LANDMARK CHURCH REMAINS EXPOSED DURING RENOVATION
The Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception in Guelph, Ontario, is undergoing a three-year restoration expected to ring in at $10 million. This 120-year old gothic-style church is more than a place of worship and a designed National Historic Site; it is recognized as a landmark by the whole region and therefore had to stay open during refurbishment.
Among the contractors bidding for this three-phase restoration contract was Limen Group Ltd., a company that has been around for three generations and counts among the largest masonry contractors in Ontario. Limen Group Ltd. has put much effort in developing its renovation activities over the past few years, so it came as no surprise that Joe Lima and his team knew exactly how to present the best bid and win this contract. The group contacted their access equipment dealer, Du-For Scaffolding and with the help of Benoît Duplessis and Sylvian Cloutier, they came up with a solution combining Hydro Mobile mast climbers with swing stages and tubular scaffolds.
“I think there are several reasons why Limen Group got this contract”, comments Sylvain Cloutier from Du-For. “First of all, their estimate was about 75,000 USD below the price of those of the other bidding contractors, mainly because Hydro Mobile’s mast climbers cut down installation time and increase workers’ productivity. On top of this, while traditional scaffolds would have required shore poles to be installed inside the church’s roof to support the load, mast climbers did not even touch the fragile roof. Finally, the diocese was delighted to learn that with this method the church’s facade and painted ceilings would remain visible during renovation.”
Jason James, manager of the restoration division at Limen Group Ltd., explains further advantages of mast climbers for renovation works. “The first benefit of mast climbers on a renovation job is that they require fewer bolt holes than traditional scaffolds. The platforms allow access to every square foot of the building’s exterior, even to the narrowest corners. Finally, the work area is much larger and the work environment is consequently much safer.”
Overall, with mast climbers of the calibre of Hydro Mobile’s M-Series, it is the whole renovation method that is revolutionized. This model measures 7 feet wide, is up to 60 feet long and carries 22,000 lb. Workers can easily remove the stones from the facade, using Hydro Mobile’s hoist system for heavier pieces, then land them on the work platform where a workshop and tools have been preinstalled, clean and cut the stones directly on the decks before finally replacing them without effort. Additionally, thanks to the weather protections and heaters installed on the platform, work can be performed all year long, even during the harsh winters in Ontario.
Limen Group Ltd. was the general contractor for this project and had 45 workers on the job, including sub-contractors. The company used a total of 13 mast climbing work platforms from Hydro Mobile, and rented this equipment to a few subcontractors. Seven M-Series were used for their high capacity and two P-Series were used to access the most restricted locations. Four F-Series were used for their versatility and because they can operate in split mode, which allowed Limen Group to bring one side down to load material while the other side stayed above the church’s roof.
Hydro Mobile’s work platforms have repeatedly proved to be the most cost-effective, safe and integral solutions on the market. Continuously adapting to fundamentally different construction and renovation works that emerge, Hydro Mobile continues to make innovation and versatility its pride and priority.
Contractor: Limen Group Ltd.
Hydro Mobile Distributor: Du-For Scaffolding
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