Project Summary

The electrical contract for Holt Renfrew’s flagship store in Pacific Centre presented Bridge Electric with a number of challenges.

At the top of the list was the customer’s non-negotiable grand opening date. Throughout the fast tracked construction process (construction was started with 25% complete drawings), Bridge Electric had to process and incorporate more than 1000 project scope revisions, requiring a total project team of up to 60 electricians and technical support people. A key sub-component of the project team was a full time, on site project support team, which operated out of a 600 ft² site office.

In order for the completed project to meet the exacting requirements of a Level 5 finished space as required by Ledcor, Bridge Electric prepared its own detailed construction drawings using CAD, identifying all electrical devices, equipment, and wiring systems. These colour coded drawings were detailed to such a high degree that they quickly became the reference drawings for the sub-trade coordination on site.

Some of the key features of the store include:
• The Holt Renfrew store in Pacific Centre incorporates a total of 23 individual retail CRU’s, each with its own independent design team. Bridge Electric completed the electrical coordination and installation for all 23 retail CRU’s concurrently with the Holt Renfrew store.
• The lighting system consists of more than 7500 lighting fixtures, including 200 different fixture types. The precise alignment of all recessed down lights in the ceilings was critical to the visual impact of the store interior. As a result, all fixtures are installed in the exact location on the CAD drawings by utilizing precise laser positioning equipment.
• An electrical distribution system incorporating a total of 68 electric panel boards and over 100 kilometers of armoured cable.
• A total of more than 400 recessed electrical floor boxes were incorporated into the design. Working with an existing concrete structure, the location for each floor box had to be x-rayed, cored, and cut into the existing structure.
• In spite of the extremely high number of lighting fixtures used throughout the store, the overall design is considered to be exceptionally energy efficient and is anticipated to operate well below ASHRAE guidelines.