SUSTAINABLE CONCRETE COSTRUCTIONLittle Mountain Reservoir Reconstruction
Address: 4600 Cambie Street, Q.E. Park, Vancouver, BC
Owner: Greater Vancouver Regional District
Architects: N/A
Structural Engineer: Sandwell Engineering Inc. & Associated Engineering Ltd.
General Contractor: Graham Industrial Services Ltd.
Ready-Mix Supplier: Lafarge Canada Inc.
The Little Mountain Reservoir in Queen Elizabeth Park, measures the size of 4 football fields.
When studies indicated significant structural and seismic deficiencies, the decision was made to replace it with one of increased capacity and enhanced reliability.
C oncrete was a natural choice to provide both the structural and sustainable solution required by the project team. Concrete offered a 100 year design life, resistance to maximum credible earthquake, maximized recycling of demolished materials and higher flyash content in the mix design.
The concept was simple, but innovative - a monolithic six-sided concrete box with no expansion joints, incorporating a central dividing wall to create two cells.
The sixteen high-performance, high volume flyash concrete mix designs and QA/QC schedule developed by the project team were critical to the long term durability of the project, ensuring a smooth, crack-free surface.
This sustainable demolition and reconstruction project successfully followed an ambitious construction schedule, completing construction on the first cell in just nine months, before the peak water demand period in summer, and wrapped up just five months later, on time and within budget.
