PCL Construction Inc. Site Visit

We began our day later than usual at 9 AM with a delicious breakfast at the Cedar Point Best Western in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. After filling our stomachs with sausage, bacon and eggs, we headed to the office trailers of PCL Construction, Inc. to visit their construction project on the Edmonton Clinic. The hosts of the Global Leaders were Mike Staines, Construction Manager; Sarah Carline, Human Resources Manager; and Nick Borody, Safety Manager. Our activities began with a brief safety orientation by Nick, which discussed the various on-site hazards and the location of the various muster points or locations of congregation due to an emergency. After Nick’s presentation both Sarah and Mike led a presentation about PCL Construction and the work they were performing at the Edmonton Clinic, including both the South and North towers. The South Tower is a collection of various clinics serving both the general population and the University of Alberta and is an all concrete building. The North Tower is a medical learning facility, which includes classrooms and laboratories for the University of Alberta students and is a steel structure. Between the two projects, there is a total of 80 PCL staff who manage a combined construction cost of $725 million on a cost reimbursable construction management contract.

South Tower

The Project began in the summer of 2008 with a construction schedule of 45 months and is currently on schedule. This building is working towards LEED Silver through the Canada Green Building Council and maintains an extremely clean construction site, which also helps eliminate safety issues. All garbage is sorted in the basement of the facility into cardboard, wood, steel and general waste and helps to divert waste from landfills and allow for the reuse. The building was initially designed to be twice the size; however, through various budget cuts and value engineering it was reduced to save money and reduce the construction schedule. The current building is 62,300 square meters and has trade manpower of approximately 400 people. During our visit we noted the immense size of the mechanical ductwork going from the mechanical penthouse throughout the building. These types of buildings require a great amount of air change during the course of the day, hence the large ductwork.

North Tower

The Project began approximately the same time as the South Tower with a construction schedule of 42 months and currently on schedule. This Project is also pursuing LEED Silver certification and is using many of the same methods as the South Tower to achieve this certification. One unique feature of the building are the atriums located throughout that bring in an immense amount of natural sunlight allowing interior offices to have a source of daylight. Like the South Tower, the owner required that this building be reduced in size to 50,000 square meters.