Service: Lighting Design
SickKids
Peter Gilgan Centre for Research & Learning
“This investment in the Research and Learning Tower will help ensure that Canada remains a world leader in health research, and that we will continue to make discoveries that benefit children around the world.”
– Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Science and Technology
HH Angus provided mechanical and electrical consulting engineering for this 740,000 ft2 high-rise research and educational facility. This building enhanced the overall campus of SickKids, which totals over 2,500,000 ft2. SickKids is a landmark hospital and renowned internationally as a world-class institution.
The facility has been certified LEED® Gold. Energy modeling indicated a significant improvement over the minimum energy performance required by the program. Systems were segregated to achieve significant thermal reuse within the facility. The option to integrate a waste heat recovery system from the neighbouring district heating provider was incorporated into the design to realize even greater energy efficiency in future.
The building services design supported the main objectives for the new facility:
- Consolidate the Research Institute into a cohesive unit
- Integrate research functions with the hospital
- Provide flexibility for future change
- Maximize functionality and efficiency
- Share support functions
- Utilize current technologies and infrastructure, including a plan for increased security for highly specialized spaces such as Containment Level 3
- Incorporate exemplary sustainable “Green” building design concepts and system
- Create a high-tech, cost-effective space for evolving state-of-the-art technologies
The interesting design challenges inherent in this high-rise lab building contributed to both the complexity and enjoyment of the design process, including a 1½ storey vivarium and 40,000 ft2 of educational space.
Quote source: SickKids
SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | IT & Communication Design | Vertical Transportation | Lighting Design
PROJECT FEATURES
Size: 740,000 ft2 with 40,000 ft2 educational space | Status: Completed 2013
LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Complex systems design for a tight downtown urban space | 1.5 storey vivarium | LEED Gold Certified | Incorporated options to permit a future waste heat recovery system
Toronto Transit Commission
Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension Pioneer Village & Finch West Station
The TTC’s 8.6 km line opened to the public in December 2017. All six stations are fully accessible and Wi-Fi equipped. The line is comprised of both tunnel and cut-and-cover sections. HH Angus provided mechanical and electrical consulting engineering for the Pioneer Village and Finch West stations.
Above ground, the new stations include a main entrance, secondary and automatic entrance and electrical substation. Our mechanical scope included ventilation and air conditioning of services spaces, sanitary and storm drainage for washrooms and service area, track drainage, fire protection systems, as well as incorporation of system-wide tunnel ventilation. In addition, it incorporated water-efficient plumbing fixtures and energy efficient HVAC systems.
Our electrical scope covered power distribution, lighting and communications systems. Design layouts were provided for power distribution of the subway station, as well as traction power for the trains.
SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | Lighting Design | Communications Consulting
PROJECT FEATURES
Status: Completed 2017
LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Underground subway stations with integrated bus terminals | Integrated traction power substation | Water-efficient plumbing fixtures and energy efficient HVAC systems

Custom transit lighting
The lighting design featured reduced power consumption. Lighting design for the exterior public zones incorporated increased daylight levels, LED lighting in pylon signs, and energy-efficient lighting in illuminated wayfinding signage.
Comprehensive communications design
The communications systems design included fire alarm protection, public address speakers, passenger intercom, TTC PAX telephones, public telephones and security systems, including closed circuit television.

Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson)
Pitman Hall Food Facility
Pitman Hall, located in the heart of downtown Toronto, is Toronto Metropolitan University's second largest residence, with 14 floors and 565 rooms.
HH Angus provided electrical and mechanical consulting services for the renovation of the existing kitchen and dining facilities in Pitman Hall. The refurbishment was implemented in two phases, with the kitchen and seating area as Phase 1, and the Dining Hall expansion into Pitman Quad in Phase 2.
The objective of the renovation was to increase capacity throughout the existing facility, both in number of meals served and seating capacity.
HH Angus’ scope included review of existing building systems, preparation of mechanical and electrical designs, creation of preliminary construction and other tender documents, and identification of future mechanical and electrical space requirements.
SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | Security | Communications | Fire Protection | Lighting Design
PROJECT FEATURES
Status: Completed Phase 1 - 2018; Phase 2 - 2019
LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Created preliminary construction and other tender documents | Identified future mechanical and electrical space requirements | Increased facility’s meal preparation capacity | Innovative ceiling lighting design

Ecological Exhaust
Increasing the meal preparation capacity of the facility presented some design challenges for the Planning, Design Consulting (PDC) team. This is usually accomplished by increasing the exhaust volume of the cooking facility; however, the location of the building was such that other nearby buildings were too close for direct exhaust. HH Angus worked closely with the kitchen consultant to design and specify a grease filtering “ecological” exhaust unit that would sit on the existing structure.
Ventilation and Lighting Design
The wave-style ceiling presented an interesting challenge to the PDC team in designing the lighting for the unique ceiling architecture. The team worked closely with the architect to create a design that would accommodate linear diffusers and lights.

General Electric
Brilliant Factory
General Electric’s new state-of-the-art gas engine plant is one of the most advanced in GE’s global operations and the first of its kind in Canada. “It’s a plant that is reimagining how we manufacture. It incorporates all the concepts of lean: speed with excellent quality — coupled with everything that is now available and that is coming down the pipe in digital technology, with the latest in software developments.”*
— Elyse Allan, GE Canada CEO
HH Angus provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing, security, IT, lighting and vertical transportation consulting. The multi-modal plant, now owned by Advent International, manufactures gas engines that are coupled with either air or gas compressors, or with electric generators. The engines are distributed worldwide, primarily outside North America, in the oil and gas industry.
The plant runs three-dimensional machining simulations for CNC programs, gains real-time analytics to better understand the operating conditions of a machine or a test cell, operates lights-out machining, and combines all with advanced lean manufacturing practices.
Our IMIT scope included flexible structured cabling systems and supporting infrastructure, consisting of the latest shielded copper and fiber technologies, providing a transport platform for data, voice, video and other IP-based systems.
We also provided design for all low voltage technology systems. The factory uses equipment and machines embedded with sensors and connected to the high availability Industrial Internet Protocol-based network. Equipment data is streamed over secure links to the cloud for analysis.
Extensive design and installation of multiple audiovisual systems facilitate collaboration between global sites. Plant cabling design was provided per the most recent Industrial Premises standard. Working closely with the client’s IT, Security and AV groups, network-based systems were designed to the latest technology.
Our Angus Connect team was also involved in determining the performance requirements of client systems, product selection, preparation of working drawings and specifications, tender preparation and response evaluation.
SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | Security and IMIT Design | Vertical Transportation Consulting | Lighting Design
PROJECT FEATURES
Size: 450,000 ft2 | Status: Completed 2018
LOCATION
Welland, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Multi-model plant | Plant is fully air-conditioned to prevent "flash rust" | real-time analytics | Transport platform for data, voice, video and other IP-based systems | AV systems enable collaboration between global sites | Test cell scope added later | Met aggressive schedule for working drawings | LEED Silver Certified

Custom HVAC control
The plant is fully air-conditioned to prevent ‘flash rust’, which can occur during machining of items such as crankshafts and connecting rods if humidity levels are not carefully controlled.
Industrial and support spaces
In addition to the main assembly and machine areas, three test cells, warehouse space, and paint areas, the plant also features front of house spaces such as offices, staff support, fitness centre, customer areas, hoteling for visiting customers and GE staff, conference rooms, etc.


Expanding our scope
HH Angus’ project scope was increased to include the physical design of a significant new Test Cell addition to the plant, and to ensure Canadian compliance. The three test cells are connected to the main plant for testing engines prior to delivery. We met an aggressive schedule to produce working drawings for tender.
University of Toronto
Leslie L. Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
Canada’s largest pharmacy school, this 167,000 ft2 teaching and research facility includes practice laboratories, research facilities, a resource centre, lecture theatres and offices for faculty, staff and graduate students. The building is 16 storeys (13 above and three below grade), and supports the academic, research and teaching needs of more than 1,300 people daily.
A ‘repeatable’ environment is fundamental in research facilities. By designing steady and stable environmental conditions, experiments can be repeated without data corruption.
Program space includes 23 labs for pharmaceutical research. Laboratory features include distribution of lab gases, on-site nitrogen generation, Type II Reverse Osmosis water, and a ganged fume hood system sized to accommodate 65 fume hoods, complete with variable volume control and glycol heat recovery systems.
Conservation measures were applied to the laboratory systems to minimize energy use while meeting stringent laboratory standards. Separate plumbing systems were designed to avoid contamination by lab waste and to collect rainwater for distribution to the Winter Garden.
Signature ‘floating’ pods anchor the lighting design for the building’s dramatic five-storey atrium. Theatre-inspired lighting is computer controlled by a dimming system that changes the evening lighting every 15 minutes. Rather than attach luminaires to the pods themselves, which would have compromised the architect’s vision, the dramatic lighting comes from 128 – 375 watt and 300 watt quartz halogen lamps attached to black theatre pipes mounted on the vertical mullions. The fixtures can be moved up or down and become part of the spatial experience.
A 12-storey central atrium brings sunlight deep into the core in other parts of the building. For the upper perimeter, a high window system enables less expensive, concealed wall-wash lighting. Echoing the geometry of the interior architecture, LEDs were fixed into the handrails of hallways and bridges for emergency lighting.
SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | Lighting Design
PROJECT FEATURES
Size: 167,000 ft2 | Status: Completed 2006
LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
23 labs for pharmaceutical reserch | Practice laboratories, research facilities, resource centre, lecture theatres, and offices for faculty, staff and graduate students | Signature floating pods lighting design | Energy conservation measures implemented | 12 storey atrium

Designed for flexibility
As with all research centres, we design for future uses of the space. We plan for flexibility, to allow for future IT development, or to enable the space to be retrofitted quickly and cost-effectively.
Award-winning lighting
The Pharmacy Building has been honoured with numerous international awards and press coverage and, in 2009, the Toronto Star newspaper named the Leslie Dan lighted pods as one of “175 Reasons to Love Toronto”. At dusk, the pods mimic the setting sun, bursting with fiery reds and deep blues. Colours advance through a palette of hues, starting on one pod and flowing to the other.