THE NEW RADIO-CANADA BROADCASTING HOUSE

Back to projects
THE NEW RADIO-CANADA BROADCASTING HOUSE

THE NEW RADIO-CANADA BROADCASTING HOUSE

The new Radio-Canada Broadcasting House was designed to be an attractive technological, cultural and community center.

The proposal of Broccolini group of Montreal was selected for this project in 2016, and it was to Béton Provincial that the contractor awarded the concrete supply contract for the three buildings.  “Our challenge was twofold:  to satisfy our client, Broccolini and to satisfy the prime contractor, Radio-Canada. But in the end, we were thinking of all Quebeckers. Like us, they will benefit from the exceptional quality of the productions offered by this institution,” explains Sylvain Veronneau, General Manager of Béton Provincial for the Montreal region.

The requirements of fast-track

“A fast-track concrete project has excessively high stakes ”, says Stefano Macri, a technical sales representative at Béton Provincial. ”Once we knew we were getting the contract, we didn’t have time to waste, we had to quickly put our shoulders to the wheel and get started ”.

An acoustic slab of exceptional flatness

Of course, when we talk about   “ TV or radio production”, we think of “ technical requirements ”. In addition to meeting the highest environmental and sustainable development standards, the new complex had to meet sophisticated needs, particularly in terms of flat surfaces for camera movement.

Mike Ductan, Technical Director for the Montreal region, was in charge of the “ concrete quality ” dimension of this mandate. “ The layout of the various studios and spaces required the design of a structural and acoustic floor slab with an exceptional level of flatness. So, there was no reason to make saw cuts. The challenge was great, especially since the columns were much more spaced than normal, also because of the television production needs ”, he explains. The slabs were supported, i.e. placed on anti-vibration support elements.

Recognized expertise in all-season concreting

In addition, the project began during the 2017 summer heatwave and was to be completed in the fall of 2018. “Our expertise is recognized in the industry for our flagship value-added products: Cool-Mix, our hot weather concreting solution, and Accel-Mix, our cold-weather concreting solution. Pouring concrete in all seasons has never been a problem for us. But in this case, it was also necessary to think fast-track, with location-related challenges, forcing the use of very long pours, up to 250 m, with the help of a crane to support the pipe. »

Maturity sensor technology

“We used the maturity sensor technology, which allows us to monitor the temperature of the concrete in real-time and thus considerably reduces the duration of the cure, which is stopped as soon as we see that the target values have been obtained,” continued Mr. Ductan. Using measuring instruments (sensors or maturity sensors) inserted in the concrete, it is possible to estimate the strength in place of the concrete. This rather unique technique is not yet standard in the industry. “But we at Béton Provincial are very interested in it because of the time it saves, which was the case for this project. We consider that we have saved 20 days! We are always on the lookout for innovations.

The ultimate in technical and acoustic performance

The new Radio-Canada Broadcasting House includes two administrative buildings and a building dedicated to all CBC recording and production activities. The technical building houses a studio and multi-platform information sets, a large, modern and versatile television studio (the equivalent of the famous “Studio 42”) with long ranges and acoustic requirements, specific to the nature of the premises.

The Strength of Béton Provincial

Three of the company’s plants near downtown were involved in this project, as well as a large fleet of concrete mixers. In addition to its expertise and years of success, this proximity to facilities and staff is an undeniable strength for Béton Provincial.

The beginning of a fruitful collaboration with Broccolini

This was the first collaboration of this magnitude between Béton Provincial and Broccolini, a leader in construction and real estate development services, which has since been followed by other equally interesting and challenging mandates. “ Béton Provincial is one of the largest private manufacturers of ready-mixed concrete in North America,” explains Sylvain Veronneau. A 100% Quebec-based, sole proprietorship company, we operate in an industrial sector mainly occupied by multinational companies.  Our clients quickly realize the benefits of doing business with us. It is easy, it is fast and it goes well. We are one phone call away from the most important decisions.

“We are proud to have contributed to the success of this very high visibility project, with the valuable collaboration of other stakeholders in the project, including Planchers de Béton Cami-Tec inc. concrete floor finisher” concluded Mr. Veronneau.

A new “ entrance ” in the town of Montreal

The new Radio-Canada Broadcasting House is part of a major project to revitalize Montréal downtown, with the new CHUM, the covering of the highway Ville-Marie and access to the waterfront.  A whole new “city entrance” is now emerging at the foot of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge!

Technical specifications

Industry

Real estate and buildings

Location

Montréal

Quantity of concrete

± 32 500 m3 m³

Products used

Client

Broccolini

Share

Any questions?

CONTACT-US

Share