St. Joseph’s Health Centre Parking

St. Joseph's Health Centre Parking

Shotcrete Reduces Costs for Owner

The St. Joseph’s Health Centre is adding a new Our Lady of Mercy wing complete with three levels of underground parking.

HC Matcon was responsible for:

  •  installing the approximately 20,000 square feet of zero clearance shotcrete and caisson wall to be used as a back form for the foundation walls.
  • 121 caissons to support the foundation perimeter and new ambulance bay canopy drilled with a Watson 3110.

HC Matcon’s alternative shotcrete shoring solution added value to the project with a substantial cost savings to the owner.

Client: Harbridge and Cross
Location: Toronto, Ontario

Guelph Civic Administration Complex

Guelph Civic Administration Complex

Complex Shoring Requires Innovative Design

Work on this site involved the supply and installation of caissons, underpinning, rock anchors, as well as both traditional soldier pile and lagging and shotcrete shoring systems.

  • Shoring designs were required to incorporate work next to the existing CN passenger rail tracks and the historical heritage buildings being developed into the new structure design.
  • Due to the nature and age of the buildings impacted by the work shoring design required flexibility of design while maintaining and adhering to the strict tolerances required by the specifications.

The combination of the shoring systems in conjunction with the design capacity for on site modifications allowed the excavation to be completed uniformly across the site and helped to accelerate the construction schedule.

Client: Urbacon Ltd
Location: Guelph, Ontario

TTC St. Clair Station

TTC St. Clair Station

Two new elevators on the east and west sides of St. Clair station were installed to allow easier access for disabled persons. During construction, HC Matcon was confronted withsome interesting challenges, including extremely tight access and a high water table.

The east elevator pit was constructed with a 10 m deep caisson wall, braced horizontally against the existing subway structure. Piles were drilled with a Bauer BG 22H self-lining drill in order to overcome the high groundwater conditions.

The west elevator pit was constructed with an 8 m deep lagging wall, the piles for which were drilled in a single weekend in order to comply with TTC and City of Toronto access restrictions. HC Matcon’s excavation operations were aided by our own dewatering systems installed at each elevator pit. A total of 4 deep wells were effectively used to lower the water table below final excavation grade.

Client: Consolidated Canadian
Location: Toronto, Ontario

Kidd’s Creek Culvert Restoration

Kidd's Creek Culvert Restoration

Versatile Installations Minimized Costs

Work on the Kidd’s Creek Culvert Restoration project involved the supply and installation of 600 plus helical pile supports for new catch basins, man holes, culverts and storm and sewer pipe in downtown Barrie, Ontario.

  • Helical pile support systems were ideal for use on the project based on the type of soils encountered and the project location related to the nearby lake. Excavation parameters were further impeded by the proximity of streets and roads required to be in operation while the work was in progress. 50 Kip design capacities were achieved on small diameter pipe, (2-7/8) which were installed and torqued as required.
  • The versatility of the installations enabled the Owner to minimize costs by installing only lengths and depths required.
  • Due to the nature and achievable installation production rate it was possible to stay ahead of the concrete work as small areas of work were excavated in sections.

The helical pile supports were utilized on both the Kidd’s Creek project as well as the second phase of the retrofit and expansion located at Toronto and Simcoe Streets in Barrie, Ontario.

Client: Drainstar Contracting Ltd
Location: Barrie, Ontario

TTC St. Clair Station

TTC St. Clair Station

Overcoming Tight Access and High Water Table

Two new elevators on the east and west sides of St. Clair station were installed to allow easier access for disabled persons. During construction, HC Matcon was confronted with some interesting challenges, including extremely tight access and a high water table.

  • The east elevator pit was constructed with a 10 m deep caisson wall, braced horizontally against the existing subway structure. Piles were drilled with a Bauer BG 22H self-lining drill in order to overcome the high groundwater conditions.
  • The west elevator pit was constructed with an 8 m deep lagging wall, the piles for which were drilled in a single weekend in order to comply with TTC and City of Toronto access restrictions.
  • HC Matcon’s excavation operations were aided by our own dewatering systems installed at each elevator pit.
  • A total of 4 deep wells were effectively used to lower the water table below final excavation grade.

Client: Consolidated Canadian

Location: Toronto, Ontario

Niagara Biosolids Facility – Inside Pit

Niagara Biosolids Facility - Inside Pit

A Shotcrete Solution to a Difficult Problem

Work to the existing Biosolids Facility required the installation of deep pits and foundations for proposed processing equipment.

  • Due to the tight confines of the site and the proximity of exterior walls, columns and footings, the use of a traditional soldier pile and lagging system was not feasible.
  • Instead, a shotcrete shoring and underpinning solution was developed in conjunction with the Owner and the General Contractor.
  • By working with the forming contractor, a zero clearance solution was used as the backside of the new form work.
  • In addition to vertical cut stability, the shotcrete was also designed to provide underpinning stabilization to the undermined column pad footings and exterior wall footings.
  • By placing strategically located vertical mini piles at and around the pad footings, the additional stabilization was achieved.

The use of the shotcrete solution in this application allowed the General Contractor to minimize disturbance and disruption to the ongoing facility operations.

Client: Stucor Construction Ltd
Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario

Aldershot GO Station Improvements

Aldershot GO Station Improvements

Our Innovative Solution Saves Time

Work at the Aldershot Go Station in Burlington, Ontario comprised of the construction of two new pedestrian tunnels to access the existing passenger platforms. The project was further complicated by the proximity of high speed passenger train rails and the need to maintain and operate the facility while the work was in progress.

  • In order to minimize the impact of the installation of the shoring, HC Matcon Inc. opted to install a single row of multi-strand high capacity tie backs; in excess of 900 KN capacities.
  • The high design loads required these anchors installed under strict on site quality control of strand and grouting procedures.

The innovative approach taken by HC Matcon Inc’s design team provided the optimum solution to the strict requirements of the project while, significantly reducing the duration and subsequent impact to the overall project completion schedule.

Client: Kenaidian Contracting
Location: Burlington, Ontario

Mill Pond Estates

Mill Pond Estates

Shotcrete: Low Cost and Overcoming Hillside Access Issues

This 12,000 sq. ft. project involved temporary hillside shoring for a developer in Tillsonburg.

  • The project was completed during winter months with winter protection of panels and concrete and special measures by HC Matcon designed for winter conditions.
  • The shotcrete shoring solution was both low cost and viable due to the hillside access issues. The final building is designed to take the hillside load through concrete shear walls and footings.
  • Soil nail walls do not involve stressing the anchors, while HC Matcon practices the Vancouver method of Shotcrete shoring which used strict panel sequences with post tensioning of anchors to reduce movement.
  • Total station monitoring can track vertical and horizontal movement of the typical Shotcrete shoring wall by fixing targets to the shoring wall as it is constructed. Work proceeds in 5-6 Ft. vertical lifts, so a project schedule is typically the height of cut, divided by 5 in weeks.

Client: Mill Pond Estates
Location: Tillsonburg, Ontario

Paruk Residence

Paruk Residence

Overcoming Poor Soil-Bearing Capacity

The Paruk Residence is a high end two story structure, located at 24 York Valley Crescent in North York, Ontario, just north of the Don River. A geotechnical investigation performed by Patriot Engineering revealed very poor soil bearing capacity, unsuitable for a slab-on-grade or strip footing foundation.

  • The floor slab was designed as a structural slab supported on grade beams resting on helical pier foundations. The helical piers were 2-7/8 inch diameter, 55 ksi minimum yield strength, galvanized, and supplied by Ideal Group.
  • The helical piers were designed for a maximum 30 kips working load, which was achieved at a torque resistance of approximately 9,000 ft. lbs. Using a 17,000 ft. lbs. McMillen drive unit, 94 piers were installed in 3 days.

HCM also did the excavation, perimeter shotcrete shoring and U/S stone placement c/w geotextile, which helped construction access and provided a clean surface for the concrete form work contractor.

Client: HC Matcon
Location: Toronto, Ontario

 

 

Wal-Mart Micropiles

Wal-Mart Micropiles

Overcoming Poorly Engineered Fill

This project solved a very difficult problem for Buttcon and Walmart Canada, with the new footings settling on a poorly done engineered fill.

  • The previous winter had frozen some of the fill, and footing settlements of up to 3 inches were on-going as the steel was erected.
  • HC Matcon mobilized a Design Build solution utilizing 60 Ft. long micro piles, with special connections to the already designed footings and piers. Sacrificial steel design was used to provide low cost micro piles.
  • HC Matcon worked 7 days per week for 3 weeks to install 192 piles.

The Walmart store opened on schedule and was a technical success. HC Matcon is innovative when problems occur, working with owners and General Contractors to find the most economical solution.

Client: Buttcon Ltd
Location: Rexdale, Ontario

Mars B Toronto General Hospital

Mars B Toronto General Hospital

This 3.5 Million dollar contract involved HC Matcon providing a full excavation, a 16,000 Sq. Ft. shoring and large diameter caisson package for this project. Challenges included the support of historical facades, tight working room, land locked site location and staged demolition. The site required all 4000 Dump Truck loads to be removed through a narrow laneway. HCM demolished a 14 Ft. brick service tunnel, while maintaining a 6 inch live steam line, through piled supports, eventually digging under the live line to maintain schedule. The combined shoring and excavation package was well suited to this project requirement as tight co operation between the excavator and shoring contractor was critical. HC Matcon maintained excavators on site during the full project duration which allowed for many advantages to Ellis Don and the owner.

Client: EllisDon
Location: Toronto, Ontario

Smith Residence

Smith Residence

Toronto’s First Permanent Soil Nail Wall

This project involved a hillside lot and a high end home in Toronto. The installation was the first permanent soil nail wall used in Toronto.

  • Micro piles were used to support a cantilever canopy on one level and HC Matcon completed the full excavation, shoring and footings as a package to the owner.
  • The shoring design called for over sized MAI bars due to low corrosive soil, and a 100 year plus life is expected.
  • The house construction is wood framed which was a lower cost than steel/concrete in that hillside loads over time are taken by the shoring system, which is 150 mm from the house walls.
  • The advantages of shotcrete shoring include smaller equipment to access and do the nails, as typical shoring solution involved large equipment and high costs to build working berms on a hillside lot.

Owners of land that was typically considered unsuitable as building lots can re consider and realize hidden value with permanent soil nail walls constructed by HC Matcon. HCM is a full service Design Build Specialist contractor.

Client: HC Matcon
Location: Toronto, Ontario