Alpha Mechanical Contracting Ltd. and Dual Mechanical were honoured for their work on the Vancouver Aquarium and at Seabreeze Farm, respectively, in the Vancouver Regional Construction Association’s 27th annual Awards of Excellence last fall. Eleven winners were selected from 128 entrants and 37 projects, which represented $500-million of construction throughout BC.
In the Mechanical Contractors – Over $2.5 Million Category, Alpha Mechanical Contracting Ltd. received an award of excellence for its contribution to the Vancouver Aquarium expansion and revitalization project. The Port Coquitlam company installed critical systems, including the district energy system, vertical space miser pumps, infloor slab heating system, life support systems, water source heat pumps and a hidden fire protection system.
Work also included the installation of 50000 points of stainless steel and galvanized ductwork, seven air handling units, two heat pumps, one cooling tower, 27 fan coil units and 14 radiant pumps. Due to the lack of schematic drawings for existing hydronic systems, Alpha had to search for as-built drawings and trace piping networks to the correct tie-ins.
While working in very humid conditions, the contractor also had to find and deal with sounds that bothered the animals. To address the humidity, PVC-coated steel and phenolic closed cell insulation was installed.
Dual Mechanical Ltd. was the winner in the Mechanical Contractors – Up to $2.5 Million category for its role in designing a farm-based anaerobic digester system at Seabreeze Dairy Farm in Ladner. The farm is now combining agricultural and non-agricultural waste to harness and utilize greenhouse gasses that would otherwise vent into the atmosphere. Under FortisBC’s renewable natural gas program, this biogas is purified on site and injected into Seabreeze’s natural gas system.
This project will process the farm’s dairy manure and approximately 12000 tons of off-farm organics per year. The facility will produce biogas that will be cleaned and sold to FortisBC and injected into the existing natural gas pipeline. A unique aspect of this project is the digestate that is produced will be further processed on-site to create a number of co-products. First, the digestate will separate solids to produce bedding that is used on the farm. The phosphorus in the soil is also recovered from the liquid digestate to produce more phosphorus-rich soil for use by local farmers. These farmers currently have to import phosphorus on to their farms for their crops. This process will leave a liquid digestate with lower phosphorus levels that can be more easily applied to the surrounding fields.
In addition to the Gold Awards for project specific excellence, awards were also presented to member companies and individuals for outstanding accomplishments and to recognize innovation and commitment to safety. Paul Myers from Keith Plumbing and Heating Co. Ltd. received a Lifetime Achievement Award. Myers was most recently in the news after his $25-million donation to the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation (see HPAC October, 2015, p24).
VRCA is now accepting nominations for its 2016 project awards. The submission deadline is April 18, 2016. For more information contact the VRCA at awards@vrca.bc.ca.
