PRESENTATION CENTRE BARGES AHEAD

Question: How do you move two large steel-and-glass buildings with a total weight of 430 tons?
Answer: With a great deal of planning and skill.

Just ask the people responsible for moving the Concord Pacific Place Presentation Centre from its original site off Pacific Boulevard to a new location at the foot of Drake Street. They'll tell you it took specialized skill plus a long list of heavy duty equipment, including two tugboats, three trucks with tractors and trailers, one 225 excavator, a 30-ton crane, one logging tractor and three 7-ton ramps.
"For the larger building we had to engineer 70 tons of steel for use as a base," explains project manager Wolfgang Postler. "In addition to the pulling truck, we positioned two giant dollies beneath the building. This three-point support provided stability during the initial move."
From its land base the buildings were moved, one at a time, to a 175-foot barge for transport along False Creek to the new site. The barge, controlled by two tugs, subsided 3.5 feet when subjected to the weight of the larger building.
While the large amount of glass in the two buildings was a particular concern, the move was achieved without breakage. "The buildings were designed to withstand 'zero' movement," notes Wolfgang Postler. "So despite the many operations involved, the move was completed with the glass intact."
The newly-located Presentation Centre is being officially opened in early 1997. In addition to the displays on the overall site and futuristic home technology, the Centre offers a detailed look at the Marina Crescent neighbourhood and Aquarius: the next exciting phase of Concord Pacific living. More than 70,000 people have visited the Presentation Centre since it first opened. We hope to see you soon at our new location: 150 Drake Street in the heart of Concord Pacific Place. Phone (604) 899-8800 for opening hours.