Centerm Expansion Project

British Columbia

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority issued a design-build contract where Hatch was engaged as the prime design consultant to lead a skilled team to execute the Centerm Expansion Project to support greener operation and increase throughput. It comprised expansion, reconfiguration, and additional infrastructure to the existing terminal, located on a brownfield site that had undergone decades of prior development and was to remain fully operational during construction. The terminal’s footprint was expanded by 15% through land reclamation. Among many innovative solutions, slip formed floatable caissons were designed for berth extension, eleven existing four to five story refrigerated container storage towers were relocated to save cost and reduce waste, and an historic former shed most recently used as a cruise ship terminal was refurbished to a state-of-the-art operations centre. The project, in conjunction with associated improvements to road and rail infrastructure, provides a 67% increase in terminal throughput and was awarded Envision Platinum from the Institute of Sustainable Infrastructure. The jury was impressed with the project team’s comprehensive and overarching approach to sustainability. They showed exceptional care in addressing environmental impacts through wildlife remediation, material reuse, waste minimization, and local sourcing while successfully achieving LEED™ goals.