HVAC controls retrofit and system troubleshooting
With Pentillion Construction, I helped audit, explain, and coordinate upgrades to an older HVAC control system. The building had existing controls and hardware that could not simply be replaced all at once, so the project needed a clear understanding of what was already there before the new work could be planned.
Understanding the old system before replacing parts of it
My role was to bridge the gap between the existing controls, the HVAC contractor, the controls contractor, and the practical needs of the building. I reviewed and documented how the system operated, helped explain the existing logic, and supported the retrofit so new equipment could be integrated without losing compatibility with parts of the older setup.
The upgrade included four new heat pumps. Because I had built much of the internal understanding of the existing controls, I became a practical reference point during the work. The value knowing what equipment was present and helping the contractors understand how the old controls, operating logic, and building requirements fit together.
Troubleshooting the shaking air handlers
That same system knowledge carried into troubleshooting. The building had two large air handlers that were shaking under certain operating conditions, and the cause had not been identified.
One proposed path was to bring in an engineering audit to measure resonant frequencies using specialized equipment. That may have been needed eventually, but before jumping to that step, I worked through a more direct inspection of the system.
Looking for the real field condition
I checked likely mechanical causes, including whether the air-handler shafts appeared to be off balance, the dampening system, and used a 360 camera and thermal imaging camera to inspect areas that were difficult to access directly.
That investigation pointed toward a loose sheet-metal wall dividing the large duct that supplied hot and cold air to the building. Under certain airflow and pressure conditions, the loose partition deflected until it relieved the pressure differential, then snapped back, allowing the pressure to rebuild and repeat the cycle. This created a low-frequency pulsation that transmitted vibration into the air-handler area and surrounding building structure.
A logical conclusion
I documented the old controls, identified what still had to work, coordinated the contractors around the real operating logic, and investigated the field condition before assuming the next step had to be expensive or abstract.
The result was a building system that became easier to explain, upgrade, maintain, and hand off.
Fire panel relocation and life-safety retrofit
With Pentillion Construction, I helped coordinate a fire alarm system retrofit in an occupied commercial building. The existing fire panel was outdated and located inside a secure tenant area, which created access and operational constraints for building management, contractors, and emergency-related service work.
The project involved more than simply replacing equipment. The panel needed to be upgraded and relocated to a more appropriate building service area, while related alarm devices such as bells and pull stations also needed to be reviewed and upgraded as part of the broader retrofit.
I engaged multiple contractors to understand the available paths forward and help shape a practical scope. The work required coordination between the fire alarm contractor, security contractor, electrician, tenants, and building operations. Because the existing panel location was inside a secure space, access had to be planned carefully and coordinated with the affected tenant and other building users.
The crossover-floor requirements added another important layer. Because crossover floors form part of the building’s life-safety strategy, the access and fire alarm work had to be considered in that context rather than treated as a simple equipment swap. The retrofit needed to improve serviceability and bring the equipment into a better location while preserving the required life-safety function of the building.
The result was a more serviceable fire alarm system with the panel relocated out of the secure tenant space and related devices upgraded as part of the work. The project shows the coordination behind a relatively contained building-system upgrade: understanding the operational problem, checking the code-related constraints, aligning the right contractors, and completing the work without exposing tenants or building users to unnecessary disruption.
Industrial infrastructure project management at Harmac
My role at Harmac Pacific started early in my career and expanded my project management experience in an industrial operating environment. The work was different from commercial renovation work: the scale was larger, the consequences of downtime were higher, the stakeholders were broader, and the field conditions were often less forgiving.
The main thread was practical industrial coordination. I worked with operations, maintenance, trades, contractors, utilities, residents, property owners, environmental stakeholders, and regulatory agencies while helping move mechanical and infrastructure projects from planning into execution.
Pipeline replacement through difficult terrain
One of the major projects was part of Harmac’s water supply pipeline replacement. The work involved replacing roughly 1,200 metres of 52-inch creosote-soaked wooden stave pipe with 48-inch HDPE pipe. My role focused on managing and coordinating difficult stages of the work where the pipe route, access, environment, and existing structures made the work more complicated than a straightforward pipe replacement.
A key challenge was that sections of the old wooden pipe were on trestles over environmentally sensitive areas. Access was limited, the old material required care, and the project had to protect both the surrounding environment and the remaining support structures while keeping the replacement work moving.
Helicopter removal and trestle protection
For one difficult stage, the old pipe sections had to be removed from a trestle where conventional access was limited. I helped coordinate the removal strategy, including the use of a helicopter lift to remove old pipe sections from the site.
The new HDPE pipe also had to be pulled through a route where the trestle needed protection from excessive loading. Rather than defaulting to a more complex equipment approach, I helped develop a method using a sacrificial cable and a secondary restraint cable. The sacrificial cable provided a controlled weak link, while the restraint cable helped protect the trestle if the pulling force became too high.
That approach allowed the work to proceed without installing a torque-limited winch onto an excavator, reducing complexity while still giving the team a practical safeguard for the structure.
Simplifying another stage with culverts
On another stage of the pipeline work, I reviewed the constraints around existing trestles and HDPE pipe flexibility. Based on that review, I suggested removing unnecessary trestles and replacing the approach with culverts where appropriate.
That kind of decision was less dramatic than a helicopter lift, but it reflected the same pattern: understand the real constraint, check whether the assumed construction method is actually necessary, and look for a simpler path that still satisfies the project needs.
Chlorine dioxide mixer replacement
I also supported replacement of an aging chlorine dioxide mixer in a harsh pulp-mill chemical environment. The work involved materials and details that had to suit the service conditions, including titanium valves, 317L stainless steel, fiberglass components, and Derakane epoxy vinyl ester resin.
That project required coordination across safety, maintenance, operations, materials, procurement, contractors, and installation planning. In that environment, the design and material choices mattered because the equipment had to survive chemical exposure and fit into an operating industrial system.
Drawings, procurement, and contractor coordination
My work also included preparing RFQs and RFPs, using weighted criteria for contractor selection, and producing technical information needed by fabricators and contractors. I designed machinery bases and lifting equipment in SolidWorks and produced manufacturing, assembly, layout, foundation, and lifting drawings.
Those drawings were not just documentation. They were part of the handoff between engineering intent, fabrication, installation, safety planning, and field execution. In an industrial environment, unclear drawings or incomplete scope can quickly turn into shutdown risk, contractor confusion, or unsafe work conditions.
An early-career lift
This work came early in my career, but the systems and consequences were large. It put me in the middle of operating industrial infrastructure, environmental constraints, old structures, contractor decisions, hazardous-service equipment, and shutdown pressure.
The pattern still shows up in my later work: understand the system, verify the field condition, involve the right people, and find the practical path that lets the work move forward safely.
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Strata governance and building management
My mixed-use strata corporation had been operating with informal systems that were difficult to sustain as maintenance, communication, financial oversight, and governance needs grew. The building includes residential units and commercial units, which meant decisions had to balance owner, tenant, contractor, business, resident, council, and budget considerations.
Over multiple terms as Strata President, and later as the building’s on-site Building Manager, I helped bring more structure, transparency, and accountability to the way the strata operated. The work combined governance leadership with hands-on building operations: council coordination, owner communication, contractor management, budget planning, maintenance scheduling, legal and bylaw review, and practical troubleshooting.
Taking over a mixed-use strata with informal systems
When I first became president, the building was self-managed and did not have enough repeatable structure to support clear decision-making, consistent maintenance, and owner confidence. Information was difficult to access, processes were informal, and council responsibilities depended too heavily on individual memory.
The challenge was to improve the way the strata operated without overbuilding the system. A small strata has limited funds, volunteer council members, and a mix of residential and commercial stakeholders, so the solution had to be organized enough to be useful and simple enough to maintain.
Building clearer governance and communication
I helped standardize the way council handled communication, records, contractors, budgets, meetings, and owner-facing decisions. That included clearer processes for monthly council work, AGM and SGM preparation, maintenance planning, contractor coordination, and owner communication.
To improve transparency during the self-managed period, I set up a dedicated email system and an owner-only website for notices, documents, updates, and communication. That became less necessary after the strata later transitioned to professional management, but it helped establish a more organized operating culture when the strata needed it.
I also created AGM and SGM packages and helped establish fairer, more transparent voting processes for building-wide decisions. The goal was to make council work easier to understand, easier to document, and less dependent on one person holding all the context.
Improving financial and maintenance planning
I rebuilt and managed financial tracking spreadsheets, supported annual budgeting, and used the depreciation report to inform short- and long-term maintenance planning. That helped connect governance decisions to building reality: what needed attention, what could wait, what should be budgeted, and what risks needed to be planned for.
I also developed digital filing systems, owner communication templates, contractor records, maintenance schedules, and procedural references. Much of the operational information was organized in Trello so recurring tasks, contractor follow-up, and building knowledge had a clearer place to live.
During the self-managed period, I renegotiated waste management and elevator maintenance contracts, saving over $8,200 annually. I also initiated a lighting retrofit that saved approximately $600 annually and paid back in less than four years.
Coordinating contractors and building operations
On the operational side, I coordinated and supported a wide range of building issues, including plumbing failures, minor repairs, contractor access, maintenance follow-up, owner concerns, and general troubleshooting. I evaluated and coordinated contractors for building maintenance and capital work, while helping council understand what needed to be handled internally, what needed a contractor, and what needed professional review.
I reviewed bylaws, contracts, depreciation reports, insurance documents, legal correspondence, and Strata Property Act requirements to help council make more informed decisions and reduce risk. Where needed, I used CHOA and legal counsel as resources to support more reliable governance decisions.
Transitioning to professional management
After roughly three years of self-management, I helped transition the strata to a professional strata management company. The goal was not simply to hand off the work, but to leave behind clearer records, improved procedures, and a more financially disciplined operating structure so the transition would not erase the context that had been built.
Since returning to council, I have also taken on the practical role of on-site Building Manager. Because I am in the building and understand its history, owners, contractors, and recurring issues, I can often identify problems earlier, coordinate responses more efficiently, and help keep both contractors and the strata management company accountable.
Bringing it home
The result is a building operation with clearer records, better maintenance planning, stronger communication, more useful financial tools, and a closer connection between governance decisions and site reality.
The work took long-term stewardship rather than a one-time fix: bringing structure to a messy system, managing competing owner and tenant interests, improving accountability, and combining practical technical judgment with steady communication over time.
