OBNL-H

Located in an urban environment in Montreal, the new construction project was a challenge from start to finish. Initially, the project was developed and designed to be built using a lightweight wood frame, using conventional construction methods known in Quebec. Following the development of the preliminary concept and the revision of the schedule, it was quickly noticed that the construction schedule did not match the promise of financing the project. The project needed to be delivered more quickly.
The solution developed: the revision of the structural concept to allow modular construction. In a few days, the structural engineer revised his concept and drawings to design the items required to enable this modular construction, in daily coordination with a module manufacturer. In this type of turnaround during design, it is imperative that each stakeholder has total involvement in the project in order to quickly respond to each question raised. A weak link in the team would have permanently affected the project's schedule, and therefore its completion.
One of the major challenges of the project for the structural engineer was to achieve the desired architectural arrangements in the context of modular construction. The misalignment of the layouts between the floors and the basement led the engineer to provide a series of steel beams at the ground floor level to transfer the loads to the concrete foundations.