OCAD University, formerly the Ontario College of Art and Design, is a public university whose campus is located in Toronto, Ontario. The school is Canada’s largest and oldest educational institution for art and design. Constructed on a postage-stamp sized site in a very sensitive location, this building soars over a dense area of premier commercial, residential and arts communities.
Walters Inc. was involved in the Design Assist, fabrication, and erection of the steel structure.
This structure has a one-of-a-kind lateral system requiring a launch-out from the concrete core and an extensive temporary works program. We also had to overcome differential tolerances between concrete and steel and we came up with massive “goalpost” embedments in the core, set by Walters crews, to ensure the overall structure would meet the tighter tolerances.
Just to add to the pressure, our every move was being photographed and videoed by the stakeholders and broadcast on the internet. The level of planning intensity paid off in a choreographed execution of the project that was efficient, smooth, and timely.
Architects
The beauty of this unusual structure is that it redeems and enlivens the public space below the suspended college building. Long-span inclined column construction and a lateral system focused back to a rigid core with a small footprint demonstrated new possibilities for architects working in condensed urban environments.
