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Forming is one of the foundations and key core competencies of high-rise construction as nothing can happen without it. As three musical notes make a chord, forming provides the base from which buildings rise, and one of the busiest companies providing this expertise is Iron Forming, with seven projects currently being constructed simultaneously, five in the GTA and another two in Ottawa.
Iron Forming is part of the RONI Group, which began with RONI Excavating, founded by Giocondo Niro in 1984, and expanded with the additions of ORIN and IRON companies with Anthony Niro in 2000. Iron Forming specializes in foundation work, formwork, rebar, placing footings and foundation work, concrete slabs and shotcrete, retaining and toe walls, and hoisting. In short, the ingredients and bones which form the very core of any structure.
“We specialize in reinforced concrete high-rise structures,” says Ron Colucci, Director at Iron Forming. “And with seven projects currently being constructed simultaneously, we are definitely keeping busy, which requires planning and organizational skills, and with two more projects set to begin soon, our team is ready for whatever comes our way.”
One of Iron Forming’s most interesting projects underway is Queen Central condominiums, located at 90 Queen Street East at Mutual Street, which is providing certain challenges due to its location with the incorporation of a heritage building at its base, and the tower’s height.
“Through the use of specialized formwork and Shotcrete applications, we have been able to protect the heritage façade from any potential harm during construction,” says Colucci. “Extensive underpinning and strategic planning were necessary for this project, where large grade beams were poured in a sequenced fashion to support the heritage façade.
A tight downtown site and proximity to downtown hospitals also presented challenges Iron Forming had to overcome. “The confined working space and heritage elements represented only a portion of the challenges we face,” says Colucci. “One of the tougher obstacles is the height restrictions we face with our tower crane as there is a hospital helicopter flight path which we must contend with directly above our project. We will use the tower crane up to the 32nd floor, at which time the tower crane will be removed and the final four floors must be constructed by hand. All of these factors combined to make this project particularly challenging and unique but presented a one-of-a-kind opportunity to showcase our expertise and creativity in the construction industry.”
Iron Forming is also working on Pinnacle Toronto East, a three-building project at 3260 Sheppard Avenue East which represents its largest endeavour to date, as well as Highland Commons, a residential project located at 1625 Military Trail.
“Highland Commons, with its two ten-storey buildings, has been a major success for us and our partnership with Accel and Altree has proven very fruitful,” says Colucci. “The project was awarded to our Roni Group of Companies and is a collaboration between Roni Excavating, Iron Shoring, Orin Civil, Unified Shotcrete, and Iron Forming. We are currently on the 2nd floor of building “A” and finishing the ground floor of building “B”, and we are slated to finish months ahead of schedule.”
Time is money in construction and accelerating construction timelines makes a big difference in any project’s budget. Contractors such as Iron Forming and its focus on excelling in value engineering goes a long way towards improving any project’s bottom line.
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