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NPC's Legends on the Niagara - Chippawa; Niagara, ON List of Photos: (14 of) 1.
Construction Sign
Project History and Background: This massive complex is the first of its kind in Canada, featuring two 18-hole championship courses, a 9-hole executive course, and a 45 acre 360degree circular practice facility set on a 750acre site at the historical Chippawa Battlefield just minutes from The Falls in Niagara, Ontario. The Complex also features a 19acre clubhouse pond. The South Course was designed by Canadian golf architect Thomas McBroom and is called 'Ussher's Creek', a tributary of the Niagara River that is actually part of the course. The North Course was designed by another Canadian architect, Doug Carrick and is called 'Battlefied' since it is located adjacent to the actual 1812 battleground of Chippawa. The 9-hole course will be called 'Chippawa' after the people of the Village of Chippawa. The clubhouse, designed by the Ventin Group Architects, is a two storey building approximately 35,000 square feet in size with a large sloping cedar roof and stone walls that conjures up the image of a 19th century fort. The Upper Level of the clubhouse features banquet areas opening to a main lobby on one side and an exterior terrace on the other with a view of the course beyond. A gallery hall will draw the visitors to the restaurant that also opens to the exterior terrace. A retail pro-shop with a separate entry will allow golfers to pick up any items they need before making their way out to the course. The Lower Level offers locker and shower facilities and access to an exterior walkway along the lake edge. The golf carts are neatly stored on the Lower Level and are steps away from the pro-shop and bag-drop areas. This Golf Complex will undoubtedly attain world-class status and will be recognized for its quality, playability, and style. Electrical Aspects: Electrical Power Distribution System: Axiom Engineering's primary goal for the electrical distribution system was to provide a reliable source of power to the multitude of computer systems present throughout the building. The renovated areas were being completely stripped of the old systems and re-fitted to match the new areas. The non-linear (or non-sinusoidal) electrical load associated with computers, coupled with the high density mechanical loads required for the building's HVAC system presented an environment for serious power quality problems in the form of harmonic distortion and load imbalance on the power lines. The effects of harmonics could lead to: overheating of connectors and conductors resulting in fire or overvoltage damage; transformer overheating resulting in intermittent electrical noise that can corrupt digital signals as well as premature transformer failure; and failure of circuit breakers to trip properly resulting in a possible fire hazard and/or equipment damage. Since the clubhouse also
contains two banquet halls with a full-service kitchen and large walk-in
coolers and freezers, maintaining power to such cooling equipment was also
deemed important. Although the Niagara Parks Commission had several hours
before food would spoil, it was determined that provision for a portable
generator plug-in point would be prudent. An exterior recess-mounted polarized
plug-in system was incorporated with connection to a manually-initiated
automatic power transfer system with internal logic. This system is able
to monitor the normal and emergency power connections and indicates which
system is operating within acceptable parameters for connection to the
building's distribution system. Upon depressing the transfer-initiate pushbutton,
the transfer switch transfers power to the next available acceptable power
source. Should the alternate power source not fall within preset limits,
the transfer will not take place. This 'smart' system makes emergency power
transfer as simple as possible, preventing potentially dangerous situations
from occurring.
Lightning Protection and Early Warning System: Given that this golf course and clubhouse form part of a world-class event venue, lightning protection for the clubhouse, ancillary buildings, and patrons was of paramount concern to the Niagara Parks Commission (NPC). Key to this decision was the realization that traditional rainy weather is not a requirement for lightning strike activity. The clubhouse and ancillary buildings were fitted with an air-terminal based lightning protection system, with a buried grounding loop. The grounding rods are installed within test-wells where they can be regularly inspected and tested to ensure their effectiveness. The bare copper conductors were routed within crevasses formed in the cedar shingle roof to minimize their visual impact, with down-conductors concealed within the building's vertical elements. While this system provides protection against direct-strike for the building and its occupants, patrons out on the courses are not. An early warning lightning detection system was specified to address this concern. The system is able to detect near and far-range lightning strikes by measuring electric field intensities via a sensing antenna mounted at grade level. A portable base station in the clubhouse allows for fine tuning of sensitivity and visual and audible local warnings sound. Upon reaching a preset critical level of impending lightning strike possibility, the system sends a signal to exterior roof-mounted warning horns that are aimed to each sector surrounding the clubhouse to provide patrons such early warning so they can make their way back to the clubhouse, car, or other safe area. During championship events, this early detection system can be used to impartially call off the event in case of potentially dangerous conditions. Lighting Systems: Emergency lighting was achieved using an AC inverter system that allowed the use of the normal luminaires to provide emergency lighting upon loss of normal power. This reduced the number of conductor and conduit systems we required and was much more aesthetically pleasing that the alternative of remote lighting heads installed at 30 foot intervals throughout the corridors. Having a central source of emergency power that has built-in diagnostics with remote monitoring capabilities also facilitates the maintenance and troubleshooting aspects of the emergency lighting system. Final Comments: Legend on the Niagara was
a unique project and an amalgamation of the design efforts of the Owner,
Architect, and the team of Engineering Consultants. Axiom Engineering and
congratulate the Niagara Parks Commission for their new impressive Golf
Complex.
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