One of the most dramatic changes in Glenbow’s transformation has been the removal of the northeast corner of the building. This corner included an emergency exit stairwell (one of four emergency stairs in the original building) – and removing it was essential to create a front door for visitors to come into Glenbow’s new home, the JR Shaw Centre for Arts & Culture.
Removing a whole corner of a building is complicated – and it can be dangerous if not done carefully. Priestly Demolition was brought in to safely plan and remove the corner, working closely with EllisDon. The project spanned just over a year, ensuring detailed planning could happen to safely remove each piece of reinforced concrete. Priestly Demolition created a detailed engineering plan, including placement of coring holes, rigging, and custom solutions to remove every cut of concrete.
The emergency stairwell included 1.8 million pounds of reinforced concrete spanning eight storeys. The largest panel removed was 36,000 pounds, measuring 20 feet high by 12 feet wide. On every floor (all eight!), Priestly separated the massive concrete into 20 panel sections – meaning over 160 total concrete panels weighing between 20,000 and 36,000 pounds were removed from this corner alone.
The removal relied on precision saw cuts when separating the building from the stairwell – ensuring no overcuts into the parts of the building that remained and needed to be structurally sound without the stairwell.
Throughout the demolition, no concrete was dropped thanks to the thoughtful preparation and planning by everyone involved. All this led to another great outcome: Priestly Demolition won a 2024 World Demolition Award for their work!
Thank you to Priestly Demolition, EllisDon, and the whole team for this incredible work. It brings us one step closer to realizing the vision for a reimagined Glenbow and new spaces that are inclusive, accessible, and sustainable when we open in our new home, the JR Shaw Centre for Arts & Culture.
With the demolition complete, you may now see new steel going in to brace the northeast corner of the building and frame out new windows at ground level and on the eighth floor for a new space with stunning views! Watch for a sneak peek coming soon.
