The Burnside News

Ocean Towers, a TransGlobe Property Management building on Brunswick Street in Halifax, recently became the first customer in Halifax to switch to natural gas. And Atlantica  Mechanical Contracting and Services of Burnside played a key role.

Atlantica Gold was called upon to install a two-inch steel pipe straight up the side of the 18-storey building in freezing cold weather, as well as convert the existing oil-fired boilers (located in the penthouse) to natural gas.

“We haven’t done a lot of gas piping before, so this was new for us,” says Atlantica’s Don Webster. “We’ve always done a lot of horizontal, not much vertical. There haven’t been any highrises done yet in Dartmouth, so this being 18 storeys was the first at such a height.”

“Being one of the largest commercial mechanical firms in the Maritimes, we are really encouraged by the business possibilities presented by using gas as a fuel source. We’re very proud to be associated with TransGlobe on this project,” says Tom Vincent, president of Atlantica Gold Mechanical Contractors.

Webster also credits TransGlobe for its forward thinking. TransGlobe anticipated the availability of natural gas years earlier and had the boilers prepared for gas by installing dual-fired burners, which are capable of using both fuels.

However, Webster does hope to avoid the “freezing cold weather” part in future projects.

“A lot of customers might benefit from doing the pipe work in during the warmer months. By planning ahead you can break the project into two parts and have the piping done separately. The boiler work can really be done at anytime since it’s indoors,” Webster says.

“We’re always looking for opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint and conversion to natural gas was an excellent way to make a difference,” says Daniel Drimmer, president of TransGlobe.

Jamie Vigliarolo, executive director of Facilities Management for TransGlobe, adds, “Our Company has a number of green initiatives underway and natural gas is one of best. We were the first to sign with Heritage Gas a year and a half ago and now we’re the first to switch over. We’re looking forward to the growing access to gas in Halifax and we’re looking at other projects as well.”

TransGlobe, one of the largest and fastest growing property management companies in Canada, will be adding other projects onto the natural gas system in the Halifax area as soon as possible. It’s the proprietor of multiple industrial, commercial and residential properties, including locations in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. With over a decade of experience, TransGlobe’s portfolio includes more than 25,000 apartments and 5.2 million sq.ft. of commercial space.