Collaboration and communication help deliver project success.

Located in the heart of Northwest Calgary, within walking distance from the University of Calgary, BRIO Brentwood is the latest addition to the Brentwood Village redevelopment. The new building is a joint venture between RioCan—which owns the entire Brentwood Mall complex—and Boardwalk, a local developer. CANA is proud to have delivered this project on budget and ahead of schedule.

“Despite over 14 weeks of delays caused by weather, late design changes, and longer than expected durations with concrete, the project reached occupancy just under three weeks from base schedule,” says construction manager Tony Law.

BRIO Brentwood is a purpose-built rental apartment building featuring 162 suites over 12-storeys. Renters can choose from 14 different layouts ranging from smaller units to penthouse suites on the top level. Offering a fitness centre, a rooftop terrace, and panoramic views, the building is already a sought-after rental building.

Solving project challenges

“The project site was previously home to a gas station, and the extent of soil contamination was worse than initially predicted,” Tony explains. “It was a challenge to maintain schedule during foundation excavation to balance cost of removing the material, finding possible destinations to relocate or dispose of the soil, and maintaining the schedule while we waited for soil test results.”

But with all challenges, there are always solutions.

“Ultimately, with the help of our subcontractors, we were able to segregate soil from different areas of the excavation and dispose of it while remaining under budget.”

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges, though, is meeting the expectations of the owner. According to the owner's representative, CANA met and exceeded his expectations: “CANA was excellent in this area. We were looking for a construction manager who would be our partner for this project—someone who is proactive and able to provide solutions to problems that arise from working with the consultants and the engineers—and that’s exactly what we got.”

But how exactly does a construction manager become a good partner on a project? The owner's representative says it comes down to communication.

“CANA’s communication was great. I like the Information Confirmation Notice form that was used as a communication/documentation tool. Quite often a lot of verbal communication or directions agreed to with architects, engineers, sub-contractors, suppliers, etc. at site are quick/minor and do not need to be documented in any formal change notice, but should still be part of the project documentation for future reference. It’s also an excellent way of keeping owners informed during the project.”

It’s no surprise that the BRIO Brentwood project was a huge success, not only by having proper communication, meeting deadlines, and being on budget, but also by the efforts of a cohesive team.

“The team put forward by CANA was one of the best parts of this project—it was fantastic and very rewarding. We were able to foster a culture of openness and camaraderie that helped us get to where we are today. The team worked hard but did not forget to have fun along the way,” says Tony Law.

Learn more about this project or rental opportunities here.