Tillicum Lodge demolition paves the way for new Trades centre

After eight weeks of painstaking asbestos abatement and mold removal, Tillicum Lodge is now being torn down in sections over the next few weeks.

Camosun’s new Centre for Trades Education and Innovation is now underway with the initial demolition of the 40-year-old building on the north end of Interurban campus.

Shean Beardsley, head site supervisor and foreman of HL Demolition and Waste Management, says with the exception of the toxic materials, most of the wood, metal and cement scraps from the aged facility will be recycled.

“The wood will be ground into ‘hog fuel’ or small light weight bark chips that can be reused as fill for road foundations or burning fuel for commercial facilities,” says Beardsley. “The cement from the foundation will also be crushed and recycled as road base. Metal and wiring will go to recycling facilities and everything is tracked. The goal is to recycle 95 to 98 per cent of all job site materials.”

Tillicum Lodge first opened in 1973 as a long term care home as part of the Glendale Lodge Hospital behind Interurban campus.

In 1995/96 both the Tillicum Lodge and Glendale Lodge were closed and residents moved to new facilities. Tillicum Lodge was given to Camosun College, while Glendale Lodge remained vacant until 2000 when the provincial government approved a conversion of the former 165,000 sq. ft hospital to a research technology park. In 2001, the Vancouver Island Technology Park (VITP) was officially opened. In April 2005, the University of Victoria purchased the tech park.

More than 30 employees from HL Demolition have been working to dismantle Tillicum Lodge since January. Beardsley says his employees come from all backgrounds as there is no formal trade associated with deconstruction and demolition; however a number of jobs require provincial certifications. He hand picks his workers and trains them over several months. “I once hired a doctor who worked on my demo team for a year because he wanted to understand first-hand about worksite safety and injuries,” he says.

Ergin Ozbadem of Camosun Facilities Services expects the entire site to be clear before the end of March. After that, the Trades Centre project will move into its second phase – the finalizing of the architectural designs and electrical upgrades to current trades buildings.

Contact

Ian Tol
Director of Facilities Management
Camosun College
tol@camosun.bc.ca