for engineering excellence - acec-bc · 2015-04-15 · engineering your recruitment success our...

Transportation Municipal & Civil BuildingsEnergy & Industry Soft Engineering

www.acec-bc.ca

Given we are touched every day in some way by the

work that engineers do, it is not surprising that work done by Association of Consult-ing Engineering Companies of BC (ACEC-BC) members is taken for granted and, in some cases, not even seen. Yet it is the innovation, ingenuity and engineering skills that make our world a safer, more sustainable place. Every year, the consult-ing engineering community comes together to recognize outstanding work done by the 10,000 British Columbians who work for members of ACEC-BC.

ACEC-BC is proud to recognize those projects that have made significant contribu-tions to improving our environment in many

different areas. ACEC-BC rec-ognizes excellence in five dif-ferent categories:

BUILDINGS such as electrical, mechanical, structural, foun-dations and related systems engineering;

MUNICIPAL & CIVIL INFRA-STRUCTURE related to water supply, wastewater, drainage, solid waste, municipal and systems engineering related to municipal infrastructure;

TRANSPORTATION & BRIDG-ES including roads, rail, bridges, tunnels, airports, transit sys-

tems, ports and marine engineering; ENERGY & INDUSTRY which includes all

engineering related to mining, metallurgy, petrochemical, geology, geophysics, forest in-dustry, power and transmission, industrial and

related process and systems engineering; andSOFT ENGINEERING, for non-construction

projects such as training projects, computer software, research and development, geomat-ics, pilot projects, development of instrumen-tation, environmental assessments and studies and reports.

The diversity of projects and the manner in which they impact people is a testament to the vitality of BC engineers and the regard they are held in by clients around the world.

ACEC-BC also recognizes the outstanding contributions of two individual members.

The Meritorious Achievement Award is pre-sented annually to an individual for significant lifetime contributions to engineering, the in-dustry and the community. The 2015 Meritor-ious Achievement Award is presented to John Collings of Collings Johnston Inc. John has been a leader in the transportation industry and has worked hard to achieve engineering

excellence. He is a leading advocate for the use of alternative procurement methods in the industry. John is a past chair of ACEC-BC, having served as a director from 1985 to 1995.

The Young Professional Award recognizes individuals for achievements in the first 10 years of their career. The 2015 award is pre-sented to Mark Byram of Levelton Consultants Ltd. Mark has served as chair of ACEC-BC’s Young Professionals’ Group, as an ex officio member of the ACEC-BC board of directors, as a member of the Vancouver Island Liaison Committee and currently serves as chair of the ACEC-BC Professional Development Committee. Mark has also been recognized by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC through his receipt of the MAPS Scholarship in 2007.

Keith Sashaw, President and CEOACEC British Columbia

President’s message

design and Construction engineering of the Champlain Bridge superbeam and modular trussConsultant: Buckland & Taylor – Page 6

Lieutenant governor’s award

ACEC-BC AwARDS for EnginEEring ExCEllEnCE2015

aCeC-BC awards

meritorious achievement award

2

Young Professional award

2

Buildings 2–4

municipal & Civil infrastructure 5

transportation & Bridges 6–8

energy & industry 9

soft engineering 10–12

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2015 ACEC-BC AWArDS for EnginEEring ExCEllEnCE

award of excellence

Kin Centre Complex

Consultant: fast + Epp

Prince George needed to upgrade the Kin Centre Complex to accommodate the

2015 Canada Winter Games. In addition, the complex needed to be flexible in order to convert the ice surface from Olympic to NHL size, and to host non-sporting events such as small concerts, trade shows and community shows.

There were a number of structural chal-lenges, one of which was to demolish and reconstruct a new 400-seat Kin 1 ice rink within a tight time frame to meet the 2015

Winter Games schedule, while at the same time minimizing disruption to the existing Kin 2 and Kin 3 ice surfaces.

All challenges were met with the project completing on time and on budget. Great care was taken in the overall form and de-tailing of the structure, which formed the dominant architectural expression for the complex. The gently curving steel beams serve as a natural counterpoint to the expres-sive wood roof sweeping over the ice rink below.

meritorious aChievement award

John Collings, P.Eng., Collings Johnston inc.

The ACEC-BC Meritorious Achievement Award recog-nizes an individual consulting engineer for outstand-

ing contributions to the engineering profession, our industry and the community.

The recipient of this prestigious award in 2015 is John Collings, P.Eng., of Collings Johnston Inc.

John Collings is a leading technical authority in the transportation industry. Specializing in management, strategic planning and design, he has acted as a tech-nical consultant on many notable transportation projects in Canada, Asia, Latin America and Europe. He was dir-ector of Delcan Corporation (now Parsons) and senior vice-president responsible for the company’s transporta-tion division. Since 1999 he has been building his own company, Collings Johnston Inc., accomplishing many

personal goals and leading technical teams.John is a past chair of ACEC-BC and has been extensively involved in boards and committees

including the Transportation Research Board, Vancouver Board of Trade and Transportation As-sociation of Canada and is a fellow of the Institute of Civil Engineers.

John has always been a leader and promoter of the consulting engineering community, always eager to learn and expand his abilities. At the core of his success has always been his dedication and consideration to his colleagues and teammates.

Young ProfessionaL award

Mark A. Byram, P.Eng., levelton Consultants ltd.

The ACEC-BC Young Professional Award recognizes an individual young professional who has demon-

strated excellence in consulting business practices, out-standing achievements in his or her applicable fields and leadership in the community.

This year’s recipient of the award is Mark Byram, a professional engineer in Levelton’s materials division. He has more than nine years of experience in the fields of construction materials engineering, testing, inspection and evaluation of engineering materials. His experience includes concrete, masonry and coatings technology. Much of Mark’s experience relates to the assessment and rehabilitation of corrosion-damaged structures.

Mark graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2007 with a degree in civil engineering with distinc-

tion. After working with GOAL Engineering he joined Levelton Consultants in 2013. As the group leader of the Vancouver Island region, Mark is responsible for the business development and overall operation of the group, which includes overseeing and mentoring staff at the offices in Victoria and Nanaimo.

Mark has a genuine passion to advance the profile of consulting engineering to young profes-sionals. He has served as regional and provincial chair of ACEC-BC’s Young Professionals’ Group, and as an ex officio member of the ACEC-BC board of directors. He is currently acting as chair of the ACEC-BC Professional Development Committee.

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award of merit

York house school senior Building

Consultant: MCW Consultants ltd.

MCW provided consulting services for York House, a private school in Vancouver.

They were tasked with designing a mechan-ical system that provides comfortable space conditions year-round, utilizing state-of-the-art technology and achieving low energy con-sumption without sacrificing thermal comfort.

MCW chose a dedicated outdoor air system combining ceiling-mounted chilled beams, which transfer heat using chilled water loops. All classrooms feature thermostats, CO2 sensors and occupancy sensors that reduce energy consumption.

The central heating and cooling plant com-prises two 20-tonne air-to-water heat pumps.

A high-efficiency, gas-fired condensing boiler allows shutdown of the heat pumps at night. The ventilation unit is equipped with a heat-recovery coil and a single heating and cooling coil delivering warm air in winter and cool air in summer. A heat-recovery cycle utilizes ex-cess pressure air and washroom exhaust.

The systems were installed within the client’s budget and deliver the thermal and acoustical levels set at the project’s inception.

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vancouver aquarium expansion Project

Consultant: Applied Engineering Solutions

This project, the largest expansion and renovation in the history of the Van-

couver Aquarium, features state-of-the-art sustainable design, including a new entrance pavilion, outdoor plaza, upgraded public walkways, increased green space and ex-panded exhibits.

Prior to Applied Engineering Solutions’ in-volvement, the aquarium had discovered the electrical service needed to be upgraded and had only budgeted for the existing emergency power generator to be replaced to support the expansion. Applied Engineering Solu-tions was retained to assist with these issues. The team proposed a solution consisting of initial and ongoing load control (demand-side

management) and automatic usable power optimization (load balance, power factor and power quality optimization). Also, a paral-lel, modular, scalable, emergency generator system was installed to automatically and seamlessly take some of the load off the utility service during peak load periods.

This approach eliminated the need to upgrade the incoming high-voltage infra-structure to the facility and surrounding area, allowing the client to continue, without the substantial increase in cost that the infrastruc-ture upgrade would have taken.

guildford recreation Centre aquatic addition

Consultants: Applied Engineering Solutions, fast + Epp and AME Consulting group

The Guildford Recreation Centre Aquatic Addition features the expansion of the

existing facility in Surrey, BC. Initial project objectives of the City of Surrey included in-creasing the value of the facility to the city and the community, reducing waste and maximiz-ing efficiency.

Surrey’s “Wood First Policy” was achieved in the design of the structure, which

incorporated the lighting and HVAC for the natatorium. Initially designed to be open-web steel joist, the final product consists of three dimensional timber trusses. The trusses were pre-assembled off site, allowing for easier in-stallation, reduced waste and cost, and saved construction time. This solution became a de-fining feature of the Guildford Aquatic Centre.

Highly functional and sustainable practices

are the foundation of this project. The design team collaborated to keep the project on budget while still accommodating the initial design intent, enabling the Guildford Centre Aquatic Addition to provide enjoyment for the community and its visitors for years to come.

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wood innovation and design Centre

Consultant: MMM group limited

The Wood Innovation and Design Centre, a gathering place for those interested in

generating ideas for innovative uses of wood, is an eight-storey building located in down-town Prince George, BC. It is currently the world’s tallest modern all-timber structure.

MMM Group provided electrical, mech-anical and sustainability consulting services for the $25 million project. The architectural firm was Michael Green Architecture Inc. and the structural engineering was performed by Equilibrium Consulting Inc. The building

was constructed with more than 1,700 cubic metres of wood and engineered wood prod-ucts manufactured in BC.

Sustainable goals for this project focused on energy efficiency, including incorporation of a district energy system, water savings and the use of regional materials, which is an integral part of the facility. Furthermore, the extensive use of wood on the project, in lieu of con-crete, has a significant benefit in reducing the project’s carbon footprint, as demonstrated by life cycle analysis.

surrey Civic Centre

Consultant: read Jones Christoffersen ltd.

Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. (RJC) was the structural engineering consultant on

the Surrey Civic Centre project. An architec-tural landmark in Surrey’s new city centre, the structure consists of three levels of under-ground parking below a plaza and two seven-storey concrete buildings. These two buildings are linked by a three-sided glazed atrium structure that communicates transparency. The building houses the new Surrey City Hall, mixed-use office space, commercial and retail

spaces, and an expansion of SFU Surrey.This project required unique structural de-

signs from the team. Notable feature elements included an 18-metre-wide-by-28-metre-tall glazed atrium with a sloping glass roof, inter-connecting sky bridges within the atrium, cantilevered A-frame link stairs connecting the sky bridges, monumental roof overhangs incorporating structural cantilevers, as well as the “feature” wall, which appears as a seam-less continuation of the roof.

Building a strong foundation for all – site Preparation

for tsawwassen mills mall

Consultant: levelton Consultants ltd.

As the first major development on Tsaw-wassen First Nation (TFN) treaty lands,

the Tsawwassen Mills Mall will generate a continuous economy, creating over 3,500 jobs within the Coast Salish community and the Lower Mainland. This is just one way for TFN to build towards becoming a self-sustaining and self-governing people.

This area of the Fraser River Delta consists of sandy soils that require ground densifica-tion to prevent liquefaction under earthquake

loads. The engineering analysis of this pro-ject was very complex and involved multiple stages and methods of site investigation to characterize the site’s subsurface soil and groundwater condition. It was essential to improve the site using a unique combination of wick drains and stone columns. The design minimized settlement time and improved the effectiveness of densification, thereby reducing the number of stone columns re-quired, resulting in a cost saving to the client.

west richmond Community Centre – Building envelope remediation

Consultant: levelton Consultants ltd.

The West Richmond Community Centre houses a fitness centre, gymnasium, rac-

quet courts, kitchens and a daycare. In 2013-2014, Levelton designed and oversaw the building envelope remediation of the entire complex for the City of Richmond.

The complex has undergone a few expan-sions since 1993, resulting in various materials and assemblies being present on the centre’s exterior walls. The variation in the wall assem-blies included wood frame (with and without fibreglass insulation), concrete masonry units

and steel stud framing. The varied nature of the existing wall assemblies required a new cladding design that incorporated numerous approaches to achieve the desired overall performance requirements. In addition, the exterior walls also incorporated decorative build-outs that the city elected to incorporate into the new design. These factors led to the design and execution of eight distinct wall as-semblies throughout the complex.

Throughout the remedial project, the centre was fully operational.

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5


Project management services for the Phase 3 west Closure

Construction and gas upgrades at the vancouver Landfill

Consultant: r.f. Binnie & Associates

In 2013, the City of Vancouver retained Bin-nie to provide project management for the

design and construction of the Phase 3 West Closure Construction and Gas System Up-grade for the Vancouver Landfill project. The landfill, owned and operated by the city, is in Delta and has multiple stakeholders, includ-ing Metro Vancouver, the Ministry of Environ-ment, Burns Bog Conservation Society and the Corporation of Delta.

The city committed to the Ministry of En-vironment to progressively close each phase of the landfill as final filling in the area is completed. The Phase 3 West Closure project

needed to be completed without disrupting operations at the Vancouver landfill. The site itself is changing as settlement on the landfill is significant and municipal solid waste is constantly being received.

The project team consisted of the city, Bin-nie project managers, prime design consult-ants Sperling Hansen and sub-consultants SCS Engineers. Construction was performed by B.D. Hall Constructors.

The project was completed on budget, on schedule and with minimal disruption to operations.

Carcross water treatment Plant

Consultant: opus DaytonKnight Consultants ltd.

Opus DaytonKnight was the prime con-sultant in the design, construction and

commissioning of the Carcross Water Treat-ment Plant and Bulk Water Fill Station, located in the village of Carcross, Yukon. This facility, supporting a population of 400, was built to replace the existing water treatment system that was no longer meeting the Yukon en-vironmental health regulations for treatment of a surface water source.

The treatment facility was designed to pro-vide safe, potable water to the community,

and the bulk water fill station to provide emer-gency water storage to fire trucks and bulk fill trucks in the event of a disaster, along with a direct connection to the local elementary school in the event of a power failure.

The new Carcross Water Treatment Plant is a state-of-the art energy-efficient facility, with secure process room, separate operator office/lab, vestibule, mechanical room and a new larger truck bay. The new treatment sys-tem includes cartridge filtration, UV disinfec-tion and chlorination.

muniCiPaL & CiviL infrastruCture

award of excellence

Kamloops sewage treatment Centre upgrades

Consultant: Urban Systems ltd.

Population growth and changing regula-tions led the City of Kamloops to examine

ways to upgrade its sewage treatment centre. The most significant step in developing the upgrading concept was to challenge the BC regulation that dictated an effluent criteria of 0.75 mg/L for total phosphorus. Urban Sys-tems led this challenge by completing an en-vironmental impact study, which concluded that 1.5 mg/L is an ecologically appropriate level. This change was estimated to save the City of Kamloops $42.5 million, based on a

20-year life cycle analysis.The planning and design extended over a

14-year period, led by Urban Systems. The design includes the combination of lagoons (the simplest method of treatment) with bio-logical nutrient removal (the most complex method of treatment).

The project was completed under budget and only three months beyond the city’s pre-ferred timeline. In addition, effluent quality discharged to the Thompson River is exceed-ing regulatory requirements.

award of merit

williams road drainage Pump station upgrade

Consultant: Aplin & Martin Consultants ltd.

The City of Richmond engaged Aplin & Martin as lead consultant for the design of

the Williams Road Drainage Pump Station up-grades to replace old equipment and double the pumping capacity.

The dike was raised, with the pump station building built into the dike to maintain views of Sturgeon Banks from Williams Road. Water-proofing the control building was achieved by installing watertight doors to seal any open-ings below the flood elevation on the main-land side. Propeller pumps were installed as a

way to double the pumping capacity.Taking advantage of opportunities involving

synergies not normally available on municipal infrastructure upgrade projects, this area was transformed into an outstanding architectural feature, complementing its surroundings, enhancing public amenity and protecting the sensitive ecosystems.

All design and construction work was com-pleted on schedule with final costs of $2.9 million, coming in under budget.

fraser river foreshore – reach 9 dike Project

Consultant: Associated Engineering

Walkers, runners, cyclists and businesses now enjoy the benefits of a new dike

running through the Fraser Foreshore Park in southwest Burnaby.

The dike, required to meet new flood pro-tection guidelines, posed significant chal-lenges, including how to accommodate a trail network on a dike that runs along a rib-bon of riverfront between the foreshore and businesses.

With the foreshore to be protected, there was no room for a traditional dike with 3H:1V side slopes, while the initial concept of a

structural flood wall could not easily accom-modate the trail. The design team went to work to determine a solution that would ad-dress all project constraints.

Collaborating with stakeholders, the design team incorporated Lock-Block walls to retain both sides of the dike, reducing the dike’s footprint significantly. This design addressed the most immediate concerns of maintaining foreshore and trail. In addition, the Lock-Block design provided cost advantages over both a traditional dike and a structural flood wall.

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lieutenant governor’s award

award of excellence

design and Construction engineering of the

Champlain Bridge superbeam and modular truss

Consultant: Buckland & Taylor

The objective for this project was to quickly and safely stabilize the Cham-

plain Bridge – Canada’s busiest bridge – after a major flexural crack was discovered in an essential post-tensioned girder. This resulted in an emergency situation that led to the closure of the majority of the lanes on the bridge. Buckland & Taylor responded quickly with a solution that would allow the bridge to reopen and restore public confi-dence in the safety of the Champlain Bridge.

Working closely with the owner, Buckland & Taylor’s early design, erection procedure planning and fabrication of a stabilizing

component – the Superbeam – the Cham-plain Bridge was fixed in 48 hours and re-opened to the public just two weeks after the emergency situation was detected. Im-portantly, there was minimal impact to com-muters and the flow of commercial goods on the bridge, despite challenging winter working conditions.

After the winter weather subsided, a steel truss was installed from barges beneath the bridge as a permanent solution. This allowed the bridge to reopen to its full capacity – in-cluding its essential public transit lane.

transPortation & Bridges

award of merit

Composite Barrier wall/rock shed structure

Consultant: Klohn Crippen Berger

On November 25, 2012, a 53,000-cubic-metre rock landslide occurred along

the Canadian National Railway (CN) track between Lytton and Boston Bar, BC. The slide debris covered 70 metres of track with debris up to 10 metres deep and destroyed a

21-metre-long concrete rock shed. This sec-tion of CN’s single-track mainline is part of the CN-CP Rail joint running initiative.

Klohn Crippen Berger was contracted by CN to characterize and assess rock land-slide hazard at the site and to recommend,

design and implement passive measures to improve safety and protect train service at track level. Two protection structures were designed and constructed: a mesh attenua-tion curtain as a short-term rock fall barrier to provide safe working conditions to the on-site

construction personnel, while a composite barrier wall/rock shed structure is a long-term structure to passively protect the track from all identified potential rock landslides.

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award of merit

Low Level road Project

Consultant: Stantec

The Low Level Road (LLR) project involves the realignment and widening of an urban

and rural arterial road between St. Georges Avenue and Gladstone Avenue/East 3rd Street within the City of North Vancouver boundaries. In addition, the project includes the improve-ment of slope stability, community connec-tions and road safety with the construction of multiple retaining walls, a vehicle overpass, over five kilometres of pedestrian and cyclist facili-ties, and three pedestrian bridges. As the prime design consultant for Port Metro Vancouver, Stantec provided design management and

engineering services for civil/roads, rail, struc-tural, construction support, utilities/drainage, geotechnical, electrical and traffic engineering.

The LLR project provides benefits to the sur-rounding community and enhances rail and port operations as international trade continues to grow. In addition, the LLR project improves local quality of life and provides environmental benefits while increasing employment op-portunities in the area. The LLR project is an example of engineering innovation and dem-onstrates the importance of keeping commun-ity in mind to deliver a successful project.

mary river Project – aerodrome

Consultants: Hatch ltd. and Hatch Mott MacDonald

On Baffin Island in the territory of Nunavut, the Mary River Project spreads across

three remote sites. Owned by the Baffinland Iron Mine Corporation, this $5 billion iron ore development is located in one of Canada’s harshest climate regions, where conditions dip to below -50 C and the area experiences 24-hour darkness from November to January.

Hatch and Hatch Mott MacDonald (HMM) took a lead role in developing the project’s transportation infrastructure – most import-antly, the lifeline to the mine site and the

region, the Mary River Aerodrome. The design of the Mary River Aerodrome was key to trans-porting all necessary supplies and equipment to a site previously only accessible through a short nine-week shipping window. Over the course of the preliminary and detailed design, the integrated Hatch and HMM design team met all the challenges associated with working in an arctic and remote environment.


highway 99 at 16th avenue interchange

Consultant: r.f. Binnie & Associates

Binnie was retained by the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to pre-

pare the detailed design of a new interchange at Highway 99 and 16th Avenue in South Surrey. Due to time and environmental con-straints, the project was split into two design stages.

Stage 1 included the design of the 16th Av-enue underpass structure and widening 16th Avenue to four lanes, along with environ-mental and utility works requiring extensive co-ordination with BC Hydro, Telus and Fortis for utility relocations.

Stage 2 involved the design of freeway ramps, retaining walls, vegetated green walls, sound attenuation walls and two traffic signals at the ramp terminal intersections. This stage also included extensive environmental works.

Binnie provided project management and prepared the detailed design including traf-fic engineering, highway geometric design and the utility relocation design of water lines and sanitary and storm sewers. Binnie worked closely with other key consultants including Klohn Crippen Berger, DMD & Associates and ENKON Environmental.

matthews interchange and 80th street off-ramp

Consultant: iSl Engineering and land Services ltd.

The Matthews Interchange at Highway 99 was overwhelmed by the growing traffic

demands of the region. As part of a regional systems-improvement initiative, the BC Min-istry of Transportation and Infrastructure and the Corporation of Delta embarked on a $10 million infrastructure improvement project. ISL Engineering and Land Services was re-tained to perform engineering design servi-ces, from functional design to tendering.

The design project was composed of two components. The first component included the design of the addition of a new off-ramp

from Highway 99 to 80th Street, providing direct access to the Boundary Bay Airport. The second component was a redesign of the Matthews Interchange including reconfigura-tion of the northbound on-ramps, and wid-ening of Ladner Trunk Road to four lanes.

ISL led a multidisciplinary team, which included DMD & Associates and Thurber Engineering.

Benefits of the design included a direct con-nection to the proposed developments and a safer and more efficient interchange.

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mufford Crescent railway overhead

Consultants: Klohn Crippen Berger and Urban Systems ltd.

Klohn Crippen Berger and Urban Systems provided design services to the BC Ministry

of Transportation and Infrastructure for the new Mufford Crescent Interchange in Langley, BC. The project included widening of Muf-ford Crescent, realignment and widening of Highway 10 (Glover Road), upgrades to 64th Avenue between Highway 10 and 216th, and a new bridge over the CP Railway to eliminate an at-grade crossing. To minimize impact to agricultural land, a specialized “trellis” struc-ture was designed utilizing precast concrete

girders placed perpendicular to the railway to minimize the span of the girders, thereby minimizing superstructure depth. This lowered the road profile, allowing the roadway to get to grade for the intersection, and reduced the height and weight of the approaches.

In addition, the site is underlain by deep de-posits of soft silt and clay to greater than 100 metres’ depth. To reduce post-construction settlements, the approach embankments were preloaded and surcharged for 10 to 12 months prior to construction.

rBrC 232 street overpass Project – early Contractor

involvement design-Build

Consultant: McElhanney Consulting Services ltd.

Building an overpass of the CP Rail tracks in Langley at 232 Street was a key initiative in

the Roberts Bank Rail Corridor improvement program. Long trains halted traffic at the at-grade crossing up to 18 times daily.

Port Metro Vancouver, CP Rail and consult-ant Bramcon Project Consultants, with their engineer AECOM, retained the design-build team of McElhanney and BA Blacktop to de-sign and construct an overpass and detours during construction based on its Reference Concept.

McElhanney designed the roadway and

bridge geometrics, roundabout, pedestrian walkways and cyclist lanes. Key design as-pects included an integrated overpass and detour construction, saving $2 million, in-cluding a $600,000 temporary bridge over Salmon Creek, and avoiding the relocation of a three-phase power line, which would have caused a six-month delay in the project.

The project was completed on time and on budget. Today, traffic flows freely over the rail tracks, with safe paths for pedestrians and cyclists.

vancouver shipyards modernization Project

Consultant: SnC-lavalin inc.

The Government of Canada initiated the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strat-

egy to renew Canada’s aging fleet of vessels for the navy, coast guard and Fisheries De-partment. In October 2011, Canada formed a partnership with Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards to build future state-of-the-art non-combat vessels for the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Coast Guard. As part of its commitment to prepare its shipyard and people to build ships for the government, Seaspan underwent a two-year, $170 million Shipyard Modernization Project.

SNC-Lavalin provided comprehensive pro-ject management, construction management and safety management services to Seaspan during the design and construction of facilities and related infrastructure. Completed in late 2014 ahead of schedule and under budget, the project has transformed Vancouver Ship-yards into the most modern facility in North America that will establish a shipbuilding and ship repair centre of excellence on the West Coast and allow for the effective and efficient delivery of non-combat vessels for the Can-adian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy.

BC Parkway upgrades design – improving active

transportation infrastructure across the region

Consultant: Urban Systems ltd.

BC Parkway is a 26-kilometre, multi-use path that roughly parallels the

Expo SkyTrain Line, connecting Surrey City Centre to Vancouver. TransLink initiated the design work to upgrade key sections of the BC Parkway to keep this important facility within a good state of repair and to address deficiencies related to accessibility and safety, acknowledging the facility’s role in supporting walking and wheeling (e.g. cyclists, wheel-chair users, parents with strollers).

Urban Systems was awarded the preliminary and detailed design stages for improvements

to the BC Parkway and led a multidisciplin-ary team of sub-consultants through the design upgrades, which included the addition of pathway lighting, the removal of stairs in two locations and replacement with wider, accessible pathway grades, landscape archi-tecture enhancements and route marking signage. Urban helped advance a number of unique features through the design process including TransLink’s first trial of porous as-phalt, a two-way cycle track and a number of stormwater infiltration treatments.

south shore Corridor Project

Consultant: AECoM Canada ltd.

The South Shore Corridor Project was designed to increase the economic com-

petitiveness of the port’s south-shore trans-portation corridor by improving travel time reliability, port operations and rail safety, while also enabling future expansion of the parallel rail corridor.

AECOM and its sub-consultants provided Port Metro Vancouver with comprehensive design and construction support services for the project.

The primary component of the project was the Stewart Street Elevated Structure, a two-lane, 800-metre, 14-span elevated roadway, spanning 10 of the busiest rail crossings on the

south shore. This project component aimed to improve travel time reliability along the south shore through the removal of road/rail conflicts on Stewart Street.

Additional project components included introducing a pedestrian overpass at Victoria Drive, realigning Commissioner Street to facili-tate future rail expansion, introducing corridor-wide pedestrian safety improvements, creating truck staging facilities at the port perimeter, thereby reducing indiscriminate staging along the roadway, and upgrading the communica-tion and security infrastructure across the cor-ridor and within the control room.

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award of excellence

nanaimo reservoir no. 1 and energy

recovery facility – a Clean energy Project

Consultant: Associated Engineering

The City of Nanaimo has long recognized the potential to recover energy from its

water supply system, and the commissioning of the new South Fork Water Treatment Plant and resulting Reservoir No. 1 provided this opportunity.

The design team developed a low-cost and effective energy recovery system using pump-as-turbine technology and other stan-dard water supply equipment. The energy recovery facility was the centrepiece of the project, meant to showcase innovation and environmental benefit. The energy recovery facility, piping systems and reservoir work

together to provide an optimal functional layout while fitting inside a constrained site. The energy recovery system produces enough clean electrical energy to power 100 homes, providing additional revenue to fund the city’s water supply system through BC Hydro’s Standing Offer Program.

In addition to reducing greenhouse gases through clean energy recovery, the building is heated and cooled through water-based geo-exchange, and the roof trusses are made of wood, remaining consistent with BC’s Wood First Initiative.

energY & industrY

Kitimat Lng facility, deep soil mixing design-Build

Consultant: golder Construction inc.

The Kitimat Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project at Bish Cove involved design and

construction of Canada’s largest deep ground improvement works to date. Golder Associ-ates Ltd. and its team successfully delivered on the design-build of a deep soil mixing (DSM) foundation for reinforced earth retain-ing walls of up to 20 metres in height that would later retain a proposed LNG facility.

The DSM construction works were under-taken using the cutter soil mixing (CSM) tech-nique, whereby the CSM cutter wheels cut vertically into the ground, thoroughly mixing

the soil, while injecting cement slurry to cre-ate the desired stabilized column of soil. This CSM technique is ideal for the remote (mar-ine access only) location of this site, where minimizing the amount of materials delivered to and removed from the site is necessary.

Golder’s construction division acted as prime contractor, managing the overall en-gineering and design, supply, transportation of equipment and material, construction and quality testing from project design through to successful completion.

forrest Kerr hydroelectric Power Project

Consultant: Hatch ltd.

British Columbia is home to some of Can-ada’s cleanest energy sources. With di-

verse terrain and rich natural resources, the province is able to supply its residents with cost-effective, renewable energy through de-velopments like the run-of-river Forrest Kerr Hydroelectric Project.

This 195-megawatt project, one of the lar-gest independent power producer projects in the province, will produce enough energy to power some 70,000 homes for the next 60 years and beyond. It captures the energy pro-duced by the natural flow and elevation drop

of the Iskut River, the largest tributary of the Stikine River.

Hatch undertook feasibility designs that defined the optimal generation capacity and most cost-effective project layout. A key in-novative solution included an unprecedented screening and flushing system to limit river gravel and sediment from entering the power tunnel and causing premature turbine wear.

Located within Tahltan traditional territory, the project engaged local First Nations con-tractors extensively, helping to revitalize the region economically.

award of merit

Kokish river hydroelectric Project

Consultant: Knight Piésold ltd.

The Kokish River Hydroelectric Project is a 45-megawatt facility recently constructed

on Vancouver Island, BC, east of Port McNeill. This facility is a private-sector development by Kwagis Power, a limited partnership between Brookfield Renewable Energy Group and the ‘Namgis First Nation. The project will deliver clean renewable energy to the BC electrical grid, with an annual energy production cap-acity of roughly 140 GWh, enough electricity to power close to 13,000 homes.

Peter Kiewit Infrastructure Co. was awarded

an EPC contract for the design and construc-tion of the project with Knight Piésold Ltd. ap-pointed as the design engineer for the project.

The terrain, climate and permitting con-straints presented numerous challenges centred on the presence of migratory salmon and steelhead trout throughout the diversion reach of the project. A key innovative design solution involved possibly the world’s largest-capacity Coanda screen, capable of regulating water flow depth over the screen to ensure emerging salmon fry downstream passage.

atikokan Biomass Conversion Project

Consultant: Ausenco Engineering Canada inc.

As one of the largest power companies in North America, Ontario Power Genera-

tion (OPG) produces more than half of the power used in homes, schools, hospitals and businesses in Ontario. In accordance with the shareholder declaration to cease the use of coal by the end of 2014, OPG proceeded with a project to convert its 210-megawatt coal-fired generating station in Atikokan, Ontario, to 100% wood pellets.

Ausenco provided the conceptual and de-tail engineering services for the engineering, procurement and construction contractor

Aecon Industrial.Part of the project included the construc-

tion of a new wood pellet handling system, which includes a truck unloading facility, two 5,000-tonne pellet storage silos, and metering and conveying systems to the boiler.

By replacing coal with “green” biomass as the fuel of choice, it enables the generating station, a valuable asset in itself, to continue to operate in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Clean Energy for Northern BC

To learn more visit hatch.ca

CONSULTING • PROJECT DELIVERY • TECHNOLOGIES • OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE

195MW - Forrest KerrHydroelectric Facility

10


award of excellence

Building envelope thermal Bridging guide

Consultant: Morrison Hershfield ltd.

The Building Envelope Thermal Bridging Guide, developed by Morrison Hershfield

in collaboration with sponsors BC Hydro Power Smart, the Homeowner Protection Office (a branch of BC Housing), Canadian Wood Council, FortisBC and FPInnovations, aims to overcome obstacles confronting industry with respect to mitigating thermal bridging to reduce energy consumption in buildings.

The guide provides essential information for evaluating building envelope thermal performance, including easy-to-use meth-ods for understanding, accurately calcu-lating and mitigating thermal bridging. It provides a catalog of common building en-velope assemblies and interface details and their associated thermal performance, along with cost-benefit analysis. Technically so-phisticated and complex information is pre-sented in a practical, user-friendly manner.

A groundbreaking reference tool, the guide has already begun to influence build-ing design, construction, policy and the development of energy codes and standards in BC and beyond. When implemented, the guide will effect positive change in building envelope design and performance, resulting in more energy-efficient buildings and a more sustainable future.

soft engineering

award of merit

wood innovation and design

Centre – owner’s technical representative

Consultants: Associated Engineering and Applied Engineering Solutions ltd.

Completed in fall 2014, the iconic six-stor-ey Wood Innovation and Design Centre

in Prince George, B.C., is the tallest multi-use wood building in North America.

Representing the Government of British Columbia, Partnerships BC retained Associ-ated Engineering and Applied Engineering Solutions as part of the owner’s technical team to provide guidance and advice during the business case development phase of this design-build project.

The consultants developed the first Site-Specific Regulation and Building Code Com-pliance Strategy, addressing structural and

electrical engineering implications, vibration, acoustic, safety, risk and practical considera-tions of using wood solutions for tall and multi-use structures. The team developed request-for-proposal documents that satis-fied stakeholders and met the vision of the BC Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training for this world-class centre of excellence to support a strong, vibrant, sustainable forest industry in BC.

The successful delivery of the Wood Innov-ation and Design Centre further positions BC’s global reputation as a leader in wood-based design and construction.

award of merit

Custom mobile gPs streamlines real-time data

for Lng Pipeline Project

Consultant: McElhanney Consulting Services ltd.

TransCanada PipeLines Ltd. (TransCanada) is developing the Coastal GasLink Pipe-

line, which will transport liquefied natural gas (LNG) from northeastern BC to a proposed facility near Kitimat, a distance of more than 650 km.

To ensure reliable road access to the pipe-line corridor for project planning, design, construction and ongoing maintenance, TransCanada retained McElhanney to as-sess and inventory the 2,000-km access road network and related infrastructure, includ-ing hundreds of bridges and culverts, and present the data in a format that was useful to

decision-makers.McElhanney met the challenge with a

unique combination of mapping technolo-gies. GPS-enabled tablet computers were used to collect data and asset photos, and georeferenced route photos were automatic-ally captured by dashboard cameras. The data was delivered using Vertisee, McElhanney’s in-house, web-based mapping software.

The project serves as a model for future multidisciplinary projects requiring a large, time-sensitive and minimally invasive data-collection effort.

Lions gate secondary wastewater

treatment Plant – Project definition report

Consultant: AECoM Canada ltd.

Metro Vancouver’s new Lions Gate Sec-ondary Wastewater Treatment Plant will

handle an average dry-weather flow of 108 million litres per day, and peak wet weather flow of 320 million litres per day, meeting sec-ondary treatment standards which will come into effect at the end of 2020.

Key objectives for Metro Vancouver, aside from the need to provide robust secondary treatment, included social, environmental and economic sustainability, integrated resource recovery and community integration.

Given these multiple objectives, Metro

Vancouver selected the innovative integrated design process. Key to the process were theme-based mapping exercises with com-munity groups that were used to develop nine thematic concepts that resonated with the public and fostered discussion. This subse-quently led to three build scenarios: resource, community and natural. These scenarios were explored further with stakeholders prior to development and ultimate validation of the final solution, referred to as the “indicative design.”

Project management training and development

Consultants: r.f. Binnie & Associates and ThinkSpace Performance

In spring of 2013, the Sechelt First Nation (SFN) asked Binnie to recommend a project

management training course, accredited with the Project Management Institute (PMI), to introduce basic concepts to its staff. Its primary objective was to improve its manage-ment and delivery of projects.

Binnie, with partner ThinkSpace Perform-ance, developed a customized package of PMI accredited workshops to meet the SFN’s immediate needs, which included a one-day

project management fundamentals work-shop for staff with no experience and a more comprehensive two-day workshop for those already involved in managing and delivering projects. In addition, a workshop for senior management and chief and council was also created.

Furthermore, Binnie created an opportunity to provide a part-time internship for an SFN staff member at its Burnaby office.

Canada + 800 414-8314 Vancouver + 604 [email protected]

Creating sustainable project solutions isn’t easy and doesn’t happen overnight. Knowing how to successfully deal with environmental, social, and technical demands comes from experience. Since 1960, Golder has developed sustainable solutions for clients around the world. From concept to closure, trust Golder to integrate practical consulting, design, environmental and construction concepts to address stakeholder expectations and help you embrace sustainability in your project.

Engineering Earth’s Development, Preserving Earth’s Integrity.

NEED SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS?JUST ASK GOLDER.

11


soft engineering

municipal risk assessment tool (mrat)

Consultant: Dillon Consulting ltd.

Insured losses from natural disasters that occurred in Canada in 2013 are close to $3

billion, the highest in Canadian history. The single largest contributor to claims for prop-erty owners since 2010 is sewer backups – historically it was fire. Extreme weather events caused by climate change are occurring with increasing intensity, duration and frequency.

The Municipal Risk Assessment Tool (MRAT) was developed to answer a series of questions posed by Insurance Bureau of Canada, includ-ing current and future risks based on climate change projections, and whether existing

municipal infrastructure is adequate to ad-dress current and future climate conditions.

MRAT’s map-based web portal provides a visual representation of basement sewer backup risk zones within a municipality based on the existing sewer system parameters and present/future climatic factors unique to that municipality.

MRAT identifies which infrastructure invest-ments should be prioritized, areas of similar characteristics, access to updated rainfall return statistics and information on climate patterns.

regional transportation management Centre systems integration

Consultant: iBi group

The Regional Transportation Management Centre (RTMC) is a focal point for monitor-

ing and managing the transportation systems across Metro Vancouver and the province of British Columbia. It is designed to enhance and support intelligent transportation systems investments in the province, which are needed due to the strategic importance of Metro Van-couver within the Asia Pacific Gateway.

The vision of the RTMC was to be a multi-jurisdictional and multi-agency facility that acts as a central hub, enables real-time monitoring of traffic congestion and incident management, promotes regional data sharing

and integration with public agencies and municipalities, and provides co-ordination of responses during emergency events.

IBI Group’s solution included the deployment of an Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) that enables the province to centralize its multiple operations centres into the RTMC for integrated, highly efficient and economical operations. The ATMS allows the province to manage the entire provincial network and associate dynamic message signs and CCTV cameras from a single software application.

sustainability Considerations for Bridges guide

Consultant: MMM group limited

The Structures Standing Committee of the Transportation Association of Canada

(TAC) recognized the need for a national document that provides the framework and a practical guide on how to improve the sus-tainability of bridges anywhere in Canada, of any size, and at any life stage. MMM Group was retained by TAC to carry out the research and to develop the guide.

The guide’s nine chapters offer guidance and insight on the concept of sustainability

and how the outlined objectives and practices can be utilized to evaluate a bridge at every stage of its service life. The 12 objectives in the guide serve as the core values for improv-ing the sustainability of bridge projects, and the 22 bridge practice sheets provide clear and concise information on specific topics to be considered by owners, bridge engineering teams and stakeholders in order to achieve one or more of the sustainability objectives.

responding to vancouver’s rising sea Levels

Consultant: northwest Hydraulic Consultants

The city of Vancouver, with an extensive shoreline that is particularly vulnerable to

coastal flooding, ranks as the Canadian city most at risk from sea level rise. Cognizant of climate change risks, in 2013 the city em-barked on Phase 1 of a coastal flood risk as-sessment, to identify and quantify the people, property and infrastructure at risk of damage as a result of sea-level-rise-induced flooding.

Utilizing state-of-the-art numerical model-ling of Burrard Inlet and the low-lying flood-plain areas of the city, the study evaluated five different and extreme flooding scenarios,

considering sea level rise in combination with high tides, storm surges and wind/wave run-up. This facilitated development of new flood construction levels that would minimize the risk of future flooding due to sea level rise and possible related climatic events, thus offering sustainable benefits over the next century. Furthermore, this facilitates adaptive manage-ment planning that considers the effects on essential facilities, transportation networks, delivery of goods and services, tourism and recreation.

B&B Contracting Group ◆ BAP Acoustics Ltd. ◆ BC Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association ◆ Buckland & TaylorHatch Ltd. ◆ IBI Group ◆ Langley Concrete Group ◆ Levelton Consultants Ltd. ◆ McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd.

Moff att & Nichol ◆ Twining, Short & Haakonson

Special thanks to the sponsors of the

2015 ACEC-BC Awardsfor Engineering Excellence

Patron Sponsor

Bronze Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Platinum Sponsors

www.acec-bc.ca/awards

12


future sustainability of our national Parks

Consultant: opus international Consultants

An increasing backlog of maintenance and deteriorating assets were looming as a

threat to Canadians’ relationship with their beloved parks. Average annual budgets of less than 1% of the asset value were not enough to address all the asset needs, and this along with age had caused a decline in asset con-dition. Parks Canada (PCA) required an in-dependent review to find answers before the national budget process was set. Timelines were very tight, service expectations high, and potential impacts serious.

Two hundred and twenty-three assets worth

$2.7 million at 20 parks in seven provinces were reviewed. Research involved assessing reasonableness and accuracy of PCA methods for condition, deferred work and replacement value. In addition, the consultant assessed ap-propriate value for annual maintenance and recapitalization budget.

Outcomes provided decision-makers with new understanding on life-cycle management that will have long-term positive impacts for moving our national parks toward a sustain-able future.

Capital asset reference guide for Post-secondary Capital Projects

Consultant: Stantec

The Ministry of Advanced Education re-tained Stantec as program monitor for

the $530 million Knowledge Infrastructure Program, a stimulus program co-funded by Industry Canada and the Government of Brit-ish Columbia comprising 40 capital projects at all 20 of BC’s post-secondary institutions. The ministry recognized this large capital program provided a unique opportunity to improve its business processes and, accordingly, allocated funding for Stantec to prepare a new Capital Asset Reference Guide (CARG).

The CARG includes business processes, tasks, activities, and supporting templates and

tools for the ministry and institutions to initi-ate, evaluate, define, approve and implement capital projects.

Stantec’s multidisciplinary team of business, economics, finance, engineering, architec-tural, risk management and project manage-ment professionals designed an innovative capital planning, project definition and budget accuracy model by combining the AACE Cost Estimate Classification System with best prac-tices in capital planning.

The CARG has resulted in timely, cost-ef-fective and efficient capital planning decisions for the ministry and institutions.

soft engineering

emerging Leaders Program

Consultant: Stantec

Finding a technical solution to an engin-eering problem is sometimes the easiest

part of being a professional engineer. Other important aspects, such as consensus build-ing among stakeholders, developing strong teams and ensuring genuine connections with the needs of clients and the community, can often be much more difficult tasks.

Stantec’s Emerging Leaders program is based on the idea that cultivating leadership sensibilities across various disciplines within the organization not only would result in bet-ter employee engagement and retention, but also would establish a seamless process for

preparing the next generation of leadership. It supports the principle that professional con-sultants should be recognized leaders in our communities.

The program emphasizes coaching and provides the knowledge and tools to bolster the unique leadership strengths and charac-teristics of participants as they move through their careers and assume informal and formal leadership positions.

There is clear evidence that it is working: 22 participants have been promoted into higher-level management roles since the program began.

oil spill response strategy improvement using a spill model

Consultant: Tetra Tech EBA

Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC proposes in-creasing the capacity of its pipeline system

from 300,000 barrels per day to an estimated 890,000 barrels per day, some to be shipped by vessels from its Westridge Terminal in Bur-naby. As part of its Application to the National Energy Board, Trans Mountain retained Tetra Tech EBA and Western Canada Marine Re-sponse Corporation (WCMRC) to develop an improved spill response framework, combin-ing analytical and operational expertise.

The response framework was created to develop a risk-informed enhanced oil spill

response capacity, capable of dealing with the very low probability of a large oil spill in coastal B.C., thereby reducing the amount of oil reaching shore and entering the water column. Tetra Tech EBA’s comprehensive understanding of the oceanography of coastal B.C., combined with the operational spill re-sponse knowledge of WCMRC, was the key to this innovative approach. The framework considered a custom-made oil spill model, which also simulated the response of the spill to mitigation measures.

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