Casino Nova Scotia

Most of the land had been created years earlier when that part of Halifax Harbour was infilled with loose rock and excavation material from other construction sites - reclaimed land too soft to serve as a stable building foundation. BMR overcame the problem by engineering a design which incorporated driving caissons through the fill material and into the firm bedrock below. Then, using a specially designed doughnut-shaped pile cap as a support system, BMR worked with the form work contractor to hang the casino’s floor structure on the supporting caissons, like a huge wharf.

Next, BMR designed a floor system which supported several layers of insulation sandwiched between layers of heating slabs. The floor had to be especially strong to support the heavy carts, known as mules, that travel between slot machines to collect change. The floor also contained wiring ducts to allow all the casino’s slot machines to be connected to a main control panel. Today, patrons’ feet remain toasty and warm in spite of the fact there is nothing below the floor but the cold water of Halifax Harbour. The end result is a multi-use entertainment showpiece that is both functional and beautiful, with hardly an outward hint of its complex design.

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