Award

10 | FEBRUA RY 2017 MCW Consultants Ltd. For George Bellamy, David Bellamy, Mike Gillis, Elliott Garfinkel, Al Medeiros, John Sloan, Lord, Jantzi and the other 18 partners, there is never a dull moment working in the M&E sector. Especially when you consider the ever-changing regu- latory landscape. "In our business it is essential to know exactly what changes are happening and when, and the energy standards for each and every municipality, especially when they can reverse course at any given time," says Lord. One such standard is Vancouver's Zero Emissions Building Plan; a strategy adopted in July 2016 that aims to produce new buildings with zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The plan calls for the return to electricity-powered heat- ing/cooling systems and development of biomass-fuelled district energy systems. This is a 180-degree turnaround for the City. "Vancouver was instrumental in driving rules in the building code that would stop people from using electric base- board heaters and force them to go to hydronic heating solutions that favoured gas- fired central plants. With the recent focus on carbon neutrality, electric baseboards are back in favour as you are not burning fossil fuels, and B.C. is fortunate that most of our electricity is hydroelectric or renewable. In less than five years we've seen a complete 360-degree reversal in standards, first to favour natural gas, and now to eliminate it," says Lord. What the future standards entail is anyone's guess, but it's a challenge that MCW is up for. In fact, MCW prides itself on staying one step ahead when it comes to con- servation and sustainability. In 1991 MCW entered the Energy Services industry and created MCW Custom Energy Solutions Ltd. (MCW CES). Recognizing a fledgling industry, MCW was one of about 12 firms in Canada try- ing to get a foothold in the field. Today only around six of those firms exist, one being MCW CES, which is the only engineering-based energy service company (ESCO) in Canada. "This means MCW provides 100 percent of its M&E engineered solutions for our energy performance projects from within the MCW Group of Companies," says John Kuri, partner and general manager of MCW CES. MCW CES specializes in the design and development of engineered, single-source energy performance contracts (EPCs) that deliver utility savings, carbon manage- ment, occupant comfort and systems renewal opportunities to colleges, universities, municipalities, school boards and health care facilities across Canada. "MCW CES was about us being at the forefront of energy efficiency, long before it became what it is today. We started a business that helped clients retrofit their buildings and where we can actually guarantee the results of our projects," says Colin Rabnett, executive partner of MCW CES. "The building services M&E design skills we hone in the 'bid and spec' marketplace are what allow us to make those guarantees," adds Bellamy. This is demonstrative of MCW's growth over the years; recognizing opportuni- ties in their field of expertise and taking calculated risks. "Expansion has never been an end to itself; we've never said we want to get bigger, it has always been expan- sion because of opportunity. As a result all of our acquisitions have been very suc- cessful," says Bellamy. One of the most recent and notable acquisitions came at the beginning of 2015 when MCW acquired Hemisphere Engineering in Alberta. Hemisphere extended MCW's brand into Edmonton and Calgary, including all its core service offerings of building services consulting engineering, energy management services, power engineering and building systems commissioning services. "Hemisphere Engineering was a perfect fit," says Bellamy. "Here was a firm that had thrived over a similar 50-plus-year history by focusing on building ser- vices; same as MCW. Hemisphere had an enviable legacy of notable projects like the Calgary Saddledome, the Calgary Law Courts and the refit of the former CP Hotel in Edmonton, The Hotel McDonald." From the west to the east, MCW has been involved in a number of high-profile projects. One example is Marine Gateway in B.C., which last year won the Urban Development Institute's Best In Show and mixed-use awards. MCW performed detailed building simulation modelling to drive the design of the project, and engi- neered all the mechanical systems. Quite a feat for a project that consists of two residential towers, an office tower, a shopping and retail podium, and which is all integrated with an elevated light rail line (LRT) station, making it the first major transit-oriented development on Vancouver's Canada Line. Then there's MCW's involvement as the mechanical engineers for the iconic Rogers Place Arena in Edmonton, the new home to the Edmonton Oilers that was opened late last year. "We are so proud to have provided the mechanical designs for this facility in Revit 3D, in an ultra-fast tracked delivery process," explains Lord. Over in Ontario, there's the LEED Sheridan College Hazel McCallion Campus for which MCW provided the mechanical and electrical consulting services for the first three builds on the campus. And in Halifax, MCW designed all the mechanical and electrical systems for the Nova Centre – a one-million-square-foot, mixed-use LEED development, which is the largest commercial project currently in construction in the Maritimes. But it's not just buildings where MCW is having an impact. The company also works closely with major utility companies and independent power producers through its AGE Power Consultants division. "We are currently working on BiPole III, an electrical transmission project for Manitoba Hydro that will bring power from northern Manitoba to the Winnipeg area. This critical new infrastructure link deliv- ers energy at extra high voltage and direct current – a technology gaining greater prevalence in North America for long distance transmission and system reinforce- ment. MCW is designing the mechanical and electrical systems for the converter stations at the two ends of this link, including the high voltage converter halls and auxiliary systems," says Bob Buschau, managing partner with MCW/AGE Power. When it comes to the future of the M&E sector, Jantzi is excited as the industry continues to evolve, new technologies enter the market and integration on all lev- els becomes a focus. "Technologies like BIM have changed how we get our work done and how the construction industry works as a whole, and the rapid advancements of M&E soft- ware programs makes for greater efficiencies all round," says Jantzi. However, he adds that in order to best utilize the advancements being made, more focus must be given to the operations side. "We employ smart people to put together designs that are sophisticated and sustainable, but when we turn the building over, unless you have an operator who has a high level of knowledge, the building may not be opti- mized for long. I've been back to so many buildings that are not running correctly and are therefore inefficient. To succeed we need a higher level of sophistication at the owner's level." Recognizing this need to support owners at all stages in a building's lifecycle, MCW also provides services to get existing buildings back on track; these include re-commissioning, energy audits, facility condition reports, M&E retrofit design and energy performance contracting. And what about the future of MCW? Bellamy says their mission remains simple: "We aspire to be the leading provider of building services engineering. It's a happy existence for us. We will continue to expand when the time is right and it works for us, but day-to-day we are engineering practitioners who love designing great build- ings and serving our clients. With the growing complexity in every facet of our work, MEP engineers are increasingly central to the success of every significant project. We thrive on this opportunity to have a big impact." A UBC Biological Sciences Building, Vancouver, B.C. | MCW designed all the mechanical and electrical systems. Rogers Place Arena, Edmonton, AB | MCW Hemisphere is the engineering firm of record providing mechanical engineering, contract documentation and contract administration services. PHOTOGRAPHY BY LARRY TRAVIS/COURTESY MCW CONSULTANTS LTD. PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY MCW CONSULTANTS LTD.

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