BMO Field’s Phase Two expansion: Canopy creations

Watching a 600 ton crane lift 100-foot-by-40-foot steel roof sections into place, creating a canopy over all the fixed seats at Toronto’s BMO Field, looks almost effortless.

But it’s the calculated, intricate planning that’s involved in the stadium’s Phase Two expansion that makes it appear that way, says Neil Barrows, a senior project manager with PCL Constructors Canada Inc.

"One of the added complexities of working with and around an existing stadium is trying to integrate effectively a new structure with the existing structure," he says in a behind-the-scenes video that shows how PCL "raises the roof" at BMO Field.

PCL completed the first phase of the two-year $120 million BMO Field Expansion project in time for Toronto FC’s home opener in May 2015.

Phase Two officially started in early November, Barrows explains, and is slated for completion in May of this year. The expansion is also planned to be complete for the Canadian Football League’s 2016 season as it becomes the Toronto Argonauts’ new home. Around 100 workers are on site for Phase Two.

Barrows says that working alongside Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the engineering firms Entuitive and Thornton Tomasetti and structural steel provider CANAM Heavy requires that project timing matches up and all the pieces come together.

"While we were trying to finish Phase One, we also had to keep our eyes on the fact that we have Phase Two that we have to make sure is moving ahead," he explains in an interview with the Daily Commercial News.

Fabricated in Montreal, the roof sections were brought to the site in pieces and assembled on the ground before being lifted into place.

"The crane that we needed was so big that the 600 ton crane was brought in from Holland," he says. "That crane came to the site on approximately 100 tractor trailers, that’s how big it was. These sections are hoisted up into the air…and supported with temporary foundations. Then we’re going to build a truss across the top of all these roof sections."

The video shows temporary supports holding up the sections, which will be removed. The massive roof trusses will be supported by four super columns in each corner of the stadium.

The east and west roof canopies are being built on-site in sections, but something unique is planned for the south canopy.

"We’re going to build the entire south roof in one massive section and this 600 ton crane, along with the 450 ton crane on the west side, are going to lift that section of roof together in one lift," Barrows states, adding it’s a major undertaking with safety at the forefront. "It’s considered a critical lift. There needs to be additional communication and co-ordination between the two crane operators. They will lift it in one great big, gigantic lift."

The lift will likely take place at the end of February or early March.

"From a scheduling perspective, this thing’s going to go up in the air and effectively be done," Barrows adds. "We’ve been in the planning stages for the BMO Field Phase Two roof for over two years now."

But while the work going on up above is considered spectacular by some, interesting work also took place closer to the ground. Barrows explains that on the east side of the stadium, the super column supports are on traditional drilled caissons, but on the west side the super column locations are inside the existing stadium, which required a different method for the foundation.

"These aren’t your traditional foundations of a drilled caisson or a large concrete pad," he says. "These are actually a series of micro piles."

Micro piles are used when crews can’t access the area with a traditional caisson drill rig. The piles are drilled roughly seven metres into the ground using specialized equipment that can fit into smaller spaces.

"They go at different angles," Barrows states. "They get grouted, as opposed to concreted. But at the end of the day they’re still all the way to the bedrock. In the winds that you get off the lake…uplift on the roof was actually another design factor that had to be taken into account and that’s why these all need to be socketed down in the bedrock."

Phase Two of the expansion will also include enhanced lighting and sound systems that will benefit both the players and spectators.

Barrows says working on a project like this and showcasing it on YouTube through the video is rewarding because "there’s a certain pride in showing off what we do. There’s a lot of lessons to be learned."

"People really truly are interested in what we are doing," he adds. "PCL doesn’t do jobs like this every day."

During the BMO Field renovation some Toronto FC athletes took a peek at the stadium, Barrows states, to see the improvements.

"It’s kind of neat to hear guys that you admire, for what they can do, kind of admiring what you do on a daily basis," he says. "It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I’ve absolutely enjoyed every minute of it."

To watch the video, click here: PCL Raises the Roof on BMO Field.