Opus Building Corp. has 25 full-time employees, all of whom Vice President of Construction David Cukulin says are detail-oriented, great to work with and good

Premier Business Partners:

Conform Works Inc. Concept Electric

Opus Building Corp. , based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, was founded 25 years ago as a design/build contractor focused on office developments and industrial warehouses. Although it has not shifted its focus from that market, the company is striving to perform more projects across western Canada and is building on its experience and strengths, Vice President of Construction David Cukulin says. “We are just responding to the market,” he explains. “There was a strong demand in office [construction] going back eight to 10 years ago, including quite a few buildings in the suburban office market. We have a lot of experience and people looked to us to satisfy their office needs more and more.”

Good client relationships also enabled the company to grow. “We’re able to respond quickly to clients’ needs,” he says. “We have a very flat organizational structure. We also have a lot of in-house expertise and respond quickly and accurately to [customers’] needs without having to outsource as much as another company might have to.”

Clients also want to be more involved in the construction process, Cukulin adds. “They want to know what the issues are and how what they do might impact things,” he says. “We always try to have open and up-front lines of communication with our clients.”

Stampede Station Project
Opus is finishing the first phase of the Stampede Station project, a mixed-use office and residential development in Calgary. Phase I, which has an estimated cost of $90 million, includes a nine-story, 160,000-square-foot high-rise office building with four levels of underground parking.         

The company expects the final fit-out of the complex – which will also include retail and commercial space – to be completed this year, Cukulin says.

The brick and glass facade incorporates the historical flavor of the neighborhood, known as the “Warehouse District,” Cukulin says. Numerous historical buildings were built in the area during the first half of the 20th century, and that look will be highlighted in this project, he adds.

The second phase of the project will include a 285,000-square-foot, 20-story office building with a total of eight floors of above- and below-ground parking. It is currently in the leasing phase. The site of the project was a parking lot for more than 25 years. “The city of Calgary was supportive of our plans to redevelop the site, which is over seven acres,” he says.

Opus and, along with Cove Properties – which is building four condominium high-rises on site – broke ground 2006 on its office tower. The residential buildings will range from 24 to 35 floors each. More than 1,000 units are completed and the third tower is under construction. Cukulin says Opus was attracted to the property because of its location. “It is close to our light rail transit system and the Calgary Stampede Exhibition grounds,” which hosts an annual rodeo with an amusement park, concerts and chuckwagon races. “There is a lot of activity in that area, and the Stampede Exhibition is expanding across the street,” he adds.  

Project Challenges
Constructing the underground parking levels was a challenge, Cukulin says. It took crews four months to dig through 40 feet of soil, rock and groundwater. “We had to keep the footing level dry in order to pour the [concrete],” he says. “It was a challenge to keep at it everyday so construction could keep moving.”

Lack of skilled manpower was also a challenge. Record levels of construction projects were in progress in Alberta in 2006 and 2007, and there weren’t enough people to go around, he explains. “It causes delays during construction,” he adds.

Although the original turnover date will be achieved, it requires continuous monitoring.  “We try to overcome this by planning well so the job can go smoothly. If we keep things moving and flowing, [workers] are more likely to stay on your site,” he explains.

Since the project was just outside of downtown Calgary, the company was able to offer free parking and ample space for subcontractors to store their materials. Being close to public transit also helped, he adds. Opus had previously worked with most of the subcontractors hired for the Stampede Station project.

“A lot of the subcontractors were people that we knew or had a relationship with,” Cukulin says. “That helps, as well.”

Positive Additions
The company has 25 full-time employees, all of whom are detail-oriented, great to work with and are good decision-makers, Cukulin says.

“They are also able to handle and manage time pressure,” he adds. “They have the ability to stay focused on overall project success.”

Those attributes will help the company grow, which is a major part of Opus’ future plans. “We are anticipating office demand to ease off its current pace over the next 24 to 36 months,” President and CEO Hannes Kovac says. “We will focus on our industrial, retail and mixed-use projects over the near future. We expect to maintain our employee base and focus on making our company process more efficient so we can still grow profit-wise.”

“We are a respected builder and developer,” Cukulin adds. “We want to do projects that are of good quality and are a positive addition to the community and city.”