Xstrata Nickel Awarded NRB Contract for 60,000 sq.ft. facility
In April, 2008, Xstrata Nickel awarded NRB Inc. of Grimsby, Ontario a design-build contract to construct a new 60,000 square foot administration and dry facility for their Nickel Rim South Mine Site in Garson, Ontario; a project destined for LEED® certification.
Alternative methods of construction are examined. Driven by the need for a much shorter project completion schedule and reduced impact from on-site construction activity, Xstrata Nickel, in conjunction with architect Lemay Associé of Montréal, Québec, and its EPCM provider, Hatch-McIntosh, explored the current trends and technology available with permanent modular construction as an alternative to conventional means. The decision to switch project delivery methods from traditional “on-site” construction to modular “off-site” construction was reached toward the end of 2007 when it became apparent it was the only possible way to hit the critical completion date of January 2009, and at the same time, significantly reduce the amount of disruptive construction activity at a mine site that is already in full development, operating out of temporary facilities. The original building layout design was by Sudbury architects Yallowega Belanger.
A Multi-Use facility. This facility will incorporate administration, operations control and a mine dry that will be installed in three progressive phases. Phase I, and the first to arrive on the site, will be a complete operations centre housing lunchrooms, training rooms, team rooms, safety offices, control rooms as well as mechanical and electrical shops. Phase I will be completed in time for the owners to install and commission all of their critical operations equipment necessary to allow the project to ramp up to full operation in 2010. Phase II is a complete men’s and a women’s “Dry” facility that provides comfortable shower and clothes drying facilities, as well as “clean” lockers for changing after shifts. Phase III is the two-storey Administration building with an adjacent open concept corridor that connects it to the other areas. All three phases and uses are integral to one another to provide an efficient layout that meets all of the stakeholders diverse program requirements and operational needs.
Built in Grimsby and moved to Garson. This facility will be constructed by NRB Inc. in Grimsby, Ontario under controlled conditions, using engineered structural steel framing with poured concrete floors, and will be up to 85% completed in most areas with all systems, fixtures and finishes installed prior to leaving NRB’s plant. The building is built together for precision fit and finish, and so testing of systems can be done in advance. It will then be disassembled in the three phases, and a total of 100 three-dimensional building modules of varying sizes will be transported 400 km north. The modules will stop at a staging area off the site, and then move up to the mine site in a safe, controlled and choreographed flow to be crane set continuously, until all three phases of the facility are erected and then site finished.
The entire process, from start of construction to substantial completion is expected to take about seven months.
The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) level design reflects the owner’s commitment to environmental responsibility. Xstrata’s Sustainable Development Policy reflects their commitment to the environment. “Our aim is to preserve the long-term health, function and viability of the natural environments affected by our operations”. To that end, the new construction at the Nickel Rim South site is registered to be a LEED® designed project, This means the entire project site and the building with all of its materials and systems will be designed and built to the highest performance and sustainability standards possible. Design strategies include optimal energy efficiencies realized through innovative mechanical/electrical designs and improved thermal protection; the maximum possible use of recycled and regional materials; careful attention to indoor environmental qualities through the use of low emitting materials and control of contaminants and moisture during and after construction, and the adoption of many water conservation features and strategies.
The Nickel Rim South Project will be the ‘first’ LEED® certified site for Xstrata Nickel and NRB Inc.
About Xstrata: Xstrata Nickel, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, is one of Xstrata Group’s global commodity businesses, comprising five mines and processing facilities in Ontario and Québec, Canada; a ferronickel mine and processing facility in Bonao, Dominican Republic; a high-grade sulphide mine and processing facility in Western Australia and a refinery in Kristiansand, Norway. Xstrata Nickel has a significant portfolio of growth projects, including Koniambo in New Caledonia, Nickel Rim South in Canada, Kabanga in Tanzania, Araguaia in Brazil and Sinclair in Australia. Xstrata Nickel is the world’s fourth largest nickel producer, with annual managed production of more than 116,000 tonnes of refined nickel. In Sudbury, Xstrata Nickel employs more than 1,800 people. For more information about Xstrata Nickel, please visit www.xstrata.com.
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