Award

8 | FEBRUA RY 2018 WSP Canada WSP is dedicated to its people, its clients, the local communities in which it operates, and is propelled forward by international brainpower. It is also a company that is devoted to the future as it prides itself on playing a significant role in delivering a sustainable and resilient world. "A good example is our ability to comprehensively and accurately assess climate change risks," says Dupeyron. "Helping our clients develop and implement sustainable business models in the face of increasing economic pressure is one of the fundamentals of our business." However, she adds that this is just one part of a much larger and unparalleled access to data and ability to think outside the box, and design with future-readiness in mind. "As a general rule of thumb, our experts are committed to guiding clients along the better informed path. Our work is grounded in seeing the future clearly and providing solutions that make sense today. Many of our clients have selected WSP for our ability to deliver a wide array of services backed by an outstanding track record of success." And this record of success can be seen in every corner of Canada and across the world. For example, Capstone Infrastructure Corporation's Saint-Philémon Wind Farm in Quebec, which was the first project of this scale to be directly connected to the provincial power distribution network. "In addition to carrying out com- prehensive engineering activities, we were mandated to manage construction for this project. Mindful of the environmental constraints, particularly due to the presence of a protected bird species, our team ensured that the positioning of the wind turbines preserved their natural habitat," says Dupeyron. Then there's the City of Toronto's Union Station Revitalization project; the primary multimodal transportation hub in Toronto, serving nearly 250,000 passengers daily. The redevelopment involved the expansion of the concourse, improvement in services offered, and the creation of a viable retail space within considerable spatial limitations and heritage conservation constraints. One of the major project features was the "dig-down" of the existing basement of the historical building by an additional three to four metres to accommodate the new concourse and facilitate linkage with the adjoining Toronto Transit Commission station. For this project WSP assisted with the advisory, design, air quality and climate change, environmental management, geotechnical services and material testing. Other great examples include the 11-kilometre-long extension to the existing SkyTrain system in Metro Vancouver, known as the Evergreen Advanced Light Rail Transit system. This included a two-kilometre tunnel, four kilometres of at- grade guideway and five kilometres of elevated guideway, plus six new stations, and procurement of vehicles and a vehicle storage facility. WSP also provided facade engineering, LEED and energy efficiency consulting, measurement and verification, and commissioning services for the iconic Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre in Calgary's East Village. The project has received multiple honours, including two Award of Excellence distinctions from the Consulting Engineers of Alberta. In addition, WSP provided structural engineering services to rehabilitate the heritage buildings and build a new reception pavilion at the Augustinian Monastery of Quebec's Hôtel-Dieu. WSP's work garnered them a Grand Prix finalist recognition from the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies of Quebec. WSP's impact, not just on the world of engineering, but on its commitment to a better future, hasn't gone unnoticed. Corporate Knights has ranked WSP among Canada's Best 50 Corporate Citizens and WSP recently took home the silver prize in the Innovation – Public Organization category at the national Grand Workplace Health and Safety Awards Gala. For WSP and its people, it's about understanding the changing environment in which we live in, and acting, rather than reacting. "Change is rampant in our society," says Dupeyron. "The reality is that climate change, finding the right harmony between the built and natural environments, is a huge challenge that ultimately questions the fundamentals of society as we know it. New and wave-making technology is disrupting entire industries and offering new approaches, population growth in urban centres is increasing at an unprecedented rate, and our infrastructure and buildings are aging." She adds that these are just some of the factors that cause engineers and designers to rethink their work and to expand their horizons. "At WSP we believe that we must be ready for the known unknown, as our planners would call it. Embedding future-readiness is the only way forward." As we begin our journey into 2018, WSP is ready to tackle whatever challenges are thrown its way. "This year, WSP Canada will launch 'Future Ready.' Many of the projects we work on have long design lives – for example, up to 120 years for railways. Future Ready aims to give our experts a consistent understanding of what we believe a future world will look like – including climate, society, resources, and technology – and challenges them to offer designs ready both for this future and current design codes. Including future trends in our advice to clients helps them plan for the long term and makes good business sense. This is one of the ways in which we create value for them," explains Dupeyron. In April 2018, WSP is planning on unveiling the Future Ready concept through three exclusive events to be held in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. A group of experts, including Canada's top environmentalist David Suzuki, will engage in a dialogue with industry leaders around the concept of Future Ready and what it means for each city and its citizens. But that's not all. When it comes to the future of the sector, WSP is heavily engaged in a number of initiatives including partnering with Fitwel for healthy workplaces, innovation and trends in Infrastructure and Transportation, and a white paper on new mobility. Whether its land remediation, urban planning, the engineering of iconic build- ings or designing sustainable transport networks, you can guarantee that WSP is already seeking out solutions and ready to respond to change with agility. A Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton, ON Saint-Philémon Wind Farm, near Saint-Philémon, QC Evergreen Advanced Light Rail Transit system, Vancouver, B.C. Augustinian Monastery – Hôtel-Dieu, Quebec City, QC PHOTOGRAPHY [CLOCKWISE FROM TOP] ANDRE OLIVIER LYRA/LE MONASTÈRE DES AUGUSTINES; WSP CANADA; MCNEILL PHOTOGRAPHY; GRANT MATTICE – ALL COURTESY WSP CANADA

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