A new building at 12 Wing Shearwater will bring together several units who provide important behind-the-scenes telecommunications support to CFB Halifax.
The 1,950-m2 Wing Telecommunications and Information Systems (WTIS) Personnel and Shops Facility will be home to the WTIS, Base Information Services and Shared Services Canada representatives.
The single-storey building will contain offices, a warehouse and a vehicle bay so military personnel can install and repair communications equipment in base service vehicles. A workshop will feature benches and a Faraday cage so technicians can work on PCs and radios, free from the effects of static electric fields.
The $9-million building was designed to meet Green Globe standards to increase energy efficiency and reduce the environmental footprint. In particular, the facility will have an enhanced building envelope, explains Todd Osmond, DCC Coordinator, Construction Services.
"It's over and above the typical construction practices in Nova Scotia," he says, with spray-foam insulation in the walls and increased insulation under the concrete slab. "Liquid-type sealants around the windows and doors will ensure a perfect seal." Testing to check that the building is airtight will be part of the commissioning process as the building approaches completion in April 2021.
Already, DCC has helped respond to poor soil conditions on the project site. Promptly engaging a geotechnical engineer meant a plan to expand the area to be excavated and then backfill it with structural fill could come together quickly, Osmond says. DCC environmental experts provided advice on stockpiling and disposing of contaminated excavated material to meet environmental regulations.
"Collaboration is very important," Osmond emphasizes. "Our whole goal is to minimize the impacts to the project, in terms of both cost and time."
