honeywell’s vice president of services.

Honeywell will work with the builder to install energy management and control systems, surveillance, access control, firm alarm, and nurse call equipment. Those systems will be tied in with Honeywell’s enterprise buildings integrator, a facility management program that provides a cohesive, detailed view of all building technology, says Keesling.

Still, public private partnerships in this country have and are

“

There’s an impetus to get the cash out the door. But it takes time to set up P3s and some of the projects being talked about now won’t happen until the next decade.

viewed with skepticism in some quarters. Financial institutions are cautious about investing in them and governments have often shied away from them when faced with public wariness and union opposition, says TD Bank’s Derek Burleton.

“They have been a steep learning curve for governments,” says Burleton, acknowledging there has been criticism of cost overruns—or at least perceived overruns—of some P3 projects.

That comment was in reference to the Ontario auditor general Jim McCarter’s conclusion in his 2008 report that that new Brampton Civic Hospital could have cost $50 million less if there hadn’t been a private component. It was the first hospital in Ontario built as a P3.

While stressing he wouldn’t comment on William Osler, construction lawyer Duncan Glaholt of Glaholt LLP says criticisms of P3’s are often based “on perception rather than reality.”

What is often overlooked by critics is that life cycle costs are incorporated in the final submissions. The private partners have to comply with the strict contract terms “with performance driven specifications that have to be met even when regulations change.”

Although he wouldn’t cite specific examples, Glaholt says several Ontario institutions that have been built or revitalized as P3 projects have received large donations from wealthy patrons in large part because those patrons know the lifecycle of the facility is guaranteed for a long and specified time period. “That’s important to them because their name will be on it.” B

Building Strategies Winter 2008/2009

19

Project Profile

Students take centre stage at transformed George Brown Chef School

By Dan O’Reilly

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Building Strategies Winter 2008/2009

No longer are the student chefs at the George Brown Chef School in Toronto confined to rear and basement kitchens following the completion of an $18-million infill and renovation project which has dramatically opened up and transformed the 300 Adelaide Street College into a showcase for innovation in culinary education.

R

ecently completed, the two-year intensive project included extensive renovations to the existing college building and the erection of a new three-storey 18,000-square-foot glass and steel addition which includes two floors of exposed kitchen labs where the students prepare food in full view of people walking by.

The architect was Kearns Mancini Architects with Gow Hastings Architects. Structural consultant was Halsall Associates and Smith + Andersen was the mechanical and electrical consultant. The general contractor was Aquicon Co. Ltd. The Toronto-based architectural firms were also the designers of a parallel renovation and restoration of an early 19th century factory a block a way at 215 King Street East. It had been purchased several years ago by the college as part of a long-term growth strategy.

While there was a different contractor, the same structural and mechanical/electrical consultants were used and that project was intrinsic to the overall expansion. It’s now the home of the college’s Chef’s House Restaurant.

Three storeys above the restaurant were also rebuilt as classrooms for other college divisions.

“At one point we had our design team working around the clock trying to meet the client’s objectives,” says Jonathan Kearns, principal, Kearns Mancini in commenting on the diverse, multi-layered nature of the project.

Those objectives were to have a stateof-the-art training institution which can meet the requirements of the hospitality profession, says Eugene Harrigan, the college’s vice president of services.

“George Brown is the only Canadian school in the top 10 culinary schools in North America, This is a prestigious place and we’ve had a number of high quality graduates,” says Harrigan, citing celebrity chef Jamie Kennedy as just one example.

At the same time, however, students and faculty laboured in very cramped quarters and the college has been under pressure by the hospitality industry to increase the number of graduates, says Harrigan, explaining the need for the project.

George Brown will now be able to expand its food and hospitably programs by as much as 50 per cent allowing it to attract and retain the best

faculty and students, he points out.

The design team’s vision for the new/expanded facility was to capture the almost contradictory essence of cooking, says Philip Hastings, principal, Gow Hastings Architects. “It has to be purposeful and planned, but also playful and entertaining.”

A key element in achieving that vision was the glass façade of the addition, which was built on an underutilized courtyard facing Adelaide Street. Four kitchen labs are exposed to the street allowing pedestrians to view the activity inside, says Hastings.

“The students’ starchy white chef uniforms and hats are highly visible against a backdrop of gleaming stainless steel workstations, ranges, ovens, washing stations and racks of pots and pans.

“These exposed labs reflect the changing profile of the culinary industry by, not only glamorizing the preparation of food, but also by offering students with hands on experience,

rather than learning within more conventional demonstration kitchens.”

Situated in an area of predominantly historic masonry buildings, the addition has also created a recognizable campus landmark, says Hastings.

“Even when the school is closed, the horizontal strips of coloured provide an interesting counterpoint to those structures.”

Major input into the design was provided by college officials and Cini.Little International Inc., a food service consulting firm which worked with the executive chef director and his team to provide the school and students with the equipment selection and layout of the equipment in each of the new and renovated spaces.

“We worked with his team to provide the layout that would be best suited for the individual spaces that were being renovated or expanded,” says senior associate Ian Jameson.

Designing and constructing the new building on the small courtyard site, which was the only land available, was no small feat. Consisting of a steel structure framing with steel braces, it had to be supported by a mix of new concrete piles, existing concrete piles, micro piles and regular spread footings due to the different ground conditions.

“This much variety is uncommon for a building of this size,” says Halsall Associates project manager Afshin Ebtekar.

As the addition rises slightly above and over the older building, seven of 14 support columns had to be carefully erected in the existing electrical and mechanical rooms without destroying any equipment or disrupting service. The site constraints also it made difficult to install the steel braces, needed to provide resistance to lateral loads due to wind

Building Strategies Winter 2008/2009

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Photos courtesy of ghA

Project Profile

Project Profile

        



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Building Strategies Winter 2008/2009

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        •            •            •                                  •                

and earthquakes, says Ebtekar.

Working within the tight confines of the former courtyard area, general contractor Aquicon Construction had to build the addition in a staged sequence. “We weren’t allowed to block the street in any way,” says project manager Joseph Aquino.

Complicated as it was, the addition was just one half of the project. Constructed in the 1980s, the original school required extensive renovations to eliminate somewhat confusing passageways to facilitate easier pedestrian movement, says architect Jonathan Kearns.

The term renovation doesn’t convey the full impact of one of the most dramatic, intricate and labour-intensive phases of the entire project—the reconfiguration of the building’s large central atrium which had extended from the top storey right to the basement.

“Our goal was to fill the opening on the main floor to create a more expansive area for functions,” says Kearns.

A critical step in that reconfiguration was persuading

Project Profile Street campus, the transformation of the King Street building into the new home of the Chef ’s House Restaurant was taking shape.

Some of the work carried out by J.J. McGuire General Contractors included restoring the brick exterior, lowering the main floor two feet to grade level, the installation of new 15-feet-high windows and a totally new mechanical system.

The Chef 's House is an open kitchen concept teaching restaurant with seating for 75 people and has a central kitchen with a cooking suite on the main floor, explains Cini.Little’s Ian Jameson.

Reflecting new philosophies within the culinary profession, the kitchen is located at the front of the restaurant and is fully visible through the new windows, adds architect Jonathan Kearns. “As the chefs work they become the restaurant’s best signage.

“The Chef ’s House is a fully functioning restaurant that

provides students with an authentic learning experience and the city within an unusual dining destination,” says Kearns, explaining the conversion was guided by the same design concepts that applied to the main project.

Linked by a side street, the new/revitalized Adelaide and King Street buildings add stimulating transparent counterpoints to the impenetrable masonry of the immediate heritage Toronto neighbourhood they’re located in, says Kearns.

“They architecturally 'talk' to each other and allow the public several mouth watering views into the Centre's culinary workings.”

But the final word on the two projects is the positive comments from college officials, students, passerbys and other designers, says Kearns. “We’ve had terrific feedback.” B

Proud to have supplied and installed the structural steel for the George Brown Culinary School.

Interested in having your project featured in an upcoming issue of Building Strategies?

P. 905-857-9404 F. 905-857-9406 220 Healey Road, Bolton ON L7E 5B1 WWW.QUADSTEEL.CA

FLOOR CRAFT DESIGN INC. Flooring Contractor

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Building Strategies Winter 2008/2009

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Concrete Construction

2008 ONTARIO CONCRETE AWARDS WINNERS ARCHITECTURAL MERIT Project: FIFTH TOWN ARTISAN CHEESE FACTORY, PICTON, ON Owner: Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co. Architect of Record: Lapointe Architects Engineer of Record: Blackwell Bowick Partnership Limited General Contractor: K. Knudsen Construction Limited Material Supplier: Lafarge Additional Participants: Baxter Engineering, DBA Engineering Ltd., Enermodal Engineering Submitted By: Francis Lapointe, Lapointe Architects, 416-964-6643 x225 ARCHITECTURAL HARDSCAPE Project: CHINGUACOUSY SKATEPARK, BRAMPTON, ON Owner: City of Brampton Architect of Record: LANDinc Engineer of Record: Blackwell Bowick Partnership Limited Skatepark Designer: Spectrum Skatepark Creations Ltd. General Contractor: Rutherford Contracting Ltd. Material Supplier: Innocon Additional Participants: Harris Rebar, Ironworkers Local 721, UCC Group Inc. Submitted By: Derek DeLand, Spectrum Skatepark Creations Ltd., 604-986-5683 INFRASTRUCTURE Project: Owner: Engineer of Record: Precast Engineer: General Contractor: Material Supplier: Additional Participants:

Submitted By:

TALBOT TRAIL BRIDGE, WHEATLEY, ON The Municipality of Chatham-Kent Dillon Consulting Limited HGS Consulting Engineers Limited PCR Contractors Inc. International Precast Solutions Carpenters Local 494, Harris Rebar, Ironworkers Local 721, National Concrete Accessories, St Marys CBM Paolo Collavino, PCR Contractors Inc., 519-966-8718 or 519-818-8991

MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT & INNOVATION Project: BAY ADELAIDE CENTRE, TORONTO, ON Owner: Brookfield Properties Corporation Architect of Record: WZMH Architects Engineer of Record: Halcrow Yolles General Contractor: EllisDon Corporation Material Supplier: St Marys CBM Additional Participants: Carpenters Local 27, Coffey Geotechnics, ERICO, Grace Construction Products

Structural/Hardrock, Joint Venture, Harris Rebar, Ironworkers Local 721,

LIUNA Local 506, National Concrete Accessories, Walters Structural Submitted By: Lloyd Keller, EllisDon Corporation, 905-896-8900 MID TO HIGH RISE RESIDENTIAL Project: WEST VILLAGE SUITES, HAMILTON, ON Owner: Dundurn Capital Partners Inc. Architect of Record: R.F. Lintack Architect Incorporated Engineer of Record: Tacoma Engineers Inc. General Contractor: Dundurn Edge Developments Inc. Material Supplier: Coreslab Structures (ONT) Inc. Additional Participants: Dufferin Concrete, Enermodal Engineering Limited, Harris Rebar,

Hy-Grade Precast Concrete, Ironworkers Local 736, LIUNA Local 837, Tri-Star Forming Submitted By: Elizabeth Paprzycki, Coreslab Structures (ONT) Inc. 905-689-3993

Building Strategies Winter 2008/2009

25

Concrete Construction SPECIALTY CONCRETE APPLICATIONS Project: ISLAND PARK DRIVE – RAPID BRIDGE REPLACEMENT, OTTAWA, ON Owner: Ministry of Transportation of Ontario Engineer of Record: McCormick Rankin Corporation General Contractor: Dufferin Construction Company Material Supplier: Lafarge

Mammoet Canada Eastern Ltd. Additional Participants: Brown and Co. Engineering, Genivar Consulting Engineers, Harris Rebar

International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793, LIUNA Local 527,

National Concrete Accessories, Stantec Consulting, WP Engineering Submitted By: James Wildish, Dufferin Construction Company, 905-842-7974

SPECIALTY CONCRETE PRODUCTS Project: “LIEN ON ME” HOUSE, ETOBICOKE, ON Owner: Christina & Joe Architect of Record: Baird Sampson Neuert Architects Engineer of Record: Blackwell Bowick Partnership Limited General Contractor: The Holmes Group Material Supplier: Coreslab Structures (ONT) Inc. Additional Participants: Harris Rebar, Hy-Grade Precast Concrete, Lafarge, LIUNA Local 837

National Concrete Accessories Submitted By: Elizabeth Paprzycki, Coreslab Structures (ONT) Inc. 905-689-3993 STRUCTURAL DESIGN INNOVATION Project: HUMBER COLLEGE BUILDING B, TORONTO, ON Owner: Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning Architect of Record: Barry-Bryan Associates (1991) Limited, Architects, Engineers, Project Managers

Engineer of Record: Barry-Bryan Associates (1991) Limited, Architects, Engineers, Project Managers General Contractor: Graham Construction and Engineering, a JV Material Supplier: St Marys CBM Additional Participants: Belmont Concrete Finishing, C & T Reinforcing Steel Co. (1987) Limited, Carpenters Local 27, Dayton Superior Canada Ltd., National Concrete Accessories

Tilt Wall Ontario Inc. Submitted By: Dennis Bryan, Barry-Bryan Associates (1991) Limited 905-666-5252 SUSTAINABLE CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION Project: “LIEN ON ME” HOUSE, ETOBICOKE, ON Owner: Christina & Joe Architect of Record: Baird Sampson Neuert Architects Engineer of Record: Blackwell Bowick Partnership Limited General Contractor: The Holmes Group Material Supplier: Coreslab Structures (ONT) Inc. Additional Participants: Harris Rebar, Hy-Grade Precast Concrete, Lafarge, LIUNA Local 837

National Concrete Accessories Submitted By: Elizabeth Paprzycki, Coreslab Structures (ONT) Inc. 905-689-3993

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Building Strategies Winter 2008/2009

Reach buyers of construction.

They are true decision makers who are directly involved with purchasing construction-oriented products and services for their respective organizations and/or clients. The readers of Building Strategies include: Real Estate Developers, Building Owners, Property/ Facility Senior Managers, Architects, Consulting Engineers, General Contractors, Designers and Specifiers.

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