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

[Crisis]

Keep in mind that the award is from an insulated concrete formwork magazine that gave them an award for using insulated concrete forms. Still an odd way to build as they've gone with a non-load bearing concrete perimeter wall, as the steel structure is what's carrying the load above. But I'll admit that the finished product looks decent.

[waytootall]

Looks like they use the timber lagging as permanent shoring. Usually you would use secant or sheet piling for permanent retaining walls. But with soldier piles you could use precast concrete lagging or at least treated timber lagging for permanent applications. This looks untreated in which case it will deteriorate and will eventually load the ICF wall, which looks unreinforced vertically or at least too lightly reinforced to support lateral earth loads.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by prairieguy

Perhaps the level of criticism directed to Baydo needs to be tempered a bit. I had no idea they had won an award for how they built the parkade portion of tower on Broadway. Gotta give credit where credit is due, people!

Ah ha. It's starting to make sense. They were after an award that no one has ever competed for or ever will. Who else would build an underground garage this way?

[CanadianDriverYXE]

Update on the Baydo Towers Downtown
Pictures by me

[zeebra]

Oof... now that is sluggish progress. Not even one floor done in the past month?

[Saskabusher]

It's steel construction- starting to pick up- core to the fourth, thanks for all the visuals CDYXE!

[casper]

Originally Posted by Crisis

Keep in mind that the award is from an insulated concrete formwork magazine that gave them an award for using insulated concrete forms. Still an odd way to build as they've gone with a non-load bearing concrete perimeter wall, as the steel structure is what's carrying the load above. But I'll admit that the finished product looks decent.

Are steel buildings of this height common in Saskatoon? When I lived there there were not a lot of high rises construction and out here on the coast everything is concrete.

[roryn1]

If i’m correct Sask’s concrete costs are the highest in the country due to a lack of local aggregate. Hence the new ways of building Baydo’s trying out to compete with the construction costs of other regions that have both larger economies of scale for high rises but also lower build costs.

[WhipperSnapper]

Doesn't make too much sense for a steel manufacturing company to use other people's concrete products in their construction and development arm of the business

[Crisis]

^^^^ Agreed. Baydo owns a structural steel fabrication company and a precast concrete company, so I believe that is what drove design of this structure.

To answer casper's question above: Most highrise construction in Saskatoon is cast-in-place concrete construction, with the Baydo buildings being the only notable exceptions that I can recall in recent years. Though the office building going up on the corner of 20th Street & 4th Ave is also a steel structure, but only about 5-6 floors by my recollection.

While concrete remains expensive in Saskatoon, it hasn't seen anywhere near the price escalation in the past 2 years that steel has. The biggest jump to concrete prices has been the fuel surcharges added in recent months.

[zeebra]

Originally Posted by Saskabusher

It's steel construction- starting to pick up- core to the fourth, thanks for all the visuals CDYXE!

but steel should be ever faster than concrete to erect... they must be way behind the 8 ball here somewhere in the fab process

[casper]

Originally Posted by Crisis

^^^^ Agreed. Baydo owns a structural steel fabrication company and a precast concrete company, so I believe that is what drove design of this structure.

To answer casper's question above: Most highrise construction in Saskatoon is cast-in-place concrete construction, with the Baydo buildings being the only notable exceptions that I can recall in recent years. Though the office building going up on the corner of 20th Street & 4th Ave is also a steel structure, but only about 5-6 floors by my recollection.

While concrete remains expensive in Saskatoon, it hasn't seen anywhere near the price escalation in the past 2 years that steel has. The biggest jump to concrete prices has been the fuel surcharges added in recent months.

Ok so basically they are leveraging internal capacity and expertise. Any other developer without that would have likely used more convential techniques.

[CanadianDriverYXE]

Some Progress! Update on the Baydo Towers Downtown.
Pictures by me.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by casper

Ok so basically they are leveraging internal capacity and expertise. Any other developer without that would have likely used more convential techniques.

The heavy gauge steel forming the first few floors is extraordinary. It's not office space with long column free spans.

This is more typical steel construction. Most of the projects are under 10 storeys in Canada however, there's a couple 20 storey towers in Laval and apparently can be used up to 30 floors.
• Video Link

**edit ... unless that's parking

[rrskylar]

Just flying along, I’m sure completion might even be before 2030!

[Coldrsx]

Originally Posted by roryn1

If i’m correct Sask’s concrete costs are the highest in the country due to a lack of local aggregate. Hence the new ways of building Baydo’s trying out to compete with the construction costs of other regions that have both larger economies of scale for high rises but also lower build costs.

I believe Edmonton has you covered on costs; at least the last time I looked.

[zeebra]

They are just trudging along... must be working on the parkade as well? Or maybe some real urgency to the now hiring sign. Strange to see metal deck with shoring below it though, probably should have used thicker deck and skipped the shoring install. Will be a bigger headache to shore the higher they go up

[Crisis]

^^^^ Good catch on the shoring. The first thing I noticed is that there looks to be a 2nd tower crane being erected. Hopefully the 2 cranes can keep from contacting each other. On most projects, I wouldn't feel the need to state that.

[CanadianDriverYXE]

Minor Update

[Dalreg]

Second crane! Thanks for the updates