WLU S.C. Johnson Building
It took some intuitive vision and much planning to invision the conversion of a three storey four vintage former bank into a university lecture hall and offices facility in the heart of downtown Brantford.
After many months of intense interior demolition and alterations Vicano Construction Limited was able to create an extrodinarily functional university facility for Wilfrid Laurier University with all the modern imenities associated with a WLU building.
Construction challenges included slicing through 3 ft. thick concrete and steel plate walls to create openings into bank safes, creating mezzanine levels with minimum floor thicknesses to achieve proper ceiling heights and manuvering in a basement which can only be described as a dungeon maze.
A 131 person multi-media lecture theatre was created, a five level elevator was installed, private offices, fire stairwells, and IT rooms created all while maintaining the integrity of the existing interior structures such as an impressive caufered ceiling in the main hall. The building was re-roofed and the exterior granite and limestone facade of the building was re-furbished to unify the look of each of the four vintages.
"I cannot believe I am standing in the same building...it's amazing to see" -Bill Januszkiewicz, Wilfrid Laurier University Project Co-ordinator
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