Canada Games Park on target for fall finish
Increased cost of materials has yet to exceed $90M budget
Despite working through the COVID-19 pandemic, construction of the Canada Games Park building remains on schedule as it rises from what used to be a Brock University parking lot.
“We’re still making progress on our anticipated schedule,” said Aquicon Construction project manager Michael Salij.
Although work on the project was stopped for about four weeks during the early days of the pandemic due to a mandated government shutdown, Salij said the construction industry was soon deemed to be essential and work resumed during the initial shutdown to manufacture steel components for the facility.
Although Niagara’s Canada Summer Games’ board opted to postpone the Games by one year until August 2022, Salij said completing the $90-million sports facility within its original schedule remained a top priority.
“It was very clear to all of our subtrades at the very beginning that this was priority No. 1,” he said, adding the resources needed to complete the building were allocated to it.
He said builders didn’t experience any delays in the shipment of materials.
“Obviously there are huge setbacks in the industry in terms of scheduling, but we don’t anticipate any slippage at this time.”
The project, however, has been hit with significant increases in building materials costs, related to the pandemic.
“We are not exempt from price increases,” Salij said. “It’s
“The design of this sport complex includes technologies and strategies that will effectively maximize the energy efficiency of the building and minimize greenhouse gas emissions.”
DOUG HAMILTON NIAGARA 2022 BOARD CHAIRMAN
kind of unprecedented.”
Niagara 2022 board chairman Doug Hamilton said the increased costs have yet to impact the budget set aside for the project.
“Thanks to the collective efforts of our host society and the
project’s consortium partners, we continue to work within the original budget established for Canada Games Park,” he said.
Hamilton said the facility — it includes a sport and ability centre of about 18,500 square metres, a 557-square-metre sport performance centre, a 930square-metre health and wellbeing centre, a 200-metre indoor track and 743 square metres of offices — was designed with more in mind than just esthetics.
He said the design also focuses on accessibility and environmental sustainability.
It was designed by Niagara Falls architects Raimondo and Associates, in partnership with Toronto-based Maclennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects.
“The design of this sport complex includes technologies and
strategies that will effectively maximize the energy efficiency of the building and minimize greenhouse gas emissions,” Hamilton said.
The fully accessible building was designed to be solar-ready, that would optimize daylight to reduce lighting requirements. Its mechanical system will use energy-efficient equipment and recover heat from both heating and ice-making equipment.
It also features a “green roof to provide shade, remove heat from the air and lower the temperature of the roof’s surface and surrounding air — all in an effort to reduce the heat island of the building.”