Health and Education

At the heart of society

Every day, health care and educational buildings welcome large volumes of people looking to provide or receive essential services. In engineering and construction terms, these institutions are in a class of their own due to the strict standards that regulate their construction and repair. The mechanical and electrical equipment inside the buildings add to the complexity of these projects.

Dessau is fully equipped to respond to the needs of real estate developers working in the health care and education sectors. With a one-stop shop approach to business, we offer our clients a wide range of services and innovative solutions while respecting the highest standards in biosafety, energy efficiency, seismic resistance, IT security and the physical security.

Areas of expertise

Mechanical
Electrical
Structural
Energy efficiency
Assistance with LEED certification
Seismic-resistance studies
Automatic regulation

Site security and protection
Construction
Commissioning, recommissioning and retrocommissioning
EPC, EPCM and PPP projects
Technical management of buildings
Roof management
Remote management
Soil and materials engineering
IT security
Training

Projects

John Molson School of Business Montreal

Honoré-Mercier Hospital Centre Saint-Hyacinthe

Sherbrooke University Longueuil

Client

Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

Scope of Work

Construction of an 18-storey university building.

Located in downtown Montreal, the John Molson School of Business has a surface area of 344,000 sq. ft. Verreault, a Dessau subsidiary, was responsible for the construction of this 18-storey teaching and research facility, which connects to other campus buildings by way of two pedestrian tunnels. Built with an LEED approach, the building can accommodate 8,000 students.

The upper floors are used as office space while the lower levels consist of classrooms and auditoriums seating 50 to 325 people.

The exterior envelope was used as a testing area to develop new energy recovery and generation techniques.

Challenges

Carry out the construction in a confined space over a metro station and in a high-traffic area.
Build two pedestrian tunnels requiring the use of support structures.

Client

Quebec Housing Corporation, CSSS Richelieu-Yamaska, Saint-Hyacinthe, Canada

Scope of Work

Mechanical, electrical and structural engineering for the expansion of the hospital and decontamination of the main pavilion.

Dessau won four awards in recognition of this project’s excellence and innovation. We were responsible for the mechanical and electrical engineering to resolve an Aspergillus problem inside the walls of the 12-storey building.

To ensure that hospital services were not interrupted during the decontamination works, Dessau professionals temporarily relocated 300 short-stay patients from the Honoré-Mercier Pavilion to another building.

We also set up trailers over a 60,000 sq. ft. radius to temporarily relocate the emergency, oncology, external clinics and food services.

In addition to the decontamination works, Dessau proceeded with an 90,000 sq. ft. expansion to accommodate other health care services, including intensive care, operating facilities, medical imaging, nuclear medicine, laboratories, sterilization services and a pharmacy. Thanks to our expertise in energy efficiency, we were able to reduce the building’s energy consumption by 43%.

Challenges

Determine a work method to ensure uninterrupted hospital services.
Fine-tune containment and contamination-protection measures.
Work at an accelerated pace over two work shifts.

Prizes and Awards

2008 ASHRAE Technology Award, in the “Health Care Facilities – Existing” category, awarded by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
2007 Canadian Consulting Engineering Award, in the “Buildings” category, awarded by the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada (ACEC).
2007 Quebec Consulting Engineering Award, in the “Buildings – Mechanical/Electrical” category, awarded by the Quebec Association of Consulting Engineers (AICQ).
2007 Energia Award, in the “Existing Buildings – Institutional Sector” category, awarded by Quebec Association of Energy Management (AQME).

More photos

Client

Sherbrooke University, Longueuil Campus, Longueuil, Canada

Scope of Work

Design and supervision of mechanical and electrical works.

This 16-storey university tower has a total surface area of 645,600 sq. ft. and includes classrooms, research labs, administrative offices, commercial spaces and indoor parking. The building’s mechanical and

electrical systems were designed to promote energy efficiency and sustainable development. As a result, its energy consumption is reduced by 50% compared to Hydro Québec’s reference building.

Challenges

Identify and simulate several energy-saving strategies in order to optimize construction and operation costs.

Prizes and Awards

2012 ASHRAE Technology Award: Electromechanical system design, University of Sherbrooke in Longueuil

Pierre-Le Gardeur Hospital Centre Lachenaie

Cité de la Santé, Laval Laval

McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre Montreal

Client

Quebec Housing Corporation, Lachenaie, Canada

Scope of Work

Build a 611,000 sq. ft. hospital with a 285-bed capacity.

Verreault, a Dessau subsidiary, built a hospital with three blocks (A, B and C) housing the following services: emergency, laboratories, intensive and coronary care, medical imaging, nuclear medicine,

obstetrics, pediatrics, an external clinic, technical support and the operating, trauma, psychiatric, and short- and long-term care units.

Challenges

Fast-track project.
Integrate all medical equipment provided by the hospital during the construction.
Make several changes to adapt the building’s electrical-mechanical infrastructure to the new medical equipment.

More photos

Client

Quebec Housing Corporation and CSSS de Laval, Canada, Laval, Canada

Scope of Work

Design and supervision of mechanical/electrical and expansion works.

Dessau provided the building mechanical and electrical engineering for the initial construction of this 398,000-sq. ft. hospital and the subsequent expansions (161,000 sq. ft. and 96,840 sq. ft.) which brought the total hospital capacity to 450 beds. During

the most recent expansion initiative, Dessau was also mandated to replace the thermal power station and 650-tonne cooler to maintain the hospital’s high energy efficiency standards.

Challenges

Design ventilation systems that recover heat from the building’s internal areas.
Obtain a low energy consumption rate (2.0 GJ/m²/year) for a building that heats and air conditions 90% of its surface area.
Maintain hospital operations despite the scope of the work.

Client

McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Scope of Work

Construction of the McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre.

Featuring seven stories and a surface area of 96,000 sq. ft., the McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre is a world-class research facility in genomics and proteomics. The centre features several specialized laboratories and an animal facility.

Services include genotyping, sequencing, DNA microarrays and proteomic analysis. The building is renowned for its modern architecture and incorporation of innovative materials.

Challenges

Respect a very tight 8-month timeframe.
Integrate several mechanical and electrical systems in a limited space.

Sainte-Anne Hospital Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue

Université du Québec à Rimouski Rimouski

McGill University Faculty of Medicine’s McIntyre Pavilion Montreal

Client

Sainte-Anne Hospital and Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Canada

Scope of Work

Mechanical and electrical engineering, IT technology, physical and computer system security.

Dessau’s multidisciplinary teams were awarded several contracts for the expansion and renovation of Sainte-Anne Hospital. We were responsible for redesigning and upgrading the hospital’s IT infrastructure to include new users: patient rooms, control centres and administrative offices.

Dessau also designed and supervised the mechanical and electrical works for the construction of a new 130-bed building, the complete renovation of a 10-storey (330-bed) building, and the construction of a new thermal power station and electrical substation.

Challenges

Upgrade the electrical supply and connections to existing facilities while ensuring that hospital services are not interrupted.
Oversee the transition from old systems to new ones (electrical, mechanical, IT) during the works.
Take into account the specific needs of various medical divisions.
Accomodate the IT needs of different hospital services.
Maintain hospital operations.

Client

Groupe Commercial AMT, Rimouski, Canada

Scope of Work

Construction of a university teaching facility.

Dessau was awarded a contract for the construction of an educational facility with a surface area of 129,000 sq. ft.

This project included a solar wall and the largest geothermal system in Quebec, with 105 geothermal wells reaching 5,904 feet.

Challenges

Advance the initial completion date for the project by one month.
Reduce budgeted costs by 8.3%.

Client

McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Scope of Work

Mechanical and electrical engineering for the modernization of the McIntyre Pavilion at McGill University.

The McIntyre Pavilion at McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine is home to a Cancer Centre and the Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Physiology Departments. Dessau provided engineering services for the replacement of the 17-storey building’s

electro-mechanical infrastructure and upgrades performed on the laboratories in order to bring them up to the latest biosafety standards according to ISO 14644-1 Class ISO 7 (which regulates dust quantities for clean rooms).

Challenges

Maintain research and teaching activities during the works.
Complete the project within a tight 18-month timeframe.
Perform extensive upgrades on the ventilation system to recuperate energy and bring it up to current fresh air flow standards.

Jean-de-Brébeuf College Montreal

University of Montreal Hospital Centre – Research Centre (CR-CHUM) Montreal

McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Montreal

More photos

Client

Jean-de-Brébeuf College, Montreal, Canada

Scope of Work

Mechanical, electrical, structural and civil engineering for the expansion of the college and upgrades to its thermal power station.

Jean-de-Brébeuf College is a private high school and college with a roster of 2,400 students, 200 of which live on campus. Dessau was contracted to provide engineering services for the expansion of the college’s sports complex, the construction of a new theology building and a series of upgrades to the thermal plant. The energy-saving measures Dessau implemented earned us a prestigious award from the American

Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
The 52,455-sq. ft. expansion of the sports complex included three new stories and a new air-treatment system with a rotary heat exchanger as well as a heating system with a geothermal loop. Upgrades to the thermal plant resulted in a return on investment within 4 years.

Challenges

Upgrade a building built in 1928 while preserving its architecture.
Ensure that the thermal plant remains operational during the works.
Carry out the works without disturbing students.

Prizes and Awards

2005 ASHRAE Technology Award, in the “Institutional Buildings – Existing” category, awarded by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

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Client

University of Montreal Hospital Centre (CHUM)
Accès Recherche Montréal, Montreal, Canada

Scope of Work

Design, construction, financing and maintenance of Quebec's largest health research centre.

Located in Montreal’s city centre, this complex will have a total surface area of 68,000 m² and include basic research laboratories, a clinical research and public health department, an educational department, and special technologies, such as bio-informatics, imaging and biomedical engineering.

This world-class project will meet the highest international standards. It will even feature a cyclotron to produce medical isotopes for research. Some of the important particularities of this project include ensuring the redundancy of all the mechanical and electrical equipment, as well as implementing vibration-management measures.

[+] Watch the live broadcast from the construction site

More photos

Client

McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), Montreal, Canada

Scope of Work

Construction of the MUHC Research Institute

The McGill University Health Centre will be built as a public-private partnership in Montreal, Canada. During the peak construction period, no less than 1,500 workers will be involved in the project. Aiming for LEED certification, this project will include several environmental initiatives, including green roofs, rainwater collection and construction material recycling.

By 2014, Montrealers will have a state-of-the-art hospital centre that meets the highest international standards.

[+] Watch the live broadcast from the construction site

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