Preston Rentals Provides Material Handling Solution for UBC’s Gateway Building
Heatherbrae Builders reached out to Preston Rentals for a plan on how to load and unload a unique addition to the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus. A hybrid structure comprising of mass timber, structural steel, and concrete, the new Gateway Building is the first of its kind in North America. The project uses mass timber to lower embodied carbon, aligning with the university’s value of sustainability. The choice of mass timber also acknowledges the importance of this material to the traditional owners of the land, the Musqueam Nation. An ambitious venture, once completed, this $180 million dollar project will form a welcoming, academic gateway six storeys high that connects two five-storey wings with a central, daylight-filled atrium.
With precious crane time being spent on material handling due to the building’s distinctive design, Heatherbrae was seeking a more efficient method. Preston Rentals promptly provided the solution, installing a SuperDeck® 3.2 on each of the three complete levels of the Gateway Building. Heatherbrae could vertically stack and roll in or out these decks as needed. This enabled the efficient and easy loading and unloading of materials on each level. Our solution also facilitated more effective crane time and greatly minimised manual labour hours.
The UBC Gateway Building project demonstrates the impressive versatility of the SuperDeck®. Able to be vertically stacked, installed on curved surfaces, and retracted as needed, the SuperDeck® streamlines material handling on even the most unique of building sites.