Apr 01, 2015
We are delighted to announce that Sweeny &Co Architects, Stephenson Engineering, Walters Group, and CAST CONNEX took home an Award of Excellence last night at the 2015 Ontario Regional Steel Design Awards for our work on Allied Properties REIT’s Queen Richmond Centre West. We are so happy to have been given the opportunity to collaborate on such an incredible, iconic development in our hometown of Toronto, and are humbled by the steel industry’s acknowledgement of the project’s daring design and engineering excellence.
The Queen Richmond Centre West is a brilliant example of adaptive re-use in its incorporation of two existing heritage buildings into the construction of a new 11-storey office building. The new office tower springs from a tabletop that spans above both buildings 70-feet above street level and is perched atop three architecturally exposed structural steel Mega Delta-Frames. The innovative Mega Delta-Frames create a soaring atrium that sets this development apart from any other.
Each of the Mega Delta-Frames supports over 90,000 kN (20,000 kips) in gravity loading and is a major component of the building’s lateral force resisting system. The frames are comprised of concrete filled 1-metre diameter, 50 mm thick steel pipes and 17-ton cast steel nodes.
A mixed-use development bringing urban intensification to a previously avoided intersection of Toronto’s west core, this new office development is also created in harmony with the surrounding community. Originally constructed as biscuit factory by Westen Bakery in 1915, the salvaging of the handsome century-old brick building helps retain a part of the neighborhood’s heritage. This is an important aspect to preserving Toronto’s character while still bringing new business and life to the area.
While the building’s atrium and retail spaces extend the public realm indoors, passersby often stop to marvel at the extraordinary feat of structural engineering. Walking into the building’s atrium, it is hard to grasp the weight that the Mega Delta-Frames carry. The space feels open and airy. The nodes cause the frames to appear as three seamless, monolithic forms. There is softness in the way in which the legs of each frame lean towards the center, appear to gently kiss one another, and then spring apart again. In short, this project exemplifies engineering elegance that provides architectural excellence.
We were also delighted to hear that Group2 Architecture Interior Design Ltd., Stantec, Whitemud Ironworks Group Inc., and Apex Structural Design picked up an Award of Excellence at the 2015 Alberta Regional Steel Design Awards for their work on the University of Alberta Physical Activity and Wellness (PAW) Centre, which features nearly 1,000 of our Universal Pin Connectors.
What a wonderful start to 2015. We again congratulate our colleagues and friends on their outstanding achievements and thank them for allowing us the opportunity to collaborate in bringing their inspired designs to life.
