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.

City of Mississauga

Burnhamthorpe Community Centre Renovation and Expansion

The Community Centre features a state-of-the-art aquatic centre as well as an equipment-based fitness centre. The new 31,990 ft2 wing is the first project designed and built to the City’s corporate Green Building standard. This standard requires that all major renovation projects for city buildings meet LEED Silver requirements.

HH Angus played a key role in this project, providing mechanical and electrical engineering services, as well as security, IMIT, lighting, AV, and plumbing design. The addition includes a new 25-metre, 6-lane pool, therapeutic pool, fitness centre, and common areas, for a total of 43,000 ft2 of added amenities.

Renovations to the existing community centre encompass improvements across 65,000 ft2, repurposing and relocating multi-purpose program spaces, gymnasium, indoor arena, and upgrading facilities to meet accessibility and green development standards. Despite challenges posed in connecting to the existing building, the addition was situated on the northeast corner, utilizing space from the adjacent park.

To see more renovations, click here

PROJECT FEATURES
Green facility design to LEED Silver standard | State-of-the-art aquatic centre | Equipment-based fitness centre

LOCATION
Mississauga, Ontario

Town-Square-Burhamthorpe-community-centre

All images courtesy of CS&P Architects

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

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.

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

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

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.