Bechtel, Barnard Construction and EllisDon converged to form BBE Hydro Constructors, a consortium of contractors to work on the Keeyask generating system on Manitoba’s Nelson River. The project includes a seven-unit powerhouse, 25km of earthen dam, excavating, electrical and mechanical work, a concrete spillway, and construction and removal of temporary cofferdams.
The remote location about 30km west of Gillam and the need for numerous machines meant that BBE would need temporary maintenance and storage facilities right at the job site for the duration of the project.
The specification parameters for the buildings included room for large construction vehicles, as well as a crane inside. And the building interior needed to be kept above freezing at all times.
"A lot of the temporary structures in the region are fabric structures, so we mainly looked at those types of buildings," said John Lehman, a superintendent with Bechtel.
Legacy Building Solutions was selected to supply two fabric buildings with R-30 insulation and a fabric liner. The structures also feature overhangs, icebreakers, gutters and downspouts.
The building used for daily maintenance and periodic service on trucks and equipment is equipped with TNR rubber roll-up doors plus 12 insulated service doors for personnel and small equipment.
The warehouse is designed for shelving and forklift runways. The ceiling height is more than 18ft-high at the sidewalls, with a peak clearance of 47ft, 11in. The structure has edge-of-dock, 25,000lb load capacity levellers with a 78in plate, 15in bumpers, and a 27in mechanical flip leveller and insulated, commercial steel coil and service doors.
"Due to the overall project timeline, the buildings had to be constructed in the dead of winter," said Lehman.
"So there were certainly environmental constraints with the extreme cold, but we were able to handle that challenge. We had a great working relationship with Legacy throughout the entire process. They supply a very high-quality fabric structure, and we’re certainly pleased with what we’ve seen from the buildings thus far."