Ahead of the Curve

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where some see challenges

we see Ahead of the curve

With a completely curved structure including glass, walls and concrete the iconic Bow Tower was a survey project with no parallel.

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PROJECT SNAPSHOT

The Bow Tower

1 Consulting engineers of alberta Award of Excellence

1700000 square feet of office space

40000 tonnes of structural steel framing

100000 WSP man-hours

30000 survey marks to position structural components and architectural features

4 clients served: H & R REIT, Matthews Southwest, Ledcor construction & supreme walters jv

58 stories above ground with 6 stories of underground parking

6 PRECISION INCLINOMETERS INSTALLED FOR REAL-TIME POSITIONING OF STEEL COLUMNS

19 control monuments to position the tower

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An iconic masterpiece defining the Calgary skyline.

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Project slideshow

An insider's view of how it all came together.

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An artistic rendering of the Bow Tower - Calgary's skyline forever redefined.

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Digging down before building up: the 2008 parkade excavation.

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Layout of the embed frames for raft slab pour.

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1 of the 19 survey control stations surrounding the project.

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Quality control on the embed frame placement.

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Plumbing of the structural steel from ground level.

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1 of 6 precision inclinometers used for real-time building dynamics.

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Plumbing of the steel from a crane basket.

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A view from the southern edge.

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Working level with free standing columns.

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A bird's eye view of steel plumbing in progress.

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Living on the edge: Quality control surveys for the building canopy prior to glass install.

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A view of the southern exposure from ground level - an icon taking shape.

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RTK GNSS Surveys for column plumbing.

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A precision total station is used for the layout of interior building features.

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Column plumbing at the highest level.

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High definition scanning of the south atrium and plaza areas.

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A south-facing view of the northern exposure of the tower - great views from every angle.

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Layout of the building's screed edge on Q deck.

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Column plumbing in real time.

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A view from next door - the northern exposure of the Bow Tower.

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The Bow Tower and Calgary's skyline as seen from north of the Bow River.

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A view of the triangular diagram system, an architectural trademark of Norman Foster.

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View looking East from an adjacent tower.

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VIEW A SELECTION OF other challenges we've overcome

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where some see challenges

we see Ahead of the curve

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

The Bow Tower

An insider's view of how it all came together.

VIEW A SELECTION OF other challenges we've overcome

WHERE SOME SEE CHALLENGES

WE SEE A LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS