G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre

This is an active project undertaken by GBA to provide fire protection design services for a fully operational health care facility. The fire protection program development included an initial site audit and feasibility study, followed by preparation of automatic sprinkler and fire alarm system drawings and specifications. GBA staff will assist the client in the tendering process and will provide the necessary field review services to ensure a code compliant and effective design.

Development of the design of an automatic sprinkler system for an existing facility presents unanticipated challenges. Part of the services provided by GBA is to develop the design documents to incorporate a phased approach to installation, so that disruptions to health care services provided by the Rehab center are minimized.
Several members of the GBA team participated in the multi-disciplinary design. Staff expertise in a number of areas contributed to completing the following tasks:

• Initial feasibility study and site audit required detailed site evaluation by our sprinkler designers. Code experts from GBA contributed by establishing the applicable code requirements for the fire protection upgrade of the facility.
• Preparation of the sprinkler system drawings (to shop drawing standards), hydraulic calculations and specifications.
• Fire alarm designers then reviewed the existing fire alarm system installation with a view to eliminate existing devices made redundant by the installation of the sprinkler systems. A complete drawing and specification package was then prepared.
• Due to the age of the building, GBA staff conducted detailed site audits to enable them to prepare the reflected ceiling backgrounds required for the sprinkler system drawings. All work was done on AutoCAD Release 14.
• Work yet to be completed includes tendering assistance and review service for the client, together with professional field review of the installation of the sprinkler and fire alarm systems.

Vancouver International Airport

International Terminal Building, Vancouver Airport

Gage-Babcock & Associates provided independent professional review on behalf of the Airport Authority for this major addition to the airport facilities. Included in this assignment were:

• Review of design documents with respect to the fire and life safety requirements of Part 3 of the National Building Code of Canada, including completion of a detailed code compliance check list under the YVRAA Independent Professional Program;
• Review of documentation for various equivalent measures proposed by others to resolve various code compliance issues and recommendations on the adequacy of those proposals;
• Field reviews of the construction;
• Review of project close-out documentation to determine the completeness of the submissions.

Current projects underway at the Airport include Re-development of the existing Domestic Terminals Departures level (south phase) and the Airport Connector project (nearly complete).

Library Square, Vancouver, B.C.

A multi-building project comprising a 22 storey office building, a 9-storey library, a 4-storey mixed use building and 3 storeys of underground parking. Gage-Babcock & Associates were the Certified Professional and Building Code Consultant for the project. The major equivalency issues for this project were:

• use of computer modelling to establish parameters to permit treatment of a large atrium which connects the buildings as equivalent to outdoor space through the use of an engineered fire detection and smoke exhaust system;
• use of fire growth analysis to develop alternative means of satisfying the spatial separation and exposure protection requirements applicable to the buildings.

Terminal City Club, Vancouver, B.C.

Gage-Babcock & Associates provided building code consulting services for the redevelopment of 837 West Hastings Street. The project consists of four levels of underground parking, two floors of mixed commercial and assembly occupancies, three floors of club premises, seven levels of office space, five floors of service hotel suites and seventeen floors of residential condominiums. Included in this assignment were:

• general code consulting, including advice to the design team on building code and life safety issues;
• development of equivalencies designed to ensure that the level of safety contemplated by the building code is met or exceeded;
• negotiations with the building code jurisdiction on code related issues;
• preparation of a Building Code Analysis report for use by the design team to ensure overall building code coordination and compliance;

Deltaport Container Terminal

Building code consulting and independent code review services for this container terminal constructed at the outer harbour, deep-sea terminal at Roberts Bank, B.C. Included in this assignment were:

• review of design documents with respect to the fire and life safety requirements of the National Building Code of Canada, including completion of a detailed code compliance check list;
• field reviews of construction;
• review of project close-out documentation to determine completeness of the submissions.