The city and University of British Columbia have said they are investigating reports of damages to properties surrounding the future downtown UBCO campus tower.
In a statement, the city says they have been working closely to monitor the reports of ground settling and to determine the best path forward on the project.
According to the city, preventing further impacts is a “primary objective” for all involved and measures are being taken to prevent more structural damage.
Lance Kayfish, risk manager for the City of Kelowna, says that includes changes to construction methodology, site planning and “resequencing of work” while engineers on the 43-storey project review “challenges.”
“Although some settlement can be expected around large excavations and building construction projects, the movement seen in this case is more than expected,” said Kayfish.
“That is why the construction team is taking time to evaluate the east elevation, below the Pathways building, and refocus its construction efforts elsewhere on the site. This is allowing the engineering teams to closely survey and study the site and adapt to alternative ways of completing the work.”
The UBCO tower’s parkade will be four-storeys deep, a Kelowna-first.
UBCO says that’s thanks to its innovative “tanked” design that will use a special waterproof concrete mix to accommodate the city’s high water table.
The city says multiple city departments and private consultants are monitoring other buildings, city infrastructure and underground utilities surrounding the site, which is located where the old Daily Courier building.
“An independent geotechnical peer review confirmed last week that no new settlement has occurred in the past two weeks and also that the Pathways Housing residence adjacent to the construction site is safe to be occupied,” a release from the city says.
Earlier this month the Okanagan coLab space on St. Paul Street announced an “indefinite” closure after the neighbouring construction project impacted the structural integrity of nearby buildings.
In mid-December, the Kelowna legion said they would be closing their building and all activities would be suspended due to the impacts. No update has been provided from the Legion.
School District 23 also announced disruptions at their online learning center on Doyle Avenue.
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