Project details
Graestone Ready Mix Inc. (Graestone) planned to develop a new ready-mix concrete facility on Mitchell Island in the City of Richmond. Graestone engaged CWA to develop concepts and layouts for the plant arrangements and to prepare a comprehensive permitting package to meet the municipality’s stringent requirements. CWA also carried out the detailed design of the mixer plant structure, the cement silo structures, the water-management concrete works, and the power supply.
Challenges
Municipal approval of the building permitting package was required for the project to proceed. The comprehensive permitting submission included preliminary arrangements and layouts, an environmental management plan (including concrete recycling, process and storm water management, spill prevention, and emergency planning), noise, traffic impact, and energy studies, as well as a construction schedule.
Due to the site being located in a flood zone, the design needed to accommodate the potential for flooding due to a future rise in water levels. As the site was in a high seismic-hazard area, the structural design of steel and concrete structures required high seismic parameters.
Additionally, the site’s limited footprint required an efficient site plan and a design that would optimize the property’s utilization while providing for efficient operation of the equipment and structures required by the concrete facility.
Solutions
CWA prepared preliminary arrangements and layouts and ensured that all requirements for the permitting submission were fulfilled to provide the municipal authorities with assurances that the facility would not negatively impact the surrounding environment, and that the neighbouring residential community would not be disturbed by the plant’s operations.
The detailed design phase of the project employed a combination of shallow and deep foundations to meet the high seismic parameters, and to optimize utilization of the site.