When Harry Angus joined HH Angus in 1974 after graduating from Queen’s University in mechanical engineering, he brought a powerful combination of vision and drive. Over the next five decades Harry helped the firm strengthen into one of Canada’s most respected engineering consultancies — an independent company defined by innovation, integrity, and a culture of empowering employees to contribute and grow.

Serving as President from 1985 to its centennial year in 2019, Harry steered the firm through a period of transformation, increasing its influence across Canada and into new industry sectors, from energy and health strategy, to digital innovation. During this period, HH Angus undertook many notable and technically challenging projects:

Rogers Centre (formerly SkyDome) – designing building systems for the world’s first stadium with a fully retractable motorized roof
Eastman Chemical’s PET plant – re-engineering the process by going back to first principles resulted in massive cost savings and reduced schedule
National Gallery of Canada – its unique architecture led our design team to air tunnel test mechanical system diffusers to achieve the required ventilation
CAMI Automotive - a greenfield facility over 1 km in length, providing all project management and services engineering
North Bay Regional Hospital – the first hospital in North America to provide 100% fresh air supply to all parts of the hospital, significantly reducing transmission of harmful  bacteria and  viruses
Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) – among North America’s largest P3 hospital projects
Enwave – the largest district energy system in North America
BSL Level 4 labs – design and engineering for the highest level of biocontainment
Canary Wharf - the UK redevelopment in London showcased the firm’s technical ingenuity and collaborative spirit at a time when high-rise towers were almost unknown in the UK

Harry’s approach to leadership nurtured a culture where ideas are shared openly, mentorship flourishes, and people are empowered to grow. His belief that “management doesn’t have a patent on good ideas” continues to shape HH Angus’ inclusive and innovative workplace today.

Recognizing opportunities to enhance project effectiveness beyond the traditional design/bid/build model, Harry was an early supporter of Public-Private Partnerships in Canada. He helped to position HH Angus at the forefront of major infrastructure delivery, such as the firm’s award-winning work on Montréal’s CHUM mega-hospital, and participation in the soon-to-open Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit system. This experience led to our work in a number of procurement models—from P3 and IPD to Progressive Design Build and Alliance—as the market continues to respond to changing economic drivers. Harry also championed portfolio diversification through new service areas such as ICAT and digital services, ensuring HH Angus remained resilient and forward-looking in a rapidly evolving industry. 

Harry’s influence continues to guide the firm’s values and vision. Beyond HH Angus, he has contributed significantly to the broader profession and community —as a past President of Professional Engineers Ontario, Chair of McMichael Art Gallery and world sailing championships, Yonge Street Mission, Queen’s University, working with Health Ontario and others to improve the public health delivery model, and establishing scholarships for aspiring engineers.

As HH Angus is about to embark on to its 107^th year of engineering innovation, we celebrate Harry’s 50 years of vision, leadership and his lasting impact on the firm, its clients, and our profession.

Mike Hassaballa, HH Angus' Lead Consultant on Energy Infrastructure, spoke at the 'Buildex Alberta' conference last week on 'How Smart Technologies can Turn Liability into Longevity'. In the article below, Mike details how asset owners can fight obsolescence with smart electrified buildings, and drive resilience, compliance and competitiveness in a rapidly shifting market. 

There is one simple way to think about a building’s value in the next decade. If a building can provide comfort, low carbon, and low operating cost with clean verifiable data, it stays relevant. If it cannot, it drifts toward becoming a stranded asset. Owners will feel this pressure from every angle, not just from city energy or carbon policies. Building tenants expect quiet, comfort, and clean air. Modern investors ask for credible ESG numbers. Building operators need tools that actually reduce complaints and service truck visits. The good news, it is possible to combine these angles without compromising your asset’s value.

Here we explore the practical version on what moves the needle. It is a tight combination of smart building infrastructure, measured electrification, and a portfolio plan that respects real constraints like peak demand, labor availability, and capital flow windows.

What does a “stranded asset” looks like in practice?

You do not wake up one day to a notice that your tower is “stranded.” It starts with small symptoms:

• Indoor Air Quality complaints rise after controls change, so the operator overrides the schedule and energy use climbs.
• A retrofit gets delayed because the design cannot reconcile peak demand charges with added electric load.
• Annual ESG reports ask for Scope 1 and 2 data at the tenant level, but meters are missing and spreadsheets break.

None of these are dramatic events. But combining them is value-eroding. The pattern is consistent. Fragmented systems and poor visibility. Seasonal electricity peaks that were never modeled with costs in mind. Electrification framed as equipment swaps, not a systems decision.

Data first, then power, then heat

Here are three fundamental layers keep buildings off the “stranded asset” list. The order matters here:

1) Independent data layer

A building without data is a mystery box. The fundamental rule is: You cannot manage what you cannot measure. A data layer is the backbone that sits above Building Management Systems (BMS), electric power meters, energy sub-meters, air quality sensors, and room controls. If you integrate this once and use this data layer consistently, you will own a powerful data model. After that, you can add analytics, dashboards, ESG reporting, and even tap into tenant comfort signals without brittle one-off feedback calls.

What does this change look like?

1. Operators can see across sites.
2. Asset managers get a clean view of energy, demand, and comfort.
3. Vendors compete on features, not on keeping data.

A building data layer becomes more than an “IT special project”. It becomes the foundation for decision making.

The test: If it takes more than an hour to pull last month’s hourly kW, kWh, supply air temp, and CO₂ per floor, you do not have a real data layer yet.

2) Power and energy visibility

Electrification fails on paper when peak kW or power quality surprises you. You need line-of-sight on three things...

1. Demand shape: where the winter and summer peaks occur
2. Coincidence: which system demands happen at the same time
3. Rate Structure: how demand charges and time-of-use really price your curve.

The math here is not very complicated. It just needs to be done with your own building measured profile, not a template.

• Monthly demand cost = demand charge × peak kW
• Annual energy cost = sum of kWh × rate, by period
• Avoided cost from a measure = ΔkW × demand charge + ΔkWh × rate.

There is always a constraint for electrification sizing:
Electrical service headroom ≥ winter design kW with smart controls in place.

If this electrical headroom is tight, most people abandon electrification. But this may not be always the best path‒ there may be an option to phase it in. This happens by lowering the electrical peak demand using smart controls and sequencing, setpoint trims, thermal storage, and envelope work. A successful strategy may be moving first on energy measures that pay back quickly.

3) Heat and cooling with a winter plan

Heat pumps work in Canada. They need a proper design envelope, correct sizing, and a clear backup logic for the rare extreme. The common mistakes with heat pump installations are predictable:

1. Sizing from nameplate data of existing equipment instead of measured loads
2. For air source heat pumps, ignoring defrost behavior in control sequences
3. Leaving commissioning for the end, then skipping it under schedule pressure.

Two simple equations to keep in mind:

1. Seasonal COP target for heat pump:
   COP_seasonal = weighted average of COP(T_outdoor) by bin hours
2. Simplified Levelized cost of heating to compare options:
   LCOH = (Capex × CRF + Annual Opex) ÷ annual useful heat (kWhₜₕ)
   where CRF is the capital recovery factor at your discount rate.

Use these equations with your energy rate structures and your hourly weather. Then size the equipment. Adopt a clear fallback logic, and make sure you commission systems properly.

Some pilots prove value

Science, numbers, and theory are fine, but some decision-makers want proof. Here is a pilot blueprint that you can run without waiting for the renewal budget cycle.

• Scope: one floor or one wing of a representative building
• Steps: find measuring and instrumentation gaps, stand up the independent data layer for that floor/zone/wing, add room-level control, connect power monitoring, and tune up existing sequences
• KPIs: comfort within range, peak kW for the zone, start-stop cycles per hour, top complaint categories, kWh intensity per square foot, and a simple operator touch metric
• Target: fewer complaints, a reduced peak, and a simple, clear, report or dashboard that decision makers can read.

If this clears the bar, scale to a whole building using the same pattern. Document the before/after with data, and keep the message simple: “We cut complaints by X percent and trimmed Y kW. CAPEX was Z. Payback is justified.”

ESG reporting that is not duct tape

Most ESG frustration is not philosophical, it is more about the data. If your team is still emailing spreadsheets of monthly gas and electricity to a consultant, two things are true. The errors are expensive, and the insights are late. Consider the following instead:

1. Normalize metering: whole building, major end uses, tenant where relevant
2. Define a single source of truth in your data
3. Automate monthly and track carbon with published factors
4. Visualize to your stakeholders so they understand the asset, the portfolio, metrics per square foot, and per occupant.

ESG then becomes a feedback loop for operations; for example, comfort complaints are fewer when the supply air temp control is stable. Electricity peaks flatten when morning warm-up is sequenced. GHG and carbon reduction follows.

People and process are the core of smart, relevant buildings

Smart buildings fail when they are sought after as a novelty. They succeed when operators are considered and trained. The most effective change happens when operators and energy teams communicate. That culture keeps the technology use effective and the savings consistent.

Operator rules of thumb that actually help:

• If a setpoint is not documented, it will drift
• If a fault stays uncleared for weeks, it is either mis-prioritized or mis-owned
• If the dashboard has 50 KPIs, no one will act.

Closing thought

Smart buildings and electrification are not parallel tracks. Together they are the shortest path to resilient, valuable assets that tenants want and investors trust. If your portfolio can show comfort, clean air, low carbon, and predictable bills in a couple of plots, you are already ahead. If it cannot, now is the time to build it.

For more information on smart building infrastructure for your real estate assets, contact:

Last evening's 2025 Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards shone a spotlight on a very special volunteer project involving HH Angus and partner organizations.

We are delighted to announce that the INITIATE2 Infectious Disease Treatment Module (IDTM) was honoured with both the Award of Excellence in the Community Outreach category and the Philanthropy Award!

Our congratulations go out to all the dedicated team members, led by Meagan Webb, who contributed time, expertise, and passion to this important initiative. 

The Award of Excellence is a testament to the power of collaboration and the impact that engineering can have on communities around the world. The prestigious Philanthropy Award is presented to the “project that best demonstrates donation of a firm's time and/or services for the benefit of a community or group”. 

Developed in partnership with the World Health Organization and the World Food Programme, the IDTM is the first project in a 5-year effort to create innovative, standardized solutions that strengthen global readiness and response to health emergencies. Designed as a portable facility, the module enables rapid deployment and setup of field treatment centres when infectious outbreaks first emerge—helping save lives when it matters most.

This marks the fifth WHO project where HH Angus has proudly volunteered engineering and design services as a Téchne member under the International Federation of Healthcare Engineers. We’re deeply honoured to contribute to this meaningful work, and so proud of our team and partners for this outstanding recognition.

To read more about the IDTM project on our website, click here.

The Spirit Garden at Nathan Phillips Square was recently honoured with an 'Award of Excellence' from the Toronto Urban Design Awards, and a '2025  Wood Design & Building Award' from the Canadian Wood Council.

Opened one year ago in Nathan Phillips Square in downtown Toronto, the Spirit Garden fulfills the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 82 - establishing a permanent monument in Canada’s largest city to honour residential school survivors and the children who did not return.

Congratulations to the City of Toronto and the project team behind this important installation, creating a contemplative space for teaching, sharing, and healing, with meaningful features such as the limestone turtle sculpture, Teaching Lodge, Spirit Canoe, Inuksuk, Three Sisters Garden, and Kaswentha/Two-Row Wampum walkway.

HH Angus is proud to have contributed technical services - mechanical and electrical engineering, IMIT design, security design, and commissioning - ensuring the Garden’s systems supported its cultural and experiential vision. We’re gratified that the Spirit Garden is recognized not only as an award-winning project, but as an enduring place of remembrance and reconciliation.

To learn more about the project, visit our website at the link below:
https://hhangus.com/projects/city-of-toronto-nathan-phillips-square-spirit-garden/