Weir-Jones' Head Office Construction Completion
Vancouver engineering firm moving to new environmentally friendly quarters
The Weir-Jones Group, a 43-year-old Vancouver engineering organization,is to move into an energy efficient, state-of-the-art building in South Vancouver on Jan. 31.
The building, owned and outfitted by Weir-Jones, is located on riverfront property at 598 East Kent South. Since 1994, the company has been located at 2040 West 10th Avenue Vancouver, B.C.
"Continuing growth of our operations, particularly the remote, real-time, monitoring of critical infrastructure, interactivesoftware solutions, and the development of innovative services and systems, necessitated the move,” said president and founder Iain Weir-Jones, noting that the building will be the company’s hub for collection of data from structural integrity monitoring systems deployed for their clients around the world. These include oil and gas pipelines, and transportation links equipped with Weir-Jones’ sensing and warning systems.
Weir-Jones, which has a satellite office in Fort McMurray, develops innovative and sustainable real-time engineering solutions for global clients in the transportation, resource, civil construction, marine and defense industries.
The Company’s proprietary products include the Seismic Rock Fall Detection System, SRFDS™, deployed by railway operators in various countries to provide warning of potentially dangerous debris falls to railway tracks, and the Automated Draught Indicator System, ADIS™, a draught measurement system for ships, which eliminates the need for hull penetrations. TheADIS™ technology enhances operational safety and can also be used to improve operating efficiency by reducing fuel consumption.The Distant Reading Acquisition Module,DRAM™, monitors the integrity of oil and gas pipelines;ShakeAlarm®, a cost-effective, highly reliable Earthquake Early Warning System,EEWS, provides critical minutes or seconds of warning to minimize loss of life and assets; and the Automated Greasing System,AGS™,isan intelligent lubrication system created for submerged pumps working in extreme conditions,which can also be deployed on large mobile construction equipment.
"The new facilities incorporate a state-of-the art telecommunication infrastructure that permits clients to view the condition of their assets, be they pipelines, railways or industrial infrastructure in a secure, real-time environment,” said Weir-Jones. “It will give us space to grow and provide the tools that will enable us to continue to serve existing customers and new clients."
Weir-Jones’ new two-storey office will provide 25,000 square feet of space. Theinternal structure has been constructed using Brisco Fine LineTM, laminated veneer lumber (LVL) manufactured by Brisco Manufacturing Ltd. of Brisco, B.C.This is an innovative application of the LVL material, and the building has already attracted the attention of a number of architects and engineers, as well as technical delegations from Asia. There is great interest in this unique B.C. product, which solves a range of environmental, structural and aesthetic requirements.
All columns, beams, flooring, ceilings, walls and stairs in the building’s interior are made fromDouglas Fir LVL sourced in southeastern B.C. The LVL product is unique for its combination of stability, strength and its ability to be prefabricated into beams up to 20 metres in length. The offices and the associated facilities comply with thenewASHRAE energy efficiency guidelines.
About The Weir-Jones Group
For more than four decades The Weir-Jones Group has offered innovative and sustainable engineering solutions that maintain a green and safe ecosystem in Canada and around the world. The oil and gas industry creates jobs and produces economic momentum with the potential to rescue nations from economic turmoil; however the industry’s activities can leave an environmental footprint that could last for decades and negatively impact future generations. The Weir-Jones Group works hard to increase public awareness and develop engineering solutions that can help avoid decisions that can have disastrous consequences for the planet. For more information, please visit: www.weir-jones.com.