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355 King Street West (formerly St. Mary's of the Lake site) is undergoing extensive renovations with three public institutions - Queen's University, Providence Care and Kingston Health Sciences Centre - sharing the site in response to evolving community needs.
Visit the Providence Transitional Care Centre and the Kingston Health Sciences Centre websites to learn more about these community partnerships.
Regular updates will be provided in the space below to communicate project progress to the community.
The project will feature the first ever geo-thermal heating system on Queen's campus. Check out the progress here:
Project Updates
Dear Campus Neighbour,
The following is a brief update on the ongoing work at the former St. Mary's of the Lake site, at 355 King Street West.
Most of the work on the building at 355 King Street West is complete, and we expect to have full occupancy on the building approved by mid-October. We expect Campus Security and Emergency Services, and the Mail Services to be fully in place in October, and the Vice Principal Research staff to be moved in closer to the end of the year.
Construction of the barrier free accessible ramp on the west side of the King Street entrance is now getting underway. Excavation work will begin in early October, and the ramp structure should be complete in November, with the entire project reaching completion before the end of the year. The project is a challenging one given the elevation change (nearly eight feet) and the space in which to achieve it – while also keeping the slope manageable for those with accessibility needs. The entire section where the ramp will go will be excavated and then re-landscaped once the ramp is complete.
We hope to relocate the two temporary sheds located on the north side of the property soon, and we will then be shrinking the size of the fenced-in area located there by about 50 per cent. The site will remain as a temporary staging area for some building materials over the next two years while we complete work on the John Deutsch University Centre (JDUC). Once the JDUC project is complete, the fencing will be removed, and the site will be returned to its original state.
Thank you for your patience as this work nears completion. Queries on this project should be directed to construction@queensu.ca and they will be directed to the appropriate office for a response. This update and others are also available on our 355 King Street West Project website.
Dear Campus Neighbour,
We are writing to provide you with a brief update on the ongoing work at the former St. Mary's of the Lake site, at 355 King Street West.
Work towards completion continues, with project completion taking place in two stages:
- Stage one, which includes the South and Southwest portion of the project, is now complete. This part of the project represents roughly 65% of the total area under construction.
These areas of the project have also been granted partial occupancy by the City of Kingston. Some of our administration departments have already moved-in to the completed areas and some are in the process of moving in. The departments that have moved-in the building and have started normal operation from the new space include:
- Facilities including Trades, Parking & Fixit
- Strategic Procurement Services
- Finance
Other departments set to move into the facility over the summer include Campus Security and Emergency Services, Environmental Health and Safety, Investment, Audit and Risk, and Postal services. The offices of the Vice Principal Research will also move into the space once stage two is completed.
- Stage two comprises the remaining 35% area on the east side of the building. This area is still under construction and is expected to be completed by fall of 2022.
With stage one complete, some of the construction fencing has now been removed. The remaining construction fencing will be removed at the total completion of stage two. The landscaping work is expected to complete by end of August 2022. You may also have noticed the main parking lot is now in normal operation. Construction of the wheelchair ramp is expected to start in September, with completion expected late October 2022.
Thank you for your patience as this work nears completion. Queries on this project should be directed to construction@queensu.ca and they will be directed to the appropriate office for a response. This update and others are also available on our 355 King Street West Project website.
Dear Campus Neighbour,
We are writing to provide you with a brief update on the ongoing work at the former St. Mary's of the Lake site, at 355 King Street West.
There is a lot of activity taking place on the site as crews work to complete construction and landscaping. We anticipate a partial handover of the site from our contractors by the end of May, as we reach roughly 75 per cent project completion. This includes all paving and most of the landscaping with all but the building wing on the southeast corner being turned over to us. An ongoing heavy equipment operator strike taking place across Ontario has impacted some landscaping work but is not expected to delay reaching this major completion milestone.
This partial turnover should prove a welcome development for neighbours as it means the contractors will remove the security fencing and temporary security lighting from the west side of the complex by mid-June, though it will remain in place on the east side until the southeast wing construction is completed later in July, when substantial completion of the entire project is reached.
Once the temporary lighting is removed, only normal exterior lighting will be in place. Interior lighting will be motion-activated, so most lighting will not be on unless someone is working in the area. Directional lighting is already installed and in use on the north side parking areas, also to reduce the impact of lighting to the surrounding areas.
In early June, several departments will begin moving into the renovated facility, led by the Facilities department, including the trades and design and construction staff. Their move out of Rideau Hall will make room in that facility for student government and clubs displaced to facilitate the John Deutsch University Centre (JDUC) revitalization set to begin this summer.
Other departments set to move into the renovated King Street facility include Finance, Procurement, Environmental Health and Safety, Investment, Audit and Risk, and Postal services. The offices of the Vice Principal Research will follow later in the summer once the wing on the southeast is completed.
Construction of a wheelchair ramp, slated for the west side of the King Street entrance is still in design, with construction anticipated in late summer or early fall. An artist rendering envisions a meandering pathway to maintain a manageable gradient for the change in elevation from the road to the property.
Thank you for your patience as this work nears completion. Queries on this project should be directed to construction@queensu.ca and they will be directed to the appropriate office for a response.
Dear Campus Neighbour,
We are writing to provide you with a brief update on the ongoing work at the former St. Mary's of the Lake site.
Work on the exterior structural components including accessibility ramps to the entrances on the South West entrance and nearby courtyard entrance is expected to be complete by the end of September.
In undertaking this work crews unearthed a number of previously abandoned large pipes that were unexpected. Those have to be removed to facilitate the creation of new footings for some of the access ramps. The material currently stored on site, which came from some of the recent excavations, will be used to fill the voids left after removing the aforementioned pipes, and anything left after that will be removed.
We anticipate all of the landscaping, earthworks and paving of the parking and driveway areas, will be completed by late October or early November. The balance of the work will be primarily interior work, and is scheduled to be completed by July 2022.
Thank you for your patience as this work continues. Queries on this project should be directed to construction@queensu.ca and they will be directed to the appropriate office for a response.
Dear Campus Neighbour,
Backfilling of the geo-exchange well sites is progressing and we anticipate this work will be completed by the end of June. We anticipate the landscaping itself will be completed in the fall.
The vibration sensors were removed effective June 3, 2021. No abnormalities were reported throughout the drilling that took place. The pipes from the wells are all now in the building and once the internal building components are installed the system will be tested.
The new, less-intrusive parking lot lighting has been installed. The project remains on track for completion in Spring 2022.
We thank you for your patience as this work continues. Unless there is an activity that may impact nearby residents, we will reduce the frequency of our updates through the summer period. Queries on this project should be directed to construction@queensu.ca and they will be directed to the appropriate office for a response.
Project Update: May 7, 2021
Dear Campus Neighbour,
We are pleased to be able to report that 32 of 40 geo-exchange wells have now been drilled. Our vibration reports continue to indicate there have been no abnormal levels of vibration as a result of this activity. We will update you on next steps soon.
We thank you for your patience as this work continues. Queries on this project should be directed to construction@queensu.ca and they will be directed to the appropriate office for a response.
Geo-exchange well site locations
Project Update: April 23, 2021
Dear Campus Neighbour,
Crews have now completed work on the sanitary sewer upgrade and it has been connected to the main city line. Note final landscaping will be done closer to the fall once the well sites are also complete, as all landscaping will be done concurrently.
28 of 40 planned geo-exchange wells have been drilled and crews are now shifting to the western field to complete the final 12 bores. This work is taking place along the western property line, and will be closer to neighbouring houses. No undue vibration is anticipated.
Excavated surface soil is currently being stored on site and is visible from Union Street. Over the next few months this material will be returned as backfill around the wells and any surplus materials will be removed. The site will be returned to look like it did prior to the wells being installed.
We thank you for your patience as this work continues. Queries on this project should be directed to construction@queensu.ca and they will be directed to the appropriate office for a response.
Links to the most recent updates on the Providence Transitional Care Centre and the Kingston Health Sciences Centre alternate health facility, both located on our property, can be found on our project website.
Project Update: April 16, 2021
Dear Campus Neighbour,
Note: The government of Ontario announced additional COVID-19 measures across the province today. We will monitor that announcement closely to see if or how it may impact the project.
Crews have now completed 27 of 40 planned well bores for the geo-exchange project. The project is on track to be completed by the end of May 2021. The latest vibration monitoring continues to indicate no unusual levels of vibration being transmitted to the surrounding houses. Excavated surface soil is currently being stored on site and is visible from Union Street. Over the next few months this material will be returned as backfill around the wells and any surplus materials will be removed. The site will be returned to look like it did prior to the wells being installed.
Work on the sanitary sewer upgrade is almost complete. Work has been completed along the west side near the neighbouring houses, and crews are now in front of the south wing preparing to connect the line to the main city sewer. This work will be complete by the end of next week.
The two temporary sheds in the north-west corner of the parking lot are both up. Once the final finishing work is complete, we anticipate they will remain in place until the fall of 2022.
We thank you for your patience as this work continues. Queries on this project should be directed to construction@queensu.ca and they will be directed to the appropriate office for a response.
Links to the most recent updates on the Providence Transitional Care Centre and the Kingston Health Sciences Centre alternate health facility, both located on our property, can be found on our project website.
Project Update: April 9, 2021
Dear Campus Neighbours,
After a short break through the long weekend, crews have now completed 22 of 40 planned well bores for the geo-exchange project. The project is on track to be completed by the end of May 2021. The latest vibration monitoring continues to indicate no unusual levels of vibration being transmitted to the surrounding houses.
Work on the sanitary sewer upgrade remains on track to be completed by mid-April, which once the associated rock-breaking is done, should significantly decrease noise in the area.
Construction of the two temporary sheds in the north-west corner of the parking lot along Union Street continues and is more noticeable now as the walls of the structures are erected.
We thank you for your patience as this work continues. Queries on this project should be directed to construction@queensu.ca and they will be directed to the appropriate office for a response.
Links to the most recent updates on the Providence Transitional Care Centre and the Kingston Health Sciences Centre alternate health facility, both located on our property, can be found on our project website.
Project Update: April 1, 2021
Dear Campus Neighbours,
Construction work at 355 King Street West is expected to stop for the long weekend, effective tomorrow, April 2, and will resume Monday, April 5, 2021.
Crews have now completed 20 of 40 planned well bores for the geo-exchange project. The project is expected to be completed by the end of May 2021. The vibration monitoring continues to indicate no unusual levels of vibration being transmitted to the surrounding houses.
Work on the sanitary sewer upgrade remains on track to be completed by mid-April.
Construction of the two temporary sheds in the north-west corner of the parking lot along Union Street continues but is not expected to generate much disturbance.
We thank you for your patience as this work continues. Queries on this project should be directed to construction@queensu.ca and they will be directed to the appropriate office for a response.
Links to the most recent updates on the Providence Transitional Care Centre and the Kingston Health Sciences Centre alternate health facility, both located on our property, can be found on our project website.
Project Update: March 26, 2021
Dear Campus Neighbours,
Work at 355 King Street West (the former St Mary’s of the Lake site) continues to progress. Crews have now completed 15 of 40 planned well bores for the geo-exchange project. The completion date for the project has been revised, and is expected to be completed by the end of May 2021. The latest vibration monitoring report (PDF 1.5 MB) shows no unusual levels of vibration being transmitted to the surrounding houses.
Work on the sanitary sewer has been challenged by the depth of rock, which has been greater than expected. Removal of the material requires extensive rock breaking and excavation in order to create the space for the required upgrades to the sewer to bring it to current code. That work is now expected to be completed by mid-April.
Work on the two temporary sheds being constructed in the north-west corner of the parking lot along Union Street continues but is not expected to generate much disturbance.
We thank you for your patience as this work continues. Queries on this project should be directed to construction@queensu.ca and they will be directed to the appropriate office for a response.
Project Update: March 19, 2021
There is one update of note to share concerning work at 355 King Street West (the former St Mary’s of the Lake site). Passers-by will soon notice a couple of temporary structures (like large sheds) being constructed in the north-west corner of the parking lot along Union Street. These structures are temporary construction-related one-story structures that will be in place until fall 2022. There will be some construction-related noise as these structures are put in place including general carpentry noise.
Drilling of the geo-exchange wells is progressing on schedule, with no unusual vibration levels to date. Four sensors have been placed around the drilling site in areas deemed by our consultants as most likely to detect any vibration. A diagram outlining those locations and a graph showing activity levels far below alert levels is available (PDF, 2.5 MB).
Work on the sanitary line also continues, with work still anticipated to be completed in coming weeks.
Queries on this project should be directed to construction@queensu.ca and they will be directed to the appropriate office for a response.
Project Update: March 12, 2021
Work at 355 King Street West (the former St Mary’s of the Lake site) continues to go well. Drilling of the geo-exchange wells continues, with no unusual vibration levels to date. Four sensors have been placed around the drilling site in areas deemed by our consultants as most likely to detect any vibration. A diagram outlining those locations and a graph showing activity levels far below alert levels is available (PDF, 2.5 MB). Work on the sanitary line also continues, with work anticipated to be completed in coming weeks. No other activities are forecast at this time that might impact nearby residents. We thank you in advance for your patience while this work continues.
Queries on this project should be directed to construction@queensu.ca and they will be directed to the appropriate office for a response.
Project Update: March 5, 2021
Work at 355 King Street West (the former St Mary’s of the Lake site) continues to go well. Drilling of the geo-exchange wells continues, with no unusual vibration levels to date. Vibration sensors continue to monitor the vibration levels in the vicinity and will for the duration of the drilling activity. Crews will be notified in the event of an exceedance.
Work on the sanitary line also continues, with work anticipated to be completed in coming weeks. No other activities are forecast at this time that might impact nearby residents. We thank you in advance for your patience while this work continues.
Queries on this project should be directed to construction@queensu.ca and they will be directed to the appropriate office for a response.
Project Update: February 26, 2021
Geo-exchange well drilling update
Work at 355 King Street West (the former St Mary’s of the Lake site) is going well. Drilling of the geo-exchange wells continues, with the surface excavation done and several wells already drilled. The University has engaged consultants and placed vibration sensors at key locations at or near the site to monitor for undue levels of vibration transmitting through the ground from drilling activities. To date, there have not been any unusual vibration levels. The vibration sensors will monitor the vibration levels in the vicinity for the duration of the drilling activity and crews will be notified in the event of an exceedance.
Studies on vibratory sensitivity of construction materials over the years have led to an industry consensus that in order to cause even surficial cracks in gypsum drywall, it must be subjected to vibrations of 50mm/s at a frequency above 40Hz. Concrete and masonry can tolerate much higher vibration levels. This vibration limit is also adopted as the safe guideline limit by the Ontario Provincial Standard Specifications (OPSS-120) for blasting on construction projects in the Province of Ontario. Presently, the highest recorded event for this project is 1.27mm/s at a frequency of 46Hz. This is 97.4% below the safe limit specified.
Work on the sanitary line has run into some unexpected delays as some upgrades are being implemented to bring the old line up to current code, but work is anticipated to be completed in coming weeks. We thank you in advance for your patience while this work continues.
Queries on this project should be directed to construction@queensu.ca and they will be directed to the appropriate office for a response.
Notice of Work: February 12, 2021
Notice of geo-exchange well drilling to start February 16
Please be advised that contractors are on schedule to begin drilling a series of geothermal bore holes at the University’s property at 355 King Street West (the former St. Mary’s of the Lake site), effective Tuesday, February 16, 2021.
Queen’s is undertaking to create the campus’ first geothermal facility. This effort involves the drilling of 40 wells on the property. Completion of the drilling is expected to take about two months to complete. Once completed and the piping system installed the holes will be backfilled and the hard and soft landscaping will be restored back to existing conditions. A diagram of the area in question is attached for reference.
All work will take place during normal working hours, and in compliance with the City of Kingston noise by-laws. We apologize in advance for the disruption these activities will cause, and we thank you for your patience as we complete this important work.
Our engineers do not foresee any structural impact of this drilling activity on neighbouring properties, however, out of an abundance of caution, vibration sensors will be installed to monitor the vibration levels in the vicinity for the duration of the drilling activity. If you have concerns about vibrations you may wish to photograph your property prior to drilling starting and inspect it throughout the drilling period, and notify the University if you have any concerns. Our engineers will respond to investigate and take appropriate action.
In an effort to improve the timely passage of information, you can subscribe to receive email updates.
Queries on this project should be directed to construction@queensu.ca and they will be directed to the appropriate office for a response.
Location of geo-exchange field bore holes (indicated by blue outline)
Notice of Work: January 20, 2021
NOTICE OF SANITARY AND WATERWORKS CONSTRUCTION
Please be advised that there will be underground construction undertaken on the west side of 355 King Street West (former St. Mary’s of the Lake (Gibson Wing)), starting Monday, January 25, 2021.
Concurrent to the university's renovation work underway at the 355 King Street West site, Providence care is working to ready the Providence Transitional Care Centre – a 64-bed facility that will be located in the Gibson wing of the former hospital.
The General Contractor on site will be working on sanitary lines as part of that project. Understanding that once the Transitional Care Centre becomes operational in the coming months, it will make accessing some of the other utilities more challenging thus the decision has been made to do the work required for the university’s project at the same time. Work will take about two weeks, and will involve excavating and upgrading pipes. No disruption is expected to related works offsite. A diagram of the area in question is attached for reference.
Additionally, as part of its commitment to environmental sustainability, Queen’s is undertaking to create the campus’ first geo-exchange facility. This effort involves the drilling of 40 wells on the property. That drilling is expected to begin February 15, 2021 and take about 40 days to complete. Once completed and the piping system installed the holes will be backfilled and the hard and soft landscaping will be restored back to existing conditions.
All work will take place during normal working hours, and in compliance with the City of Kingston noise by-laws. We apologize in advance for the disruption these activities will cause, and we thank you for your patience as we complete this important work.
In an effort to improve the timely passage of information we are actively developing a webpage with a look-ahead schedule and plan to offer a subscription for email updates as well.
Please direct any queries on this project to construction@queensu.ca.
Location of sanitary and waterworks (indicated by blue outline)
Location of geo-exchange field bore holes (indicated by blue outline)
Project Background & FAQs
Building Academic and Administrative Capacity for Queen's University
Queen's University purchased the property in 2017. The renovation of existing facilities, as opposed to the construction of new buildings on Main Campus, is a more economical solution to space needs and provides an opportunities for efficiencies through co‐location of a number of shared service operations. When on-campus operations resume, a number of administrative units will vacate three buildings on campus as well as portions of two other buildings.
This will provide much needed space on main campus to accommodate academic growth requirements as well as swing space to accommodate renovation projects such as the John Deutsch University Centre.
- First geo-exchange well on main campus
- Parking lot lighting is dark sky compliant, using new technology and directional lighting that cuts down on light pollution
- The project received a $100,000 accessible design grant, the largest grant of its kind received by Queen's to date
Completion is anticipated for Summer 2022.
- Providence Care is continuously looking at new and innovative ways to help enhance the quality of life for people across the Southeast region. Our region has a significant gap in the availability of restorative programs and other specialized services for aging, mental health and rehabilitation. To help address those needs, Providence Care will be opening a new transitional care centre in 2021, featuring up to 64 transitional care beds. The Providence Transitional Care Centre will be a teaching site for the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen’s University and for St. Lawrence College programs.
- Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) has identified 340 Union Street as the location of an alternate health facility (AHF) that could be quickly activated in the event of hospital capacity challenges due to COVID-19.