Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical

We focus on mechanical solutions that are tailored to the individual needs of each building and client. Drawing on our extensive portfolio of successful projects, we work closely with our clients and design teams to achieve innovative and cost-effective solutions rooted in established engineering principles. It is our strongly held belief that the most effective mechanical systems should strike a balance between initial capital cost, energy efficiency, and reliability. To achieve this, our design process includes a focus on identifying and eliminating unnecessary complexity. Experience has taught us that this practice carries substantial benefits in reducing construction costs, optimizing energy efficiency, and reducing the maintenance burden throughout the building’s lifecycle.

Our proven track record and commitment to service extends through design, construction, and post-construction activities. We regularly take part in commissioning by providing insight into the design intent, reviewing system operation, and assisting in operator training.

Some of the services we provide include:

• HVAC System Design

  Falcon has a notable history of successfully executing projects with highly energy efficient HVAC designs. We provide engineering expertise on a variety of mechanical systems including forced air systems, hydronic systems, heat pumps, heat recovery, precision environmental control, clean-room systems, and specialty exhaust systems. In addition to this, we can deliver proven strategies for efficient electrification of heat, Step code compliance, and net zero infrastructure.

• Plumbing Design

  Falcon provides engineering services for domestic water, storm drainage, sanitary drainage, and fuel gas distribution systems. We also offer more bespoke services for process water and purified water systems, including USP water for pharmaceutical applications.

• Fire Sprinkler System Design

  Fire sprinkler engineering services offered by Falcon include wet and dry systems, pre-action systems, and specialty gaseous systems for mission critical infrastructure. We can offer performance specifications or full design and engineering services, depending on the specific needs of the project.

  Sprinkler design and layout – Conventionally, fire sprinkler design is offered as a performance specification prior to tender. After a contractor has been chosen, the contractor then engages their own engineer during construction. Unfortunately, this approach can hamper coordination between sprinkler system and other building elements and does not always allow for adequate cost control. For projects where a performance specification is not appropriate, Falcon can provide full sprinkler design services including sprinkler head layout, pipe layouts and pipe sizing.

• Niche Service - Lifecycle Centered Design

  Engineering and construction represent only a fraction of the overall lifecycle costs of a building’s mechanical systems. Falcon’s approach is to focus not only on design and installation costs, but also on the overall operating costs. This includes energy efficiency, ease of maintenance, reliability, and planning for replacement at end of service life. Often this leads to bespoke solutions that are tailored specifically for the building type and use-case.

• Niche Service - Deep Energy Retrofits

  Falcon has expertise in planning, managing, and implementing large scale mechanical retrofits where a substantial portion of the existing mechanical systems are to be replaced. Often the new systems are entirely different from the existing. The goal of these retrofits is to provide systems that not only increase energy efficiency, but also renew aging equipment, improve overall effectiveness, and increase reliability. These projects can be in the multi-million dollar cost range and can span several years in cases where the available budgets dictate phasing.

• Niche Service - Conventional Energy Retrofits

  When a lighter touch is required, the Falcon team can apply their expertise retrofitting buildings on a component-by-component basis. These retrofits typically consist of replacing or upgrading smaller segments of the overall mechanical systems, such as boiler upgrades or control systems upgrades. In this instance, the goal is to increase energy efficiency while replacing aging or ineffective equipment. As with all other project types, reliability and optimized lifecycle costs guide the design process.

• Niche Service - Capital Planning

  Regardless of the mechanical retrofit type required, Falcon can provide planning services from initial project definition through to submission of a complete capital plan, including budgets broken down by project phase. To support this work, Falcon maintains a proprietary costing database which is regularly updated based on the several dozen major retrofits projects tendered by our firm each year throughout the province. This high volume of tendered projects provides Falcon with a perspective that is unique among mechanical engineering practices.

• Niche Service - Prime Consulting

  To support mechanical retrofit projects, Falcon provides Prime Consultant services. Depending on the project, this may involve engagement of a full design team as well as managing tendering, providing recommendations for contract award, and administering the construction contract throughout the implementation phase. We have extensive experience providing these services to both private and public institutions, and are well versed in the different requirements faced by each client type.

• Niche Service - Heat Pump Thermal Plant Design

  In support of our lifecycle centered design philosophy, Falcon has developed several archetypal heat pump and heat recovery thermal plant designs which can be adapted and modified to suit the needs of multiple building types and configurations. These archetypal designs have been honed through experience to be simple and effective. We have worked hard to eliminate undue complexity because complex systems cost more, fail sooner, and impose an unreasonable maintenance burden.

• Niche Service - Industrial and Clean Facilities

  Falcon has developed a set of niche expertise for industrial buildings. These include the following specialized areas of practice:

  • Precision environmental control – Tight control of space temperature, humidity, and air pressure are required for some industrial and manufacturing processes. Falcon has multiple system methodologies that can be applied to maintain precision control within the project budget.
  • Clean-room filtration and contaminant control – Multiple options are available for maintaining a clean manufacturing environment, including high performance filtration, room relative pressure control, air change rate, and air change effectiveness. Falcon can provide practical solutions tailored to the sometimes demanding requirements imposed by regulatory bodies or the manufacturing process itself.
  • Laboratory ventilation – Contaminant control and environmental stability are the guiding principles for laboratory ventilation design. Falcon can provide design solutions including specialized point of use exhaust systems, variable flow make-up air systems, precision temperature control, precision humidity control, and room relative pressure control.
  • Specialty exhaust and ventilation systems – Heavy manufacturing processes involving wood working and metal fabrication require specific exhaust systems that have implications for life safety and fire prevention. Falcon has experience designing new systems and retrofitting old ones to meet the needs of growing manufacturing facilities as well as changing statutory requirements.
  • Specialty process gas piping systems – For processes that require specialty gasses such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen, Falcon can provide design solutions tailored to the application.
  • Compressed air system design – Falcon has experience designing large compressed air systems for industrial processes.
  • Process heating and cooling – Heating and cooling can be delivered to process systems either directly with supply air or indirectly though hydronic water. Falcon can design custom systems to effectively meet process heating and cooling requirements.
  • Process water system design – Some manufacturing processes require process water at specific pressures, flow rates, and purities. Falcon can design process water systems to meet demanding performance criteria such as high pressure and flow (beyond those available through the water utility), and a variety of purity levels including Deionized Water and USP water for pharmaceutical applications.