Our Toronto office is moving – but not far – just a couple of kilometers east to a great new space in the Crosstown Place office development at the corner of Eglinton Avenue East and Don Mills Road.

 

And just to confirm, we’ll be doing business as usual throughout the relocation.
Effective Monday October 28 our new address is:

H.H. Angus and Associates Limited
1176 Eglinton Avenue East
Suite 800
Toronto, ON M3C 0S1

The rest of our contact information remains the same.
We hope you’ll drop by and visit soon!

HH Angus Digital Services is pleased to announce our graduation with the AWS Partner Acceleration Team. Over the past several months, we worked with AWS Partner Management resources to achieve Select Tier Status, joined the AWS Public Sector Program, and achieve technical differentiation through a Foundational Technical Review of both our ARMS Platform and our AWS Cloud Consulting service offering. Working with this team helped us to accelerate our AWS journey and continue to build out our AWS cloud practice to deliver our ARMS platform. ARMS is focused on asset management and our Cloud Consulting service offering is focused on IoT and Smart Buildings Implementation for public and private sector customers.

To learn more about our ARMS platform, click here:

Angus Remote Management Systems (ARMS) – H.H. Angus and Associates Ltd. (hhangus.com)

In recent years, we’ve seen growing interest from clients in pushing their buildings forward from being “digitally-enabled” to “smart.” Smart buildings promise a host of benefits, such as better user experiences, enhanced operational efficiency, and improved security and safety. And while there have been many advances in technology systems to simplify this transition, the most effective path to a smart building is through integration.

Integration refers to the seamless connectivity and interoperation of various technology systems within a building. It can produce a wide variety of results, whether it’s opening a door, displaying information on a dashboard, or sending a notification to the correct person that a visitor has arrived for a meeting. The challenge for facility owners and operators lies in identifying which integrations will deliver the most substantial impact and what functionality will users truly value. Integrating systems comes at a cost – these may include physical connections, additional licencing fees, or even new staff. How can you know which integrations will have the greatest return on investment (ROI)? What process would building occupants like to see simplified? To navigate these complexities, an integration consultant can help companies  develop a comprehensive strategy.


The Case for an Integration Strategy

Establishing Clear Objectives

An integration strategy establishes clear objectives that align with the organization’s overall vision, goals, and design assumptions. At the outset, it is crucial to determine the organization’s most important objective; for example, is it security, efficiency, or user experience. A company that prioritizes security will focus on integrating systems that enhance building safety and protect data integrity. On the other hand, an organization emphasizing user experience will seek integrations that streamline operations and improve comfort for building occupants.

It's also important to understand an organization’s constraints. Integration systems can significantly change an existing workflow - making IT support, change management and operational readiness important considerations to ensure a successful shift towards a smart building environment.

Ensuring Consistency and Standardization

A well-crafted integration strategy ensures consistency and standardization for system integration requirements, both now and in future. By looking at integration holistically, organizations can minimize costs and maximize ROI. Standardization helps in maintaining compatibility across different systems, which in turn reduces the risk of integration failures and ensures smooth operation. This approach also helps future-proof the building, making it easier to incorporate new technologies.

Providing an Actionable Implementation Plan

An integration strategy provides an actionable implementation plan. This plan guides organizations and vendors through the complexities of implementation projects, helping to manage unforeseen challenges and mitigate risks. An effective strategy identifies coordination issues, planning gaps, and requirements for commissioning, training, and support early on. This proactive approach ensures that all stakeholders are aligned and prepared to handle challenges that may arise during the implementation phase.

The Role of Integration Consultants

Integration consultants play a crucial role in this process. We bring a wealth of expertise in identifying the most impactful integrations and understanding what end-users value most. Our experiences and insights help us craft strategies that not only align with your organizational goals but also address the practical realities of implementing system integrations in buildings.

As buildings become increasingly complex, integration represents the next step in their evolution from digital to smart. By establishing clear objectives, ensuring consistency and standardization, and providing actionable implementation plans, organizations can unlock the full potential of their technology investments. This holistic approach to integration is not just about adding new systems; it's about creating a seamless, efficient, and future-ready environment that meets the needs of all stakeholders.

For find out how an integration strategy can help your building’s technology transition, contact us at connectconsulting@hhangus.com.

Large headshot of Caitlin Campbell.

 

Caitlin Campbell                               
MBA, P.Eng., LEED AP

E: caitlin.campbell@hhangus.com

The Bayers Lake Community Outpatient Centre was recently honoured as a Gold Winner by the 2024 Urban Design & Architecture Design Awards.

 

The project was recognized for innovation and design excellence. The Outpatient Centre is part of a $2-billion P3 redevelopment of the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. HH Angus, in affiliation with Dillon Consulting, provided mechanical engineering, fire protection and plumbing design to the 134,000 ft2 project, which was led by the EllisDon Infrastructure Healthcare Consortium. The design team was led by Parkin Architects and FBM Architects.

A vital community resource, the Outpatient Centre provides essential ambulatory care closer to patients residing outside the Greater Halifax Region. Anticipating 28,000 clinic visits and 30,000 x-ray and blood collection visits per year, the Centre provides a range of patient services that do not require a hospital setting. These include initial visits with specialists, post-surgery and post-treatment follow-up, blood collection, eye care clinic, physio and occupational therapy, diabetes and orthopedic assessments, rehabilitation services, 17 examination rooms, 24 dialysis stations, and diagnostic imaging (x-rays and ultrasounds).

To read more about the project, click the link:

Episode 8 Energy Master Planning

In a world where energy consumption is a major concern, Justin Lau and Sabari Manoharan, mechanical engineers from HH Angus’ Energy Division, discuss the importance of energy master planning for multi-building and campus infrastructure. They highlight how an energy master plan can help achieve goals like reducing carbon emissions, lowering utility costs, and improving reliability and resiliency. Justin and Sabari explain that energy master planning provides the opportunity to consider current and future expected building uses and loads, up-front capital availability, and timelines to establish appropriate phasing of projects, level of planning and detail design, along with meaningful cost estimates and analysis. They also share some interesting examples of how they had helped clients achieve their energy goals.

Episode 8 "Energy Master Planning" – H.H. Angus and Associates Ltd. (hhangus.com)