Macdonald Block Complex Disentanglement
The Macdonald Block Complex is a set of four office buildings that house the largest concentration of Ontario public servants in the province, including cabinet ministers and various Ontario government ministries.
Bird's scope of work was to supply all labour, materials, equipment, and subcontractors to decommission, divert, and isolate and isolate the complex's mechanical services for future renovation work.
In addition, this project included upgrades to the complex's chilled water system including installation of new pumps and heat exchangers. The steam system was also upgraded to comply with new building codes and support new capabilities of the installed mechanical systems. The civil and structural scope included an existing parking level, which required shoring and the installation of concrete helical piles for floor reinforcement.
As general contractor for this project, Bird Infrastructure worked closely with a number of subcontractors to service fire alarms, high voltage electrical systems, civil and structural, and sprinklers. To meet critical deadlines, Bird Infrastructure managed a 24-hour crew through crucial stages of the project.
An Around-the-Clock Effort
At certain points throughout the project, Bird had crews working 24/7 to meet the schedule’s tight deadlines.
Project Details
A new chilled water system was connected to the existing 20-inch Enwave System. Bird upgraded the domestic water system to a new eight-inch incoming water main to serve the entire complex. The upgraded system included new pumps and heat exchangers, complete with high-performance isolation valves connected to the existing services within the complex. The steam system was also upgraded to support the new mechanical system capabilities and to comply with new building codes.
Team Selection
Bird assembled all subcontractors, including fire alarm, electrical, high-voltage, civil, structural, engineering, and sprinkler.
Civil Services
These included upgrades to the existing parking level required shoring and concrete helical piles for floor reinforcement.
