Circa 1877
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Project Overview
Perfectly situated among vibrant shops and restaurants, Circa 1877 is a total precast condominium with ties to Waterloo’s past. Having previously been home to one of Canada’s first craft brewers from 1984 to 2015, the site has been granted heritage status. To pay homage to the building’s long history in Waterloo, a portion of the original façade was incorporated into the new structure.
The 20-storey tower includes six parking levels, 14 residential levels, one mechanical penthouse level, street-level retail and a second-floor urban brew pub with a patio overlooking King Street in uptown Waterloo. Our team is proud to have provided engineering, as well as environmental and building science expertise from the inception of this landmark project, all the way through to the final construction inspection.
Thanks to the hard work of the entire project team, this project was awarded the 2021 Ontario Concrete Award for Mid to High Rise Residential: Precast.
MTE’s Involvement
We first joined the project team to provide environmental expertise related to redeveloping the site. We began by completing a Risk Assessment in order to evaluate the potential of redeveloping the property and any challenges that would need to be mitigated due to its historical uses. Our team was successful in securing the necessary environmental approvals so that redevelopment could progress.
Our civil engineers also contributed in the early phases of the project by completing a Functional Servicing Report, identifying how the site would be serviced, including water, sanitary, and storm connections to existing municipal infrastructure.
Our structural engineers joined the team to complete the design of the 20-storey tower. Precast concrete was selected for its consistency, quality and production speed. We took careful consideration when designing the structural layout to transfer loads around the existing historical building, ensuring the careful preservation and protection of the historic brick façade.
A pool was also integrated above the six-storey parking structure, adding to the complexity of the design. A thin elastomeric waterproofing system was required to protect the garage and our building restoration engineers were able to provide assistance with detailing the system and reviewing the application during construction.
We also completed a Designated Substance Audit in advance of the demolition and renovation work to identify and mitigate risk for workers at the site during construction activities.
Project Team:
