HBC Canada Inc appointed Gillam Group as the construction manager for this iconic condominium project in the heart of Hamilton at 98 James Street South.

The project features a 30-story tower containing 276 units, two levels of parking using a Klaus stacking system, and a podium containing retail use that connects to a historical structure that was a former church. The tower is enclosed with a curtainwall system.

Key challenges include:

  1. Designing construction logistics around a very tight site, including the use of a “just in time” system for materials management. Jackson Street West is occupied for construction use under a lane occupancy agreement with the city.
  2. Designing a tower with a small footprint to meet a challenging budget. The site does not easily accommodate an efficient layout, thereby requiring close integration between the design and construction team to optimize the design. This resulted in parking being removed from underground and placed within levels 2 and 3 of the tower.
  3. Managing local soil conditions within the confines of the budget. The Gillam team engaged local trade contractors to assist the engineers to design the most cost-effective foundation system, consisting of caissons founded at a depth of 40 m below grade.
  4. Gillam assisted the client in the management of the budget and compression of the schedule through extensive value engineering and constructability reviews.
  5. Historical integration of the existing church building into the design, as well as restoration of the church, within the confines of the budget.