Contractor EllisDon has begun installing hoarding at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), signaling a start on construction of the Frank Gehry-designed expansion.
$140-million project
Contractor EllisDon has begun installing hoarding at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), signaling a start on construction of the Frank Gehry-designed expansion.
The estimated $140-million project will enlarge the downtown Toronto gallery by 97,000-square-feet and increase viewing space for art by 47 per cent.
Completion is scheduled for the spring of 2008.
The project includes a combination of both renovated and newly built space.
Steven Metcalf, EllisDon’s senior project manager, said key challenges include keeping the gallery open during construction, installing new foundations in existing space and building the glass and wood façade that spans 600 feet along Dundas Street.
This façade, which spans the length of two football fields and rises 70 feet above street level, is scaled to respect the neighbouring houses and reconfigures the gallery’s streetscape.
Other features include:
• A new Dundas Street entrance aligned with Walker Court, the historic heart of the AGO and The Grange, the gallery’s first home.
• A new tinted titanium and glass-faced, four-storey south wing overlooking Grange Park, which will house a centre for contemporary art.
• A south façade that complements the new Ontario College of Art and Design building to the southeast.
• Extensive glazing on both the north and south facades.
• A sculptural staircase that soars from the second floor, linking Walker Court to the contemporary art centre and new event space.
• Integration of natural light throughout the building, including a new glass roof over Walker Court and a light-filled walkway around its upper perimeter.
Metcalf, a professional engineer who joined EllisDon in 2001, said that while certain elements of the design are still being reviewed, the main components have been finalized.
“It’s just a matter of working out the details,” he said.
Since being retained as pre-construction manager, EllisDon has been working closely with Los Angeles-based Gehry and other members of the consultant team, including structural engineers Yolles, mechanical engineers H.H. Angus & Associates and electrical engineers Mulvey Banani International Inc., all of Toronto.
“We have monthly meetings in person and bi-weekly video-conferencing calls,” Metcalf said.
This November, EllisDon will sign a guaranteed maximum price contract with the AGO. At that point, it will assume the role of “construction manager at risk.” At the moment, the firm has both preconstruction and construction teams at work.
“I guess right now we’re multi-tasking,” Metcalf said.
The project includes 190,000-square-feet of renovated space and 97,000-square-feet of newly built space.
Contracts already have been awarded for relocation of certain mechanical and electrical lines. Tenders are about to be called for demolition of parts of the existing structure to enable construction of the new foundations. Foundation tenders will follow.
“That will enable us, while the construction drawings are being completed, to get the project started,” Metcalf said.
While those drawings are not expected to be 100 per cent complete until the end of July, EllisDon expects to award other key subtrades such as structural steel supply “sooner rather than later” to ensure that progress continues on site, Metcalf said.
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