Sheridan College invested $47.5 million in 2016 to construct a new, state-of-the-art learning facility dedicated to skilled trades at its Davis Campus in Brampton, Ontario.

The campus encompasses 22 flexible classrooms, a learning commons, and dedicated workshops for plumbing, electrical, machining, industrial millwright, welding, and construction programs.

Notably, the facility’s own district energy center, which contains seven different hydronic systems that provide the heating and cooling network for the school, was designed and built so its students can view the working system up close.

In January 2017, the school opened, welcoming students for their first semester in the new building — but it wasn’t without a few hurdles along the way. 

Insight Engineering & Construction, the project contractor, was tasked with designing and installing four separate heating systems in the three-story, 130,000-sq-ft building by November 2016 — ahead of the frigid winter temperatures.

In addition to the compressed timeline, space was at a premium. The district energy center needed to be built within a reduced footprint to leave room for the glass enclosure and student viewing areas.

To ensure the hydronic components would fit and installation maneuvers could be made in the tight space, the piping had to be designed, pre-fabricated, and installed in a specific sequence.

With the deadline approaching and a challenging work environment ahead of them, Insight needed a solution to help overcome the design and installation challenges as well as meet the target completion date.

For these reasons, Insight engaged Victaulic’s Construction Piping Services (CPS) to layout the equipment and design the piping system drawings for pre-fabrication to help boost productivity and save time in the field.

The Insight team needed the construction piping drawings expedited but didn’t want to sacrifice quality or safety. Victaulic’s CPS team discussed many deliverable options and how Victaulic could best assist their design and schedule requirements.

Together, Insight and Victaulic came up with a unique sequence for installing the priority piping systems while meeting the project’s needs. This included setting up their own onsite fab shop to minimize lead time between receiving the drawings and installing the fabricated spools.

Adam Roznicki, piping supervisor for Insight Engineering & Construction, said Victaulic’s CPS team was very hands on and collaborative, advising them on efficient piping layouts and providing a complete set of isometric drawings and 3-D models that outlined a clear and successful direction for the installation project.

In addition to outlining the installation of the project, the 3-D models also brought the designs to life for both The Aquila Group, who was the lead mechanical engineering firm on the project, and Sheridan College.

“With early-access to the 3-D model, we could ‘walk through’ the space before it was even built which allowed our team to identify any interferences in advance of pre-fabrication,” said David Ng, vice president of The Aquila Group. “This was extremely beneficial in allowing us to flag potential challenges to the client at an early stage, and identify and navigate hurdles without wasting time and resources.”

Insight also used Victaulic’s Installation-Ready™ couplings, valves, fittings, and Koil-Kits™ Coil Packages on the chilled beams and terminal coil hook ups. These preassembled coil hookup kits allowed for a faster installation which translated into overall time savings. 

Victaulic’s CPS team and grooved solutions helped Insight fabricate, install, and start up the district energy center’s heating system ahead of schedule so students could occupy the new wing in the upcoming semester.

“It made sense to go with Victaulic,” said Roznicki. “We were already using their couplings and fittings but their CPS solution helped facilitate the tight timeline and intricate layout of the facility.”

Importantly, Roznicki explained that Victaulic’s CPS team proved an invaluable asset in consultation with the contractors, who foresaw the need for additional resources due to the approaching winter weather and tight deadline.

“This wasn’t the first time we used Victaulic’s Construction Piping Services,” Roznicki said. “We always had great experiences — they deliver on time, and everyone is willing to help and ensure all the information is provided to get the job done safely and efficiently.”

Insight Engineering & Construction and Victaulic came together for the efficient completion of the new building and completed the project in time for the new semester.