Halifax, Nova Scotia – August 28, 2008: Aecon Group Inc. (TSX: ARE) announced today that its Atlantic Buildings Division has been awarded a Construction Management contract for the new $27 million Academic Building at Dalhousie University in Halifax.
The project involves the demolition of the existing tower structure and a church hall on the site of the new building, and the subsequent construction of a 104,000 square-foot Academic Building. The new building will be four floors above ground, plus a penthouse, and a below ground basement level with storage and mechanical and electrical rooms. The new Academic Building will also include an atrium to separate the classroom wing from the Faculty office spaces.
Phase one of the project, which was delivered under a separate contract, involved the demolition of the existing structures and has already been fully completed. The expected completion date for the construction of the new building is June 2010.
The project is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver targeted project, and includes a number of ‘green’ components such as:
- Solarwall panels to help maximize solar energy gain.
- A ‘green’ roofing system that uses a combination of ENERGY STAR® compliant and vegetated roofing materials to minimize the impact on human and wildlife habitat.
- Bicycle storage and showers/change rooms dedicated for cyclists’ use.
- Premium mechanical controls and indoor air quality monitoring systems.
- This will be the first building in Atlantic Canada to use Bubble Deck® Concrete Slabs, which reduces the overall concrete volume and eliminates drop panels, subsequently maximizing headroom, in adherence to municipal height restriction bylaws.
This project is the most recent in a series of contract awards for Aecon, supporting the development and expansion of the social infrastructure needs across Canada. Other recent Aecon awards in this area include projects for St. Mary’s University in Halifax, the University of Waterloo in Ontario, the Smiths Falls District Hospital in Ontario, and the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute in Toronto.
“We are particularly pleased that we will be introducing new construction techniques and materials designed to respect our environment as part of this exciting project, said Frank Ross, President, Aecon Atlantic. “We are delighted to have been selected to manage the construction of this new Academic Building which will serve thousands of Dalhousie students for years to come.”
Aecon Group Inc. is Canada's largest publicly traded construction and infrastructure development company. Aecon and its subsidiaries provide services to private and public sector clients throughout Canada and internationally. Aecon is pleased to be recognized as one of the 50 Best Employers in Canada as published by Report on Business Magazine.