Following the 2017 wildfires in Waterton National Park, The HIDI Group was part of the team engaged to build the new 1000 m², $17 million dollar visitor’s centre. The project consisted of a three building development which includes the main interpretive building, the administration building and the seasonal washrooms. The building was envisioned as a multi-use, assembly space that includes a 100 person theater in addition to the interpretive displays. The visitor centre was also developed with a focus on Indigenous programing.

The mechanical systems included displacement ventilation with high efficiency heat recovery and a condensing boiler system serving the perimeter heating system. The mechanical design was coordinated extensively to suit the exposed timber/CLT structure, architectural vision, and the interpretive program requirements. The following were a couple examples:

Routing of all the main sprinkler piping so that it was hidden within the roof structure,
Provision of dry pipe sprinkler systems to suit the extensive building combustible overhangs,
Integration of displacement ventilation grilles into the display walls and guest seating,
Design of internal air conditioning units to address potential extreme snowfall accumulation,

The mechanical system solutions were selected based on suitability for the proposed occupancy, ease of operation and maintenance, and to facilitate future equipment replacement projects. The project was targeted for LEED Silver certification.