Eastern Construction News

Eastern Construction has been awarded the construction management contract for the new TRCA Administrative Office Building.  The facility will utilize mass-timber as the prime medium and will be built adjacent a highly naturalized wooded ravine area.  The project will provide TRCA with 100,000 sq ft of modern office space.

Mass-timber has resurfaced to become a viable material for modern buildings and has seen popularity in mid-rise residential projects.  It would appear the TRCA project will be the second commercial building in the GTA to be constructed using mass-timber in nearly a century; 80 Atlantic Avenue, currently being built by Eastern Construction, is considered to be the first.

With preconstruction commencing shortly, the intent of the project is best described by TRCA in their visioning document:

“The building will be a healthy space for staff and visitors that will feature universal design principles; and will at minimum achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum, Toronto Green Standard Tier 2 (or Higher) and WELL Building Silver Certifications.  Further, TRCA will strive to meet zero carbon status for the building, and to evaluate the project using the five key components from the Canadian Green Building Council’s (CaGBC) Carbon Framework.  The project has been approved by the CaGBC as a pilot study participant under their Zero Carbon Building Immersion Program.”

Eastern Construction builds unique building for unique clients.  The TRCA project aligns with Eastern’s portfolio of high-performance buildings that include Spectrum Square with HOOPP (LEED Gold), Queen Richmond Centre with Allied Properties REIT (LEED Gold), Evergreen at the Brickworks (LEED Platinum), numerous LEED certified facilities for Toronto Police Service, and the highly acclaimed Sisters of St. Joseph Residence located along the Don Valley, a project which incorporates the majority of high-performance systems under consideration by TRCA.

The $44 Million renovation and expansion of the Jackman Faculty of Law Building at the University of Toronto is the recipient of the Ontario General Contractor’s Association (OGCA) ‘Group 3 Commercial’ category of the Ontario Builder Awards.

Measuring 158,000 ft2, the project was comprised of the partial demolition and complete renovation of the three-storey Bora Laskin Law Library, connected seamlessly with the new four-storey Crescent Building, which maintains the previously-existing connections to the adjacent heritage building, Sir J. Flavelle House.   The building consists of a multicomponent envelope of curtain wall, aluminum cladding, and limestone on a structural steel frame with concrete slab on deck.  The building included a significant structural cantilever to account for the root system of an existing mature oak tree, in-floor heating to provide comfortable learning within the 200-seat Moot Court, high environmental standards, and several communal areas for collaborative learning which highlight the spectacular natural views on all sides of the building.

Key subtrades contributing to the successful delivery of the Jackman Law project include:

Pipe-All Plumbing & Heating (Mechanical)

Urban Electric (Electrical)

M&G Steel (Structural Steel)

Eastern is pleased to announce Queen Richmond Centre has received its third industry award in as many months. 

The Ontario General Contractor’s Association (OGCA) selected Queen Richmond Centre as the top project in the ‘Group 4 Commercial’ category of the Ontario Builder Awards.  “Group 4 Commercial” is one of the most highly contested categories for projects ranging in value from $75 Million to $150 Million. Eastern Construction is honoured to be recognized by OGCA.

Key subtrades contributing to the successful delivery of this notable Construction Management assignment include:

Walters (Structural Steel)

Ferguson Neudorf (Glass)

Geo. A. Kelson (Mechanical)

Guild Electric (Electrical)

Alliance (Concrete Forming)

Toronto Construction Association has announced the recipients of the 2016 TCA “Best of the Best” Awards with Eastern Construction winning the coveted Project Achievement Award (Large Project Category).

“TCA's Project Achievement Awards pay tribute to member companies on large, medium and small projects who raise the bar in terms of professional excellence. What sets these projects apart is unique teamwork, dedication, innovation, professionalism and leadership that together culminate in an ‘extraordinary’ project achievement.”

Eastern’s project entry was Queen Richmond Centre, an $88 Million adaptive reuse and vertical expansion of a heritage property to serve as a high-tech commercial complex in the Entertainment District.  Queen Richmond Centre was built using the Construction Management delivery model. 

To win the Project Achievement Award, proponents must demonstrate the project team innovated, overcame challenges related to budget/schedule/quality control, employed unique safety and environmental protocols, and demonstrated ethical conduct and professional throughout the project.

TCA will present the “Best of the Best” Awards during it’s Annual General Meeting set for February 9, 2017.

Using a design-build project delivery model, Eastern Construction in conjunction with Montgomery Sisam Architects and Architecture Counsel, have mobilized on-site to commence building the newest addition to the Durham College campus, the Centre for Collaborative Education (CFCE).  Valued at $27 Million, the CFCE represents a new direction for the campus, changing the way the College community and public relate and engage with the campus.  The CFCE reflects the College’s commitment to sustainable behaviors in support of their Living Green initiative and has been designed to achieve LEED Silver certification.  Sustainable features incorporated into the CFCE include a green roof, photovoltaics, electric vehicle charging stations, daylighting, LED lighting tied to occupancy sensors, and a highly efficient building envelope.

Eastern Construction has been identified as the preferred proponent for the OCAD University Creative City Campus Expansion and Renovation.  This $40 Million project is comprised of a vertical expansion of 100 McCaul in downtown Toronto in addition to renovations and alternations of existing OCAD U facilities in order to modernize operations.  Preconstruction will begin early in the New Year with construction slated to start in the third quarter of 2017.

The Buttcon/Eastern Joint-Venture has been awarded the design-build construction contract for the new TTC McNicoll Bus Garage.  The project is located near the intersection of Kennedy Road and McNicoll Avenue in Toronto, Ontario.  The scope of work is to design and build a new bus storage and maintenance facility that will accommodate 250 forty foot equivalent buses, administration, support offices and shops, bus fueling and maintenance infrastructure, bus repair bays, use specific shops and exterior staff parking and amenity areas.  Project value is approximately $130 Million. Construction is anticipated to start mid summer 2017.

The site located at 80 Atlantic Avenue is set to become the first mid-rise commercial office building in Ontario to be constructed of wood in nearly a century.  Hullmark Developments and Quadrangle Architects selected a traditional, yet unusual, material for the structure of the building to differentiate it from the myriad of concrete/steel offices being developed in the immediate area, hoping to attract unique tenants to this post-and-beam office complex in Liberty Village. 

The five storey commercial building, complete with two levels of underground parking will utilize cross-laminated wood structural members forming a composite of fir and spruce pressured-cured and bound using environmentally-sensitive adhesive which are then set upon a concrete deck at grade. Eastern is honoured to be associated with this exciting project and recently mobilized on-site to commence construction activities.

Congratulations to Sweeny &Co Architects, recipient of the 2016 Ontario Concrete Award for Architectural Merit.  Queen Richmond Centre, developed by Allied Properties REIT and built by Eastern Construction, utilized concrete as a principle construction element in a design solution that allowed for the preservation and adaptive reuse of two heritage buildings and intensification of the site with the addition of new office space.  The result is a distinctive, cost effective, energy efficient building.  The impressive, publicly accessible, Atrium and the appearance of the office tower “floating” above the heritage buildings adds new life to this location west of the downtown core. 

The Ontario Concrete Award for Architectural Merit, prepared and submitted by Eastern Construction with support from Votorantim Cimentos (St. Mary's CBM), is the latest in a series of industry-awards granted to Queen Richmond Centre that include the 2015 Canadian Consulting Engineering Schreyer Award, 2013 Innovation Award by the Toronto Construction Association, 2015 Award of Excellence in Engineering from the CISC Ontario Steel Design Awards, 2015 R&D Award for Architectural and Engineering Solutions and Innovations from the Journal of the American Institute of Architects, and 2015 Canadian Urban Institute Brownie Award for Best Overall Building.

Allied Properties:               www.alliedreit.com

Sweeny &Co Architects:    www.sweenyandco.com

Stephenson Engineering:  www.stephenson-eng.com

Audi Midtown Toronto is based on the new “Terminal Design” from Audi AG and serves as the Canadian flagship store.  Located at one of the most heavily traveled areas of Toronto, the 401/404 interchange,  Audi had the opportunity to mesmerize passersby.  This seven storey reinforced concrete structure utilized roughly 8,500 m3 of concrete of varying strengths (testing verified one element reaching 113 MPa at 28 days). The Toronto marketplace is rich with concrete structures; the Audi building exudes strength through its monolithic structure beneath a multi-faceted lightweight aluminum cladding.  The jewel of the structure is the Spiral Interchange which allows cars to ascend the building in a compact footprint. The spiral ramp acts as the main conduit into the building accessing the Services Bays.  The design of the ramp is a chandelier where slabs below are hung from above utilizing a complex arrangement of reinforcing steel and strategically placed control joints.  Eastern Construction prepared and submitted the award application and congratulates Read Jones Christofferson as the recipients of the 2016 Ontario Concrete Award for Structural Design Innovation.

Audi Midtown Toronto:        www.audimidtowntoronto.com

Teeple Architects:               www.teeplearch.com

RJC Structural Engineers:   www.rjc.ca