Round Mountain Mine Phase W – Truck Shop Complex
The pit at Round Mountain Mine was on its way to swallowing up facilities that were critical to the expansion of its mining operation. Through exploration efforts, mine operators had located new gold deposits west of the existing open pit that just happened to be under the mine’s support facilities. The mine needed to quickly design and construct replacement facilities in order to access to this ore. The truck shop complex was one such facility in the Phase W project.
By involving all parties early in the design discussions, the owner has a new facility that is tailored for their use now and into the future.
Project Delivery on a Tight Schedule
The new truck shop replaces an older structure and consists of:
- Ten large vehicle service bays
- An indoor bulk fluids storage area
- Approximately 50,000 square feet of indoor high pile storage
- Approximately 25,000 square feet of multi-level office space
With design commencing in late summer of 2017 and demolition of the existing infrastructure in fall 2019, the streamlined project used a previous feasibility study to help determine the most economical and functional methods to design and construct the truck shop and its infrastructure.
We used in-house structural, electrical, mechanical, and civil engineers, who worked alongside geotechnical and architectural sub-consultants. The design team also provided bidding and construction support services.
Design with An Eye on the Budget
Despite the inclusion of many amenities to the design, economy was always front and center. Using high-level analyses and experience, our team was able to optimize building layout, materials, and systems to provide an economical design.
Due to the seismicity in the area and code restrictions on structural systems, the truck shop complex was originally designed as a contiguous building. The structure required higher ductility elements throughout that would have cost the owner more money in materials, fabrication, testing, and inspections. As a result, we separated the building into discrete units by structurally isolating portions of the building that allowed us to use more cost-effective structural systems, while maintaining the contiguous feel for the end user.
At this remote site, construction materials are difficult to procure and often costly. Concrete is a high cost item, so the design minimized its use wherever possible. To help meet this goal, the project’s geotechnical consultant performed analyses above and beyond those normally required to provide the best subgrade design parameters available for the site’s alluvial fill.
With improved subgrade design parameters, our structural engineers were able to optimize foundation sizes and perform more accurate finite element modeling of the slabs supporting the mine’s large equipment and high pile shelving. Although time and effort intensive, these efforts minimized the volume of concrete and therefore, project costs.
Far Reaching Impacts
Located in rural Nevada, the Round Mountain Mine is four hours from Reno and four hours from Las Vegas and is a significant economic driver in the area. As a result of the truck shop and other facility relocations, the Phase W project has now extended the life of the mine and continues to be a major employer in the area.
Quality Solutions
Unique items were incorporated into the architecture of the structure, including translucent wall paneling near the upper reaches of the building and translucent fabric “MegaDoors” to allow the transmission of natural light into workspaces that has improved the work environment for its end users.
Other unique items included four custom, building-supported, overhead bridge cranes with capacities ranging from 10-to-45 tons to support maintenance activities in the large vehicle service area. The configuration of and equipment provided on these cranes were closely coordinated with the facility’s end users to support their activities performed within the space. For example, the cranes were fitted with a “scoreboard” readout system, providing crane operators with readily visible, continuously updated feedback as lifts are made within the shop.
An elevated platform with a removable handrail at the interface of the large vehicle service area and the office space was included in the design so full-scale training aids could be placed and wheeled into an adjacent meeting room. This design feature facilitated the use of full-scale training apparatuses in a classroom for mechanics that provides them with a space to learn away from the hustle and bustle of the shop’s floor.
The design team worked internally and used outside resources for the shelving layout in the high pile storage warehouse facility. Not only were shelving layouts designed to allow for optimized storage volumes, but our team designed a solution that didn’t require the installation of fire suppression equipment within the shelving units themselves.
With one bay in the large vehicle maintenance area set aside for welding and metal work activities, the design allowed for a specialized ventilation solution to help minimize the transmission of smoke and gasses into the truck shop. Our mechanical engineers designed an overhead duct system to that helped improve the health and safety of those working in the shop space.
From the start, the detailed design building and system elements were modeled in 3D drafting software that provided the owner with a virtual walk-through of the space before breaking ground. These software platforms also allowed designs from all disciplines to be combined in one model to mitigate interferences and clashes prior to construction.
Following completion of design, our team provided bidding and construction support with long lead items that could be procured prior to having a contractor onboard. These efforts kept the project’s accelerated schedule on track.
Client: Kinross Gold
Location: Round Mountain, Nevada
Services: Site Civil, Process, MEP, Structural, RPR, Survey, 3D BIM Modeling
