Toronto Western Hospital

New Patient and Surgical Tower

University Health Network’s (UHN) new $1 billion, 15-storey patient care and surgical tower will be built on Toronto Western Hospital’s (TWH) campus in downtown Toronto and enhance UHN’s capabilities caring for complex neurological and orthopedic cases. 

We’re excited to be part of this important and transformative healthcare project for UHN. HH Angus, in partnership with DIALOG, is providing mechanical and electrical engineering and ICAT/IMIT design services for the new tower.

The new facility will be over 380,000 ft2 in size over 15-storeys and include 11 clinical program floors, 82 beds, and 20 operating rooms of which three will be hybrid ORs with cutting-edge imaging capabilities.

The new tower will feature many of the latest healthcare technological advancements. We have supported UHN in developing a Digital Strategy for this facility and, have incorporated technologies such as real-time locating systems for patient journey tracking, advanced audio-visual systems for information sharing, and surgical suite technologies to improve flow, communication and educational opportunities.

Among the electrical systems features, emergency generators sized for full backup and a central UPS will improve the resilience of this critical facility.

SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | ICAT/IMIT Consulting


PROJECT FEATURES
Size: 380,000 ft2 | Budget: $1 billion | 15-storeys | Downtown urban setting | 11 clinical program floors, 82 beds and 20 operating rooms


LOCATION 
Toronto, Ontario


KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Targeting 32% energy reduction | Wastewater energy transfer (WET) system for heating, cooling, steam and domestic hot water


Image of modern hospital tower in downtown Toronto

Sustainable Engineering

Building on our decarbonization and sustainability experience for healthcare clients across the country, TWH’s new tower strives to be Net Zero, targeting an overall 32% reduction in energy consumption from the OBC SB-10 (2017) reference model through a variety of initiatives, including integrating with UHN’s wastewater energy transfer system for heating, cooling, steam and domestic hot water. The mechanical design also includes energy recovery wheels on the ventilation system and considerations for predicted future climate conditions.   

Proud Partnership

HH Angus is proud to continue collaborating with UHN – ranked number one on the 2023 list of Canada’s Top 40 Research Hospitals – a relationship that spans several decades working on many of their key facilities. Recent collaborations include a major upgrade at TWH’s Power House, which significantly improved the reliability of critical mechanical and electrical infrastructure in order to maintain the integrity of OR services, and the Rapid Assessment Centre Expansion at the Toronto General Hospital.

Image of modern hospital  entrance in downtown Toronto

Great Canadian Entertainment

Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto 

The Casino Resort site features live gaming, horse racing, entertainment, and dining on a 33-acre site in the Greater Toronto area. The venue includes two hotels, a theatre, 240 gaming tables and over 2500 electronic gaming machines.

The project consisted of 8 major components, including casino and associated food service outlets (350,000 ft2)., main gaming floor and lobbies, VIP gaming space, support/office spaces, washroom blocks, OPP offices, security offices, etc. The gaming floors feature ~ 2,575 electronic gaming machines and 240 tables. The work also included parking lots, roadways and minor greenspaces, a theatre space and two hotels, each with 400 rooms.

30+ new food service areas meant an additional 1500 pieces of equipment had to be accommodated. This additional load required supplemental electrical connections and, with 33 acres of new build, a completely new electrical feeder from Toronto Hydro.

For telecommunications distribution, HH Angus added redundant site entrance facilities, 30+ new telecoms rooms, and 2 new distribution rooms. The new facility is linked to the existing Grandstand, with the transition of various systems into the new build. A new monitoring suite for the security and surveillance group houses more than 15 operators as well as a new DVR room to service the entire site.

The project required solutions to a number of challenges, chiefly the schedule was of paramount concern for the client. The team worked under tight deadlines to ensure the casino design was completed in a timely fashion in order to welcome customers as quickly as possible. To accommodate the accelerated schedule, strategies were developed to save time during design in order to speed construction.

The fast-tracked schedule challenged communications as well, in terms of turnaround time for decisions. The design team pushed forward to achieve deadlines, but also had to devise procedures to accommodate lagging feedback. This also applied to the construction teams. HH Angus’ deep experience with the client and site enabled a “short hand” which afforded us the flexibility to leave blank areas in the design and come back to these once a decision was made. This saved design resources, and the client appreciated that assumptions were made to allow the project to keep moving forward, and that it did not interfere with our ability to modify designs when decisions were finalized.

The main challenge for the IT and security components involved integrating all stakeholder requirements from the existing Grandstand into the new facility. As these groups have varied approaches to design, our previous projects and site knowledge helped to clarify the final requirements.

The client is developing multiple casino properties throughout Ontario concurrent with the Casino Toronto project, and wanted to apply lessons learned. This created an evolving security standard and, in order to accommodate this, the HH Angus design team deferred changes as long as possible (without impacting the site) in order to reduce the need to re-issue drawings and specifications.

SERVICES
Electrical Engineering | ICAT/Security Design | Lighting Design


PROJECT FEATURES
33 acres with over 1.4 million ft2 of indoor space | Status – Current phase completed 2023


LOCATION 
Toronto, Ontario


KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Fast-track schedule| 30+new food service areas | Over two dozen new telecom rooms | Gaming floor engineering required the least possible impact on gaming machines to minimize downtime | IT and security components were integrated from existing grand-stand into new facility


Interior of large modern theatre
Interior of theatre banquet hall with rows of tables

Multi-purpose 110,00 ft2 theatre 

This space houses traditional stage events, and can accommodate trade shows and sports such as centre ring (boxing) events, conferences, and celebrations. In the traditional stage configuration, the theatre features 5000 seats. The space also houses several bars and a full event kitchen. The kitchen and bars have over 150 pieces of equipment requiring specialized electrical connections with flexibility for future bar installations.

Rest and relaxation for the whole family

The 600,000 ft2 parking structure is a 6-storey parkade, with 5,500 parking spots. Both the underground parking and the parkade include EV charging stations. The underground parking encompasses the entire lower level of the Casino, both hotels and the theatre, as well as the major mechanical, electrical and IT/Security spaces. There are 5 major high voltage rooms with various smaller electrical rooms throughout, and a generator room housing three 1500kW diesel generator units, with a separate generator synchronization switchboard room.

Image of a modern hotel room with 2 beds and scenic view
Image of indoor hotel pool and hot tub

University Health Network 

Toronto Western Hospital Critical Infrastructure Reliability Project

Toronto Western Hospital (TWH), part of the University Health Network, initiated a project to enhance the reliability of its critical mechanical and electrical (M&E) infrastructure. With aging equipment dating back to 1954, TWH partnered with HH Angus to undertake a comprehensive upgrade project aimed at ensuring the continuous operation of high-risk medical services.

As the prime consultant, HH Angus was responsible for assessing the condition of existing mechanical and electrical systems. Following the assessment, upgrades were made to the facility, including replacing emergency generators, and establishing a new electrical room serving the ORs and the broader hospital campus. Subconsultants, including architectural, civil, environmental, and cost consultants, played crucial roles throughout the project.

To determine suitable locations for generators, extensive investigations were conducted, including structure analysis, examination of building codes, and assessment of environmental impacts. This collaborative effort led to the approval of a new penthouse above the East Wing for generator placement. The final engineering package involved locating the emergency generators at grade in a new fenced area, alongside the supply and installation of two new 1100W emergency generators and upgrades to the electrical network and distribution systems within the powerhouse.

HH Angus leveraged reality capture workflows, utilizing photogrammetry and a Matterport Pro2 camera, to produce a digital 3D model of the powerhouse and infrastructure. Through the efforts of our BIM team, 3D scans were taken of mechanical and electrical spaces, including complex piping and ductwork, to generate point clouds for reference in Revit. These models accurately depict existing systems, including central steam, chilled water, and emergency power systems serving the hospital's ORs and surrounding campus.

Additionally, the project has been recognized for excellence, with the generator exhaust stack winning in the category of Steel Works – Sculptures – Outdoor Pavilions at the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction's Awards for Excellence. https://hhangus.com/award-for-excellence/

The Toronto Western Hospital Critical Infrastructure Reliability project exemplifies HH Angus's commitment to delivering reliable solutions for healthcare facilities.


 

SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | Reality Capture


PROJECT FEATURES
3D modeling of powerhouse |
Scans of mechanical and electrical (M&E) spaces using Matterport Pro2 Camera | Point clouds of complex spaces using ReCap Pro Status: Completed


LOCATION 
Eastern Canada


KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Upgraded mechanical and electrical systems | Installed emergency generators | Ensured environmental compliance | Modernized the powerhouse infrastructure.


University Health Network 

Toronto General Hospital Rapid Assessment Centre (RAC) Expansion

HH Angus was engaged to provide mechanical and electrical engineering, IMIT consulting, and lighting consulting services for this 20,000 ft2 phased renovation at Toronto General Hospital. The space now includes a Rapid Assessment Centre, Diagnostic Test Centre, and Admitting and Pre-Admission Clinics.

The emergency department (ED) was designed to serve ~ 20,000 patients annually but was receiving more than 55,000 patients To better manage these volumes, a dedicated Rapid Assessment Centre (RAC) was added so that ED staff can triage lower acuity patients to the new "fast track" area, enabling primary emergency areas to care for more complex patients.

Our team worked in conjunction with the client and other consultants to perform a pre-tender constructability review. This review included potential approaches to minimize disruption outside areas of construction, identify potential installation challenges, and complete pre-demolition of the first phase of work to identify any unknown site conditions in advance of construction.

Due to the age of the existing space, there was a high probability of building systems and equipment being beyond their service life, and a certainty that codes and standards relevant to the design of the new space had changed. To address this and mitigate any risks, HH Angus performed a pre-design review to identify any specific potential issues with the new space and recommend steps to further address the unknowns.

Scanning and 3D captures were performed regularly throughout construction, using Matterport Pro 2 and a Theta V 360 Camera. This provided the client with regular site progress updates and, in future, will allow for dimensionally accurate references for locating MEP services behind walls and ceilings. It also allowed for a more focused presence on-site, as construction progress was made available remotely to a range of project stakeholders amid COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

The existing ventilation systems presented a significant gap for the project, as their capacity to support the new functions of the space was unknown. To address this, HH Angus investigated and presented several options for review, taking into consideration the client’s budget, schedule, and planned upgrades for existing infrastructure.

 

SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | IMIT Consultant | Lighting Consultant


PROJECT FEATURES
Accelerated project schedule | Status: Completed 2022


LOCATION 
Toronto, Ontario


KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Phased renovation | Pre-tender constructability review and pre-design review | Scanning and 3D captures to document site progress and provide dimensionally accurate site references for future access


Image of hospital assessment pods

 

Accelerated schedule 

The project schedule was aggressive, requiring close and efficient collaboration between HH Angus, the client, and all other consultants. All construction documents and constructability reviews were completed in 12 weeks.

Lonsdale Energy Corporation

Heat Recovery Feasibility Study

HH Angus conducted a study to evaluate the feasibility of exhaust air heat recovery from the Global Relay (GR) data centre facility at 22 Gostick Place in North Vancouver, BC.

Some of the key aspects of the study included:

  • The location and footprint of the heat recovery system components were studied within the context of considerable site constraints. The study evaluated the design, construction, and cost considerations for the implementation of the proposed heat recovery system.
  • We investigated available heat pump technologies that would be appropriate for recovering waste heat and would satisfy the LEC DES requirements.
  • The energy recovered would be used by a water source heat pump to provide hot water to the local LEC District Energy System (DES).
  • A water source heat pump system was proposed as the best solution to provide the ability to recover heat from the building ventilation system. The new system would recover heat from the GR facility and would transfer this recovered heat via a hot water loop to the local LEC DES.
  • Heat recovery is feasible for the facility and can provide up to 1,100 kW of heating capacity to the LEC DES.
  • Constraints to the design of the heat recovery system were also identified, and included:

(i) the quantity of air exhausted from the facility is not fixed and ranges at each exhaust plenum on a seasonal basis and depending on outdoor air temperature – this impacts how much heat can be recovered at a given time;

(ii) the minimum and maximum exhaust air temperatures range from 30°C to 43°C (86°F to 110°F) - the temperature of the exhaust air will influence how much heat can be recovered from the exhaust air; and,

(iii) the cross-sectional area available for the heat recovery coil - the more cross-sectional area that is available for a given amount of heat transfer, the less deep the coil must be (and less airside pressure drop penalty is incurred).

The study concluded that a purpose-built containerized heat pump system would be the most suitable solution to meet the needs of the project. This new containerized structure would be conveniently located adjacent to the GR facility and would exhibit the same architectural character as the existing facility. The proposed heat pump system would include one heat pump unit (based on Emerson Heat Pumps) and four heat recovery water pumps. Control valves, piping accessories, ventilation, lighting, and system controls would all be included in the proposed pre-fabricated containerized enclosure.

Outdoor hydronic piping would connect the heat pump enclosure to the GR facility and the proposed hydronic heat recovery coil system. The heat recovery coil system would consist of four new heat recovery coils placed within the existing facility exhaust air plenums. The existing exhaust fan motors would have to be upgraded in order to address the additional pressure drop introduced by the new heat recovery coils. This fan motor upgrade would also trigger upgrades to the existing electrical infrastructure.

SERVICES
Prime Consultant | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering


PROJECT FEATURES
Size: 5,600,000 ft2 | Status: Ongoing


LOCATION 
Vancouver, British Columbia


KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Feasibility study | Heat recovery