LONDON SQUARE GALLERIA LONDON
Developer: The Campeau Corporation
Architect: Architects Crang and Boake Inc.
This shopping centre, in the core of London Ontario, occupies a site on the north and south sides of King Street.
The block on the north side of King Street is entirely new, and contains a three level subgrade reinforced concrete flat slab parking structure, below the two level north portion, of the shopping galleria, with its lineal skylight which is framed in structural steel.
At the mid-length of the north block, there is a magnificent octagonal steel framed skylight over the Bay Store court which connects to the new three storey Bay store, which is framed with a combination of reinforced concrete beams, supporting oneway reinforced concrete slabs, and reinforced flat slab concrete construction.
Much of the work on the south block, was undertaken with the mall in operation. This included strengthening of existing foundations and erection of the steel structure through, and above, the existing mall. The south block was closed for only eight months during the overall construction period.
The upper parking level and garage were removed and replaced with an upper shopping level, with the new roof structure framed in structural steel. Portions of the second floor were also framed in structural steel, as was the new six theatre cinema level, above the upper shopping level.
The east end of the north block has been designed to carry a future high rise office tower. At the east and west ends of the main mall, of the north block, there are secondary malls, with skylights, leading to shopping bridges across King Street which link the north block, secondary mall, to the south block, secondary mall, which has a major structural steel framed skylight at its south ends, where it merges with the main east-west mall, of the south block.
In addition to the two shopping blocks, bridges and cinemas, the reinforced concrete York Street parking garage was removed and replaced with a new reinforced concrete parking garage, incorporating the criteria of CAN/CSA Standard S41 3-87.
The south block is a retrofit of a former one storey mall built in reinforced concrete over an extensive receiving area, connected by a trucking tunnel.