Breaking New Ground—Stories from Defence Construction Breaking_new_ground | Page 67

Has there ever been anyone who worked in the
construction industry in Canada who didn’t dream of a
warm, dry, windless and well-lit place to work in the
winter? Well, at CFB Valcartier such an environment
was created in the winter of 1971–72!
… The first package off the drawing board in the major
construction management project was the foundations
and superstructures for four new “Other Ranks Quarters.”
Despite everyone’s best efforts, the superstructure
tender was called late in the summer… Nothing much
could be done to advance the schedule and nothing at
all could be done to delay the onset of winter.
A solution came from Phil Coulter, an employee of
the consulting engineering firm of A.D. Gagnon and
Associates… to purchase and install two air-supported
structures (balloons as everyone called them) as soon
as the foundations of the first two quarters were
completed and backfilled. The superstructures could
then be constructed in these dry, heated air-supported
structures. When the first two superstructures were
completed, the balloons would be dismantled and
transferred to the last two quarters buildings.
(The balloons) were the largest ever used on a building
project, and it was the first time they were used in
severe Canadian winter conditions… The air-supported
structures were held up via pressurization… (they) were
really just very large floorless tents. A wide flap at the
perimeter was turned inward and weighed down with
sand. The fabric was like a coated white canvas and
allowed sufficient light to pass through that artificial light
was required only in hours of darkness… The spaces
created were very conducive to work. They were about
20 metres high, 40 metres across and 70 metres long.
On entering the structures, one had a strong impression
of immense space…
BREAKING NEW GROUND
DEFENCE CONSTRUCTION CANADA
Within six weeks of work, the superstructures were
about 80 percent complete, a rate of progress that
Atchison noted could not have been maintained even
in summer conditions—but the position of the backup
power generators, which had been placed outside the
balloons because of concerns about fumes, was about
to become a problem.
On the night of the first Friday in February, a major
winter storm hit the Quebec City area. Several hours
into the storm, power failed at the Base. The generators
cranked, but they never caught—there was too much
snow everywhere, including under the cowlings of the
generators. As pressure was lost, the fabric on both
balloons became loose and began to flap in the wind
The superstructures had thousands of sharp masonry
points, projecting reinforcing rods and metal door
frames. The fabric literally ripped itself to shreds.
Both air-supported structures were totally destroyed.
Completion of the quarters buildings was delayed
until spring.
Two new structures were ordered for the final two
quarters buildings, and the generators were this time
installed inside. Before work began, however, the fabric
on one structure failed during high winds and was
again ripped to shreds. The fourth balloon was more
successful—although it, too, suffered a fabric failure.
They (structures) were a success in that they created a
reasonable place to work in winter. Nevertheless, we
have to consider cost. All of the tradesmen who were
employed on the project could have been paid to stay
at home for the whole winter and it would have cost
less. The value of the construction that would have
been executed under the balloons, even had the
collapses not occurred, was less than the cost of the
structures, their installation and maintenance…
the technique has not been used since for winter
construction in Canada.
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