Project details
CWA was retained by Lafarge Canada Inc. (Lafarge) as the prime consultant responsible for engineering, procurement, and construction management services for a new ready-mix facility in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The project included the following elements:
- A barge berth designed to accommodate 6,000-tonne barges.
- A 1,400 t/h barge unloading and stacking conveyor system.
- Aggregate storage bins.
- A fully-enclosed wet-batch ready-mix concrete plant.
- A concrete recycling system.
- Water treatment systems.
- An office building.
Site preparation for the project included seismic ground improvements, foreshore protection, and site grading. Site services including water, sewer, gas, and electricity supply were also part of CWA’s scope.
Challenges
Located in the heart of Vancouver, the project required sustainable solutions to achieve a balance between costs and social and environmental conditions.
Solutions
CWA designed the plant with the latest environmental and recycling technologies, including covered storage and a fully-enclosed indoor plant to minimize dust and noise emissions. A process water treatment plant and Enviro-Port return concrete recycling system minimized the volume of water that is treated and released into the surrounding marine environment. CWA used a low-profile design to reduce the plant height by 40 percent and an existing nesting area with two resident bald eagles was reinforced, with an adjacent artificial nest constructed in consultation with eagle conservation experts.
By working with Lafarge to optimize the batch plant and conveyor designs, CWA kept costs to a minimum and completed the project under budget.