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RECLAIMING ALBUQUERQUE’S WATERSOUTHSIDE WATER RECLAMATION PLANT PRELIMINARY TREATMENT FACILITY

SCENES FROM A MALLOTTAWA’S BAYSHORE SHOPPING CENTRE REDEVELOPMENT

ISSUE 80

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REINVENTING LUXURYCALGARY MARRIOTT DOWNTOWN HOTEL

P.3ISSUE 80LOCATION: CALGARY, ALBERTA

Rather than by phasing improvements over time, the Calgary Marriott Downtown Hotel wanted to make an immediate impact on the local market with an extensive renovation. It was a good fit for PCL’s Special Projects division.

PCL’s Special Projects division has a great deal of experience in various market sectors, meeting the specialized needs of clients with unique projects, such as the Marriott hotel revitalization.

Situated in the heart of downtown Calgary, the 42-year-old building underwent a complete renewal that saw concurrent upgrades to all 23 floors, including renovation of the lobby and 388 guestrooms, and the addition of a new VIP lounge, the M Club Lounge, the first of its kind for Marriott in Canada.

The transformation also included new comfort spaces to enhance the guest experience: a luxurious lobby where guests can work, relax, and socialize; a state-of-the-art fitness center; an expanded conference and business center; and ONE18 EMPIRE, Calgary’s newest dining and bar hot spot.

COVER PHOTO: Sleek furniture in tones of chocolate and dove grey, locally inspired wall murals reflective of the Rocky Mountains, and crisp, white, custom duvets set the tone for the modern room design at the Calgary Marriott Downtown.

PHOTO: PCL’s Special Projects division offers the best of two worlds: the commitment, responsiveness, and quality of a local contractor, along with the expertise, knowledge, and safety culture of a large contracting organization.

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FEATURE STORY

REINVENTING LUXURY CALGARY MARRIOTT DOWNTOWN HOTEL

THE PROJECT

A CONCRETE SOLUTIONMarriott wanted to create additional guestrooms on the 23rd floor by splitting existing two-story rooms into single-story rooms. To do this, a concrete slab needed to be added between the two stories; this is rare in an existing building, and more so in an occupied building.

Typically, when pouring a suspended concrete slab, reshore posts (support posts) would be added below the upper floor being poured. The posts distribute the load between the two levels and support the formwork that holds the concrete while it sets. The reshore posts rest on the existing structure below, which in this case would have

PHOTOS: ONE18 EMPIRE at the Calgary Marriott Downtown is a great stop for a night out with friends, or a cocktail for one after a long work day.

been the 22nd-floor concrete slab. This was not an option because hotel guests occupied rooms on that floor.

To provide a proper engineering solution without disrupting guests, PCL designed a formwork system that the building’s existing concrete columns could support. It was composed of wooden joists, steel beams, and steel support brackets anchored to the concrete columns. The next challenge was to get 14-foot lumber and 16-foot, W-shaped steel beams to the 23rd floor using an eight-foot-high elevator.

The steel beams were cut to fit into the elevator and re-welded in place, and the wooden joists were cut in half and spliced into place using a special nailing technique. After the concrete was poured and cured, the building materials used to support the slab were cut again to fit into the elevator and removed from the building.

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MORE REINVENTING LUXURY

PHOTO: The Marriott’s new lobby is perfect for casual meetings or relaxing with a book or magazine.

What started as a guestroom refresh, expected to take eight months to complete, soon expanded into the client’s vision for a full interior renovation. And although the scope of the work increased by 40 percent, the completion date couldn’t change because the hotel was fully booked for summer events, including the world-renowned Calgary Stampede. This meant that more than a year of work needed to be compressed within the original eight-month timeline.

To complicate matters, the early stages of room renovations uncovered unfavorable existing conditions, a function of the age of the building and multiple renovations that had occurred over time. This resulted in the project team spending additional time redesigning the building materials and systems to bring them up to current codes and standards.

With a firm end date, the project team focused on re-phasing the project and ramping up recruitment. The team added 75,000 hours of labor and 100 tradespeople, nearly doubling the original number of workers, to get the expanded job done right and on time.

PCL’s access to reliable, experienced craft personnel in the Calgary area meant the team was able to quickly mobilize skilled PCL workers to self-perform the finished carpentry, millwork installation, and other specialized finishes. Hour-by-hour task scheduling kept the project rolling at a fast pace, and the team cut completion time for each hotel floor in half, from fourteen to seven days.

Whether they’re looking for a sophisticated place to work, unwind, or socialize, guests of the Calgary Marriott Downtown can now enjoy one of the most attractive and innovative hotels in the city.

EXPANDED SCOPE, ACCELERATED SCHEDULE

Given the challenges faced with a major renovation of a 42-year-old building (which did not stop hotel operations), PCL was adaptable and flexible to ensure the owner and Marriott’s brand expectations and key design elements were met. — Joseph Clohessy, general

manager, Calgary Marriott Downtown

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P.9ISSUE 80LOCATION: ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO INFRASTRUCTURE STORY

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PHOTO: In the final stage of the grit-removal process, grit classifiers (pictured) separate water from the debris.

Water conservation is essential in New Mexico and throughout much of the Southwest, as many states continue to face record years of drought. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Southside Water Reclamation Plant Preliminary Treatment Facility transforms wastewater into a clean water source for use on city parks and golf courses that serve more than 600,000 residents.

Built more than 30 years ago, the original facility was performing inadequately and required upgrades to its screening room. The project team installed a high-efficiency screening room with finer grit-removal technology to catch large objects from wastewater coming into the treatment plant. These upgrades allow the screening room to catch more debris before wastewater enters the facility’s clarifiers, reducing long-term maintenance costs. The upgrades dramatically improve the efficiency of water treatment processes for Albuquerque and Bernalillo County.

RECLAIMING ALBUQUERQUE’S WATERTHE SOUTHSIDE WATER RECLAMATION PLANT PRELIMINARY TREATMENT FACILITY

THE PROJECT

ENGAGING STAFF WHILE ENSURING SAFETYAs part of the project team’s contract with the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, the Southside Water Reclamation Plant must meter all of the wastewater entering and exiting the facility to ensure compliance with their environmental contract. Under this contract, the facility is permitted to treat and release only a specified number of million gallons per day (MGD).

Because Bernalillo County doesn’t have a secondary wastewater treatment plant that would allow shutdown during the upgrades, the plant needed to stay fully operational during construction.

The PCL project team and plant personnel worked side-by-side for the duration of the project. The challenge with this was that plant personnel were understandably curious about the construction happening at their workplace; the project team therefore had to keep plant personnel updated, but at the same time ensure safety on the jobsite.

To keep the facility’s 176 staff members informed of the upgrades and to mitigate safety concerns, the project team held two safety meetings a week. These employee meetings included construction updates and safety precautions associated with working near a construction site. By keeping employees informed and aware of possible concerns, the team maintained positive

relationships with the client and plant personnel, and was able to ensure a safe and secure construction site. Plant staff appreciated the frequent updates, and their cooperation and engagement throughout the project helped keep operations running safely and efficiently on their worksite.

Now that the upgrades to the Southside Water Reclamation Plant Preliminary Treatment Facility are complete, the plant will be able to treat wastewater more efficiently for a growing population. Albuquerque and Bernalillo County residents will continue to enjoy the effects of this renewable water source on their golf courses, parks, and public green spaces.

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PHOTO: Augers and conveyors transport the concentrated grit to dumpsters for disposal in landfill.

The project team set up four bypass pumping systems so the facility could continue to meter water levels. To connect these pumps from the existing facility to the new facility, the project team built the bypasses underground. These bypass systems channeled more than 100 MGD—the largest could channel 75 MGD on its own. That’s a lot of water to move—100 million gallons of water would fill more than 150 Olympic-sized swimming pools. On average, the facility reclaims about 60 MGD. Each year the plant recycles about 200 million gallons of water for irrigation.

KEEP IT MOVING

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LOCATION: OTTAWA, ONTARIOCOMMERCIAL STORY

PHOTO: The mall refresh included the addition of new floor tile, modern light fixtures, stainless steel railings with glass balustrades, and many modern touches for a high-end shopping experience.

SCENES FROM A MALLOTTAWA’S BAYSHORE SHOPPING CENTRE REDEVELOPMENT

Ottawa’s Bayshore Shopping Centre needed more than a touch of lipstick to create a high-end retail experience for discerning Ottawa shoppers. It needed a makeover. The mall opened in the early 1970s, expanded in the 1980s, and has undergone many tweaks in the years since. The mall décor was dated, and the parking structures, after years of repairs, had reached the end of their service life. Now, with some glamorous, modern upgrades; more parking; improved retail variety; and an expanded, relocated food court, the shopping centre is ready to take its place as one of Ottawa’s premier shopping destinations.

This $200 million joint venture between Ivanhoé Cambridge and KingSett Capital included construction of a new five-level parking garage that increased parking to more than 4,000 spots, making it Ottawa’s largest parking garage; a 225,000-square-foot, three-level addition to accommodate more retail space; the renovation of existing mall space; and a complete upgrade to the electrical system.

THE PROJECT

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SKY-HIGH SCAFFOLD THE ROAD LESS TRAVELEDSometimes the best solution is the simplest. In order to complete paint and repair work on five skylights that run the length of the mall, the construction team required a scaffold system. While scaffolds are typical on a construction project, this job required the scaffold to reach to 80 feet, from the main floor to the skylights—30 feet higher than the mall’s top (third) level. The original budget included a series of scaffolds to be assembled and dismantled as the construction team completed work at each skylight.

With a more efficient option in mind, PCL worked with mall management and key subcontractors to devise a rolling scaffold system from the third level that would move sequentially through the mall while crews perform the work. Because the rolling system required fewer materials

and less assembly time than the standard version, the PCL team reduced the schedule for the skylight work from nine months to three, saving the client money and time on this part of the renovation.

When it comes to traffic, the construction site could have posed an inconvenience for shoppers trying to navigate their way around the mall, which remained open during construction. Inside the mall, the construction team took care to complete all renovations after hours, including the installation of 90,000 square feet of new floor tile. It was also important to keep construction buzz outside of the mall to a minimum because of Bayshore Centre’s location in a densely populated residential neighborhood.

Early on, PCL obtained permission from OC Transpo (the City of Ottawa’s public transit authority) to use a small section of the transitway to move construction vehicles to and from the mall construction site. The team also built a temporary construction road from the adjacent bus station into the construction site to keep the neighborhood free from construction traffic.

The PCL team completed Bayshore Centre’s renovation on October 30, 2015, in plenty of time to inspire shoppers during the holiday season. Now with a new look, new stores, and 190 fashionable retailers, the mall has secured a spot on the shopping mall A-list and is ready to dazzle six million visitors a year.

PCL was able to absorb a vast amount of additional scope and client requests while maintaining the major turnover milestones, and their attention to budget and solution-oriented approach to value engineering provided a huge benefit to the project.— David Baffa, senior vice president, Retail

Development, Ivanhoé Cambridge

PHOTO (LEFT): The sprawling new food court more than doubled in size and features multiple new curtain wall sections that provide plenty of natural light.

PHOTO (RIGHT): The Bayshore Centre redevelopment included construction of a five-level parking garage.

TO GIVE US FEEDBACK, OR TO MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION, PLEASE CONTACT: HORIZONS@PCL.COMThe PCL family of companies is a group of independent construction companies which carry out diverse operations in the civil infrastructure, heavy industrial, and buildings markets.

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