Saskatoon | Baydo Towers | ??m - ??m | 25-25 Floors | U/C

[NotToScale]

Originally Posted by skeet1991

She's not the best-quality building in the world. BUT, Baydo chose to build over 400 units in the city centre and I don't see any other developers currently taking that leap.

With 474 planned units, Chat GPT tells me that 800-1000 people could be living in the buildings, and therefore added to that block in the next few years. That's an extra 800+ people who need groceries, clothes, and places to eat/drink/study.

Sure, they could be prettier, but tell that to North Prairie, Remai, Meridian, and everyone else sitting on prime downtown land. If the demand is there, and if Baydo proves that, then maybe some of these old timers will finally invest in some nicer buildings in the area

Well said. Thats a nice increase in population for the area.

I'm guessing these towers will cater to a good number of university students being a walk or take a short bus ride to campus.

[zeebra]

You need chatgpt to tell you 800-1000 people could live in 474 units?

[skeet1991]

Originally Posted by zeebra

You need chatgpt to tell you 800-1000 people could live in 474 units?

Easier to pop the question in there than to look up average occupancy and do the math, yep. Especially when I already have it open most of the day at work to do menial things like that.

[Dalreg]

Chatgpt? You got this thing called a brain mate, works a hell lot better. Maybe give it a try someday ;-)

[skeet1991]

Originally Posted by Dalreg

Chatgpt? You got this thing called a brain mate, works a hell lot better. Maybe give it a try someday ;-)

Deserved. I'll try harder, guys.

Back to Baydo-- the south tower is rising way faster than the north did. I think the core has been raised to around floor 16-17, and is starting to pop up on the skyline.

Instead of using AI, my brain tells me that this one should top out by the end of the summer/early fall at this rate (at least the core). Unless they stop work randomly for weeks and months at a time, like they did with the other one.

Interesting that they're not using that luffing crane for this one.

[4LSaskatoon]

A Murder of Crows on the trail, in front of our beautiful river, Prairie Lily, and our changing skyline!

[The Bess]

Thanks for picture

[Wpg_Guy]

I wish Winnipeg still had it's Paddlewheel Queen and MS River Rouge river boats.

[Overklll]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

I wish Winnipeg still had it's Paddlewheel Queen and MS River Rouge river boats.

I was recently in Winnipeg for the first time, and went on the river boat tour. Honestly, it is quite sad compared to the Saskatoon tour. Not much to see, other than decaying infrastructure and a tent city along the way. I was really expecting more... but the Forks area is quite nice and sitting along the water reminded me of Vancouver a bit anyway. Like a prairie version. The market is fantastic, maybe the best in Canada.

[prairieguy]

A bit of topic from Baydo tours, but speaking of Prairie Lily...we always take our first time visitors to Saskatoon on the cruise. It is a great perspective of the city and its beauty. It is a damn shame they cannot 'cruise' this year due to water levels. Perhaps scrap the stupid 2 billion dollar irrigation project for a limited number of farmers, so we can better utilize the water from Dief Lake!!!

Sorry for the short rant.

[Dalreg]

Again, not to keep off topic but I'm pretty sure more economic benefit from those few dozen farms than from one little tourist boat.

[RHINO]

Why has this taken so long ( it seems its been forever ) .

[Crisis]

Originally Posted by RHINO

Why has this taken so long ( it seems its been forever ) .

Go back to page 5 of this thread and start reading from there (or at least scan through the photos). And, no, I'm not actually being a smartass. There are just so many reasons.

[Werthers]

Originally Posted by Crisis

Go back to page 5 of this thread and start reading from there (or at least scan through the photos). And, no, I'm not actually being a smartass. There are just so many reasons.

Oh sure, who doesn't have the time and interest to read over 700 posts?

[Dalreg]

What floor are we up to now?

[FactaNV]

Insane this isn't done yet. Over 5 years now. Winnipeg is a bit apples to oranges compared to Saskatoon but I think there's a half dozen similar buildings built in the time this one is taking. Im with Werthers, im not reading 35 forum pages haha, whats taking so long?

[Werthers]

Originally Posted by FactaNV

Insane this isn't done yet. Over 5 years now. Winnipeg is a bit apples to oranges compared to Saskatoon but I think there's a half dozen similar buildings built in the time this one is taking. Im with Werthers, im not reading 35 forum pages haha, whats taking so long?

You should check out some of the biggest projects in TO, they've been going on so long a couple of them are about to enter puberty

[Crisis]

Originally Posted by FactaNV

Insane this isn't done yet. Over 5 years now. Winnipeg is a bit apples to oranges compared to Saskatoon but I think there's a half dozen similar buildings built in the time this one is taking. Im with Werthers, im not reading 35 forum pages haha, whats taking so long?

It's definitely a developer-builder issue, not a Saskatoon construction issue. There have been larger projects built in shorter time frames. This Baydo building is "unique" to use a polite euphemism. When I have some time, I'll try to list some of the major issues that appear to have impacted thsi build.

[FactaNV]

Originally Posted by Crisis

It's definitely a developer-builder issue, not a Saskatoon construction issue. There have been larger projects built in shorter time frames. This Baydo building is "unique" to use a polite euphemism. When I have some time, I'll try to list some of the major issues that appear to have impacted thsi build.

Thanks Crisis! Much obliged!

[Crisis]

OK, here you go. I took a scan through the 41 pages and picked out what I consider to be some highlights of the build. I've referenced the page # for each comment, almost all of which contain photos, if you simply want to do a relatively quick photo journey of the progress of the project - that's likely the first time "relatively quick" has been used in conjunction with this project. 2021 contains most of the weirdness - after that it's basically just really slow.

Baydo timeline
• They started to drive interlocking steel sheet pile shoring in May of 2020 (page 5)

• By late July 2020, about 40% of the sheet piling was installed but many of them appeared to be refusing early and not making it design depth (page 6)

• During the driving of the sheet piling, there was damage to the foundation of the YWCA building next door and apparently some damage to an adjacent roadway

• By October 2020, the installation of the sheet piling was complete (though to drastically varying depths) and excavation began (still page 7)

• Here’s where it starts to get weirder. By January 2021, the excavation was still plodding along slowly, but the north end of the excavation had some strange horizontal lattice-type trusses installed. Shoring support? (page 9)

• Late March 2021, the center of the excavation has reached full depth and a large raft slab has been poured (page 11)

• Early May 2021, Steel angle braces have been added to support the sheet pile shoring and formwork for a central core has started. (page 13). Also on this page, it’s noted that the raft slab has now been buried under dirt (????). To add more fun, someone posted this:
Apparently it’s a new modern way of building - they are sinking it and the dirt is coming up around it. An engineering plan to make a foundation deeper than your building; originally used in Denmark and just approved by engineers to be used in Canada in 2020.
Simple physics really, with that big of a piece of concrete floating on blue clay compensates for any shifting the building may encounter due to external forces.
You see the steel beams attached to it, they will attach to the fulcrum system that will tie in to the counterweight of the elevator once the building is in place, making it a higher quality tower than No1 River Landing.

• September 2021, and the raft foundation is still buried, but more excavation has taken place (very slow progress through summer), but by the end of the month the tower crane had been erected (page 16)

• November 2021 and the core wall are underway. They are precast wall panels that are bolted together. Unique system to most of us (page 18)

• January 2022 and work on the core has been continuing very slowly through the fall and early winter. There is now additional steel structure being erected in the excavation (page 22)

• February 2022 sees hollowcore precast concrete slabs being placed on the steel structure (page 23)

• April 2022 and the steel framing and precast panels are clearly above grade and a cast in place slab has been poured around the core. (page 25)

• By June 2022, we’re getting a better idea of the typical building structure. The core walls are now conventionally formed cast in place concrete. The main structure is steel and they are using very thin precast floor panels that then receive a topping slab (page 26 has some good close-ups of this)

• September 2022, and a second tower crane has been erected, while progress on the north tower structure continues slowly (page 28)

• By December 2022, they have 7 floors of the north tower erected (page 29)

• Work continues slowly through spring of 2023 and the north tower begins to take shape. Page 30 contains a great photo showing the progress over the past year

• By June 2023, the concrete core of the south tower is a few floors above grade (page 31)

• Last half of 2023 sees continued slow progress. Page 36 has a photo comparing January 2023 to January 2022

• North tower appears to be topped off about June 2024, 4 years after the project began (page 38)

• June 2024 – present, exterior and (presumably) interior finishes progressing on north tower. South tower structure continues at a snails pace.