November 24, 2008

ELLISDON

EllisDon senior superintendent Scott Jesney (left) and construction manager Jack Stelpstra pose in the glulam beam supported Galleria Italia promenade at the recently expanded Art Gallery of Ontario.

For EllisDon, failure was ‘not an option’ on Transformation AGO project

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

As legendary NASA flight director Gene Kranz said in reference to the Apollo 13 rescue: “Failure is not an option.”

EllisDon construction manager Jack Stelpstra adopted that phrase as his mantra when it came to the Art Gallery of Ontario’s (AGO) ambitious expansion. The recently completed project includes a mix of newly built and renovated spaces.

EllisDon, which signed a guaranteed maximum price contract with the AGO and acted as construction manager “at risk,” was responsible for translating architect Frank Gehry’s vision into reality.

“There were inherent challenges as the AGO remained operational throughout the construction process,” Stelpstra said. “As well, the gallery had seen a number of major expansions over the past 100 years. We had to look at existing spaces and build new ones, fulfilling Gehry’s complex design features and penchant for detail.”

ELLISDON

A stainless steel and glass clad staircase that scales the heights of the new south tower.

The Transformation AGO project includes 190,000 square feet of renovated space and 97,000 square feet of newly built space. The base construction cost was $130 million.

Key design features include:

• An elegant glass and Douglas-fir timber façade that spans 600 feet along Dundas Street West, the length of two football fields, and rises 70 feet above street level.

• A new titanium and glass-faced five-storey south wing overlooking Grange Park.

• A new glass roof over Walker Court, the historic heart of the gallery, and a light-filled walkway around its upper perimeter.

• A sculptural staircase scaling the heights of the dramatic new south tower.

• Extensive glazing on both the north and south facades.

Stelpstra, who has been at EllisDon for the past 20 years, said successful completion of the project required close collaboration with Los Angeles-based Gehry International Architects Inc., as well as the team of consultants and subcontractors.

“Working collaboratively, we were able to address issues and come up with solutions that were innovative and constructible,” he said.

ELLISDON

A staircase soars from the second floor and links historic Walker Court to event space.

The project presented its share of challenges.

One such challenge involved construction of the “feature” staircase that cantilvers on the north side of the south tower. That involved some logistical nightmares.

“It was an island onto itself in the middle of nowhere,” Stelpstra said. “We had to figure out how to support it in a temporary fashion, how to get it up and how to clad it.”

Construction of the glulam-beam supported promenade named Galleria Italia posed headaches as well, given that “no two pieces are alike.

“The design of the connections was a difficult challenge as were the installation of the glulam and co-ordination of the glazing,” Stelpstra said.

Painstaking attention was paid to selection and application of interior Douglas fir veneers that are installed throughout the facility.

“Gehry’s office was very, very particular about the quality of the veneers,” Stelpstra said. “We had them look at every single sheet to make sure it was acceptable.”

Likewise, he said, the quality of the wood flooring “is better than A . We call it Gehry quality.”

Stelpstra, who worked closely with senior EllisDon superintendent Scott Jesney during the course of construction, said the project required “a lot of hard work, dedication and teamwork.

“We had the A-team of subtrades,” he said.

ELLISDON

A dramatic glass and timber facade along Dundas Street West.

Key subcontracts were pre-tendered, including demolition, mechanical, electrical, structural steel and glulam.

Prior to signing its contract as construction manager, in January 2006, EllisDon was extensively involved in pre-planning and preconstruction activities.

The consultant team included structural engineers Halcrow Yolles, mechanical engineers H.H. Angus & Associates and electrical engineers Mulvey & Banani International Inc.

A total of 42 subcontractors were on site. Some of the key subs were Benson Steel (structural steel); Antamex Inc. (curtainwall); Structurlam (glulam); Provincial Store Fixtures (millwork); Architectural Millwork Installations (millwork installations); Cesaroni (drywall); George A. Kelson (mechanical); Ozz Corporation (electrical); Flynn Canada (metal cladding); and Mariani Metals (specialty stairs).

The AGO re-opened its doors to the public last weekend.

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