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J U N E 2 0 2 3 | 59 Mechanical & HVAC Systems gas and electricity are not the only energy resources available. Thermal energy exists in everything; it's free, and we help our clients fully utilize it before con- suming purchased resources. To use Brock Fahrni as an example, it didn't need less energy, it just used 68 percent less purchased energy because it fully utilized the free thermal energy available in the building itself." Uponor is another company known for its innovations, especially in the plumbing and heating sectors. It created the design for the PEX expansion connection standard, tested and listed to be compliant with ASTM F1960. It is also responsible for Uponor TotalFit, a push-to-connect removable and reusable universal fitting, designed to simplify service calls and re-piping projects. More recently, Uponor expanded its innovation in the residential radiant market with the launch of its newest radiant panel, the Xpress Trak. Designed for new construction and remodels, Xpress Trak is a single-panel system with lightweight XPS foam at its core and laminated aluminum around the entire surface to provide exceptional heat-transfer capability. The foam provides numerous benefits for installers and homeowners, including natural moisture resistance to eliminate caulking edges or panel grooves; no insulation is needed in joist spaces below the subfloor; and it has a compressive strength of 49 psi and an R-value of 3.13. A sector in which HVAC and mechanical specialists must use all the experience and skill at their disposal is health-care, and hospital upgrades are particularly prevalent throughout Canada. One example is a multi-year upgrade of the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, which required Williams Engineering as the prime mechanical, electrical, and structural engineering consultant to replace a 350-ton chiller with a 2,000-ton chiller. During the initial site review of the chiller room's equipment it was deter- mined that a new chiller would not fit in the space left by the removal of the existing chiller without relocating two pumps, a heat exchanger, and other components. But instead of enacting an extended shutdown of the chiller plant, Williams Engineering separated the work into two phases, the first of which included adjusting how the injection flow of the secondary bridge valves would be controlled, installation of variable frequency drives on pumps, installing control valves, and modifying the existing free cooling loop. Phase two included the addition of a 1,000-ton magnetic bearing modular chiller and a cooling tower. The design controlled the new chiller and pumps in a manner that allows the primary chilled water flow to match the secondary flow. A recent example of Williams Engineering's work in the hospitality sector is the Best Western Plus Mission City Lodge, which added four storeys (22,511 square feet) to the existing hotel's 40 rooms. The company designed the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning distribution to comply with ASHR AE 90.1 requirements; guest rooms were ventilated with HRVs and heated and cooled by thru-the-wall PTACS. The corridor ventilation systems pressurized the corridors at each level with tempered outdoor air provided by the central rooftop gas-fired makeup air unit. Elsewhere in the mechanical realm, rebranding has proven effective in truly representing the essence of professional acumen and trajectory of certain companies. That is the case of True Mechanical, which represents the 60-year heritage that firm gained through Omega Mechanical and Broadway HVAC. True Mechanical president Brad Hedblom notes that the name speaks "to how we work together now and where we're moving to in the future," but "we did not have to identify any differently from a company culture perspective. We were simply able to better represent ourselves graphically and put a brand concept around our already established culture." Under the new brand, True Mechanical has worked on unique projects such as 400 West Georgia, a LEED Platinum-targeted office tower with a stacked box design that required intricate mechanical systems and collaboration with multiple stakeholders and tenants. The 24-storey, 34,400-square-metre tower is comprised of clusters of four-storey steel-framed cubes around a central concrete core. Other projects include the Empire Landmark Vancouver, whose 32- and 34-storey tower suites require heating and air conditioning through Variable Refrigerate Flow technology and a redesign from four-pipe fan coil to VRF systems. Also in Vancouver, the 42-storey Jenga condo tower will require hidden mechanical systems integrated into complex architectural systems; the work is being facilitated with True Mechanical's pre-planning, layout, and VDC capabilities. A Aquatech.indd 1 Aquatech.indd 1 2023-05-03 2:16 PM 2023-05-03 2:16 PM

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