Originally constructed in 1912, Brighton Block was an Edwardian-style mixed-use retail and residential building. Over the past decade the building sat empty and fell into disrepair. To transform the space into a vibrant, modern building, PCL’s Special Projects division was tasked with a complete rehabilitation of the three-story, historically designated, 19,000 square-foot building and adding an additional three stories totaling 17,000 square feet. The project involved demolishing the roof, interior walls and floor and rebuilding the interior while preserving the exterior red pressed-brick façade. 

The project’s complexity required the team to find a cost-effective and sustainable shoring option. In response, the team implemented an innovative approach where the concrete columns, beams and stair cores were cast inside the intact building prior to demolition. This concrete frame shored the structure and was used in the final design of the building and eliminated the use of temporary steel for shoring. The result was less waste and disruption and fewer worker hours dedicated to a temporary shoring method.

Being that the Brighton Block is over 100 years old, there were no as-built drawings which made validating the building geometry especially important. The past century of deterioration had visibly shifted the façade brick, which was vital to the new design. A 3D light detection and ranging scan was used to capture the existing perimeter façade and new concrete structure being erected within the building. The team used the resulting built-in-house model to validate the new concrete and analyze and monitor the brick envelope. The resulting discovery was that some of the level four concrete columns were poured up to 12 inches away from the design drawing locations because of unforeseen challenges at the foundation level. The team used the scan to make necessary changes and mitigate potential rework.