JEMM broke ground on The Bridge at Bridgeland, a 285-unit mixed-use rental development, on April 30th, 2020. A year has passed, and we are looking back on some surprises as well as a few good lessons. Above all, we’ve been inspired by the unstoppable energy that makes Bridgeland one of our favourite communities to build in.
#1 – Ain’t Got Nothing if You Ain’t Got Health
With groundbreaking for The Bridge occurring just weeks into the Covid-19 pandemic, each of the past 365 days of construction have been accomplished under pandemic protocols. As a large-scale construction project, it was necessary that onsite teams change fluidly and safely based on the expertise required to execute each phase. Thanks to the measures put in place by our construction team at ITC Group, the dedicated & diligent cleaning staff, shift work and organized work flow the dozens of tradespeople that came to work at The Bridge each day got through the early days of the pandemic safely with no major shutdowns.
#2 – It Takes 870m3 of Concrete and 25 Tissues to Plug Seeping Groundwater
Nature dealt out a few of her own lessons over the past year, including a reminder of how unpredictable soil conditions can be close to the Bow River. During the site excavation phase, extensive ground water made its way into the open pit. This triggered the pour of an additional 870 cubic meters of concrete (the equivalent of about 75 cement trucks) to support the slab-on-grade and fully plug the water seams running through the site. The 25 tissues were for our CFO.
#3 – A Lot Can Happen in a Year
Any good construction schedule is built with a balance of flex and focus, and the Year One game plan for building The Bridge needed exactly that. With challenging site conditions, the pandemic threatening to impact our workforce and inevitable Calgary cold snaps no leap forward was taken for granted.
Construction Progress First 365 days
#4- Community Counts
Since we broke ground last April, Bridgeland has continued to attract more amazing Calgary entrepreneurs. This included the best-of-the-best in restaurants with the addition of Lil Empire, Una, Phil and Sebastian’s and some top ice cream shoppes, Made By Marcus and Village Ice Cream. The JEMM team can’t wait to taste our way through the next 365 days!
#5 – Teamwork Makes it Possible
This year has also offered a reminder of a great lesson for any business – you are only as good as your team. JEMM is thankful for the time and talent provided by our Calgary-based teams at ITC Group, Zeidler Architecture and O2 Planning + Design, as well as the many consultants and trade contractors that are involved with building The Bridge project.
As Year Two of construction on The Bridge kicks-off, we are looking forward to completing the building up to its 16th floor plus the rooftop amenity spaces. Our site team will be joined by additional skilled trades who will start on interior finishes and technology features, getting us ready to welcome The Bridge’s first tenants in the summer of 2022.
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For more updates on The Bridge, check out the project page or sign up for FACET, JEMM’s bi-monthly newsletter.