As the Dust Settles
It turns out the recent drama on site surrounding my unexpected smashing of the polished floor has been quite a “hit”. This comes as no surprise as we have, to date, not reported on any major commotions on site.
So, the update: within 24 hours the Project Leadership team had assessed the root cause and devised a strategy for remediation of the now canoe-sized chasm in the concrete floor. Our concrete supplier visited the site, assessed the tolerance issue and is delivering a batch of concrete tomorrow to match the existing mix. In 28 days, the floor will be polished to match the neighbouring aggregate that was spared. The end result: a floor that will be homogenous…and no fist fights! To those that have been following this project or been involved, I am sure this was to be expected due to the culture on site and amongst the design team.
Back in the job shack, this situation offered the IPD team an opportunity to reflect on the health of our relationships as we approach the finish line. Things are tense as the trades work to meet the occupancy date of February 4th, but spirits are up and the beauty and success of the project is fueling the late push. Chris (site superintendent) has done an exceptional job of keeping this fast-paced project between the ditches while maintaining focus and alignment among the 80+ workers currently on site.
For those who are interested in the technical root cause (I received a few emails over the past few days asking “why”), the concrete topping was specified to be 45mm above the acoustically insulating rigid Styrofoam. In the areas where the cracking occurred there was a slight reduction in topping leaving too little material and therein causing major cracking above the conduit embedded underneath. Other areas, where similar conditions are present (multiple conduit runs in the floor), have not shown signs of cracking. As such, the design team concluded that the isolation to two locations was solely due to the reduced topping thickness and is not a design issue.
