June 11, 2007

Seismic Upgrades

Vancouver Technical school gets upgrade

Peter Mitham

Correspondent

New rules governing seismic upgrades are ensuring the cost-efficiency of a landmark Vancouver technical school.

Seismic bridging guidelines drafted by the B.C. Ministry of Education in 2005 allow original materials to be strengthened rather than replaced. One of the first schools where they’re being applied is Vancouver Technical Secondary School, which is in the midst of a $40-million renovation program. The upgrade is the seismic upgrade to a school funded by the ministry from a $1.5-billion fund allocated for such projects.

The renovations are currently in their second phase and include improvements to the original four-storey academic building as well as the auditorium and boiler room. The work includes approximately $1.2 million in asbestos removal and remediation.

The school’s shop building, which includes the largest woodworking and metalworking shops in the province, ended in August. A gym and cafeteria were renovated under a separate contract in 2002.

Total project costs of $50 million are being funded with $45 million from the province and $5 million from the Vancouver School Board. Work is slated to complete in late 2008.

The school requires three types of improvement: Seismic upgrading to protect the school and its students in the event of an earthquake; a reduction in school size from 323,000 square feet to 285,250 square feet; and renovations to bring school systems up to current building and safety code requirements.

Though the original portion of the school opened in 1928, later additions to the building presents unique challenges because it was built in three phases, beginning in 1928. Many of the building materials are no longer common, for example, requiring extra care to restore in order to preserve the original fabric of the building, a B-class heritage property.

“We’ve got everything here in respect of construction: We’ve got heavy timbers, we’ve got some steel, we’ve got concrete, we’ve got just about everything,” said John Murnane, capital projects manager with the Vancouver School Board.

During a recent tour of the building, Murnane pointed out sheer walls, steel diaphragms and wood beams added to the existing building to strengthen the structure. Less visible are soil anchors, some of which descend 90 feet into the earth. Attention to detailing has ensured the additions are not just functional but consistent with the school’s original feel and appearance.

Respecting the day-to-day operations of the school was also important.

General contractor Dominion Fairmile Construction Ltd., which oversees 70 to 110 workers on site at any one time, drafted a complex schedule for the phasing of the upgrades. Students are accommodated in a hive of 16 portable classrooms while work proceeds. Work that threatens to stir up too much dust or create excessive noise occurs outside regular school hours.

Though students in VanTech’s Work Experience program aren’t participating in the actual construction work, the project has created a number of teaching opportunities.

Design students, for example, had a chance to check work in the first phase for deficiencies.

“When they moved into the new space, they all did deficiency work,” Murnane said. “It was a great help to everyone.”

The upgrades are important because current provincial standards for school construction mean any rebuilding of the school would result in less classroom space than in the current building.

Peter Mitham

Vancouver Technical Secondary School is in the midst of a $40-million renovation program. The upgrade is the seismic upgrade to a school funded by the ministry from a $1.5-billion fund allocated for such projects.

“The shops we have now are quite large spaces, and they’ve got quite a lot of equipment in them that, under the current guidelines and standards, we would not be able to fit,” Murnane said.

Principal David Derpak welcomes the improvements. Without them, he feels VanTech would be just another school without the ability to provide the range of course offerings it currently does.

Sentimental reasons also make him grateful for the improvements: His mother attended VanTech in the 1940s, and he has several family connections to the area. The investment in the future of the school ensures it will continue to serve its purpose as an important part of the community in the years ahead. “VanTech, as it stands, will largely be retained,” he said.>

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