East Bayfront Stormwater Management System wins highly prestigious Ontario Engineering Award

The Consulting Engineers of Ontario honoured East Bayfront’s Stormwater Management System with the 2017 premier Willis Chipman Award. This award recognizes the project that best demonstrates and contributes to the social, economic and environmental well-being of Ontario through technical excellence and innovation.

The success of the design was made possible by the exceptional collaboration within the design team. Interdisciplinary mutual respect between the engineering and design disciplines created an environment that maintained the most important priorities for all, without compromising creativity, quality and long-term sustainability.

The complex design challenge was to incorporate the shaft storage tank, OGSs and adjacent switch panel within an urban 21 m right-of-way, alongside a thriving new public realm. The design not only addressed the engineering requirements; it created a complete street that prioritized pedestrian connectivity to the adjacent award-winning waterfront promenade.

The control panel adjacent to the shaft storage tank and access hatches were thoughtfully coordinated and integrated with the high-quality public realm. Priority was given to maintaining a continuous unit paver sidewalk, waterfront promenade and road surface, all the while discretely concealing a 12 m diameter, 25 m deep shaft. The shaft access hatches were also designed to protecting for vehicular and pedestrian movement during maintenance activities.

Another significant public realm priority was to maintain the waterfront promenade and streetscape trees. To insure exceptional tree health and the ability to make a long-term and positive impact on the public realm, soil cells were used to provide optimal soil volume. The continuous soil cells were closely coordinated with the shaft storage tank and municipal infrastructure, being considered an essential piece of both above and below grade infrastructure.

Adding to the many design constraints was the adjacent Lake Ontario dockwall. The existing dockwall structure needed to be reinforced as the shaft storage tank and municipal infrastructure would bisect the existing anchor wall and battered piles. The construction was carefully phased and included the design of the coffer dam and dockwall penetrations.