Ontario Gaming GTA Limited Partnership
Great Blue Heron Casino
The Great Blue Heron Casino is located on Scugog Island, northeast of Toronto. HH Angus' scope for this project included electrical engineering, security and telecommunications consulting, and lighting design.
The first phase of the project featured a 20,000 ft2 expansion of the building to house gaming machines and tables, VIP rooms, bar and lounge, washrooms, offices, kitchen and service spaces.
HH Angus designed a new feeder, connected to the existing primary service, and full distribution throughout the expanded building and new outdoor generator. Telecommunications distribution required the addition of a new room to service gaming, corporate and security functions. The existing main telecom distribution room was expanded to support new networking and server equipment. In addition to horizontal distribution, new fiber and copper backbones, and incoming fiber service from Bell, was required to service the expansion. Upgraded and expanded surveillance and access control systems service the new gaming area.
The second phase saw renovation of the existing gaming floor and bar, buffet service and seating areas. The gaming area was completely reorganized for electronic games and a new Play Smart area. The front entrance also received a face-lift and new lighting. Phase 2 leveraged the earlier expansion of the main distribution room and upgrade for telecom distribution, and expanded on the security systems upgrade. As well, it included for a new 4 storey, 116 room hotel and connecting walkway, which required a second high voltage transformer in the existing substation to support the hotel operations.
Four telecommunication rooms were added, along with fiber and copper backbone connectivity. Additional surveillance and access control were included in the hotel scope. Phase 3 is still ahead.
Among the challenges of this project was an accelerated schedule for both design and construction. One solution was to develop strategies to save time on the design side and push the coordination into the construction phase.
SERVICES
Electrical Engineering | Telecommunications and Security Consulting | Lighting Design
PROJECT FEATURES
Size: 20,000 ft2 | Status: Phases 1 & 2 - Completed 2020 | Phase 3 tbd
LOCATION
Scugog Island, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Accelerated schedule | New 4 storey hotel and connecting walkway | Expansion of and upgrades to existing facilities, including significant expansion of telecommunications infrastructure and spaces
Meeting Challenges
A significant challenge of this project was completing all the renovations and expansions while the facility was fully operational.
Renderings courtesy of Chris Dikeakos Architects.