Dufferin Mall

Dufferin Mall

Dufferin Mall Pedestrian Tunnel

This renovation project includes the challenge of constructing a 10ft wide by 12ft deep pedestrian tunnel inside an active mall. HCM together with RWH Engineering proposed an innovative design and construction process to accomplish this endeavor with very limited working space and tricky access issues. The construction involves:

• Shotcrete shoring to allow for vertical excavation of the tunnel area

• Bob Cat mounted TEI drill for the installation of tie backs

• Removal of excavated material via narrow stairwells and utility corridors

• Supply of materials and tools via narrow stairwells and utility corridors

In addition, HCM’s scope of work includes increasing the depth of an existing elevator pit, building underpinning, exterior stair concrete footings and retaining walls.

Client: EllisDon Corporation
Location: Toronto, Ontario

Medicine Hat Regional Hospital – New Tower Expansion

Medicine Hat Regional Hospital – New Tower Expansion

Medicine Hat Regional Hospital – New Tower Expansion

The Government of Alberta and Alberta Health Services (AHS) have broken ground on this project, which will renovate and expand the hospital to improve patient services and reduce wait times. When complete, the $200-million redevelopment will expand available ambulatory care space and will allow more space for the emergency department, surgical suite, maternal/child care, and include a rooftop helipad.

HCM Contractors Inc. was successful with its’ proposal that included 100 Belled Caissons at depths up to 100 feet, 7000 ft2 of caisson wall, and the underpinning of 7 major columns to support the additional load imposed by the new structure. The underpinning is particularly challenging because much of the work is to be completed inside of an operational hospital with limited access and noise and vibration concerns. HCM employed a unique method of transferring the load from the column footings to the micro piles that ensured a good bond and efficient design.

This project comes on the heels of the newly constructed MHRH Energy Centre, another successfully completed project by HCM in the fall of 2012.

Client: Stuart Olson Dominion Ltd.
Location: Medicine Hat, Alberta

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

Currie Reservoir – Continuous Caisson Wall

Currie Reservoir - Continuous Caisson Wall

Increased Safety: We Used Horizontal H-Piles

This project is a part of a large upgrade to the Currie Reservoir in southwest Calgary, Alberta. The project included the installation of a caisson wall as well as horizontal shoring and underpinning.

  • The purpose of the installation of the caisson wall was to provide support for the existing pump-house structure as the excavation was taking place between the pump-house and underground water tank.
  • The retaining wall was designed by J.R. Spronken & Associates Ltd. as a Cantilever Secant Pile Wall with a maximum excavation depth of 8.0m below grade.
  • The length of the shoring wall is approximately 48 linear meters with total exposed surface area of about 370 square meters.
  • The pile sizes used include 760mm soldier piles and 610mm filler piles. The overall scope of the work consisted of drilling 28 soldier piles and 30 filler piles.

The client also approached HCM with the request to provide horizontal shoring/underpinning at the bottom of the excavation in order to provide a safe working platform for the connection of a 900mm diameter pipe between the pump-house and water tank. HCM completed this task by pushing a series of H-piles horizontally, using a hydraulic jack which was set-up on a specially designed steel frame system attached to the caisson wall.

HCM Contractors completed this project ahead of schedule and to the complete satisfaction of both the client and the engineer.

Client: PCL Construction Management
Location: Calgary, Alberta

Currie Reservoir

Currie Reservoir

Horizontal Underpinning

This project consisted of an interlocking secant pile wall, combined with horizontal underpinning to accommodate a new connection to a pump house at the Currie reservoir in Calgary. The interlocking secant pile wall (caisson wall) allows for an accelerated construction schedule as it eliminates the ground loss that is present with the use of other styles of shoring. Where utilities were present, bracing supports were used to resist the lateral pressures present behind the filler piles.

Unique to this job was the installation of horizontal underpinning. The job required a new connection between the existing reservoir and pump house. To accomplish this task, a tunnel had to be created to accommodate the 900mm connecting water pipe. The underpinning provides support for the tunnel walls. The system worked well; after excavation, the resulting tunnel allowed safe access for the installation of the connection pipe to the pump house.

Because of the job’s proximity to the working water reservoir, special environmental precautions had to be taken in order to avoid contamination. Site-specific procedures were implemented; in instances where lubricating oils had to be used, for example when sliding the horizontal underpinning beams, food grade oils were used over hydrocarbon-based oils. As a result, the integrity of the water supply was maintained throughout the duration of the project.

Client: PCL
Location: Calgary, Alberta

TTC Wilson Complex Modification

TTC Wilson Complex Modification

Engineering Solutions

The Toronto Transit Commission will be purchasing all new subway cars in the near future, creating the requirement of larger maintenance carhouses. The original contract drawings employed caisson wall, soldier piles and lagging, and conventional concrete underpinning for the earthwork specifications related to our field of work. HC Matcon proposed an alternative engineered solution that included the use of shotcrete, underpinning, micropiles, soldier piles and shotcrete lagging (SPSL) to achieve the same effect. The acceptance of this proposal allowed for a substantial cost savings to the owner, as well as a shorter construction schedule for the various contractors involved. Mechanical jacking pits were built where shoring is used as a backform for manholes. Shoring for carhouses below- grade will be used as a backform for foundation walls. The substitution of shotcrete underpinning in lieu of caisson walls will allow for easier access to the tunnel portion of the project. This will allow for less demolition of the existing building and less clearance issues.

The above are just a couple examples of the innovations that HCM Contractors Inc. will use to add value to any project.

Client: Aquicon Construction
Location: Toronto, Ontario

EEEL University of Calgary

EEEL University of Calgary

Zero Ground Loss

This project followed shortly after finishing the Taylor Family Digital Library project, which was in close proximity to this site on the same campus. Design considerations for the foundations were almost identical to the previous project, with the installation of approximately 175 cast-in-place belled piles. Again, this new building was a result of the fast-growing population at the University of Calgary and the demand for specialty studies with emphasis on future global trends such as clean energy and the environment.

The soil conditions, which are typical and uniform throughout the mentioned site, consisted mainly of silty sand and clay till which is ideal for large capacity belled piles.

  • The shafts for the piles were predominantly 900mm, 1000mm, and 1,200mm in diameter.
  • The bells were sized at: 2000mm, 2400mm, 2800mm, 3400mm and 3600mm in diameter.

The average founding depth on this project was approximately 13.0m – 17.0m with the need to protect the upper portion of the pile shafts by using temporary casing approximately 8.0m long. The concrete volumes for single piles ranged between 23 – 26 cubic meters. Among the challenges for HCM on this project was installation of piles in close proximity to a concrete utility tunnel. EllisDon approached HCM with a request for shoring and underpinning on a portion of the tunnel.

HCM proposed a design/build tied-back continuous caisson wall method where special consideration was given to the stated goal of zero ground loss from underneath of the tunnel.

Client: EllisDon Corporation
Location: Calgary, Alberta

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

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