INNOVATION July-August 2014

Msheireb Downtown Doha Msheireb Downtown Doha aims to revive the downtown of Doha, Qatar. The $5.5-billion project is spread over 31 ha and includes new office space, retail, townhouses, apartments, hotels, museums, civic services and cultural/entertainment venues. Most notably, the project is set to become a model of sustainable development in the Middle East. The project is targeting 60 LEED gold or platinum certifications in over 7,600,000 ft 2 development. Sustainable features of the development include 8,500 solar panels, two district cooling plants, treated sewage effluent treatment and reuse and an automated waste collection system. Owner: Msheireb Properties. Professionals involved: Andrew Kent, P.Eng., LEED; Sui Kwong Lai, P.Eng. Commissioning authority: Integral Group.

Evergreen Rapid Transit Line The Evergreen Rapid Transit Line is the largest transit project underway in Vancouver integrating Burnaby, Port Moody and Coquitlam into the existing SkyTrain system. Construction on Evergreen began in early 2013 and is scheduled for completion in mid-2016. SNC-Lavalin and its joint venture partners are responsible for the design and construction of 11 km of new LRT, including elevated guideway, a 2-km bored tunnel and seven passenger stations. The project includes jacking a 65-m long precast tunnel into place under Barnet Highway in a single long weekend closure; using a single, large-diametre tunnel boring machine rather than two smaller side-by-side tunnels in order to reduce the schedule time and risk; using the launching truss to create a four span continuous structure with precast segmental beams. Owner: The Province of British Columbia (MoTI), Raymond Louie, P.Eng. (technical director). Design- build contractor: SNC-Lavalin, David Weatherby, P.Eng. (project director).

Birkenhead River Flood Reduction Program

During the flood of 2003, a log jam formed on the Birkenhead River alluvial fan near Mount Currie. The hydraulic capacity gradually diminished as the channel filled with sediment. Water began to spill across the floodplain more frequently, elevating the risk of a channel avulsion. On Lil’Wat Nation’s behalf, and with support from the Pemberton Valley Dyking District, NHC developed a sediment removal program to re-establish flow through the main channel. A sedimentation assessment and hydraulic model was used to evaluate the channel adjustment potential. The excavation was designed and supervised by NHC and will reduce the threat of avulsion and alleviate flooding on adjacent land. The new channel includes a buried control structure to prevent dewatering of existing habitat, and a series of pools and riffles to create new fish habitats. Client: Lil’Wat Nation. Consultant: Northwest Hydraulic Consultants (Monica Mannerström, P.Eng.; Wil Hilsen, P.Geo.).

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