Sector: Education
Queen's University
Biomedical Research Facility
HH Angus was engaged to upgrade the Queen's University Biomedical Research Facility (BRF). We have been providing consulting engineering to Queen's for well over two decade and, over that time, have developed an intimate knowledge of the systems infrastructure throughout the campus.
The BRF project involved a three-phase renovation, upgrade, and fitout of an existing 39,000 ft2 research facility. The aging facility needed additional space for increased research initiatives and a complete upgrade of its lighting, HVAC, and processing systems.
Facility components included systems for biosafety labs, autoclaves, glass washers, new cage washers, procedure rooms, and telemetry rooms across two floor plates. Phase 1 included relocation of a 15,000 ft2 rodent facility within an existing science building. Phases 2 and 3 included a full upgrade and renovation of the 24,000 ft2 vivarium.
HH Angus was involved with the project since its inception in 2009. The approval process lasted over seven years to secure funding, plan for the migration of the labs, and achieve user group consensus on the facility redesign.
The project included some interesting challenges associated with the upgrades:
Operational Continuity: The facility operates 24/7. New space had to be developed and commissioned before decommissioning old spaces. Our team performed detailed planning and site reviews to ensure there would be no disruptions to ongoing research or adjacent HVAC systems.
Aged Infrastructure: The older building lacked up-to-date ‘as-built’ drawings. To mitigate this, we used Revit for BIM modeling and interference drawings to prevent clashes during construction.
Spatial Constraints: Floor-to-ceiling heights were approximately 11 to 13 feet, which is significantly below the modern laboratory standard of 15 feet. We solved this by moving services out of the ceiling space into more spacious areas such as the penthouse, roof, and lower floors.
Infrastructure Renewal: The team designed the complete replacement of all air handling and exhaust systems in the active building. Through creative design, we achieved N+1 redundancy in the air handling systems at the same cost as a standard like-for-like replacement.
SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | Lighting Design | Security & Communications Design | Vertical Transportation Consulting
PROJECT FEATURES
Phased renovation, upgrade and fitout of existing facility | 24/7 operations | 39,000 ft2 facility over two floors | Completed 2020
LOCATION
Kingston, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Enable 24/7 operations to continue during entire phased renovation | Design, build and commission new laboratory space before decommissioning outdated laboratory | Solve spatial challenges in new lab site due to low ceiling height | Replace all air handling units
British Columbia Institute of Technology
Smart Parking Pilot
The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) recognized that accessing their parking amenities had become challenging for students, staff and visitors. They turned to the ARMS team to find out why.
BCIT understood that having accurate parking availability information could significantly improve the campus experience for drivers. The institution needed a solution that could reliably monitor parking occupancy while being easy to implement, cost-effective to operate, and adaptable for future growth.
Rather than introducing new standalone systems, BCIT wanted to maximize their existing technology investments. This presented an opportunity to leverage the campus’ existing security ecosystem to deliver meaningful operational insights.
HH Angus deployed the ARMS solution using BCIT's existing Axis security camera platform to provide accurate, real-time parking occupancy monitoring. Working closely with BCIT's IT team and vendors, the solution combined onboard vehicle-counting analytics with intuitive dashboards and digital displays. This resulted in a streamlined system that delivers reliable parking availability information with minimal infrastructure requirements.
The implementation aspect also included integration with an iGotcha Media display screen, allowing drivers to easily identify available parking. This real-time visibility reduces dissatisfaction for drivers searching for parking while providing the operations team with a clearer understanding of parking utilization patterns.
By leveraging BCIT’s existing infrastructure, HH Angus delivered a lightweight and scalable solution with minimal operational overhead. Beyond improving the parking experience today, the platform established a solid foundation for future expansion to include additional parking facilities and surface lots across BCIT’s campus, supporting more informed planning and management of parking resources.
SERVICES
Occupancy data collection | Data Analytics | Parking utilization monitoring
PROJECT FEATURES
Real-time parking availability | Enhanced user experience | Low infrastructure requirements | Scalable parking management platform | Status: Ongoing
LOCATION
Vancouver, BC
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Parking occupancy monitoring | Integrated existing Axis security infrastructure | Configured onboard vehicle-counting analytics | Developed real-time occupancy dashboards | Integrated parking displays
Trinity College
Sensor-based Occupancy Dashboard
Through the development of ARMS (Angus Remote Management System), Trinity College now benefits from a privacy-first occupancy intelligence platform that supports smarter operational planning and longer-term campus orientations.
With limited access to real-time occupancy data, Trinity College needed greater insight into student movement patterns, peak usage periods, and overall space utilization across campus. To achieve this, the College partnered with our ARMS team to gain a clearer understanding of how classrooms, lecture halls, and shared campus spaces were being used throughout the day.
To acquire the data, HH Angus implemented ARMS as a scalable occupancy intelligence platform. The solution combined AI-enabled thermal sensing technology, cloud-based analytics, and interactive dashboards to provide continuous visibility into campus activity while maintaining a privacy-first approach.
As part of the implementation, AI-enabled thermal sensors were installed throughout classrooms, lecture halls, student common areas, and other shared campus environments. As occupancy and movement data are collected, they are securely stored and processed through AWS IoT Core and cloud infrastructure, creating a centralized view of classroom activity, common area utilization, and broader campus traffic patterns. Interactive dashboards developed using AWS QuickSight transform this data into accessible visual insights, allowing Trinity College to clearly understand how campus spaces are being used.
The data platform was designed around a key factor; non-identifiable detection methods to provide meaningful operational intelligence without compromising the privacy of students, faculty, and campus users. Real-time and historical data allow teams to identify utilization trends, monitor low- and high-traffic areas, and make more informed decisions around space allocation, operational planning, and future campus initiatives.
SERVICES
Design and implementation of sensor-based occupancy dashboard, including scalable occupancy intelligence platform, thermal sensing technology, cloud-based analytics, and interactive client user interface
PROJECT FEATURES
Real-time occupancy insights | Privacy-first analytics | Cloud-based analytics platform | Campus-wide visibility into space utilization | Status: Ongoing
LOCATION
Dublin, Ireland
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Deployed ARMS across academic and shared spaces | Installed AI-enabled thermal sensors | Integrated AWS IoT Core for secure data flow | Developed QuickSight dashboards for visualization | Enabled real-time and historical utilization analysis
Data-driven insights
By replacing anecdotal observations with data-driven insights, the solution delivered an accurate assessment of classroom utilization, student movement patterns, and activity across shared learning environments.
Enabling future expansion
The result is a secure and scalable framework that supports ongoing campus optimization, enables future expansion of smart building capabilities, and establishes a modern data foundation for long-term planning and operational decision-making.
University of Toronto
Robarts Library, Reading Room Renovation
The Robarts Library, renowned as an example of the 'Brutalist' style of architecture, stands as one of Canada's largest academic library buildings, serving as a cornerstone of scholarly pursuit at the University of Toronto.
HH Angus provided mechanical and electrical engineering services, as well as design consulting for IMIT and lighting, for the renovation of the Library's fourth floor Reading Room.
The project, aimed at modernizing the library's facilities to accommodate contemporary learning paradigms, posed several intricate challenges. One notable challenge involved the intricate design of cabling for security and telecoms within the limited capacity channels of the floor slab, while ensuring the preservation of the library's architectural integrity. Moreover, the integration of wireless thermostats for HVAC control demanded meticulous planning to guarantee effective functionality while maintaining the library's iconic aesthetic.
In response to the evolving needs of the campus community, the renovated space has been thoughtfully curated to foster a conducive environment for study, collaboration, and digital scholarship. Individual study areas, equipped with state-of-the-art digital stations and consultation rooms, offer students and faculty alike the resources they need to thrive academically. Additionally, the incorporation of light therapy zones underscores a commitment to promoting wellness and inclusivity within the Library's patrons.
Improved accessibility was a key aspect of this renovation, featuring new study spots with adjustable desk heights, versatile seating configurations, and customizable lighting options, ensuring that all user's needs are considered. As well, strategic wayfinding elements and clear sightlines have been implemented to facilitate seamless navigation throughout the revitalized space.
SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | IMIT Consultant | Lighting Consultant
PROJECT FEATURES
20,300 ft2 space | Accessible study areas | Integration of building systems
LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario
Enhanced environments
The Library renovation is a significant advancement in the modernization of an academic institution, and underscores UofT's dedication to enhancing the built environment for all users.
Fanshawe College
IoT Data Lake
The College’s overarching goal was to streamline their data management process by consolidating disparate IoT platforms into a single accessible platform for measurement and research.
Fanshawe College needed a comprehensive data lake for all campus IoT data, beginning with two solar panel arrays. Their existing process involved physically going to each building’s measurement platform to download its data, merge the information in Excel format and perform a manual analysis.
HH Angus served as smart building consultants to the project, providing digital design services. We reprogrammed the PLCs (programmable logic controllers) of the solar panel arrays, enabling data transmission to AWS IoT core. The resulting data is now stored in a data lake where it is presented with analysis on a centralized dashboard, providing a unified and efficient solution to the College’s data management challenges.
One of the challenges of the project centered on communications and technical access. Collaboration with multiple academic and IT departments proved challenging due to communication issues with various stakeholders involved in the original solar panel array. To address this, our team coordinated multi-department troubleshooting meetings, fostering a collaborative atmosphere that was focused on progress.
Also, gaining access to the PLCs for essential programming changes became complicated due to staff turnover at the client. An unintended consequence of this was that new staff members were unfamiliar with the PLCs. To remedy this, our team assumed more of a technical advisory role than had been anticipated originally, to the point of involving technical support from the PLC manufacturer to assist the College’s technicians. Solving these issues underscores the project team’s adaptability in overcoming unexpected challenges.
SERVICES
Smart Building Consultants
PROJECT FEATURES
Comprehensive data lake for all campus IoT data | Centralized dashboard provides data analysis and data management | Status: Completed 2023, with ongoing maintenance contract
LOCATION
London, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Hardware-free data retrieval from solar panels | Reprogrammed PLCs for AWS data transmission | Advanced data analysis with local utility rates