ATB Place - North Tower

commercial

At over 430,000 ft2, situated on Jasper Avenue, overlooking the river valley and the North Saskatchewan River, ATB Place North houses many businesses as well as a variety of shops and services. Since ATB Place North is such a large hub for business, proper design and management of mechanical systems is all the more vital to maintain an enjoyable place for people to shop, work and enjoy.

ES Engineering was retained by the property management company of ATB Place North as the prime consultant. As the prime consultant, ES Engineering not only manages the other engineering disciplines such as electrical and structural as required to properly complete a project but also handles construction administration; ensuring construction conforms to the prepared construction drawings, standards and specifications. As well, ES Engineering acts as the primary contact and source of information for the client.

Hot Water Heater Replacement

The existing domestic water heaters were located in the 25th floor and 3rd floor mechanical rooms. Existing hot water tanks were installed during the original building and were well past their expected service life. This project consisted of replacing the existing domestic hot water heaters with new natural gas fired high efficiency water heaters.

Cooling Tower Water Meters

This project was to add water meters to the cooling towers to measure water loss due to evaporation mist which equal metered domestic cold water supplied to the cooling tower minus the metered water discharged to drain from cooling tower and condenser water lines. New water meters were installed on the supply water and drain lines, on existing condenser water lines and on the tower blow down line.

Fan Coil Free Cooling and Chillers

Upgraded the existing system to use the free cooling during winter season, the outside ambient temperature can help save energy in chilled-water systems. The low temperature of the outside ambient air enables free cooling of the existing air cooled condenser unit. This free cooling incorporates a plate-and-frame heat exchanger, pumps, control valves, fully automatic controlled system for the new and the existing equipment, and tie-up to the existing system to provide chilled water production. This free cooling can be used to save energy whenever the outside temperature drops below -1degree C, this energy-efficiency measure can save enough compressor electric power to pay for the above equipment installation costs in about two years.

North Tower Mechanical Room

The expansion of the penthouse mechanical room in the North Tower required the coordination of mechanical services between several floors to minimize disturbing existing equipment as much as possible. Placement of new mechanical equipment was done in such a way as to allow for easy future expansion and movement of large pieces of equipment. Electrical switchgears as well as a large electrical generator installed in this expansion presented a unique situation with how to ventilate the space while still adhering to the strictest fire protection codes.

North Tower Floors 4 – 9

Designed with a footprint of 17,000 ft2 for each floor, the tenant was to take over floors four to nine, this totals to over 100,000 ft2 of space. This area was to house offices as well as many pieces of extremely large server equipment, this presented a challenge with how to handle the heat generated as well as still maintaining occupant comfort. Existing mechanical equipment was reused but a “free cooling” design was engineered and installed to minimize energy consumption while still maintaining occupant comfort.

North Tower Mechanical System Review & Cooling System

After an extensive review of the mechanical system present in the North Tower, the system was retrofitted to provide additional cooling to the building while not having to install additional equipment in the mechanical rooms. Existing equipment was found to be underutilized and with the addition of fan coils throughout the building, additional cooling was provided while reducing wasted energy that occurred before a review the building mechanical system had taken place.

North Tower Elevator Shaft Pressurization

In case of a fire in the building the elevator shaft is to be pressurized to prevent the rise of smoke to other floors. The fan that was to pressurize the elevator shaft existed in the building, however it was not put to use for many years. By modifying the fan, an efficient system was designed while reusing existing equipment making the purchase of new equipment unnecessary.

North Tower Stairwell Pressurization

Creating a slight pressure in the buildings stairwell prevents the rise of smoke throughout the building in case of fire. When the stairwell is pressurized, it is free of smoke allowing occupants to exit the building safely and giving emergency personnel easier access to each floor. A mechanical system that safely and effectively pressurizes the stairwell in ATB Place North was designed.

North Tower VFD Drives

The “Stack Effect” that occurs in buildings can cause problems with the opening and closing of doors as well as drawing in of unwanted air from outside the building. Having the typical properties of a VFD such as lower operating costs and increased control over the equipment, VFD installed on supply and return fans helps to reduce the stack effect. The propagation of smoke from a fire to other floors is more likely in a building that has a prominent stack effect. A VFD system was designed and installed for both the supply and return fans in the North Tower.

Chiller and Condenser Piping Design

A new pump was selected to help serve the existing condenser water system, a vital piping network in any large mechanical system. The piping layout was designed such that it integrated the new pump into the existing system as effectively as possible.

Food Court Tenant

An canopy hood required duct work to be laid out to properly exhaust and ventilate the cooking area. A design was created that utilizes existing duct work to minimize material costs.

New Offices

Quite often when a new tenant is to occupy a space, renovations are required to suit the unique needs of the occupants. While some renovations are relatively minor, some are quite extensive. For a space in the ATB Place, an entirely new ventilation system was required. ES Engineering designed a mechanical plan specifying the removal of old ventilation duct work and equipment and laid out a new system that would better serve the needs of the new tenant.

In particular, a variable air volume system was called for, this brings for better climate control of the occupied space, tailoring the required airflow to a specific area depending on it's unique characteristics.

2nd, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, & 24th Floors Fan Coils

Addition of fan coils in 2nd,15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, & 24th floors with chilled water pipe connection, duct, and interfaced with the existing control system that would better serve the needs of the occupants.

IBM Room Cooling

Located in North Tower, this server room belonging to IBM required additional cooling. An air conditioning unit with condensing unit was installed to help cool the vital equipment in this server room.

Loading Dock Door Heater

ES Engineering was retained by Triovest Realty Advisors to investigate and advise regarding the present make up air unit/air curtain system installed at the lower ramp opening to the ATB Place Loading Dock area.

3rd Floor Small Chiller Condenser Cooling

A pumps and heat exchanger was installed as well as pipe works in mechanical room 3rd floor to serve the make-up air supply fan located at the 2nd floor. The additional system enable to use free cooling to pre-heat/cool outside air for the supply of fresh air into the building.

5th, 6th, 7th, 8th & 9th HVAC Renovation for PWGSC

ES Engineering was retained to design the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, & 9th floors for PWGSC. Designed was in compliance with the Alberta building code as well as comfort and safety for the occupants.