Great Canadian Gaming Corporation

Pickering Casino Resort

The Pickering Casino Resort is being built in two phases - the first includes gaming and dining facilities, and the second features an entertainment venue and hotel.

HH Angus was engaged to provide electrical engineering and design services and supporting infrastructure for security, AV, IT/communications, and lighting for this 330,000 ft2 greenfield development. When complete, the complex will include a 250-room hotel, a gaming facility accommodating approximately 2,350 slots, 100 gaming tables, 167 Live Dealer Stadium Gaming terminals, a variety of dining options, retail space, and a 2,500-seat multi-purpose performance venue.

This project was fast tracked with a very aggressive schedule. As the site previously was a field, our key challenge was to lay the infrastructure in place to support a world-class casino (power, telecom, traffic, lighting, water, civil engineering, etc.). We accomplished this task with the help of our design assist partner Guild Electric. HH Angus and Guild worked very closely from Day One to represent the client at all levels of design. Together, we approached the utility companies, vendors, and supply chain to ensure we could achieve the aggressive schedule.

Among the key electrical engineering elements are:

Encapsulated below-grade generator room and main electrical distribution
Campus electrical distribution system is fully concrete encased below the casino floor. This required a high level of coordination prior to the concrete pour
Intelligent and fully addressable lighting control system. Utilized for aesthetics, security, and life safety
Strategic early works planning and coordination with electrical utility to allow temporary power and permanent power to derive from the same service; this was a significant cost saving for the owner
Emergency power distribution supplemented by uninterruptible power supplies ensure the casino and critical services can continue to operate independently of the utility grid for a prolonged period of time
2000+ security cameras and necessary IT infrastructure was designed to support access control, intrusion, CCTV, panic duress, coordination with OPP and AGCO.

SERVICES
Electrical Engineering | IMIT Consulting | Lighting Design | Feasibility Study

PROJECT FEATURES

Design/Build | Fast Track (Design Assist) | 330,000 ft2 greenfield development | Strategic early works planning resulted in cost savings for client | Status: Phase 1 completion 2021, Phase 2 completion estimated 2023

LOCATION
Pickering, Ontario

KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS

Gaming facility, hotel and performance venue | Solar carport and parkade EV charging | Emergency power and UPS for prolonged power supply independent of utility grid | 2000+ security cameras

Sustainability features

Parking amenities include a solar carport and integrated EV charging stations. HH Angus worked with VCT Group on these features, designing the infrastructure to allow the photo voltaic system to tie into the electrical network. The surface parking area will accommodate approximately 1,675 cars and the parking structure will provide for another 3,000 cars.

Customer experience

Creating a seamless and luxurious customer experience was a key success factor in the project, and Angus Connect worked closely with the owner on the IT systems, which will support the customer experience and enhance the security and efficiency of the casino operations.

Images courtesy of Chris Dikeakos Architects Inc.

Ontario Gaming GTA Limited Partnership

Great Blue Heron Casino

The Great Blue Heron Casino is located on Scugog Island, northeast of Toronto. HH Angus' scope for this project included electrical engineering, security and telecommunications consulting, and lighting design.

The first phase of the project featured a 20,000 ft2 expansion of the building to house gaming machines and tables, VIP rooms, bar and lounge, washrooms, offices, kitchen and service spaces.

HH Angus designed a new feeder, connected to the existing primary service, and full distribution throughout the expanded building and new outdoor generator. Telecommunications distribution required the addition of a new room to service gaming, corporate and security functions. The existing main telecom distribution room was expanded to support new networking and server equipment. In addition to horizontal distribution, new fiber and copper backbones, and incoming fiber service from Bell, was required to service the expansion. Upgraded and expanded surveillance and access control systems service the new gaming area.

The second phase saw renovation of the existing gaming floor and bar, buffet service and seating areas. The gaming area was completely reorganized for electronic games and a new Play Smart area. The front entrance also received a face-lift and new lighting. Phase 2 leveraged the earlier expansion of the main distribution room and upgrade for telecom distribution, and expanded on the security systems upgrade. As well, it included for a new 4 storey, 116 room hotel and connecting walkway, which required a second high voltage transformer in the existing substation to support the hotel operations.

Four telecommunication rooms were added, along with fiber and copper backbone connectivity. Additional surveillance and access control were included in the hotel scope. Phase 3 is still ahead.

Among the challenges of this project was an accelerated schedule for both design and construction. One solution was to develop strategies to save time on the design side and push the coordination into the construction phase.

SERVICES
Electrical Engineering | Telecommunications and Security Consulting | Lighting Design

PROJECT FEATURES
Size: 20,000 ft2 | Status: Phases 1 & 2 - Completed 2020 | Phase 3 tbd

LOCATION
Scugog Island, Ontario

KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS

Accelerated schedule | New 4 storey hotel and connecting walkway | Expansion of and upgrades to existing facilities, including significant expansion of telecommunications infrastructure and spaces

Meeting Challenges

A significant challenge of this project was completing all the renovations and expansions while the facility was fully operational.

Renderings courtesy of Chris Dikeakos Architects.

The Cooperators Canada

Tenant Fitout

“Our people will have first class work environments that support their wellbeing and set the bar in our industry when it comes to workplace design and sustainable construction.”
Shawn Fitzgerald, VP Enterprise Procurement/Workplace Services, The Cooperators

HH Angus designed a complete fitout, including mechanical, electrical, ICAT, and emergency backup power design for this 9-storey renovation. Each floor was a mix of open office and collaboration spaces with ancillary serveries. The second floor had a full commercial kitchen and café area.

Among the challenges of the project was the existing building back up power system, which was not configured to support the new equipment our client desired. We worked closely with our client’s landlord and building managers to find a solution that provided the client with the ability to operate 24/7 without overloading the existing system’s capabilities. Through careful calculations and creative thinking, we were able to reconfigure the existing MCC (motor control centre), and transfer the most crucial items onto the generator system.

Our team worked closely with the return-to-base engineers to relocate new infrastructure within their project scope, in order to ensure work did not need to be duplicated later in our scope. A good example of this was collaborating on new heat pump locations. Since many locations on the floor plates have exposed ceilings, we ensured heat pumps were being located optimally during the back-to-base work, removing the requirement for our project to move them.

When the COVID-19 epidemic became a factor in the late stages of the project, our team quickly adapted to ensure trades were kept accountable and on schedule for project delivery.

SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | ICAT Design | Audio-Visual Design | Communications Design

PROJECT FEATURES
Status: Completed 2020 | 9 storey complete fitout | Each floor a mix of open office and collaboration spaces | Ancillary services – full commercial kitchen and café

LOCATION
Regina, Saskatchewan

KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
9 storeys | Equipment retrofit for existing emergency power system | Detailed coordination with interior design team for multiple ceiling arrangements | Participated in value engineering discussion to meet client’s needs within available budget

Interior of office space at The Cooperators Canada

Interior photo of The Cooperators Canada

St. Joseph’s Health Centre

Mental Health Emergency Services Unit

We consulted with hospital clinical staff, the architect and best practices documentation in the field of Mental Health design in order to provide tamper-proof and anti-ligature versions of M&E devices and services in all patient rooms.

Our project scope was the complete redevelopment of the existing Mental Health Emergency Services Unit. This involved upgrading and modernizing the unit in order to support eight patient rooms, (the previous unit had only three patient rooms).

New, energy-efficient LED lighting fixtures, complete with dimming controls, replaced the old, inefficient fluorescent lighting fixtures. Remote patient room controls, located at the Nurses’ Station, allow clinical staff to control the electrical receptacle in each patient’s room, the smart glass on the room’s door/window, as well as the room’s lighting fixture, including remote-controlled dimming. A modern real-time locating system was also provided; it includes patient tracking, staff duress and patient wandering functionality. Note: This project was honoured with a 2020 Toronto IES Illumination Section Award

More than 30 IP-based security cameras were installed, including two cameras in each patient room. These are viewable from computers at the Nurses’ Station.

One of the challenges of the project was that the hospital did not have a viable existing IT room to house all the new voice/data infrastructure. As a result, we had to design a new IT room on the floor below the renovation area to support the new unit and future Emergency Department redevelopment. This was done during construction; therefore, the design and coordination were fast-tracked and subsequently completed successfully.

Also, remote patient room controls were not well defined throughout the design process. During construction, we had to quickly coordinate with several vendors, each with a proprietary system, in order to provide a solution that the contractor could execute.

SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | Communications and Security Design | Lighting Design

LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario

KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Tamper-proof and anti-ligature M&E services | Design of remote room controls to provide enhanced staff safety and minimizing disturbance to patients | Fast-track design of IT room was required during construction stage

Remotely located controls

This approach provides increased staff security and convenience, and minimizes disturbance to patients.

Optimal visibility

A new security and communications design allows safe observation of patient activities from a secure staff area.

Ontario Ministry of Health

Ontario Agency for Health Protection & Promotion (OAHPP)
(Sheila Basrur Centre)

Following the 2003 SARS outbreak, Public Health Ontario needed a site to bring together academic, clinical, public health and government experts on infection control and prevention. HH Angus was instrumental in providing a high quality, energy-saving workplace to meet LEED-CI Silver standards, key to highlighting PHO's commitment to sustainable practices.

A new 250kW natural gas-fired generator installed on the roof is the heart of the command centre. Its purpose is to exclusively back up the Electrical and Supplemental HVAC systems serving the command centre. As the area has unusual 416/240V service, special voltage requirements were engineered to facilitate both lighting and power equipment. Harmonic-type transformers provided clean, non-distorted power to two distribution panels, 80KVA UPS, receptacle, lighting panels and HVAC units. The 80KVA UPS unit provides 30 minutes of non-interrupted power to the command centre to allow the generator to start and reach full load capacity.

Since the original building did not meet LEED HVAC requirements, we provided detailed and well-thought-out designs to meet LEED criteria. High efficiency fixtures reduced the burden on city water supply and waste water systems. In addition, lighting was a major component for the LEED-CI Silver criteria, with glare and contrast ratio control, linear fluorescent direct/indirect lighting systems, LED downlights, and daylight harvesting.

Information technology infrastructure was key to the successful long-term functioning of this facility. The infrastructure included telecommunications rooms, conduits, cable support systems and structured cabling systems. The IT rooms house all of the building’s telecommunications fiber optics and copper backbone systems, horizontal cabling system and networking equipment, including telephone, data and video services. In the meeting spaces, the large display wall is intended for daily presentation requirements but, in the case of an emergency response scenario, the room will serve as a 24x7 mission critical war room.

SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | Communications Design | Lighting Design

PROJECT FEATURES
Status: Completed 2009 | 40,000 ft2 | 250kW natural gas generator for emergency back up power | 416/240 volt service required special engineering for lighting and power | 80 KVA UPS