The additon and renovation to the Ontario College of Art and Design was one of the first Star projects to start in downtown Toronto. By the Fall of 2003 the steel was topped out. It has created a major point of attraction in this arts neighbourhood. The erection of the steel was quite fascinating as the combination of the long 27 metre angled legs and trussed table top presented some unusual issues. Some innovation was required on the part of the fabricator/erector to solve these problems without resorting to either scaffolding or much temporary shoring.

Please follow the links at the left hand side of this page to view the areas of this case study. There are some design and construction images and drawings that have been provided by the architectural and engineering team, based on a presentation given to the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction during a formal tour of the building in November 2003. Images of the fabrication were donated by the steel fabricator, Walters Inc. of Hamilton. PCL Constructors donated the majority of the construction images. Later construction images and finished shots were taken by myself.

The contents of the case study are only intended to provide an understanding of the logistics involved in creating such an ususual structural system. Member sizes and specific connections are not included as the information is intended only to provide a better understanding of the concept and logistics, not technical specifics.

Terri Meyer Boake - University of Waterloo © 2013 Steel Structures Education Foundation