Ontario Power Generation

Oshawa Headquarters

Ontario Power Generation set out to unite its various corporate offices into a single, modern facility that embodies collaboration, efficiency, and long-term sustainability. Repurposing the former GM headquarters brought new life to an iconic site. The project was recognized with a 2026 Award of Distinction from the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies - Ontario Chapter, and an IES Toronto Section Award of Merit for excellence in lighting design.

OPG selected Oshawa as its new corporate headquarters, purchasing and redeveloping a well-known building - the former General Motors (GM) administration building — a 285,000 ft2 facility with five levels (four storeys plus a lower concourse).

The project brought together OPG’s non-station staff from across the Greater Toronto area and Durham Region under one roof, transforming the existing structure through extensive interior and exterior renovations. Upgrades encompassed all major building systems, focusing on enhancing performance, comfort, and environmental responsibility.

HH Angus and Associates played a pivotal role as mechanical and electrical engineers, IMIT and lighting consultants, owner’s engineer, plumbing/fire protection/life safety designer, and commissioning authority.

The overarching goal was to create a future-ready workplace capable of supporting OPG’s operational and cultural needs for the next 40 years — targeting a net-zero carbon footprint and integrating leading sustainable design strategies throughout.

Meeting the objectives
HH Angus’ design solution had high sustainability and energy aspirations and involved the adaptive re-use and re-development of the GM administration building in Oshawa. HH Angus’ Commercial and Angus Connect teams came together for this project.

The project team successfully navigated a series of challenges that tested both creativity and collaboration, ultimately demonstrating their ability to deliver excellence under demanding conditions.

Materials and equipment
The unique use of materials was in fact the ‘re-use of materials’, significantly reducing deconstruction waste and embodied carbon. Much of the existing HVAC equipment was optimized (e.g., terminal heating and cooling devices) to enhance performance and capacity, rather than replacing the distribution network.

Internal resources, experience and expertise
To meet the demands of the accelerated schedule, the project team of mobilized a robust internal team, drawing on resources from across the firm. This collaborative effort, made possible by the firm’s size and depth of expertise, allowed us to maintain quality and precision while delivering on time.

Apart from strategic reuse of existing infrastructure, to accommodate increased occupancy, the design team included the use of energy recovery and thermal storage to allow system capacities to be sized below the peak demands to get the most out of the cost and embodied carbon of the equipment provided.

Outcome
Through ingenuity, collaboration, and technical excellence, the team successfully overcame these challenges—delivering a high-performance, cost-effective design that met the client’s objectives and ambitious goals, and reinforced their trust in the team’s ability to deliver innovative solutions under pressure.

PROJECT FEATURES
Size: 285,000 ft2, 5 levels (four storeys plus lower concourse) | Completed 2025 | Recipient of a 2026 ACEC/OEPA Award of Distinction for engineering excellence | Recipient of a 2026 IES Toronto Section Award of Merit for excellence in lighting design

LOCATION
Oshawa, Ontario

Collaborative process

An interesting challenge was meeting the fixed project budget while delivering design integrity. To address this, the team dedicated many hours to an intensely collaborative process—partnering closely with manufacturers, vendors, and contractors to identify cost-effective solutions that preserved the client’s vision and design intent. Through innovative thinking, open communication, and strategic value engineering, the project was successfully delivered within budget while maintaining both functionality and aesthetic integrity.

Repurposing building systems

A further challenge emerged with the new interior layout, pushing existing building systems beyond their designed capacity. Rather than opting for a costly and disruptive full replacement of the distribution ductwork, the design team developed a strategic, resourceful solution. By introducing terminal heating and cooling devices to supplement the existing infrastructure, the required system performance was achieved efficiently and sustainably.

Confidential Client

Quebec Data Centre

HH Angus provided comprehensive engineering services for the design, development, and implementation of a state-of-the-art data centre.

HH Angus was responsible for the design of the facility’s mechanical, plumbing, lighting, fire protection and building environmental control systems. This facility is split into critical and non-critical areas. The critical areas included mechanical and electrical rooms housing equipment supporting the main server spaces. The non-critical areas included administrative spaces such as meeting rooms, open offices, telecommunication service entry rooms, technical spaces housing servers supporting site operations, and a loading dock. Beyond the footprint of this building, our scope of services also extended to ancillary site structures such as the main gate guardhouse, water treatment buildings, fire pump buildings, and the deployment of private weather stations.

HH Angus implemented an evaporative cooling system to support critical IT servers. Our team designed a water treatment facility and rainwater harvesting system with a detailed metering scheme, giving the Owner visibility into water use. This made the facility water-neutral and self-sufficient year-round, eliminating reliance on municipal water for cooling.

SERVICES
Advisory Services | Mechanical Engineering | Lighting Design | Fire Protection | Building & Environmental Systems

PROJECT FEATURES
N+1 redundant mechanical systems
to ensure continuous uptime | Completed March 2026

LOCATION
Confidential, Quebec

KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Feasibility study | Energy modeling | Facility design to eliminate reliance on municipal water for cooling

Confidential Client

Data Centre & Offices (5 buildings)

The robust infrastructure of the data centre's five buildings supports comprehensive data services. Positioned near key intercontinental submarine cables, it will ensure seamless connectivity.

This new build facility is a regional hub for digital innovation, featuring five data centre buildings and two premium office buildings designed for reliability and sustainability.

HH Angus provided mechanical and electrical design and engineering services to the project. Our responsibilities encompass a wide range of tasks, including developing the Basis of Design, reviewing site plans and documentation produced by local European engineering teams, and providing input for Request for Proposal (RFP) processes.

Crafted with precision, this data centre will be setting new standards for efficiency, significantly reducing energy consumption compared to the global average. Engineered to excel even in the most challenging climates, it epitomizes efficiency and sustainability. The data centre is targeting 100% renewable energy - leveraging utility green energy programs, solar and wind power purchase agreements, and certified carbon credits to be operationally carbon neutral. With the goal of transforming data centres into catalysts for sustainable development, the goal is to minimize environmental impact while delivering reliable and efficient data services.

SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering

PROJECT FEATURES
Five building data centre plus two premium office buildings | Status: Ongoing - completion estimated for 2026

LOCATION
Western Europe

KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Sustainable cooling solutions | Redundant security measures | Redundant A+B side power distribution | N+1 redundancy in cooling, UPS and generators

Confidential Client

U.S. Data Centre

This U.S. data centre is backed by secure controls and continuous monitoring for optimal performance. The facility is designed to Tier III standards for concurrent maintainability.

The data centre boasts robust infrastructure for comprehensive data services. HH Angus provided mechanical and electrical design and engineering services for the project. Our responsibilities included the design of the building’s HVAC, plumbing and drainage, and fire protection systems. Our team was responsible for all base building power requirements, HV distribution, and lighting systems. As well, advanced security measures have been implemented to ensure the safety and security of the critical infrastructure.

Our approach centered on the seamless integration of mechanical, electrical, data, communications, and building control systems. With a focus on sustainability, the data centre focuses on minimizing environmental impact by using non-toxic glycol and closed-loop evaporators for secondary cooling.

Targeting operational carbon neutrality, the data centre leverages utility green energy programs, solar and wind power purchase agreements, and certified carbon credits. By embracing sustainable practices, the goal is to minimize environmental impact while delivering reliable and efficient data services for the end-users.

SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering

PROJECT FEATURES
Size: 168,000 ft2 | Status: Completion 2025

LOCATION
United States

KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
UPS with N+1 redundancy | Redundant A+B side distribution | Advanced security | Reduced energy consumption | Operationally carbon neutral

City of Toronto

Nathan Phillips Square Spirit Garden

The Spirit Garden in Nathan Phillips Square — recipient of the 2025 Canadian Wood Council Wood Design & Building Award, as well as an Award of Excellence from the Toronto Urban Design Awards — is part of the City’s revitalization of its landmark civic space at New City Hall. As part of the improvements, a new Teaching, Learning, Sharing, and Healing space was designed and constructed to recognize and honour the experience of Indian Residential School Survivors.

The Nathan Phillips Square Spirit Garden responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s ‘Call to Action 82’, establishing a permanent monument in Canada’s largest city. Spanning 20,650 ft2, this living memorial honours Indian Residential School Survivors and the children who never returned home, creating a powerful civic space for education, reflection, and healing. The project integrates Indigenous knowledge, ceremony, and storytelling into a new Teaching, Learning, Sharing, and Healing space, signifying Toronto’s ongoing commitment to reconciliation.

HH Angus played a central technical role in the cultural and contemplative space, providing mechanical and electrical engineering, security systems consulting, IMIT design, and commissioning. The project included new landscaping, a water feature, a major public artwork installation, and a new Teaching, Learning, Sharing, and Healing space.

Our scope also included a full technical audit and inventory report to document all infrastructure and equipment impacted by the project; power supply for new landscape and other LED lighting fixtures; connection of new area drainage to existing storm systems in the parking level; mechanical and electrical services for the new 450 ft2 Teaching Lodge; and design of security systems for public spaces and the Teaching Lodge.

The exposed wood structure of the Teaching Lodge required exceptionally close coordination between the structural consultant and our mechanical and electrical teams, as service penetrations could not be modified after fabrication. The Teaching Lodge uses pre-formed laminated ash glulam timber and laminated spruce sheathing, both sustainably sourced, to create a resilient and expressive structure.

HH Angus also developed and prepared a commissioning plan for all mechanical and electrical equipment being installed during the project.

One of the interesting challenges of this project was working with multiple interested parties to ensure the collaborative vision of all rights holders for the project was achieved.

The Spirit Garden was delivered through sustained and respectful collaboration with Indigenous communities, ensuring that cultural heritage, traditional knowledge, and lived experience were central to the project’s design and execution. Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Keepers, artists, and community representatives were engaged by the City of Toronto and the design team throughout the planning and design process to guide the project’s cultural vision, symbolism, and spatial organization.

SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | IMIT design | Security Design | Commissioning

PROJECT FEATURES
Heritage site | Teaching lodge | New landscaping | Surface and parking improvements | Upgraded existing exterior infrastructure

LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario