The Casino Project is situated at the edge of Halifax Harbour of which approximately 95,000 sq. ft. is over land and 30,000 sq. ft is over water. The building is supported by a system of 239 concrete filled round steel piles driven to bedrock from 35 to 75 feet below grade. The steel piles support a series of concrete girders and structural concrete slabs over land and water, which incorporate in-floor heating, seawater cooling and electrical distribution system for power and telecommunications. Interior features of this complex include two restaurants, entertainment lounge, retail area, Special Events Room with stage and adjoining servery, Pre-Function Room, Casino Gaming area, High Limit Area, and VIP Lounge. The exterior features a weather protected amphitheatre, parking garage, an exterior Sea Walk and an elevated all-weather pedway connecting to parking garage and the existing downtown pedway system. 

Scope of Services Rendered, project objectives, constraints:

This project involved the complete design – from concept through to post occupancy site reviews – of a state of the art high security gaming facility. The facility includes a mix of administrative and special purpose spaces. ONSA provided full mechanical and electrical design and contract administration services as well as specialized professional services including energy modelling, daylighting simulations, value engineering, cost planning and full M&E commissioning.

Design challenges, creative and innovative design solutions:

A feature of the mechanical systems for this facility is the use of sea water as a primary cooling source. Sea water taken from the harbour bottom, approximately 90 feet below the surface is circulated through titanium heat exchangers where it extracts heat from the fresh water that circulates to the air system cooling coils. When the sea water temperatures rise through late summer, typically peaking in late September, a backup chiller is used to produce chilled water for the system cooling coils and the heat from the chiller is rejected to the sea water eliminating the need for a cooling tower.