CHURCH & SHUTER MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT

Developer: Concert Properties Limited
Architect: Burka Varacalli Architects

This twenty-nine storey rental apartment tower, over a seven storey podium block, is located on the east side of Church Street, south of Shuter Street in downtown Toronto. The entire project is built over four levels of subgrade parking. It also involved the reconstruction of one, two storey historical facade and the supporting, both temporarily and permanently, of another four storey historical facade. The later involved a special caisson wall and a temporary system of vertical trusses, so as not to lose any parking spaces below the facade wall.

The walls and columns are founded on strip and spread footings, respectively, which bear on soils with bearing capacities of 400, 600 and 1000 kilopascals, (ie. 8,352, 12,528 and 20,880 pounds or 4.18, 6.26 and 10.44 tons per square foot). The subgrade parking level slabs are typically 210 mm thick reinforced concrete flat slabs with 150 mm deep drop panels, over the columns, cast with a concrete with a strength of 35 megapascals, at twenty-eight days, satisfying class “C-1” requirements. The ground floor is framed in a manner similar to the parking level slabs. The second floor is primarily a series of 200 mm thick, one-way reinforced concrete slabs, supported on transfer beams, introduced over the ground floor columns, to support the shear walls above the second floor.

The third through to the seventh floors of the podium block, have primarily 200 mm thick one-way reinforced concrete slabs, spanning between reinforced concrete shear walls, except at the north two bays where the slabs are 200 mm thick reinforced concrete flat plates.

The tower slabs begin at the eighth floor and continue with the shear walls up to the underside of the twenty-ninth floor, mechanical level, and low roof. At the north and south ends of the podium, beyond the tower, the podium roofs are terraces with green landscaping. The typical floors, in the tower, are 200 mm thick one-way reinforced concrete slabs, spanning between reinforced concrete shear walls, which are typically 250 mm thick up to the twelfth floor, and 200 mm thick above, up to the twenty-ninth level.

Lateral forces resulting from wind or seismic effects are resisted by the interaction of the shear walls with the central core, which contains two elevator shafts, and scissor stairs.

The mechanical room slab, at the twenty-ninth floor level, is 300 mm thick. At the perimeter of the roof, at this level, there is a series of davit base supports, cast monolithically with the perimeter roof surrounding the mechanical penthouse.

The elevator machine room floor is at the level of the mechanical penthouse, and is designed as a two-way, 200 mm thick, reinforced concrete slab. The walls of the elevator machine room are 250 mm thick reinforced concrete and support the one-way reinforced concrete roof slab with a varying thickness of 200 mm to 300 mm.

SPIRE CONDOMINIUM

Developer: Context Development Inc.
Architect: Architects Alliance

This forty-seven storey condominium project is located at the north-west corner of the intersection of Adelaide and Church Streets.

The residential tower and podium, along with the parkette at the ground floor are constructed over a four level subgrade parking garage.

Since the soil conditions vary, most of the columns and walls are founded on strip and spread footings, bearing on shale bedrock, capable of safely sustaining a pressure of 5000 kilopascals (ie. 104,400 pounds, 52.2 tons, per square foot). However, the walls and columns, south and east of the central elevator shaft, are founded on caissons, with diameters ranging from 750 mm to 1524 mm, socketed, two caisson diameters, down into shale capable of sustaining a pressure of 7,500 kilopascals (ie. 156,600 pounds, 78.3 tons, per square foot).

The slabs, in the subgrade parking levels, are typically 190 mm thick reinforced concrete flat slabs, with 125 mm drop panels, over the columns, and are typically cast with 35 megapascals at 28 days Class “C1” concrete with 6 to 8 percent entrained air.

The parking garage roof, west of the podium, is a 250 mm thick reinforced concrete flat slab, with 150 mm deep drop panels, over 300 mm deep column capitals. The concrete, in the garage roof under the parkette, is the same as is employed in the parking garage slabs.

At the north-east of the ground floor level, there is a series of transfer beams to redirect the loads from the columns above, which support the shear walls, of the four level residential block above, onto the garage columns below.

The podium extends up for four levels, with a low roof at level five. All of the residential floor slabs are either one-way reinforced or flat plates which are 200 mm thick. To facilitate early form stripping and overcome shear stresses at many of the corner columns, shear stud rails were incorporated into the slabs, at the columns, along with concrete, which was specified to have a strength of 30 megapascals at 28 days. At the balconies and terraces, the 30 megapascals concrete was specified to be air entrained with 6 to 8 percent of entrained air.

Most of the shear walls continue up in the tower to the soffit of the thirty-ninth floor and interact with the central core walls to resist lateral forces, imposed by wind and seismic affects. The central core and interior columns continue up to the underside of the forty-sixth floor, mechanical level.

To sustain the loads from forty-seven floor levels, the concrete strengths in the columns and shear walls, range from 50 megapascals at 90 days below the ground floor, and was reduced in 5 megapascal increments down to 30 megapascals above the thirty-seventh floor.

8 PARK ROAD

Developer: H & R Developments Limited
Architect: Page + Steele Architects Planners

This twenty-three level residential condominium, plus three levels of superstructure parking, is located north of Bloor Street, east of the Yonge Street subway, at 8 Park Road.
It was constructed between 1999 and 2001, on top of a two level health club, over four levels of superstructure parking, three levels of mercantile space, and three basement levels, at the existing Hudson’s Bay Centre, which was built in 1973.
Before transfer framing could be introduced into the lower level, of the health club, and a three elevator shaft, and additional walls, could be built, in the upper level of the health club, extensive strengthening had to be completed to many of the walls and columns in the existing levels below, as well as to a select number of footings, below the third basement level.
Above the health club, three levels of parking, P8, P9 and P10 were added for the condominium residences. The three levels were similar 230 mm thick reinforced concrete flat slabs, with 150 mm deep drop panels, over the columns. Concrete was typically to be of a 30 megapascals strength, at twenty-eight days, but those portions of the slabs, exposed to deicing chemicals, were to be of a 35 megapascals strength, and to satisfy exposure class “C1” criteria.
The lower roof level, above the new parking levels, serves, in part, as a landscaped terrace, and to accommodate mechanical rooms. This slab is generally a 230 mm thick, reinforced concrete flat slab, with 200 mm deep drop panels, and two-way reinforced slabs.
The residential floors, from the second level up to the twenty-second level, are typically 200 mm thick flat plates, supported on reinforced concrete shear walls, and columns with 300 mm deep small drops. The interior bays, of the slabs, are two-way reinforced with mild reinforcing steel, however, the bays at the north and south ends of the slabs are reinforced with a combination of mild reinforcing steel, and post-tensioned mono-strand tendons with a 15 mm diameter conforming to ASTM Standard A416, coated with a rust inhibiting grease and encased in seamless extruded plastic sheathing.
All of the residential floor slabs, and the similarly reinforced 300 mm thick, roof slab, above, are cast with a semi-light weight concrete, with a specified twenty-eight days strength of 30 megapascals.
The concrete, in the walls and columns, from the transfer level up to the second residential level was specified to have a strength of 45 megapascals, at twenty-eight days, and to be reduced in 5 megapascal increments down to twenty-five megapascals, above the thirteenth slab level.
Lateral forces, resulting from wind and seismic effects are resisted by the shear walls, the walls of the two stairwells, and the three elevator shaft walls.

BURANO

Developer: Bay Grosvenor Developments Ltd.
Architect: Architects Alliance

This fifty-two storey residential condominium, with seven levels of subgrade parking, and retail space, on the ground floor, is located at the west side of Bay Street between Grosvenor and Grenville Streets, in midtown Toronto.

The central core of the tower, with four elevator shafts, and two stairwells is founded on a raft footing with depths of 1200 mm and 1600 mm reinforced each way, top and bottom. The columns are founded on spread footings and walls are founded on strip footings. All of the foundations bear on natural undisturbed soil, capable of safely sustaining a pressure of 1000 kilopascals, (ie. 20,880 or 10.44 tons per square foot).

The five framed parking level slabs are 220 mm thick reinforced concrete flat slabs with 150 mm deep drop panels, at the columns, cast with 35 megapascal type “C1” concrete. The major part of the ground floor slab is a 240 mm thick reinforced concrete slab with 150 mm deep drops, or the 240 mm thick one-way reinforced slabs are supported by reinforced concrete transfer beams, with depths ranging from 600 mm to 2500 mm, required to transfer loads from columns above onto the grid of the parking garage columns below. At the south end of the second floor, there is another transfer system of reinforced concrete slabs and beams. These slabs range in thickness from 300 mm to 1000 mm, and the supporting beam depths vary from 800 mm to 2550 mm. At the north-west of the fourth floor, there is a group of transfer beams, with depths varying from 600 mm to 1800 mm, to achieve the splayed north end of the slabs above. The floors from the fifth level up to the fiftieth are 200 mm thick reinforced concrete, one-way reinforced, slabs supported primarily by reinforced concrete shear and core walls, or by circular columns at the corners.

The two north elevators terminate at the twenty-eighth floor, and the two south elevators continue to service up to the fiftieth floor. The shear walls of the tower are typically 300 mm thick for the full height of the structure up to the penthouse roof. The concrete strength in the walls and columns below the fourth floor was specified to have a twenty-eight days strength of 55 megapascals, which was reduced in five megapascal increments down to 30 megapascals above the forty-third level.

The lower and upper mechanical penthouses, at the fifty-first and fifty-second floors have slab thicknesses of 300 mm to carry the chiller, cooling tower, and other mechanical equipment.

At the north half of the top of the structure, extending three levels above the fifty-first level, there is a glazed screen supported by structural steel framing, comprised of W200x36 columns and C250x30 girts with W150x22 bracing and W310x21 beams supporting W250x22 purlins and a steel grating walkway. The walkway also incorporates davit bases and wall anchors to facilitate window washing. All structural steel material conforms to CSA Standard G40.21-350W.

ONE FINANCIAL PLACE

Developer: Twigg Yonge Adelaide Limited
Architect: Page + Steele Architects

This thirty storey office building, with two additional mechanical penthouse levels, located at the south-east corner of the intersection of Yonge and Adelaide Streets, in downtown Toronto was completed in 1990.

The superstructure, comprised of a central reinforced concrete core, containing the shafts for fourteen elevators, and the surrounding floor framing, of structural steel, with concrete on composite steel deck is constructed over a subgrade concourse with an extensive loading area to accommodate transport trucks. The concourse level is above three levels of vehicular parking.

The walls and columns are founded on strip, and spread footings, respectively, which bear on natural undisturbed soil capable of safely sustaining a pressure of 50,000 pounds or 25 tons per square foot.

The subgrade levels are typically framed as 8 inches thick, reinforced concrete, flat slabs, with 5 inches deep drop panels over the columns. Below the truck loading area, of the concourse level, where the bay sizes are increased, the flat slab’s thicknesses was increased to 10 inches, with 6 inches deep drop panels.

The walls of the central, reinforced concrete, core of the office tower, containing elevator and mechanical shafts, washrooms, and emergency stairs, were slip formed, and cast, several storeys in advance of the surrounding structural steel floor framing.

To accelerate the construction process, the central core was constructed, followed by the surrounding structural steel framing of the ground floor, and the floors above, before the subgrade, reinforced concrete, slabs, and the exterior slabs of the ground floor were built.

The structural steel framing of the second floor typically consisted of 21 inches deep, composite, structural steel purlins at ten feet centers supporting 3 inches deep, by 0.036 inches thick, composite steel deck and 6 inches of concrete.

The third and the fourth floors are similar to the second floor, with 21 inches deep, composite, structural steel purlins being employed in the south end bay only, which spans forty feet.

The fifth floor through to the sixteenth floor are similar, with 31½ inches deep, composite structural steel, trusses, cambered ½ inches, at their midspans, and spanning forty feet, at ten feet centers, supporting 6 inches of concrete on 3 inches deep, by 0.036 inches thick, composite steel deck.

Floors nineteen through thirty are similar to floors five through sixteen with 6 inches of concrete being cast on 3 inches deep, by 0.036 inches thick, composite steel deck.

COLOSSUS CINEMA VAUGHAN

Developer: Famous Players Vaughan Development
Architect: Page + Steele Architects & Planners

This eighteen multiplex cinema, with an additional Imax auditorium, was the first of its kind to be built in Canada. It is located in the City of Vaughan which borders with the north-west limits of the City of Toronto.

There are nine cinema auditoria to the north of the central circular rotunda, and nine cinema auditoria to the south of the circular rotunda, with the Imax theatre at the east of the rotunda. In addition to housing the ticket booths and ticket dispensing machines, there is a central circular refreshment dispensing area in the centre of the rotunda.

A four sided structural steel tower, which is exposed to view, rises from the precise centre of the rotunda, through the refreshment vending area, and the bar area above, to support the main truss system at the high roof level of the rotunda. Above the roof of the rotunda, there is a decorative “flying saucer like” structure clad in steel deck siding.

The non structural interior masonry walls, which provide sound attenuation between the auditoria, and the perimeter precast wall panels, which are part of the building envelope, along with the glass and aluminum curtain walls of the rotunda are supported on reinforced concrete grade beams spanning between caissons, which are carried down to sandy silt till, capable of safely sustaining a pressure of 1440 kilopascals, ie. 30096 pounds or 15.05 tons per square foot.

Within the envelope of the insulated precast wall panels, the structure is a steel frame, with the columns, arranged within the walls separating the auditoria, supporting steel beams above the walls and steel trusses which span the width of the auditoria, which in turn support 400 mm deep open web steel joists, and 38 mm deep by 0.76 mm, thick steel deck.

The roof of the rotunda is carried on five major structural steel trusses, a 1000 mm deep welded wide flange steel beam, two 700 mm deep welded wide flange beams, and eight 600 mm deep wide flange beams, all of which support steel purlins and 38 mm deep by 0.76 mm thick steel deck.

The reinforced concrete structure, in the centre of the rotunda, which supports the bar above the refreshment dispensing area was awarded honourable mention by the Ontario Ready Mixed Concrete Producers Association.

BARRIE, BRAMPTON & ELMIRA ARENAS

Developer: City of Barrie, City of Brampton, City of Elmira
Architect: Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects

Between 1994 and 1999, the firm undertook the structural design of three small municipal arenas, seating between three and five thousand spectators in the bleacher seats.

At Barrie and Elmira, the foundations were reinforced concrete spread footings and strip footings bearing on natural undisturbed soil, capable of safely sustaining pressures of 550 kilopascals (ie, 11,484 pounds or 5.74 tons per square foot) and 6,000 pounds or 3.0 tons per square foot, respectively.

At Brampton, foundations were reinforced concrete caissons and grade beams, with the caissons bearing in Queenston shale bedrock capable of safely sustaining a pressure of 3,000 kilopascals, (ie. 62,600 pounds or 31.3 tons per square foot).

In all three arenas, the bleachers were supported on inclined, stepped, reinforced concrete raker beams, and the bleachers were either cast-in-situ, reinforced concrete stepped slabs and beams, or precast L-shaped elements, welded to the stepped raker beams.

In addition to the concession booths, public washrooms, and teams’ dressing rooms, the Brampton facility includes three additional ice rink surfaces, and at Elmira, there is a second ice rink, along with a major sports retailing store, and a restaurant/café.

The roofs, at all three projects, are supported by 38 mm deep by 1.22 mm thick or 0.91 mm thick steel decking, carried on open-web steel joists, with depths ranging from 450 mm to 600 mm, typically, which in turn are supported by sophisticated structural steel truss systems, one of which involved elements to prestress the bottom chords, of the primary trusses.

The buildings are clad in combinations of masonry and steel siding.

THE HAZELTON HOTEL & PRIVATE RESIDENCES

Developer: The Dawsco Group & The Starwood Group
Architect: Page + Steele Architects Planners

This mixed use development consists of four hotel levels, with retail space on the ground floor, and five levels of private residences, above the hotel, all constructed over four levels of subgrade parking. It is located at the north-west corner of the intersection of Hazelton Avenue and Yorkville Avenue, in the fashionable Yorkville area, in midtown Toronto.
The framed parking level slabs are generally 240 mm thick reinforced concrete flat slabs, with 150 mm deep drop panels over the columns. In the drive aisles and parking stalls, where the concrete in the slabs may be exposed to deicing chemicals, the twenty-eight days specified strength is 35 megapascals, with entrained air to satisfy class “C1” exposure criteria.
The ground floor, in general, is a 240 mm thick reinforced concrete flat slab, with 150 mm drop panels, over the columns. At the south side of the ground floor slab, the thickness was increased to 450 mm to pick up the loads in the front elevation columns. The ground floor slab concrete was specified to have a strength of 30 megapascals at twenty-eight days.
The second floor is a series of 200 mm thick, one-way reinforced concrete, slabs spanning between more than sixty transfer beams, mostly either 900 mm or 1000 mm in depth.
The third and fourth floors are the two upper levels of the hotel and are, for the most part, 200 mm thick, one-way reinforced concrete slab, spanning between the party walls of the hotel suites.
The fifth floor, which is the first private residence level, is also a series of 200 mm thick, one-way reinforced concrete slabs, spanning between the party walls of the hotel suites below.
The sixth through to the eighth levels, which contains four residences each, with two private elevator shafts, are similar 240 mm thick reinforced concrete flat slabs, with 150 mm deep drop panels over the walls and columns.
The ninth level, which contains two residences, with two private elevator shafts, is also a 240 mm thick reinforced concrete flat slab with 150 mm deep drop panels over the walls and columns below.
Above the two ninth floor residences, there is a 240 mm thick reinforced concrete flat slab, with 150 mm deep drop panels, over the columns, designed to carry the mechanical equipment and the masonry walls of the mechanical penthouse.
Lateral forces resulting from wind or seismic effects are resisted by the two private elevator shafts and the central core, containing the fire fighters elevator shaft, and a scissor stair, interacting with four major shear walls below the ninth floor to the fifth floor and then with two reinforced concrete stairwell walls from the fourth floor down to the mezzanine level, and an additional two elevator shaft from the fifth level down to the P3 parking level.

BANKERS HALL GALLERIA Trees Sculpture

Developer: Trizec Hahn Office Properties
Architect: The Cohos Evamy Partners Architect

The ten tree sculptures located north of the west tower of Bankers Hall, on Stephen Avenue, are a gift from Trizec Hahn Office Properties to the City of Calgary, made in 2000 following the completion of the second Bankers Hall office building. Since it is difficult to grow trees in Calgary, it was decided that the ten sculptures comprised of two design types would take the form of stylized trees as conceived by the Architect.

One sculpture type rises to a height of twenty-six metres above its base, and the second type rises to a height of twenty-one metres above its base. The base pedestals are supported on and anchored to 1500 mm deep reinforced concrete caisson caps.

Nine of the caisson caps are supported on three 750 mm diameter reinforced concrete caissons, and one caisson cap is supported on four 750 mm diameter reinforced concrete caissons, arranged to avoid below street utility lines. All of the caissons extend down 19.5 metres below the surface of Stephen Avenue to resist an uplift force of 800 kilonewtons (180,000 pounds). Type C1 concrete is employed in the caissons and caisson caps with a 28 days specified strength of 35 megapascals.

In both design types, the trunk elements are two rectangular box sections and one triangular box section, all of which taper to a smaller cross section as the leg like elements rise to the tops of the trees. Approximately at the mid height of each sculpture type, the triangular box leg is divided into two rectangular box legs which continue to taper as they rise higher in the trees. Both design types have four levels of horizontal bracing incorporated into the designs, and all of the box leg sections have internal 10 mm thick stiffener plates at 750 mm centers welded to the inside of the box section plates, which presented a significant challenge to the Fabricator. The leaf elements are 300 mm deep by 121 mm wide channel like sections cold formed from 10 gauge steel plate.

All of the structural steel conforms to CSA G40.20/G40.21 grade 350W. Welding conforms to CSA W49, with all exposed welds being ground smooth to the Architect’s satisfaction.

At the time of structural design, a finite element analysis program was not readily available, therefore, at 300 mm vertical intervals, cross sections of the elements of the structure were modelled employing the Soda program to structurally analyse the sculpture, so as to design the appropriate wall thickness of the box sections and determine deflections and deformations.

After the first prototype, of the taller sculpture, was fabricated by Empire Iron Works, they erected it in their work yard and load tested the structure with forces being applied as directed by Jablonsky, Ast And Partners. The measured deflections and deformation were identical to those predicted by the computer model analysis.

Cineplex Odeon

Developer: Cineplex Odeon
Architect: Page + Steele Archtiects Planners

In the late nineteen nineties and early twenties, the firm was chosen by Cineplex Odeon to provide the structural designs for multiple auditoria cinema buildings, in various centres in Canada, including Toronto, Niagara Falls, Conestoga, Kingston, Calgary, Edmonton and Ste. Foy.

In addition to the entrance lobbies and concessions spaces, the buildings generally housed ten auditoria where movies are projected from mezzanine projection areas serving multiple auditoria.

The structures are of structural steel construction with raker beams to support stadia type seating. The roof structures are generally steel deck on open web steel joists and are designed to sustain the local area snow loads and decentralized heating and cooling equipment.

The foundation types ranged from reinforced concrete spread footings to caissons or steel piles in order to satisfy local site soil conditions.