November 7, 2011

Association of Consulting Engineering Companies Canada recognizes construction achievements

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

Genivar Inc. (TSX:GNV) has won this year’s Schreyer Award, a national award which recognizes outstanding technical innovation, for an ambitious multi-year project that involved rehabilitation of a mining and metallurgical site in the town of Murdochville, Quebec.

Undertaken for Xstrata Copper Canada , the Gaspe mines project involved an investment of $116 million and four years of site work. Due to depleted ore resources, the mine was closed in 1999 followed by the smelter in 2002.

“Despite 50 years of operation and the site’s heavy industrialization, this project is an eloquent example of responsible rehabilitation where economic, regulatory, environmental, public health and social issues were all taken into careful consideration,” the award sponsors said.

The award was one of 12 presented at a gala in Ottawa last night, hosted by the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-Canada and Canadian Consulting Engineer magazine.

The tree for life award, for outstanding environmental stewardship, went to Enermodal Engineering for A Grander View , the company’s Kitchener, Ontario headquarters. Considered the most energy-efficient office in Canada, the building uses 82 per cent less energy than a conventional office. The project has achieved LEED Platinum certification in several categories, including new construction and commercial interiors.

In the buildings category, awards of excellence were presented for the following projects:

• Queen Elizabeth Theatre acoustical renovations, Vancouver. Aercoustics Engineering Ltd. Using the latest tools and ideas, some of which they designed themselves, Aercoustics Engineering turned the venue into “an acoustical triumph.” The company’s work involved insulating ventilation noise as well as balancing music loudness and reverberations in the theatre. The acoustical renovation has been described by the Vancouver Opera as “a minor miracle.”

• Poirier sport and leisure complex, Coquitlam, B.C. IMEC Mechanical and AME Consulting Group. The $62 million project, which included both new construction and renovation work, incorporated a new energy exchange system which has reduced energy expenditures at the facility. The project was completed 10 months ahead of schedule and several million dollars under budget.

• St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton. DIALOG. The project reinterpreted traditional forms of church design using modern materials, arches, buttresses and side aisles.

In the transportation category, awards of excellence were presented for:

• Trafalgar/Hale Street and CN elevated roundabout, London, Ontario. Delcan. The project dramatically improved public safety and reduced traffic delays.

• Dufferin Street underpass, Toronto. Delcan. The project reduced both travel times and greenhouse gas emissions.

• Coast Meridian overpass design-build project, Port Coquitlam, B.C. SNC-Lavalin Constructors (Pacific) Inc. (TSX: SNC) The project features a unique cable-stay design, which optimized limited ccessibility and pre-defined pier locations, resulting in the longest push-launched structure in North America at the time of construction.

• Petite-Nation River Bridge, Highway 50, Lochaber, Que. CIMA+. The bridge is a 425-metre span crossing a river valley with a 35-metre drop in elevation. It was successfully built while preserving the surrounding environment.

In the water resources category, the award of excellence went to the Oxford pollution control plant retrofit in London. Stantec Consulting Ltd. The firm provided engineering services to study, design and construct the largest membrane bioreactor municipal pollution control plant in Canada. The retrofit provided the city with an economical solution for doubling treatment capacity while improving the quality of the plant effluent and avoiding the expansion of the facility into sensitive neighbouring lands.

In the project management category, awards of excellence were presented for:

• Chateh water treatment plant, Chateh, Alberta. ISL Engineering and Land Services Ltd. The project is one of the first dual-membrane water treatment systems for First Nations in Canada. The plant addresses the complexities of water treatment in a remote area while creating an easy-to-operate system with lower lifecycle costs in an energy-efficient building.

• Go Transit Rail Improvement Program (GO TRIP), greater Toronto and Hamilton areas. AGM Program Managers. A joint venture of Hatch Mott MacDonald, IBI Group and MMM Group, AGM Program Managers managed the entire $700 million program, from environmental assessments through to design and construction and commissioning of the new infrastructure.

Held annually for 43 years, the awards are the highest recognition in the Canadian consulting engineering industry. In all, 63 projects were nominated this year. ACEC represents some 500 consulting engineering firms across Canada.

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