I am the Structural Lead for the GRT Northshore Soil Reclamation project, a rock reclamation facility at the Vancouver Pile site in North Vancouver. This is the second facility of its kind in Canada and roughly four times larger than GRT’s proof-of-concept plant in Nanaimo, BC. The facility processes excavated soil from the Lower Mainland, cleans it, and sorts it into reusable aggregates for landscaping and road construction. It sits on a congested, operational industrial site governed by the Port of Vancouver.

What I’m doing

As Structural Lead, I’m responsible for all structural design and coordination across the project lifecycle.

  • Foundation design: Leading the design of all major foundations:

    • CDE wash plant equipment (screening, dewatering, scrubbing systems, thickeners, conveyor belts).
    • Inbound and outbound truck scales and scalehouses.
    • Water treatment plant.
    • Liquid-retaining structures, including the concrete base slab and walls for the sludge buffer tank.
    • Support walls for the filter press building and truck wheel wash foundations.

  • Structural coordination:

    • Primary technical contact for material storage and lock-block storage bay foundation slabs.
    • Interior slab-on-grade for pre-engineered fabric structures.
    • Coordinating with suppliers on column height, first wall girt location, and lock-block height in schematic layouts.
    • Foundation slabs for stacked container control buildings, including anchorage.
    • Foundation supports for anchor points for conveyor systems and cranes.

  • Quality assurance and permitting:

    • Engineer of Record (EOR) for all structural components.
    • Overseeing quality assurance and compliance with EGBC’s independent structural review requirements.
    • Providing Letters of Assurance for the building permit submission.

Deliverables

  • Schematic design: Drawings for the Port Authority’s PER permitting application, including site plans with proposed foundation outlines and utility interferences.
  • Detailed design: Packages at 50% and 100% completion, including drawings and specifications for tendering and building permit submissions.
  • Bid and construction: Responding to pre-bid questions, assisting with contractor selection, performing site visits, reviewing shop drawings and submittals, addressing RFIs, evaluating progress claims, and providing Letters of Assurance with record drawings.