CENTRAL CONDOMINIUMS : CONCRETE STRUCTURE

Central is a building made out of concrete, one of the most common construction materials that can be used in a vast range of applications such as dams, foundations and walkways. It's also one of the most economical and versatile construction material and essentially consists of cement, aggregates, water and additives.

To create a structure, concrete is poured into a mold so that it can take its shape. In this case, the mold is made out of plywood sheets supported by a metal scaffolding system. For each floor, the scaffolding system has to be assembled and disassembled. The plywood sheets are added on top. That's quite a bit of work!

There are many ways to build a concrete structure. In the case of Central, the large U-shape structure is being built in two sections. The north section (Part 1) was built first and the south section (Part 2) is currently being built. I imagine it will be done relatively soon. The structure of the north section was completed a couple weeks ago and the 6th floor of the south section is being poured. Building in sections allows other trades, such as plumbers, framers, and electricians, can start working sooner.

To build the structure, every so often a concrete truck comes on site to deliver the concrete. The concrete is hoisted to the appropriate level with a crane, one "giant bucket" at a time. Pumping the concrete would have been faster, but also more expensive. On each level, steel bars have been arranged in a grid pattern ahead of time in order to reinforce the concrete, hence the name "reinforced concrete". Concrete is very strong when you compress it but not as strong when you try to bend it, so the addition of the steel bars gives it more tensile strength. Most concrete structures nowadays require steel bars.

So the concrete is poured on top of the temporary plywood floor to cover the steel grid. It is then made smooth by the workers. The tall steel bars you see sticking out of the concrete slabs are used to reinforce the concrete walls which come next. After the floor slabs are poured, forms in the shape of boxes are placed above the slab to create the walls. Concrete walls will be present throughout the building for the elevator shaft and staircases for example.

UPGRADING A STANDARD URBAN BALCONY

When you live in a high rise building in the city, having a little outdoor space to call your own, however small, is a good thing. It's an opportunity to get some fresh air and and reconnect with nature a little. Unfortunately, most of the balconies that come in high rise buildings are rather bare and uninviting. Still, with a bit sprucing up, you can turn your concrete box into an oasis. It just needs a little upgrade. The balcony show above is currently undergoing an upgrade.

The first step is to change the flooring. There are several options available and after doing a bit of research, I decided to go with resin Balcony and Deck Tiles by EON, which are very easy to install and cost about 7$ per square feet. You can cut them to fit any space. If you don't have access to a circular saw, you can just fill in the gaps with planters or river rocks. Below is the "before" and "part 1" images. Part 2 will be the furniture arrangement.

CENTRAL CONDOMINIUMS : CONSTRUCTION PROCESS

It's fascinating to see how a high rise building takes shape and changes the landscape of a neighborhood. Not too long ago, this corner of Bank and Gladstone essentially consisted of a parking lot. Now you can see a 9-storey building taking shape.

The goal of this series is to share the process of constructing an urban condo downtown Ottawa step by step and share my findings. So I'll take you from the plans all the way to the final product : A completed condo unit. Hopefully, I'll also be able to show you the common rooms and the commercial spaces that will be on the main floor.

So far the main structure on the north section is completed and the concrete slabs are being poured on the south section. There's obviously a lot of preparation that needs to be done before pouring the concrete and then the concrete walls and columns are poured.

The fitting of the condo units will be an interesting process to follow as well. During my first couple visits, I noticed that the location of the interior walls were marked up (shown as red lined on the floor) and then the base of the interior wall structures attached.

In this case, the demising walls are built first. Demising walls are basically the walls that separate one residents's space from another, and from the common corridor. You can see them in the picture below.

I also learned an interesting fact about the numbering system in a condo unit. Typically, the numbering will start from the left of the elevator and continue in a clockwise fashion. This has  to do with making it easier for the visually impaired to find a unit. I like how each unit number is marked on the floor so it's a bit easier to figure out where you are.

Another interesting fact that I discovered is that construction workers have the best view. The following two pictures were taken from the future mechanical room area of the building.

I hope you'll find this new series interesting and informative. Comments and questions are welcomed, as always. Stay tuned for some more.