Callidus Engineering

A new incoming water main, heavy-duty trench drainage, a new addressable fire alarm system and expanded emergency power are all taking shape at Hayter’s Farm in Dashwood. Earlier this month, our team was back on site as Phase 2 of construction continued.

Our work also includes the building-side engineering that supports process systems, coordinating water, power, gas and other MEP requirements alongside plumbing, HVAC, fire protection and electrical design.

For more than 75 years, Hayter’s Farm has been part of the Dashwood community, today employing more than 150 people and supporting local health care, youth organizations and food banks. We’re proud to help create the infrastructure for their continued growth right here in Southwestern Ontario.

With the amount of school-related work we get to be part of, back-to-school season feels like a year-round event around here. Our latest visit to St. Peter Catholic Elementary School in Tecumseh was a good reminder of why we enjoy this kind of work.

The school’s mechanical renewal is now visibly taking shape, with new boilers operational and major rooftop and domestic hot water equipment in place. Behind that progress is the less-visible challenge of fitting new systems into an existing building, working around the infrastructure already there and making sure the new mechanical equipment has the electrical support it needs.

We do a lot of this kind of work for school boards across Ontario, and that experience adds up. Every building comes with its own quirks, constraints and history, which is exactly what makes renewal work interesting. It is always satisfying to see a design move off the page and start becoming part of the school itself.

Construction is advancing on the Health Sciences Centre Nuclear Medicine CT Renewal in Winnipeg, where Callidus Engineering Mechanical EIT Luke Reist recently visited the site to review progress.

The multi-phase renovation is supporting new SPECT and SPECT-CT imaging equipment while keeping nuclear medicine services operational throughout construction. Our mechanical and electrical design has been carefully sequenced so one scanning room can remain in service while another is renewed, with infection-control requirements, shutdown planning and connections to existing hospital systems all shaping the work.

Luke’s site review provided an opportunity to see how the design was taking shape within the constraints of the existing facility. Above the ceilings, ductwork, sprinkler piping, conduit and junction boxes compete for limited space, making coordination, equipment access and future serviceability important considerations as construction progresses.

It is detailed work in a demanding healthcare environment, and each completed phase brings HSC closer to renewed nuclear medicine spaces designed to support continued diagnostic imaging in Winnipeg.

Heat pumps are installed throughout one tower, the central hydronic system is circulating, and the make-up air unit and fluid cooler have completed start-up. The emergency generator has also been load tested, with integrated systems testing completed in June.

These milestones were captured during our latest field review of this two-building, 322-unit residential development in London. Our mechanical and electrical scope includes HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, power distribution, emergency power, lighting, fire alarm, communications and access control.

With one tower nearing completion and work advancing through the second, the project is showing the level of coordination required to bring complex building systems from design through construction and into operation.

With eighth-floor precast set to begin, the building systems below are already moving quickly to keep pace. Sanitary and storm risers are advancing upward, domestic water and hydronic piping are progressing through the building, and underground ductwork and make-up air risers are taking shape alongside the structure.

Our team was recently back on site at Tricar’s new 18-storey apartment development in London, where the mechanical and electrical systems we designed are moving deeper into construction. The development includes 145 residential suites and four levels of parking, supported by a central boiler and chiller plant, suite fan coil systems, fire protection and standpipe systems, emergency power, fire alarm, lighting, power distribution and communications infrastructure.

Our latest visit offered a good look at that coordination becoming physical. The chiller is now on site, standpipe risers have reached the upper levels, and electrical, lighting and fire alarm rough-ins are continuing through the parking levels, corridors and suites.

There is still plenty of construction ahead, but seeing a project of this scale rise floor by floor is a strong reminder of how much engineering has to come together for important projects like this to succeed.

The truth was out there, and last month our Kingston team went looking for it through Improbable Escapes’ Kingston Conspiracy.

Downtown Kingston became the setting for an extraterrestrial mystery as some of our Kingston team moved from landmark to landmark, decoding clues, comparing theories and putting their collective problem-solving skills to work. Every stage demanded close observation, clear communication and a little creative thinking.

The team cracked every riddle before time ran out and escaped with the truth intact. This outing brought everyone together outside the office for an afternoon of teamwork, friendly pressure and a very unconventional tour of Kingston’s beautiful downtown and waterfront.

No, Callidus Engineering has not rebranded. Our graphic designer is simply on vacation, and the rest of us were left unsupervised.

Questionable graphic design choices aside, our mechanical and electrical engineering work continues as usual. Proper branding returns next week. Buildings still need to work in the meantime.

Our team was on site last month checking on the three 1,000 MBH boilers, two new domestic hot water storage tanks and a lead/lag control sequence are coming together inside Western University’s Bayfield Hall Residence. Our team designed the upgraded plant with dedicated circulation pumps, a digital thermostatic mixing valve and new powered venting, creating a coordinated system built around reliable domestic hot water delivery.

The real design challenge was keeping that hot water available while the old system made way for the new one. Construction was phased around an existing boiler providing temporary service as demolition, piping, venting, controls and electrical connections progressed around it.

Last week, our own Peter Ketelaars travelled to Clyde River, Nunavut, to see the new Nauttiqsuqtiit Multi-Use Facility nearing completion. Inside, the mechanical and electrical systems our team designed are coming to life: hydronic heating is operational, ERVs and ductwork are in place, plumbing fixtures and water storage systems are in use, and power, lighting, controls, and life-safety systems are nearing completion.

Those systems will support a facility created to advance Inuit-led stewardship of Tallurutiup Imanga. With workshops, research and office space, a gallery, and food-preparation areas, the building will give local Nauttiqsuqtiit staff a dedicated base for their work and for sharing knowledge within the community.

We are proud to have contributed the dependable building infrastructure behind that vision. Seeing it take shape on site is a powerful reminder of what thoughtful northern engineering can support when it is grounded in local priorities.

Happy Canada Day from all of us at Callidus Engineering.

Wishing our clients, partners, and communities across Ontario a safe and relaxing holiday.