With the noisy pile driving finished, workers can begin putting in some 3,000 truckloads of what insiders call ‘engineered dirt’ — and the bare rubble look will at last start to disappear

Frances Bula
Sun

Artist’s conception shows final convention centre, which will sit on three layers of high-strength concrete and easily accommodate crowds of 5,000. The pouring process is expected to take some 16 months.

The insider name for it is “engineered dirt.” We in the general public know it as concrete, that denser-than-fruitcake grey stuff that’s the foundation for everything in this city from Vancouver Specials to the 600-foot Shangri-La tower.

And it’s the featured material these days at the Vancouver convention-centre expansion now that the pile-driving is slowly but surely coming to an end.

With the pile work finished on the east end of the site, crews have started the 16-month job of pouring and placing the equivalent of 3,000 truckloads of concrete that will form foundation for the new centre.

If you drive past the site the waterfront road, you’ll see the bare rubble starting to disappear.

Instead there is a swarm of workers building forms for concrete to be poured into, embedding the reinforcing bars, directing the pours, and then carefully covering and watering the concrete to ensure that it sets properly.

If you drove past on some nights during the winter, you might even have seen them working then too.

The centre’s unique waterfront site, which is a metre lower than other buildings on the shore, has meant that high tides routinely wash over the concrete work.

Which, as it turns out, is much more of a science than many of us might have suspected.

The first thing that usually surprises the average non-construction-type gawker, Rob Karchewski tells me, is that concrete is basically crushed rock.

Apparently people think it must be more complicated than that. But it’s not.

It’s rock and gravel that’s been pulverized into a powder finer than espresso, then mixed up with a few other things like limestone and calcium, heated to 1,482 degrees Celsius, and mixed with water. The chemical reaction between the water and the minerals makes it set.

On the other hand, this very basic product — something the Greeks and Romans used before the technology was lost for a few hundred years until it was revived in 1700s Britain — has also been seriously tinkered with in recent decades.

Or, as Rob tells me, it’s “highly technical.” That’s engineering speak for lots of extra things have been added to it. (Rob is in fact an engineer, with a degree from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay before he was dragged kicking and screaming out to the West Coast four years ago and now the construction manager for Graham Construction and Engineering.)

The process for making concrete isn’t all that environmentally friendly, what with having to heat the rock up to several degrees more than your average oven.

So, now the manufacturers add waste products from other manufacturing processes, like the flyash that’s a byproduct of coal-burning power generators (which we import from Centralia, Wash., and Alberta) and silica.

As well, manufacturers add a lot of superplasticizer, which makes it a little more fluid and that helps with the pouring.

Plus there are other things in there that make the concrete today considerably stronger than what old Joseph Aspdin was coming up with back in 1700 and whatever.

Old-time concrete — perhaps the very concrete used to construct the 1980s building I’m currently in, for all I know — only had a strength of 3-4,000 psi. Now it’s up to 14,000 — or 20 to 100 megapascals, Rob explains to me helpfully.

And there will be a lot of it underneath the dance floor at the convention centre — three layers in fact.

There are the long concrete bars laid on top of the piles — the pile caps. Then there are pre-cast concrete platforms set on top of those piles. And at the end, Kawchewski and his crew of 60 will ice the whole confection with another 10,000 square feet of additional concrete.

Now there’s something comforting to think about when you’re in a future crowd of 5,000 or so on the public plaza outside the centre and you start to wonder exactly what is holding all of you up.

© The Vancouver Sun 2006

Water-themed ceremony will feature a liquid stage in BC Place, marine creatures and an all-star cast, organizers’ plans reveal

Becky Soler
Sun

A marine extravaganza exalting Vancouver’s coastal climate is the theme for the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics, The Vancouver Sun has learned.

The information is disclosed in a copy of the Vancouver Organizing Committee’s (Vanoc) preliminary plans for the massive event Feb. 12, 2010, which will be televised and webcast around the globe. The 107-page document, entitled A Wet Welcome: 2010 Millimetres of Rain, was intended only for internal circulation, but a confidential source leaked the program to The Sun Friday.

Vanoc representatives refused to comment on the report.

The most dramatic component is the intention to flood B.C. Place with salt water pumped in directly from False Creek, creating a liquid stage.

The report states that once construction is completed on the RAV line, crews will use a similar procedure to build aqueducts that allow water to flow into the enormous basin and back again.

According to the complex mathematical figures, B.C. Place will hold a whopping 5,944,000 litres of water, the capacity of 30 Olympic-sized swimming pools. This enables a depth of 15 metres, the minimum requirement to accommodate the “cross-section of Pacific marine life” that will inhabit the mini-sea for the ceremonies. The entire lower deck of the stadium will be submerged.

“They flooded the Colosseum in ancient Rome, when they staged great naval battles for sport, so they can easily pull it off at B.C. Place,” says Dr. Jacob Stevenson, professor of aquatic engineering at the University of B.C. “The structure is already primed to seal in water with all those air locks.”

The working slogan of the Olympics is: “Soak up the Spirit.”

In keeping with Vanoc’s commitment to sustainability, the basin will be full of petri-dish cultivated salmon.

The lavish three-hour performance, as envisioned by Vanoc’s team of expert event planners, begins in utter silence and darkness, simulating the birth of life itself.

Suddenly, a spotlight illuminates the mascot — a buoyant, rotund raindrop called Howdy Dew — who floats quietly into the centre of the stadium. When he reaches the epicentre, native drumming becomes audible, “slowly building to a frenzy,” as a band of Coast Salish aboriginals led by Canadian singer Buffy Sainte Marie engage in a rain dance on the jumbotron.

“This symbolizes the modern marriage of technology and tradition,” the document says.

When the volume reaches what the report terms “just shy of of headache-inducing,” Howdy Dew will be whisked on invisible cables to the roof of the closed dome. His arrival there will trigger a realistic rainstorm, which will cascade into the pool but spare the spectators.

“I can’t really give away much, other than the fact that Butchart Gardens is generously donating a number of hoses for the project,” says Jaynie Starr of Fraser Fire Extinguishing Ltd., the company contracted to install the intricate web of hoses that will emit the downpour.

A huge thunderclap and blinding flash of lightning will abruptly end this typical February shower. Simultaneously, a state-of-the-art laser beam will focus on Howdy Dew, melting away the exterior layer of the costume to reveal a brilliant sun beneath.

“Likewise, the temperature inside B.C. Place will then rise from a chilly eight degrees to a comfortable 12,” the report states.

A rainbow — an homage to the pride flag and Canada’s liberal stance on same-sex marriage — will arc from the sun to the water, where the marine life is suddenly illuminated by underwater lights.

“The Voice of British Columbia” booms from above — possible candidates mentioned in the report are Silken Laumann, Bryan Adams and Tamara Taggart — narrating as a parade of local legends navigate the glowing waters. These include: Ogopogo chased by Stockwell Day on a Sea-doo, a Sasquatch reclining in a BC Ferries life ring, the mountain pine beetle coasting on a blue pine raft and David Suzuki on waterskis made from recycled pop cans, pulled by a speedboat that draws trace molecules of carbon monoxide gas from the air and converts them to green fuel (pending invention).

“Although, extreme caution must be exercised with motorized vehicles, considering what happened to Luna,” the report adds.

At the end of the parade is Ladysmith beauty Pamela Anderson, clad in a mermaid tail, dragging five seals (borrowed from the Vancouver Aquarium). The well-trained seals dangle limply on chains, looking dead, until Pamela kisses each and removes the shackles, symbolizing her abhorrence of Canada’s seal hunt. The animals spring to life and leap through five flaming Olympic rings to freedom.

Cue flag-bearing delegations from participating countries, which row in on culturally relevant vessels: Scandinavians in a Viking ship, the Chinese in a dragon boat, Brits in a yellow submarine and Americans on a military aircraft carrier.

They unite to form the outline of a big inukshuk.

“At this moment, the visuals climax to a frantic festival of cliches. Think Canadian history on ecstasy,” the report says.

Susan Aglukark and Burton Cummings launch into a feel-good duet that combines O Siem with Share the Land. As Aglukark intones the lyrics “we are all family, we’re all the same,” the inukshuk spins, propelled by a school of dolphins that swims the perimeter of the pool. A simulated earthquake provides extra excitement, and strobe lights capture Cirque du Soleil gymnasts, who dive from the nosebleed section into the living soup. Margaret Atwood raps an excerpt from The Handmaid’s Tale. Meanwhile, Mounties ride killer whales through the turbulent waters. Actors portraying Generals Montcalm and Wolfe dunk each other.

“Lifeguards from Kits pool will be on hand to resuscitate performers and wildlife in the event of an emergency,” the report says.

This whirlpool of activity is halted by a Nunavut-inspired blast of arctic air, which is partially designed to jolt the dizzy audience. Snowflakes descend from the dome as Anne Murray rises from beneath the waters on the Olympic pedestal, singing Snowbird. The ever-present rainbow terminates on her soaking wet white dress. In her hands is the proverbial pot of gold.

Murray, one of our national treasures, is indeed holding treasure: the gold medals.

© The Vancouver Sun 2006

Bob Ransford
Sun

Last year Canada’s Heart and Stroke Foundation took aim at the popular myth that living in the country or suburbs is better for your health.

The organization declared that the “suburban dream has gone sour,” releasing evidence that clearly showed that car-dependent Canadians get far less physical activity and are at greater risk of being overweight or obese.

Smart Growth BC has gone even further in looking at how our built environment shapes our transportation choices and, in turn, human health.

Smart Growth BC is a non-government organization devoted to fiscally, socially and environmentally responsible land use and development. Staff work with community groups, businesses, municipalities and the public, advocating for the creation of more livable communities.

This past week the organization issued a report that pulls together the work of many researchers and the results of a number of past studies that look at how our sprawling development patterns have been correlated with higher body weights, obesity and the chronic diseases they cause.

Co-authored by Dr. Larry Frank at the University of B.C., Smart Growth BC’s report is also a call to action with a number of land use policy and design recommendations.

Density — that word dreaded in the suburbs — is the key to providing transportation choice and getting people to walk more.

Each quartile increase in residential density corresponds with a 23-per-cent increase in the odds of walking for non-work travel, according to a recent Seattle study quoted in the report.

Of the leading causes of death in Canada, eight are potentially affected by sedentary lifestyles, air pollution or traffic crashes.

Of course, not all of these deaths result entirely from transportation-related activities, but many can be attributed to the amount of time people spend in their cars moving between their single-family homes in sub-divisions built too far apart and away from the services and amenities people need daily.

Studies also show that nearly all travel is done by car until residential density levels reach 13 persons per gross acre. Employment density levels of greater than 75 employees per gross acre are necessary before there is a substantial increase in transit and pedestrian travel for work trips.

There are policies we can put in place to encourage public transit ridership. Smart Growth BC’s report points to the fact that in the short two years since its inception, UBC’s TREK Program, with a transit pass called the U-Pass, has increased transit use from 26 per cent in 2002 to 41 per cent in 2004.

The closer you are to the corner store the more chance you will walk, as well. Walking for non-work trips increased 19 per cent with each quartile increase in the number of retail establishments in the area, according to a King County 2005 study.

For those anxious to see the Port Mann Bridge and Highway 1 twinned, I draw your attention to a recent Seattle-area study highlighted in Smart Growth BC’s report.

It concluded that reducing travel time and congestion levels for cars results in a lower proportion of trips on foot and transit.

This suggests that roadway expansions that alleviate congestion attract trips from other active and more sustainable modes and may actually undermine the health-related benefits of smart growth.

Another American study, based on nationwide travel survey data, found that transit users spend a median of 19 minutes daily walking to transit — over half of the 30 daily minutes recommended by the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Smart Growth BC also targets air pollution and water quality as measures of a health community. A King County study reported on the relationship between urban form and air quality, showing that a 25-per-cent increase in the over-all range of walkability within King County was associated with 6.5 per cent fewer vehicle miles travelled, 5.6 per cent fewer grams of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and 5.5 per cent fewer grams of volatile organic compounds (VOC) per capita.

Smart Growth BC believes there is much that can be accomplished by educating policymakers, planners and consumers about how to create, evaluate and select healthier communities.

Their report provides some workable land use policy ideas together with neighbourhood and building design concepts that will help us build our communities and plan our transportation to foster the kind of behaviour that will make us healthier.

For further information on the report entitled Promoting Public Health Through Smart Growth visit smartgrowth.bc.ca

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Bob Ransford is a public affairs consultant with COUNTERPOINT Communications Inc. He is a former real estate developer who specializes in urban land use issues. Contact him at: [email protected]

© The Vancouver Sun 2006