The True North Sports and Entertainment Centre continues to take shape in downtown Winnipeg. As the project develops, concrete work still dominates the list of site activities and, while this phase of the construction is not the most exciting work to watch or describe, concrete is a most essential component of the finished building.
Concrete is the largest single building material in the structure, valued for its weight bearing strength, durability and reasonable cost. When complete, the True North Centre will contain more than 84 million pounds of poured in place concrete and millions of additional pounds of pre-cast concrete sections. The first pre-cast pieces will form the base of the facility’s seating aisles and chair platforms to which the upholstered chairs will be fixed. The pre-cast sections will begin to be craned into position in October.
Most recently on the site, the first section of the suite or skywalk level concourse (one level up from the street) was poured on Friday, September 5th. The final section of the main concourse floor (at street level) was poured Saturday, September 6th.
As work progresses on the suite level, it is evident how and where the existing skywalk-connecting bridges on Hargrave and Graham meet and join the True North Centre. Entirely new walkway bridges will be constructed on Donald Street to connect the Somerset Building and on Hargrave to connect the new Powerhouse development.
The concrete work on the 300-foot long tunnel from Carlton Street down and under Hargrave Street to the event level will be complete later this month and the new ramp will then be the main access to the site early in October.
The current work schedule centres on the forming and pouring of columns, stairwells, elevator shafts and seating “rakers” from the main concourse floor up to the suite level.
Delivery of the first structural steel takes place in mid-October although the main exterior frame of the facility and the roof trusses will not be put in place until early in 2004.
[MTS Centre Construction Archive]
