Capital Improvement Increase Organization Synergy

A Campus naturally emerged following an organization expansion. Capital improvement was inevitable to create building structures with the required ambiance to support business growth. The idea was to create a campus at the same location, converting old fashion buildings into an attractive, inspiring and collaborative working space.

Weather in Canada is a factor, especially during winter season, when cold temperatures combined with windy and snow condition make pedestrian’s exterior walking unpleasant, with direct impact on productivity.

A pedestrian weatherproof walkway between buildings was essential. An overpass and a tunnel were the two options brought to the table. After a decision making process, a tunnel was identified as the best return of investment, in this case, especially over a long-term operational cost.

Besides all the technical challenges experienced during construction, it was imperative that the business would not be affected by compromising the distribution center operations, especially during the high season shipping schedule.

Shoring and underpinning was inevitable due to existing surrounding buildings foundations. The tunnel final elevation and interior physical dimensions were determined taking into consideration many factors such as soil bearing capacity, underground water level, existing gas line, water line, communication fiber-optic cable, high voltage power line, sewage line, pluvial line and finally both buildings floor elevations.  

The tunnel, in this case, is an example of a successful capital improvement. Since its inauguration, it has significantly improved the synergy of the entire head office, especially among departments located in different buildings. Employees can now enjoy the fact that there is no more need to dress up accordingly in order to walk from one building to the other one, especially during winter and raining seasons. Moreover, buildings security access controls, and the general floor cleaning have considerably improved.