Projects

In need of a new satellite station to accommodate the increasing growth of South Ottawa, VIA Rail tendered the design and construction of a new satellite train station to help service the growing market. The new facility is also integrated into the OC Transpo municipal public transportation hub. The new building was designed and constructed using traditional concrete foundations on spread footings, a mix of structural steel, and wood frame and post and beam elements for its basic structure. The use of a vertical design elements and signage acts as a beacon to help create a focal point and guide the public to the station.

Working activity was conducted in proximity of the active tracks and necessitated strict protocols and guidelines to permit time slots in which construction activity could be undertaken as several trains would have daily and varying scheduled runs by the new facility.

This 60,000 ft² facility with 40′ clear ceilings houses an indoor arena soccer field with a surrounding  running track. The innovative technology used on this project allows for a permanent steel building to be erected without posts or columns, meaning students can benefit from uninterrupted play and maximum utilization.

The design incorporates a fitness area nestled behind the change rooms for privacy in an open feeling area, as well as a physiotherapy center with separate access. A climbing wall was incorporated, and was structurally designed into the existing wall. The building is connected to the CJ Sanders field house complex by means of an enclosed link, which makes it easily accessible in winter months.

This is another example of a wood framed multiplex housing facility delivered by the management team at McDonald Brothers Construction, working together alongside Ottawa Community Housing.

An existing structure on site was demolished to make way for a new, 10-unit stacked dwellings apartment building. The three-storey structure is a wood frame building with a combination of conventionally formed and insulated concrete foundation (ICF) walls and fire rated assemblies. One unit is fully accessible and the basement houses storage lockers and laundry facilities.

This new facility was constructed to help with the social housing needs in this part of the city and has played a role in re-energizing the Lower Town area.

As Ottawa continues to grow, Canada Post required a new letter depot and distribution centre for the increased population base. As such, they worked with HOK to design an innovative and environmentally sustainable building that is designed to meet LEED Canada Silver certification.

LEED certification is particularly challenging when designing a one-storey industrial building with traditional building materials such as structural steel, masonry veneer, and metal cladding. The final result is an efficient building, with particular focus on attaining maximum natural daylight intake to allow the building to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

This development includes three new multilevel town homes, providing a total of 27 units under the City of Ottawa’s mandate for affordable housing. It also incorporates a purpose-built community house. The structure itself is a 3-storey building with the concrete walls acting as a foundation; all of which maintain fire-rated assemblies as well. The exterior is comprised of brick masonry units and siding veneer. In addition, the project included a site works package that saw completion of landscaping, and asphalt paving for parking and driveways.

The design of the building is also intended to be environmentally friendly. All three buildings feature enhanced insulation levels, as well as thermal windows and doors, in order to minimize excessive heating and A/C costs. Low-flow appliances were also installed to reduce water consumption.

The property is located in a residential sector of East Ottawa near to similar OCH townhouses. The project was completed in three phases to accommodate the parking needs of tenants and contractors during the build, as parking in the surrounding area is limited.

The town homes are a mix of two, three, and four bedroom units. There is one unit which is reserved as a community space and is used for after-school programs, courses, and services. Occupants of this building, as well as other OCH buildings, are able to take advantage of this comforting resource space.

This was a renovation project focused on building life cycle and building code upgrades to a one-hundred year old,
three-storey building made of stone-brick. The Devonshire Community Public School building has a heritage
designation from the city of Ottawa. This project saw asbestos abatement, selective demolition and masonry work
(repainting, cleaning and restoration) done to the school. Additionally, new windows and a new entrance were
installed.

New HVAC, sprinkler, plumbing and electrical systems were integrated into the building with carefully coordinated
cutting and patching to maintain the integrity and continuity of interior finishes and trim. Those finishes include
drywall, mill work, acoustical ceilings and the renewal of 100-year-old hardwood & terrazzo flooring.

The project also added barrier free improvements requested by building code/city requirements including new
washrooms, handicap door operators, a new traction elevator and ramp access to all areas of the school. These
changes brought the old building into a more modern era, while maintaining its historic value.

The ramp addition and elevator shaft used a combination of structural steel elements in conjunction with load
bearing masonry.

Gamma Dynacare Medical Laboratories (GDML) consolidated their Eastern Ontario laboratories within a new custom-designed facility in the Ottawa Life Sciences Technology Park. The facility accommodates the processing and biomedical diagnostic testing of 20,000 blood, urine, and tissue samples per day. The facility, organized around a central Core Lab, handles the large testing volume through increased automated operations. Surrounding the Core Lab are specialized laboratories for cytology, histology, haematology, microbiology, fertility, biochemistry, parasitology, bacteriology, and pathology. GDML’s facility also features Canada’s first private-sector Containment Level 3 laboratory for polymerase chain reaction analysis, tuberculosis testing and work with Risk Group 3 Biological Agents.

The facility is comprised of 65% wet laboratory space and 35% administration space, and contains more than 320 items of scientific equipment each having very specific requirements. It has also been designed and constructed to implement robotic testing within the next few years. Delivered within 44 weeks via a fast-track process, the resultant building in many ways represents the Park’s flagship building.

This two-storey above-grade structure also features a basement and a storage area, and totals over 31,000 ft². The finishing both inside and out include a mix of materials to reflect the ideals of the Legion, including extensive use of both granite and wood.

Located just next to the Kanata Wave Pool along the Queensway, an extensive landscaping package was included with memorials along the grounds to create a distinctive and well-suited atmosphere of respect and reverence.

This address at 211 Lees previously held a different building with fourteen residential units. However, its
superstructure was demolished following a substantial fire and McDonald Brothers Construction Inc. became the
acting construction manager for a new sixteen unit residential housing development project on behalf of the Ottawa
Community Housing Corporation.

This three-storey wood frame construction used the existing concrete foundations of the old building, which were
restored for redevelopment after McDonald Brothers Construction protected them for an entire winter. The rebuild
remained a wood frame construction and included radiant polished concrete topping throughout with two
accessible units. The cladding comprised of masonry stone and brick veneer as well as concrete panel siding.

The project won the Ottawa Urban Design Award in 2017.

The Bruyère Senior Residence is made up of three wood-framed residence buildings. All buildings are three levels
and include a full basement. In total, the floor area of the buildings is 100,000 square feet, used for eighty-two
units alongside lobbies and leisure areas.

The building envelope includes brick veneer, cement panel cladding and asphalt shingle roofing. The heating and
cooling energy source is from a state of the art geothermal system located beneath the parking and landscaping
areas; this was particularly challenging as it involved the drilling of twenty four individual wells at 180-meter depth
into bedrock. The ventilation system sucks warm air down into the wells to be cooled, then it circulates it back to
the buildings. This circulation is constantly happening all year round.

At the time of its completion, the Bruyère Senior Residence was the most Eco-friendly residence in the national
capital region. The consultant team elected to centralize the geothermal heating and cooling plant, resulting in a
massive increase in efficiency and decreasing enterprise heating costs.

This 600 ft², two-storey addition and renovation provides the synagogue with added space for a larger foyer and additional meeting rooms.  The expansion also enhances accessibility to all areas of the facility by means of a new hydraulic elevator and shaft assembly.

Additional men’s and women’s barrier free washrooms are also integrated into the project. Temporary walls were erected, in order to minimize disturbance to a functional and operational synagogue, work schedules were coordinated as to not impact the congregation’s use of the facility.

Originally scheduled for demolition, the City of Ottawa reconsidered and acquired federal funding for a new refrigeration system, giving the arena a second chance at life. In order to do so, significant adjustments had to be made in order for the arena to be architecturally safe.

The scope of work involved demolition of the existing refrigerated slab, which saw over 15,000 ft² of concrete at depth of several inches, removed. In order to extract the existing slab, the concrete was cut in to removable rectangles and hauled away. Any remaining concrete was demolished with jackhammers and power tools. A new slab was formed, reinforced with rebar, and poured in place. A 2-inch up-stand was required, in order to achieve the mandated height of the boards that the City required.

Replacement of the dasher boards was also required. The existing arena lighting system was replaced with T5HO light fixtures, and the addition of a Zamboni room, as well as a new entrance lobby was also constructed. This required new masonry block and brick to be installed. The additional facility spaces were constructed using load-bearing masonry with composite metal panels, steel floor joists, and mod-bit roofing.

The scope of work for this project included some selective demolition of the existing concrete flooring, sandblasting and recoating of the existing structural steel in corrosion resistant finishes.

Additional masonry, concrete unit masonry, structural steel, steel framing, PVC roofing repairs, sealants and interior painting was also carried out, as well as building envelope upgrade and the rehabilitation of pool equipment.

McDonald Brothers Construction provided design-build services to construct an anechoic satellite-testing chamber inside the David Florida Lab clean room and supporting facility. Before satellites can be launched, they need to be tested to ensure that they can survive the harsh conditions of space. The facility takes delicate precision satellite technology and shakes, spins, cools, and heats it, to test it under conditions similar to those it may encounter in space.

Phase I involved a de-mountable aluminum compartment 20’x20’x20’ equipped with an azimuth-positioning table to facilitate satellite testing. The satellite deployment table was anchored to a seismic slab and significant accurate tolerances of five thousandths of an inch were critical for the success of this project. We had to maintain a class 100,000 clean room atmosphere during the course of construction.

We returned for a second phase of construction in 2003. Work consisted of creating a steel mezzanine/walkway connecting the overhead office spaces. This resulted in having less traffic through the decontaminated area.

The  Goulbourn Recreational Complex has come to be known as a central landmark in the Ottawa area. This new 22,000 ft² addition consists of a new double gymnasium, complete with male and female washrooms, change rooms, and shower rooms. A multi-purpose hall, over two floors of fitness areas, and a combination of offices, meeting rooms, and storage rooms make for a state of the art facility. Finally, a full site works package including additional parking and landscaping was also done, in order to complete functionality and aesthetics.

The building structures are primarily load-bearing masonry wall assemblies and steel structures, completed with brick and stone veneers. The building incorporated a wide range of sustainable design features which will reduce energy consumption and improve occupant health and comfort.

As per the City’s mandate to incorporate sustainable practice, this facility expansion is designed for LEED Silver Certification.

The Sherwood Park Manor required an 18,000 ft² addition to the existing long-term care facility located in the city of Brockville. The structural components consisted of steel, load bearing masonry, precast concrete slab and carpentry materials with an enhanced post & beam entrance.

The existing facility was kept operational throughout construction and detailed scheduling and coordination was required to complete the renovations. Major site work included the new ring road, loading facility, additional parking spaces, elaborate landscaping and new secure terrace with cedar lattice.

This project consisted of a two-storey 8000 ft² addition to an existing retirement facility, increasing its capacity by 12 suites. Other renovations renovation within the existing facility were incorporated into the work package including a theatre, beauty salon & reception area. The suites were also upgraded with a nurse call system for in-house assistance.

Building systems and finishes mirrored what was used in the original main building, which included wood framing on concrete, with a mix of stone, masonry and EIFS as exterior.

This project was completed in an occupied environment, which mandated precautions in ensuring construction activities were separated from building occupants. Noise and disturbances were required to be kept to a minimal.

Located in Orléans, this phased project involved the creation of over 140,000 ft² of new retail base building on adjacent sites. The main complex included 135,000 square feet to house Walmart, while an additional free-standing 8000 ft2 was used for multiple tenants. Structural steel framing was used in all cases, with pre-cast cladding and some architectural masonry.

Retained as general contractors for the main complex, we were asked to submit a design-build team for the adjacent structure, and delivered the two projects under different contractual formats. As such, we employed two different superintendents for each project, as well as two different bases of trades. Coordination was obviously needed between the two sites to ensure consistency. The civil portion of work was completed from July of 2004 to November 2004, at which point the site was shut down to avoid costly winter heating. The site was re-opened in March to adhere to the fast-track schedule which saw the building turned over in the first week of July 2005.

In 2012, the Government of Canada’s Department of National Defense acquired new aircraft and military equipment, as well as individuals to operate the new technology. As a result, this new facility was designed to support the personnel involved in the helicopter program.

The building is 63,000 ft² on three floors above grade with a full basement and storage facilities. The scope of work includes load bearing masonry walls with structural steel components and core-slab floor assemblies.

Working closely with our consulting team, McDonald Brothers Construction was able to provide a winning design that best suited the needs of our client. The building was constructed by using structural steel, insulated metal panels and cedar cladding to give it a unique curb appeal. The curtain wall system was strategically positioned to increase the showroom experience.

Large overhead doors were provided on either side of the building to allow the users easy maneuverability of trailers or RV’s through the showroom and shop areas. The interior’s large two-storey showroom display and mezzanine also houses the sales and administration offices. The exterior was given an architectural element with the added stained cedar panels to the front facade that tied into the curtain wall system.

MBC’s project team aggressively pushed the construction schedule through the harsh winter months in order to provide the owner with a complete functional building for their peak spring sales period.

The project was to construct a new stand-alone building to be used as a training accommodation and event centre for Turkish Community with a conference hall, meeting rooms and daycare, and offices.

The new 12, 562 square feet building is a one storey wood frame structure with pre-engineered wood trusses with asphalt shingles roofing system. Standard concrete foundation with a slab on grade. The exterior finish is EIFS with the bottom of the walls to be masonry veneer. The interior finishes are a drywall finish, custom accoustic ceiling, resilient and carpet floor finishes. The building also has a sprinkler system. The HVAC system has 3 AC Units with associated electrical work. The site work is a ponding area and parking area with some landscaping work.

The goal of this project was to construct a new Mosque for South Nepean Muslim Community. The new building includes a prayer space, community hall for two parallel events, library and classrooms, indoor youth sports facility.

This building is constructed with a structural concrete foundation and suspended concrete slab over the full basement. The upper portion of the structure is a structural steel framing with metal stud framing for the exterior walls and a conventional mod bit roofing.

The exterior finishing is mostly masonry veneer with some EIFS finish and curtain wall windows. A structural steel frame mezzanine is on the second floor. There is a elevator with a masonry elevator shaft to be built. Roof top Air handling unit for the HVAC and heating. Sprinkler system is provided throughout the building and all associated electrical work.

McDonald Brothers Construction was awarded the bid for a new standalone two-storey elementary school, consisting of 65, 434 ft² of usable space. The building structure of the school was comprised of tilt up concrete panel structure complete with steel joist and related decking. The interior partitions are comprised of metal studs and drywall.

Included in the design are new classrooms and a new fully equipped gymnasium. The entire building is complete with a cutting edge sprinkler system and associated mechanical and electrical work.

The Ottawa Rotary Home is a respite home meant to provide children and adults with disabilities with a temporary accommodation to stay. The facility is located on a five-acre site with 18,000ft² wood framed structure and divided three distinct areas.

The first building is the administrative area, which houses staff offices, two large multipurpose rooms for both adults and youths, two fully equipped kitchens, craft rooms, washrooms and bathing rooms.

Branching off of the administrative building is a wing which is accommodated with 13 beds for junior occupants.
The final building provides 8 beds for adult occupants.

This project included a wood framed structures on poured concrete foundations, siding veneer, shingle roofing, various flooring material (i.e. carpet, ceramic tiles) and mechanical & electrical systems.