↪ Jump to learn how and why Procore's all-in-one construction management software has been key to keeping the King Animal Hospital project – a 60,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility - on track.
↪ Jump to learn how Matterport's 3-D renderings facilitate timely, informed decision-making and virtual site visits at St. Anne's School.
If you spend a bit of time in the Dalton office or talking with a member of our team, you will learn about our Alternative Approach and the unique methods w use to measure how effectively we manage each construction project. One method is working with our client and their consultants to establish the project's Definition of Success (DOS) and keeping the project team focused on achieving that DOS throughout the project lifecycle. This objective approach eliminates bias and self-interest and promotes an atmosphere based on teamwork and a shared responsibility to meet the clients’ goals. Internally it informs us if we are delivering on our promise to provide outstanding expertise in a cooperative, timely and cost-effective manner.
Our Approach is a genuine commitment we make to facilitate a project environment where all contributors feel informed, valued and supported through active communication and accountability. It has played a huge role in our ability to consistently deliver successful projects to happy clients. That is our Definition of Success.
Like so many others over the past two years, Dalton has been reminded how critical technology is in maintaining efficient, well-connected teams, especially in the increasingly complex construction space. We recognized the opportunity to leverage specific tools to elevate our day-to-day processes, and continue to provide the high level of service that our clients know to expect.
St. Anne's School - Aurora, Ontario
The transformation of a sprawling 40,000 square foot former private residence into the future home of St. Anne’s School - a new independent school for girls in Aurora - continues. To satisfy institutional code compliance, the building required significant structural reinforcement and the installation of supplementary mechanical, electrical and safety systems. A very important element of the client’s DOS was that we preserve the architecture, ornamentation and character of the property including the large ornate staircases, intricately carved ceilings, window frames and walls, and the fireplaces (featured in almost every room).
In our extensive experiencing modernizing and repurposing heritage buildings, we know there is little room for error. With this in mind we used Matterport- a cutting-edge web based technology - to create an immersive 3D digital model of the residence. Not only did it provide us with valuable data and accurate measurements but it also served as a visual record of the conditions before construction started. Essentially a time capsule, easily accessed via a web browser.
St. Anne’s Site Manager, William Dobson: “When reinstalling the very ornamental ceiling pieces in one of the main offices, we referred back to the Matterport ‘Dollhouse View’ to zoom in on the ceiling and confirm the exact layout. Though we would have put the ceiling back together correctly without the digital reference, this tool allowed us to do so more efficiently. It always helps to look at the box when working on a puzzle, right?"
Matterport also facilitates timely, informed decision-making while reducing the number of people physically on site. In the process of converting rooms into classrooms, washrooms, offices and other teaching facilities, we were able to direct field workers to specific locations and relevant data found within the digital space. “It is amazing when you do not need to be physically in the space, to be ‘in the space’”, remarked Dalton PM, Richard Housser. The opportunity to address questions and resolve issues remotely was also valuable in the Pre-Construction phase when access to the project site was strictly restricted.
With our expertise and commitment to the DOS, St. Anne’s students will walk onto campus for the first time and feel as though their school has been waiting for them.
King Animal Hospital - King, Ontario
Dalton is pleased to be managing the construction of the King Animal Hospital which once completed will provide world-class animal health care services to the York Region and surrounding communities.
Across four storeys, the 60,000 square foot hospital features an indoor equine arena, hydrotherapy rooms (equine and small animal), full-service diagnostics and a Knowledge Centre for training and development. Rob and Danielle Scheinberg also own Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary, a dog rescue and horse sanctuary down the road from the hospital. Their definition of success is the delivery of a state-of-the-art facility within the allocated timeframe, to support the community’s urgent need for holistic animal health care.
Ensuring an animal hospital of this scale is care-centered and operates efficiently involves ongoing input from Veterinarians, Surgeons and Design Consultants in addition to the construction management expertise we provide. Using Procore - an advanced construction management tool - we are able to store all project information and documentation in one easy to navigate, cloud-based workspace that is accessible by all project stakeholders. Our field teams appreciate how efficiently they can access the actionable data they need to make informed decisions. Clients appreciate the complete project visibility and their ability to log into the app from their mobile device to get a comprehensive look into what is happening within their project.
Project Manager Jeff Pearson: “The ability for all contributors to access information has been key to keeping this project – which has many moving parts - on track. Outside of COVID related restrictions and delays, we have consultants living in California and other parts of Canada who are able to rely on accurate data found within Procore (including the Matterport rendering) to make informed, timely decisions.”
With the health and wellness of King Animal Hospital patients top of mind, we have mitigated the risk of misunderstandings that cause mistakes and delay a project by using Procore to organize project assets, communications and workflow.
Dalton’s investment in technology underscores our commitment to provide outstanding expertise and to work in a cooperative, timely and cost-effective manner.