The SaskTel Building in Regina is one of the telecommunications provider’s most important technical hubs. The company maintained continuous occupancy during the three-year renovation, and their telecommunications infrastructure stayed up and running through more than 100 cutovers and shutdowns while we replaced all critical power distribution.

SaskTel, the design consultants and PCL collaboratively developed an innovative approach to preconstruction to procure work in phases. This ensured we could build add-on projects effectively and complete them within the original budget sooner than planned.

The renovations included removal and replacement of the entire building envelope while SaskTel employees continued to work inside. To do this, we took over the outer perimeter of the interior office space and installed a hoarding wall designed to handle wind load before removing the façade. Once demolition began, we found the floor-to-floor edges adjacent to the exterior envelope had been added at three different times, and therefore varied significantly from floor to floor and face to face. We surveyed each face extensively and tailored the design of the exterior wall to harmonize with the survey findings. Adding to the complexity, the new terracotta paneling required a zero tolerance. The result was an efficient installation and an aesthetically pleasing façade.

The project’s location along a busy downtown corridor left only one spot for the site’s tower crane; a small parking lot with diesel tanks for the building’s emergency power generators buried beneath it. Our in-house engineers designed a lifting device and demolition procedure that enabled the crane to remove the more than 1,000 panels weighing up to 11,000 pounds and fly them to the ground quickly and safely. This high-risk demolition was very successful, and SaskTel were comfortable knowing we were doing the work ourselves and managing the risk effectively. 

SaskTel employees now have a refreshed and modernized workspace, and electrical upgrades are improving data systems for customers. Another added benefit is the building’s reduced carbon footprint thanks to the enhanced envelope which greatly reduces utility consumption.