Our final project update of 2020 turns its attention on a really unique residential & commercial project developed by City Realty on St. George street in Moncton, NB. The land here, for many years, had been occupied by Lyle’s gas station, one of the last of its kind that still offered full-service fill-ups all the way up to its final days. While this property had seen better days, the combined efforts of many local entrepreneurs to breathe new life into this part of the downtown core gave City Realty an opportunity to create a mix of commercial and residential spaces for new tenants looking for city living with luxury, security and comfort in mind.
Simply put, nothing is typical about this development. The project management team at Bay Construction in charge of leading this development emphasized on the beauty & uniqueness of spearheading the construction of one the first 5-story wood buildings in this area.
All of the apartments have their own unique shape, configuration & look. This really isn’t your typical residential development. Because of the limited space, maximizing every inch of the land was a top priority. And due to a more detailed approach, there were also quite a few good oriented groups of companies involved such as Nadeau-Soucy-Ellis architects, Erik Lebrun from AGILE Design & Fabrication, MCW Engineering, Jr Daigle Engineering, Match Engineering and of course many subtrades!
The residential side boasts a mix of 1- & 2-bedroom apartments that range from 600-1400sq. ft. and all 2-bedroom units have been fitted with 2 bathrooms.
New tenants also have an amazing opportunity to upgrade the living amenities with 27 indoor parking spaces on the main floor. The spacious, high-ceiling drive-in garage offers secure, heated protection for vehicles in a busy area where public parking can be a nuisance on some days.
The project also includes 3 commercial spaces which host a local MLA office, a café, and an Indian grocery store. These spaces range in size from 600 to 1000sq. ft.
Developing a space like this was also not an easy feat as building codes needed to be updated and you’re almost certain to meet complications along the way when you’re working with a tight space.
When it came to the electrical portion of the project, our team of 8-12 electricians were put in charge of bringing this building to light! As mentioned above, there was nothing “typical” about this apartment complex as most of its residential units had different floor layouts which, in turn, creates a challenge when it comes to the execution.
Our team’s high attention to detail was on full display to ensure that anything going into the building matched the drawings and design. And to add to the complexity of this project, it included things such as:
80kw 600v natural gas Kohler generator for backup power to the building.
Heated parking garage.
3x commercial spaces having 600v 3phase power for each.
Buildings having 347/600 volts as their primary voltage creates a larger scope of work for us since standard residential components operate on 120/208volts. In order to achieve this, we needed to supply and install, as per the engineered drawings, step down transformers to accommodate the increased primary voltage. It might sound easy at first glance, but as you can see in the images, the electrical room has many moving parts!
On top of having to install all of the building’s switch boards, automatic transfer switches, transformers and distribution panels, we were also responsible for:
Pulling all 40 apartment feeder wires throughout the building.
Installing all electrical boxes and pulling the wires within the hallways and suites.
Running all data cables throughout the building.
Wiring, testing and installation of all Fire Alarm systems and all their devices.
Installing all plugs, switches, light fixtures, baseboard heaters, thermostats, etc.
Intercom system and more!
Incorporating the large Kohler generator in an already limited space was also not an easy feat, but with some ingenuity and smart planning, using part of the terrace at the back seemed like the best solution.
On a Zoom call just a week ago, John Toogood was also quick to mention the high reliability and performance of this component as a power outage hit the area just a few weeks back. The Kohler generator system kicked on instantly when power is lost and provides ample power to make sure that the common area building lighting stays on and the garage continues to function for easy in-and-out access.
Tons of coordination, planning and team work goes into these large projects and we are very proud to be able to say we played a role in bringing this beautiful building to our downtown area. It’s always a pleasure to work on projects that have their own unique twist to them.
With lots of development happening at a quick rate in our downtown core, we’re always excited at the prospect of working on projects that give us the opportunity to think of new ways to better service our clients. Tight spaces, varied layouts and added amenities were all in full display throughout this project and it was an absolute pleasure of working alongside Bay Construction and the Toogood family on this development.
There are still apartments available for lease, so be sure to check out the City Realty Facebook page or visit them on their website www.cityrealtyltd.com
But for now, we’re looking forward to showcasing more projects in 2021 as we’ll no doubt continue to give you an in-depth look at our daily activities in the Greater Moncton area.
City Realty on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CityRealtyLtd/
Bay Construction + Management on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Bayconstructioncanada/
Lumar Electric | (506) 389-2393 | Built on Passion.
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