Sector: Commercial
Oakridge Centre
Redevelopment
Vancouver's Oakridge Centre is a visionary mixed-use redevelopment of approximately 4.3 million square feet, plus residential areas. The work will be completed in two phases and will encompass a vibrant mix of retail, office, residential, cultural, and civic spaces, along with a landscaped rooftop park.
HH Angus provided fire protection Engineer of Record design services for approximately 2.5 million ft2 of the retail, parkade and service areas, as well as peer review of the central plant engineering.
An interesting aspect of our project scope is the multiple water parcels and phasing, which meant needing to design each section with expansion in mind. Our project design work is being completed entirely in Revit, with a program called Autosprink that allows us to place the sprinkler heads and then connect them to provide highly-detailed hydraulic calculations. This involves laying out heads, branches and mains, and performing all calculations to present for sprinkler permits. The design also includes multiple fire pumps and a back-up cistern to store water on-site for use in the event of waterflow emergency.
The project requires a strong focus on effective communication. Our team's seamless collaboration with multiple partners and consultants through open and inclusive communication channels encouraged the flow of information and ideas, fostering creative problem-solving and innovative solutions. These often required coming up with alternative code-compliant solutions.
Despite only joining the project during design development, we successfully applied cutting-edge software and project management techniques to deliver our assigned scope within the designated time frame. As a result, we have been awarded additional project scope and the opportunity to further contribute to the overall success of the project.
SERVICES
Fire Protection, Phase 1A & B | District energy plant peer review
PROJECT FEATURES
2,600 residences | Office space for 3,000 workers across multiple towers | 2.5 million ft2 of retail, parkade and service areas | Status: Completion estimated for 2027
LOCATION
Vancouver, British Columbia
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Our team's close collaboration with multiple partners and consultants through open and inclusive communication channels encouraged productive flow of information and ideas, fostering creative problem-solving and innovative solutions
Photos courtesy of Adamson Associates Architects.
Efficient resource allocation
Given the vast scale of the project, it has been important to identify critical resource needs and to optimize their deployment in order to avoid bottlenecks.
The Co-operators
Guelph Headquarters
The Co-operators’ Headquarters in Guelph, Ontario has been certified a 'Zero Carbon Building' by the Canada Green Building Council. The project is also targeting LEED Gold and WELL Platinum.
The renovation project covers three floors totalling 226,000 ft2, and includes a data centre, cafeteria, fitness centre, conference rooms, and three-storey open atrium. HH Angus provided mechanical and electrical consulting engineering, as well as IMIT and lighting design.
The building features an all-electric design to eliminate direct carbon emissions from any on-site source. This means that the company did not need to undertake any retrofits or decarbonization plans to achieve net zero targets. The building has been designed to be highly energy-efficient and to minimize indirect annual carbon emissions from electricity.
Any remaining emissions will be offset through high-quality carbon offsets or carbon-free renewable energy sources. The construction process was also meaningfully reduced, offsetting “embodied carbon” emissions resulting from the manufacture, transportation, and disposal of all building materials.
The Canada Green Building Council has identified the building sector as Canada’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG). Presently, residential, commercial, and institutional buildings are responsible for 17% of Canada’s GHG emissions, and this figure approaches 30% when building materials and construction processes are taken into account.
Despite an aggressive construction schedule, the project overcame the challenges of integrating an all-electric design and achieving Zero Carbon Building certification. It also intended to surpass goals for energy and GHG savings beyond the Ontario Building Code’s all-electric baseline and heating load reduction minimum for new builds. The building features a rooftop solar array and a high-efficiency water source, showcasing innovative approaches to sustainable design.
The building’s low-impact features include:
- Energy and GHG savings 40% greater than the Ontario Building Code’s all-electric baseline
- 60% reduced heating load, surpassing the minimum code requirement for new office builds requirement for new office builds
- A 282 kW rooftop solar array that is expected to produce ~9% of the building’s annual total energy
- Automatic window tinting to reduce glare and save energy
- A highly-insulated and airtight envelope to conserve energy
- High-efficiency water source technology to recover and redistribute heat throughout the building
- LED lighting equipped with occupancy and daylight harvesting sensors that turn on only when needed
Read CaGBC's feature article about The Co-operators Guelph Headquarters.
SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | IMIT Consulting | Lighting Design
PROJECT FEATURES
226,000 ft2 | Status: Completion 2024 | Certified ‘Zero Carbon Building by CaGBC | Targeting LEED Gold and WELL Platinum certifications | LED lighting | Daylight harvesting
LOCATION
Guelph, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Energy and GHG savings 40% greater than all-electric OBC standard | Building designed to achieve net-zero through all-electric design, without retrofits or decarbonization | Targeting reduced embodied carbon emissions during construction, minimizing carbon footprint
Zero carbon building
The building has attained the ‘zero carbon building design standard’ certification and is pursuing LEED Gold and WELL Platinum certifications.
Carbon offsets
The company will be offsetting embodied carbon emissions resulting from construction, manufacturing, transportation and disposal of all building materials.
*Source: HOK Canada
Hudson Pacific Properties
Burrard Exchange
Burrard Exchange adds to HH Angus’ growing portfolio of commercial, healthcare and mission critical work in Vancouver and the broader BC region.
In September 2021, Hudson Pacific Properties, in partnership with Blackstone Real Estate, unveiled plans for the addition of a hybrid mass timber 16-storey office and retail development to downtown Vancouver’s Bentall Centre, adding 450,000 ft2 of office and retail space within the complex.
Once approved, the new building, called Burrard Exchange, will be one of North America’s tallest exposed mass timber office buildings. The mass timber construction technique will support the project’s sustainability goals and reduce embodied carbon.
HH Angus is providing mechanical and electrical engineering, IT/communications, and energy modeling consulting services for this exciting new commercial project. Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates is the design architect and Adamson Associates Architects is the architect of record.
"Our team is excited to be part of this project for a number of reasons." said Kevin O’Neill, Commercial Division Director at HH Angus: "That the project will set a new benchmark for green construction in Vancouver and the innovative use of mass timber are key highlights for us. We’re thrilled to be working with Hudson Pacific Properties, KPF and Adamson Associates on this development."
To read Hudson Pacific Properties’ full press release, click here.
HH Angus provided consulting engineering services to another timber project completed in 2020 – Oakville Fire Station 8 – which used cross-laminated timber in its construction. One of the special considerations of using timber is that it requires both expertise and unusually close coordination between the M&E designers and the structural designers since, unlike drywall, wood openings cannot be adjusted once cut.
SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | IT/Communications Design | Energy Modeling
PROJECT FEATURES
Size: 450,000 ft2 | Office/Retail Development | Reduced embodied carbon when operational | Status: Completion TBA
LOCATION
Vancouver, British Columbia
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Hybrid mass timber |16 storeys
Mass Timber Construction
Burrard Exchange will be Hudson Pacific Properties’ first mass timber development and builds on the momentum of other mass timber projects in British Columbia.
Renderings courtesy of Hudson Pacific Properties
AstraZeneca
Tenant Fitout
“The goal of AstraZeneca’s iWORK workplace strategy is to create facilities that meet expectations of how a great place to work should look and feel.”
AZ Workplace Strategy Guidelines
A further goal of the fitout was to use available space more efficiently to create more collaborative, vibrant working environments to achieve a science-driven, patient-focused culture and mindset.
HH Angus provided M&E consulting engineering and IMIT communications design to the project, which presented a number of interesting challenges requiring thoughtful solutions. Among the challenges was an aggressive schedule. The team worked efficiently and collaboratively to meet the project deadlines.
The project did not allow for core drilling to feed workstations or standalone furniture. To address this, the design team and engineers had to be strategic in using perimeter and under-carpet raceways to conceal wiring. A new lighting design was implemented throughout the 5th floor, and provided a sophisticated wireless lighting control system, complete with daylight harvesting and an occupancy setting, independent of the base building control system.
During the schematic design phase, our team noted several deficiencies within the existing base building system affecting the project’s location. We requested the team have a complete site audit done by a local air balancing contractor, which identified several issues with duct connections, system operation and controls. Through this process, we were able to rectify many issues prior to the close-out phase of our project. This resulted in an efficient transition for the client, saving them both time and money.
SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | IMIT Consulting
PROJECT FEATURES
Size: 72,000 ft2 designed for two floors of tenant fitout (one floor constructed) | Status: Completed 2021
LOCATION
Mississauga, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Open floor layout accommodated despite base building risers | Base building deficiencies identified, saving client time and money | Team exceeded contract obligations in protecting client from added costs due to COVID pandemic and to ensure timely project completion
Open concept design
The client had expressed a preference for an open floor layout; however, several of the base building risers were in locations not conducive to the planned interior design. In order to accommodate the client’s wishes, we proactively identified a new shaft location, and re-routed various systems to deliver the floor layout desired by the client.
Pandemic response
The COVID 19 pandemic began in the midst of construction. The project team reacted immediately during these challenging times by providing effective and responsive coordination virtually. The team worked through construction-related delays, and helped mitigate supply distribution delays by using local contacts to expedite shipping to meet the client-requested deadlines.
The McEwan Group
Fabbrica TD
Fabbrica's second location was designed as a take-out venue. The 4200 ft2 retail space is accessed via Toronto's underground PATH system, in the heart of the city's financial district. Fabbrica on the PATH joins its sister outlet across the hall, the McEwan grocery store.
HH Angus was engaged to provide mechanical, electrical and lighting design services for the tenant fitout of the new Fabbrica on the concourse level of the TD Centre. Fabbrica took over an existing space which required ceiling demolition in order to install new lighting and electrical systems.
Custom interior lighting was designed to attract the attention of commuters and shoppers in the PATH system. To achieve this, 3500K 12W high-colour-rendering LEDs were incorporated into the lighting design to showcase the vibrant colours of the meal offerings prepared for hungry consumers.
The project's location in the concourse level posed a design challenge to the team, due to the modest amount of ceiling and underfloor clearance. To accommodate these restrictions, HH Angus designed solutions to manage the routing of piping, conduits and drainage within the limited space.
SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | Lighting Design
PROJECT FEATURES
Size: 4,200 ft2 | Status: Completed 2018
LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Limited space above and below the retail space required innovative design approaches | High Colour Rendering LEDs
Confined spaces
The space restrictions of the site, with regard to M&E infrastructure, required extensive site surveys, plus special attention being paid to obstructions in the parking levels below.
