The Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport (YXY) required renovations in three separate spaces within the existing building to accommodate a larger holding room with a larger washroom, added aviation offices and additional space for security screening. Williams Engineering (WE) was retained by KZA Architects (KZA) as a sub-consultant to provide the mechanical and electrical engineering services for all three concurrent renovations.
This project did not come without its own unique set of challenges, as it required integrating the new components with the existing infrastructure. This led to significant coordination between the design team and contractors in efforts to determine the existing condition, as limited drawings were available.
Another challenging aspect of our design was that the holding room washroom was located above the luggage conveyors, which also required significant coordination to install the structural steel above the conveyor and the subsequent relocation of existing mechanical and electrical systems. Important consideration needed to be given to determine the schedule for site visits, as they had to be coordinated at times of low traffic and scheduled flight times.
The entire team persevered through these challenges and worked collaboratively with the stakeholders, architects and contractors to ensure the stakeholders’ project objectives were successfully achieved.
