McMaster Nuclear Building

McMaster Nuclear Building

The nuclear research building was an upgrade to the existing structure to allow for world class nuclear research for leading nuclear scientists.  This project was funded by the provincial and federal governments as part of a stimulus package for Hamilton, Ontario.  This project required a deep foundation solution to support the proposed structure next to the existing nuclear building.

Helicals were designed and installed with 4.5” diameter helical pipe to allow for desired corrosion protection.  Load testing confirmed the ULS loading and the design was based on a SLS of 400KN.  RWH, an HC Group company, worked very closely with the structural engineer, Atkinson, to ensure SLS settlements and differentials were less than the specified 1/2” maximum.  The helicals were founded 30ft deep in a layer that provided sufficient resistance but required very accurate placement due to wet, poor soils located just above and below the layer.  An important challenge to note was that construction and excavation was performed beside the nuclear testing building and vibrations had to be kept to a minimum due to sensitive equipment located inside.

HC Matcon’s operators and site supervisors performed their work with a very high degree of skill allowing successful installation of the helicals while proceeding on schedule with the contract timeline.  HC Matcon also provided zero clearance shotcrete complete with excavation in a second stage contract, working with a new owner, to attain budgeted costs allowing that contract to proceed with government grants.  This is also an excellent example of the HCM/RWH service in design build of helical piers.

Client: IRA MCdonald Construction Limited

Location: Hamilton, Ontario

TTC Steels Launch Shaft

TTC Steels Launch Shaft

The TTC tendered the Steeles Launch Shaft project as part of the much needed Shepherd subway extension into Vaughan. HCM undertook this project as a general contractor: self-performing the shoring, excavation, dewatering, and precision monitoring of the shoring system.

The shaft was 20 meters in depth and required removal of 20,000 cubic meters of material. RWH Engineering Inc. (RWH), an HC Group company, working together with T.H. O’Rourke Engineering, designed a three level strutted system of 460mm – 610mm diameter pre-loaded struts to brace the shoring walls. This design made the shoring system more durable as necessitated by the project due to the extended exposure to heat, cold and frost penetration as the excavated area was to remain open for a minimum of two years. The shoring was initially designed as piles and lagging with a portion of caisson wall, but was redesigned by RWH to a complete caisson wall as a result of these factors. RWH completed all monitoring which involved inclinometers, strain gauges, total stations, and piezometers. Final movement of the shaft showed less than 0.5% of the height. This project shows how HCM and RWH can perform a combination of construction activities, and provide the additional benefit of engineering and precision monitoring services, saving owners money while providing a safe shoring solution.

Client: Toronto Transit Commission

Location: North York, Ontario

Highland Creek WWTP

Highland Creek WWTP

Due to increased population and the requirement for treating excess amounts of waste water, Highland Creek WWTP underwent a significant upgrade to provide clean water for the residents of Scarborough.  HC Matcon was procured to install several excavation support walls within the treatment plant.

HC Matcon installed seventy-four soldier piles along with multiple tiebacks and shotcrete.  Due to the proximity of the proposed addition, the underground utilities posed a challenging concern.  To avoid disruption and contact with the existing utilities, HC Matcon implemented a perched pile system.  HC Matcon also designed a shoring system around the underground utilities and allowed work to proceed.

HC Matcon completed all work as per industry details combined with innovative connection designs which were incorporated to save schedule time.

Client: Alberici Constructors Inc.

Location: Scarborough, Ontario

Parkside Dr. Slope Stabilization

Parkside Dr. Slope Stabilization

The City of Toronto tendered a slope stabilization project that required the installation of helical piles in the embankment of a failed slope on Parkside Drive in Toronto, Ontario.

HC Matcon was procured to install 39 helical piles using ECP square shaft helicals with a 8-10-12 inch helix configuration in lieu of the equivalent 1.5” square bar (SS150).  Upon HC Matcon’s arrival on site, current ground conditions had changed as the existing slope was unstable and eroded creating a challenging work site.  The slope was found to be 5 degrees steeper than expected and posed a problem to the stability of the excavators and to the installation of the helicals.  HC Matcon stabilized the excavator on the slope to allow for a flexible control for the hydraulic motor to allow the required vertical helical        installation angle under the roadway.  The final problem encountered was the alignment of the helical pile with the hydraulic motor which was resolved with minor adjustments to the equipment.  HC Matcon installed all 39 helicals at their 30 degree inclination to depths ranging between 36 and 45 feet and preloaded all helicals to 90 KN on oversized steel bearing pads.

This project reveals that HC Matcon is able to adapt to develop systems that allow for proper mobility and stability of the installation equipment.  While HC Matcon did start later than scheduled, all problems were overcome and the schedule was still completed on time.  Today, the slope is covered with natural vegetation and is performing as intended.

Client: NEI Construction Corp.

Location: 421 Parkside Dr., Toronto, Ontario

Dufferin Jog Elimination

Dufferin Jog Elimination

This project involved the extension of Duffering Street under an existing CN rail line and through the abutment wall of a century old CN bridge at Queen Street in Toronto. HCM performed a design-build tied back caisson wall solution for the main staging effort.

The geology of the soils was a combination of fills and wak silts over rock. The old bridge was jacked onto tower frames supported by cased micropiles. Low headroom caissons were installed by churn drilling with permanent liners. Further innovation included a tieback connection through abutments which avoided damage to the future surface of the structure.

HCM met scheduling requirements while performing several services throughout multiple phases, facilitating overall project success.

Client: Dufferin Construction

Location: Toronto, Ontario

Canada Post Micropiles

Canada Post Micropiles

No Emissions, No Problem

The Canada Post McKnight Mail Processing Centre Expansion project involved the installation of micropiles to support a renovation within the facility in northeast Calgary, Alberta. As the project was undertaken in an active mail processing facility, the execution presented a number of challenges. Due to the nature of the building, HCM had to deal with limited access and low overhead clearance.

Notably, there was a requirement that forbade any emissions within the building from operating equipment. This resulted in restrictions on the mobilizing of equipment, where fuel-powered engines could not be used. To solve this problem, the equipment was moved into place using an electric forklift. To satisfy the zero emission policy during work, a ducting system was conceived that vented the exhaust from the operating machines to the outside air via a connection through the roof of the building.

The nature of the facility also meant that work had to be conducted on weekends, when operations at the mail facility are light. HCM’s crew had to abide by security restrictions which limited access to specific parts of the building.

Despite the challenges, the project went well with HCM’s scope of work being completed in two days. To achieve the required capacity of the micropiles, post-grouting was required. Seven days after the installation, the piles were load tested to 150%.

Client: Scott Builders
Location: Calgary, Alberta

Lakeview Water Treatment Plant

Lakeview Water Treatment Plant

This project was part of the second phase of an expansion program to the region of Peel’s Lakeview Water Treatment Plant. Given the information provided at the time of tender, HCM proposed the use of shotcrete shoring for the site’s earth retention system. Later, due to an unforeseen influx of water into the excavation from a problematic sand lense and the resulting saturated soil conditions, shotcrete was found to no longer be a suitable solution for the site’s shoring. To address the issue, HCM devised a perched caisson wall system to cut off the flow of groundwater.

As fieldwork progressed, other fill soil conditions were encountered that were different from the geotechnical report issued at the time of tender. A change of the soil conditions, as encountered at Lakeview, would typically impact the project’s schedule because of the need for a redesign of the shoring system. HCM was able to respond with practical solutions to keep the project moving while updating the drawings to represent the design changes.

HCM can overcome most problems or restrictions to produce a final product that is desirable to all parties.

Client: North America Constructors Ltd.

Location: Mississauga, Ontario

8 Ida Street

8 Ida Street

HC Matcon was retained to install panel underpinning for a custom home built by Laureden Inc. in 2007 in one of Markham’s prestigious neighbourhoods.  Due to lack of real-estate and property, the home owners decided to build an in ground pool inside of their newly completed residence.  The residence consisted of an existing crawl space in which the pool was requested.  It should be noted that the interior finishes consisted of sensitive glass and marble which were sensitive to movement below.

The project involved deepening the crawl space for the swimming pool addition.  Innovation was required due to a unique underpinning design which included two layers of continuous rebar within the panel in order for it to be used as a permanent foundation wall.  This created constructability issues due to the required three panel sequences of installation.  To allow for unobstructed panel excavation, HC Matcon and RWH, an HC Group company, special bulkhead steel embedments were fabricated from mesh and anchor couplers (provided by Williams Form Engineering) in the HC Matcon shop. These were used in place of rebar to allow for all threading of the bars satisfying the engineer.

The work was successfully completed on time and on budget.  Underpinning systems are a specialty of HC Matcon.

Client: Laureden Inc.

Location: Toronto, Ontario