: geninfo@structuretec.com

Throughout the years, StructureTec has successfully restored and maintained many of Post Food’s buildings within the United States. When management at the their Canada plant in Niagara Falls, Ontario decided to address their long-term building envelope problems, they were referred to StructureTec.

The Niagara Falls plant was originally built in the 1930s, and minimal weatherproofing maintenance had been performed on the building for several decades. StructureTec’s assessment revealed that there was extensive masonry deterioration due to restrained movement of the building and ineffective flashing details. Large expanses of the buildings walls needed to be removed and replaced. StructureTec designed and developed construction documents and project specifications. The project was turned over to Construction Services GroupSM (CSG), a StructureTec Group subsidiary, to complete the work.

CSG began work on an aggressive construction schedule with only a few months to complete the project. Work included: concrete repair, replacement and restoration of structural metals, removal and replacement of sealants and moisture protectants, installation of new sheet metal flashing, door and window replacement, installation of window sill flashing, painting and refinishing, metal wall panel system restoration, and extensive masonry work.

The project posed several challenges for CSG, most significantly was navigating the international construction requirements. CSG worked closely with their administrative team to obtain Canadian permits, convert the construction plans into Metrics and complete the necessary training to ensure their team met the Canadian Ministry of Labour requirements for workplace practices.

All four levels of the building needed repair, and much of the work was near the plant’s production equipment. In order to complete the construction according to schedule without disrupting plant productivity, CSG designed and utilized intricate levels of scaffolding that allowed the crew to easily work on different levels of the building and around the equipment.

In addition, the team was challenged with scheduling work on areas of severely deteriorated masonry that needed immediate attention. One particular area was a corner of the building adjacent to the parking lot. The bricks had begun to crack and potentially fall near areas of high pedestrian traffic. CSG was able to temporarily reinforce the wall to ensure the area was safe while they worked to replace the bricks. CSG was able to save time and ensure quality by working closely with Building Products GroupSM (BPG), a StructureTec Group subsidiary, in the custom fabrication of the metal products needed to complete the project. BPG provided sheet metal sill flashings, copings, joint flashings, wall panel systems and supplied the weatherproofing sealants.

The end result was a structurally sound building with modernized weatherproofing systems built to last for many years to come. CSG provided the highest quality end project on time and on budget by effectively managing their time ensuring the client received the maximum ROI.