Location | Various Locations Across Alberta
Sector | Property
Market | Retail
Project Delivery Method: New Construction
Discipline | Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, and Structural
Photo Credit | Williams Engineering Canada
Petro-Canada was established in the 1970s and is known as Canada’s national oil company. Over the years, the company created one of the largest loyalty programs, paired up with A&W and later merged with Suncor to tap into the sustainable future. Since 2007, Williams Engineering Canada (WEC) has been providing new construction, tenant improvements, and facility refreshes (rebranding of signage and subtleties on exterior fascia) to Petro Canada car washes, convenience stores, and canopy gas bars.
Williams Engineering Canada (WEC) has served as the prime consultant, and continues to provide civil, electrical, mechanical, and structural engineering design services. Site grading (to ensure the surface is graded at a minimum slope for water drainage), servicing (connecting the buildings storm and sanitary to the main lines), and storm water management continue to be provided by the civil team. The goal is to ensure the storm water runoff leaves the site at a maximum rate specified by the municipality, so the site retains 100-year storm volume. Permits and lot grading are also provided. WEC’s electrical team reviews existing services in relation to the requirements of the project, designs site services (power, transformers, telephone service), lighting systems, auxiliary power, emergency systems, communications systems, and the security system. Additionally, site services, storm water drainage, plumbing, heating, and ventilation systems, were designed by the mechanical team. In the future, high efficiency boilers will be used to maximize energy efficiency, and to take up less space. Pilings/footings, grade beams, foundation walls, floors (grade-supported or structural, and exterior canopies and walls are overseen by the structural team.
Throughout the course of the Petro-Canada projects, there has been a shift in technology and manufacturing processes, which has made staying on top of the evolution of technology necessary. WEC ‘s greatest learning opportunity has been learning how gas stations and carwashes function and understanding the inner workings of petroleum piping. Tight deadlines and rising sustainability costs have been reoccurring challenges that the WEC teams have had to factor into their work plans to mitigate potential errors. No two projects are the same, but using the same contractors has proven to ensure consistency and overall success.
Williams Engineering Canada is ecstatic to continue to provide many more years of innovation, owning the outcome, and providing exceptional services for all current and future Petro-Canada projects.