KPU Courtyard

Exterior Stucco Removal at Kwantlen Polytechnic University

After receiving funding from the Government of Canada's Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund and the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education, KPU was beginning a $22 Million renovation with a major infrastructor upgrade to their Spruce Building. The renovation will add 2,100 square meters of space to the building, reduce energy consumption, increase the capacity for innovation, maximize existing space, and enhance applied research, training and experiential learning opportunities. We were contracted by Yellowridge Contruction to remove the exterior walls of the courtyard to facilitate the construction usable interior building space.

CLIENT

Yellowridge Construction Ltd.

SERVICE

Select Demolition & Mould Remediation

LOCATION

Surrey

TIMEFRAME

2017 (6 Months)

Project scope and our approach.

The original scope of the project was to tear down the exterior walls of the courtyard so that that space could be closed in and become usable interior campus space. However, once we began the project we discovered mould along the drywall sheets. We brought in a testing company and the scope of the project expanded to include the remediation of the mould and the demolition of the exterior walls.

KPU isolated that wing of the university and closed of the courtyard to everyone except for certified construction workers to limit the risk and hazard to the school's students and faculty. We worked on this project with a five man crew who removed the stucco in pieces and placed them into bins as general waste and brought the contaminated drywall waste to the appropriate recycling facility.

CREATIVE SOLUTIONS

Due to the location and nature of this project, our largest challenge was the environment.

Obstacle 1

We were not allowed to damage any trees in the courtyard until they had been removed by the appropriate professionals so we needed to carefully maneuver our scaffolding equipment

Solution

We used an aerial platform known as an articulating boom lift with a basket to move ourselves strategically around the trees

Obstacle 2

This project took place in the middle of the summer so the elements became a critical concern with extreme heat temperatures combined with all of safety equipment

Solution

We started work earlier in the day to beat the heat as much as possible and we also took frequent water breaks to ensure the health or our workers

Results to date.

During this project, we were able to remove the mould and demolish the exterior walls which allowed KPU to:

Provide space for an additional 300 student spaces over the course of an academic term
Address deferred maintenance and aging infrastructure of a building that was 27 years old
Build what is now considered one of the most innovative learning spaces in the province

The renovations to the spruce building were completed in April 2018.