PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc. has netted a VRCA Silver Award of Excellence in the General Contractor $15 Million to $40 Million category for its highly-synchronized work on the Vancouver Aquarium Expansion and Revitalization Project. "It was a very prestigious project," said PCL project manager Stephen Brownsett. "It’s not your typical office renovation."
Work started in Vancouver’s Stanley Park in October 2012 and finished on schedule in May 2014 for the $32 million construction project, the largest in the aquarium’s 58-year history. The expansion/revitalization included construction of a new entrance, ticketing/admissions area, cafe, gift shop, children’s area and external courtyard. The new building also houses an upper‐level connecting hub and gallery with 360‐degree overhead digital projection of the aquatic world. The lower level features a public program area with amphitheater‐style seating and a changing exhibits gallery.As well, two backup generators and extensive mechanical and electrical upgrades were completed to accommodate the project and future expansion/revitalization plans. Artist Bill Reid’s iconic bronze killer whale sculpture even had to be temporarily, and very carefully, moved and later re-installed near its original spot.
Work was done in two phases, Brownsett said. Phase 1A involved the back-of-house infrastructure. Phase 1B was the new three-storey, 5,110-square-metre addition. Throughout the project, the aquarium continued full operations, which created substantial challenges for those working at the site. Not only could there be hundreds of visitors, the aquarium is home to 50,000 animals. Noise and vibration had to be monitored so that the animals were not disturbed. During dolphin shows, work stopped to ensure the mammals weren’t stressed, Brownsett said. As well, the aquarium’s animals rely on the mechanical and electrical equipment to keep them alive so there could be no mistakes when switching over to the new systems. To ensure safety of the animals, PCL worked with the commissioning team early in the project. A further roadblock was getting in and out of the site. Heavy tourist traffic, height restrictions and one-way roads required precise organization and even police escorts. At times semi-trucks had to be piloted to the site in order to get around corners. Major deliveries required two-days notice and a 5:30 a.m. start time.
"We really had to be cognizant of what was going on," said Brownsett, a civil engineer. Amidst all of the tactical requirements, the project is aiming for LEED Silver certification, important given that the Vancouver Aquarium’s purpose.
"I’m sure we’ll get it (LEED Silver)," Brownsett said. In addition to PCL’s award, three other companies have collected Silver Awards of Excellence for their work on the project. In the Trade Contractor Up to $1 Million category, Island Precision Millwork got the nod.
The Saanichton-based company installed almost 11,000 lineal feet of glulam and 64 sheets of solid surface material, using a dozen workers. Highlights for Island Precision include alignment of the feature ceiling with perimeter walls and installation of a radius quartz top that aligned with a bulkhead. Alpha Mechanical Contracting earned its Silver Award in the Mechanical Contractors-Over $2.5 Million category. The Port Coquitlam company installed critical systems, including the district energy system, vertical space miser pumps, in-floor slab heating system, life support systems, water source heat pumps and hidden fire protection system.
Work also included installation of 50,000 points of stainless steel and galvanized ductwork, seven air handling units, two heat pumps, one cooling tower, 27 fan coil units and 14 radiant pumps.
Challenges faced by Alpha included the lack of schematic drawings for existing hydronic systems, which meant Alpha had to search for as-built drawings and trace piping networks to the correct tie-ins. Alpha also had to find and deal with sounds that bothered the animals. Also, work was done in very humid conditions. To address what could be 100 per cent humidity, PVC-coated steel and phenolic closed cell insulation was installed. The third Silver Award of Excellence went to Abbotsford’s Status Electrical Corporation in the Electrical Contractors-Over $2 Million category.
For Status, one of the largest demands was working with the aquarium’s animals. Temporary power and mechanical fixes were done to protect marine life during required shutdowns. To eliminate the need to upgrade the incoming high-voltage infrastructure to the facility and surrounding area, a parallel, modular and scalable, emergency generator system was installed to take some of the load off the utility service during peak periods. Brownsett praised the fine work done by the contractors. At peak construction, there were roughly 200 workers on site. "During the course of the project, we built really good relationships," he said.
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