May 28, 2010

FEATURE | Steel

Clear span trusses at Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara may set a new record

DAN O’REILLY

correspondent

The 250-foot-long clear span trusses in the 82,000-square-foot main convention hall of the recently completed $70-million Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls, Ont. may be the longest of their kind in the world.

“Certainly they’re one of longest we’ve ever designed,” says Gordon Kwan, principal with exp. (formerly Banerjee & Associates Limited).

exp. are the structural designers of the city-owned centre, which also includes a 17,000-square-foot ballroom and a 1,028-seat performing arts theatre — also with long spans — plus a number of meeting rooms and break-out spaces.

The length of the 11 trusses wasn’t the only feature — and design and construction challenge — that faced the design-build team headed by Bondfield Construction in collaboration with CS&P Architects, Stanford Downey Architects and the Kirkland Partnership. It was designed to meet LEED Silver certification.

Those challenges included the owner’s requirements, a very aggressive schedule and the loading conditions.

The 288,000-square-foot facility is the first convention centre in Niagara Falls and is intended to generate convention business during the city’s non-tourist months. The city wanted it built quickly and for that reason structural design began almost immediately after the Bondfield consortium was chosen as the award winner in late 2008, says Kwan.

The very nature of a convention centre also dictated the design and dimensions of the trusses, which won’t just be supporting the roof. Spaced every 30 feet apart with joists in between, the 65-ton, 30-feet-deep trusses will be used for hanging a variety of marketing material ranging from light to very heavy objects, says the engineer, using the example of an auto show.

Canam Canada collaborated with the structural engineers on the design and detailing of the trusses which were fabricated and bolted at its Mississaugam, Ont. and Boucherville and St. Gédéon, Que. plants. After fabrication they were unbolted and trucked to the site in sections, says engineering manager Mike Holleran.

“They were knock-downs, so that didn’t present any major transportation challenges.”

They were reassembled and erected by Better Iron Works, which also fabricated the columns and beams.

In addition, Canam also designed and fabricated open-web steel joists, joist girders, trusses and an acoustical deck to prevent echoing and reverberation.

The open web joists were designed to permit additional and future hanging loads, says Holleran.

Weekly progress meeting with representatives of the design build contractor, Canam and the three architectural firms was instrumental in delivering the centre on time, says Norman Landry, principal, Stanford Downey Architects.

The Toronto-based firm was responsible for the envelope design and steel co-ordination.

“This was an extremely fast-paced project. We started design work very early in 2009 and by July 20 issued the final tender package.”

The main entrance is distinguished by a glass curtain wall allowing spectators to see inside the building and for convention delegates to see outside, says Landry.

Print | Comment