August 27, 2010

R.V. ANDERSON ASSOCIATES LTD.

Hamilton looked at rebuilding the water treatment plant on a greenfield site, but the cost was prohibitive.

Hamilton water treatment plant stays in service during rebuilding operation

DAN O’REILLY

correspondent

Hamilton’s iconic Woodward Avenue Water Treatment Plant is receiving a $25 million structural and architectural reincarnation that involves the staged demolition and reconstruction of the four quadrants of the plant’s filter building along with some process upgrades.

The project includes rebuilding all the brick walls with new thermal insulation and vapour barrier to improve the sustainability and performance of the facility.

At the same time, the building’s classic 1930s Art Moderne architectural style — delineated by tall windows, a clay brick exterior, and Indiana limestone panels at the entranceways — is being replicated through the careful installation of the new brick and other materials that match, as close as possible, the original elements.

Alberici Constructors Ltd. is the general contractor overseeing the project that requires keeping half the plant operating at all times while the other half is removed from service. The project started in the fall of 2009 and is scheduled to be completed by the spring of 2011 so the city can qualify for funding under the Infrastructure Funding Program. The consultant is R. V. Anderson Associates Limited.

Located just off the Queen Elizabeth Way in the east end of city, the plant was built in 1931, with an addition built in the same architectural style during the early 1950s, said Bart Uzarowski, project manager with the capital works section of Hamilton’s water & wastewater division.

The substructure and the plant’s operating system are still in solid condition. As with most buildings constructed during those periods, however, it had no insulation or vapour barriers and the walls had deteriorated to the point they needed to be replaced, he says.

“We did consider a greenfield site, but the cost was prohibitive,” Uzarowski says in explaining why the city decided to reconstruct the plant rather than building a new facility.

The sequenced demolition and reconstruction is a complex undertaking as Woodward Avenue is the city’s only water treatment plant. Adding to the complexity is the commitment to maintain its heritage look, he adds.

However, the filter building is “neatly divided into four quadrants with a central hallway” and the peak of construction work is being carried out in non-summer months when there is less demand for water. “The plant can function with only three quadrants during those periods.”

Still, there have been more than a few hurdles, says Kirk Worounig project manager with R. V. Anderson Associates. “There were only partial drawings for the original (1930s) half.”

For Alberici Constructors project director Don Lauppe, the main challenge “has been working within a live plant and trying to make the best educated decision on how to reconstruct areas using the existing skeleton of the building, and making it look as pristine as when it was first constructed.”

The project started with the tearing down of the southwest quadrant in September 2009, followed by the demolition of the northwest quadrant by Priestly Demolition. Those sections have been rebuilt and were turned over to the water & wastewater division in May and June of this year. Demolition of the northeast quadrant started in July and by early spring 2011 that section and the southeast quadrant will have been rebuilt and also handed over, says Lauppe.

An approximately 90-per cent waste diversion rate was achieved through initiatives such as using the demolished brick and concrete as fill on other sites and the repurposing of concrete roof slabs and other material to provide temporary access for heavy equipment in muddy areas, says Lauppe.

Despite the objective of retaining the plant’s architectural look, most of the original brick could not be saved because it broke easily and the surfaces was blemished. Besides the installation of the similar-looking new brick, new aluminum-frame insulated glass windows are being inserted to replace the original single pane glass which had rusted steel frames, he says.

The restoration component also includes repairing the plant’s terrazzo flooring and replacing the damaged Indiana limestone panels.

Other work performed by Alberici and its crews include replacing the original hydraulic filter effluent valves with motorized ones, the disassembly and relining of some of the piping, plus the construction of a new two-storey administrative office.

Print | Email | Comment