November 2, 2021
At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ottawa Civic Hospital needed to quickly add an emergency field hospital extension to accommodate 40 additional beds. This structure was erected in the hospital parking lot and the AIL Sound Walls team was tasked with expediting the design and supply of a Silent Protector (Absorptive) sound barrier wall to enclose the associated equipment farm.
The mechanical equipment was on a curved slab immediately against a busy traffic laneway. This meant our noise barrier wall had to not only follow the curve, but it also needed to integrate a safety guardrail. The other challenge was that the sound wall needed to be installed quickly, in a very limited workspace, once construction started.
Sound barrier wall installed quickly with minimal traffic interruption
This was a highly publicized project in Ottawa and we worked diligently with our partners, BLT Construction Services (General Contractor) and The Hughson Group (Wall Installation Subcontractor), to ensure that we met expectations and came in on time and on budget. Thanks to our Engineering Team’s efforts, our wall followed the slab’s radius accurately and all of our panels fit properly.
With the ease of our lightweight PVC system, Hughson was able to install the posts first, only blocking one lane of traffic for a short time. After the posts were in place, they were able to install the panels from the slab side without impacting traffic flow. Had they used a competitor’s product, the roadway may have been shut down for days.
One of the key stakeholders from the Ottawa hospital stopped by to congratulate the Hughson team, telling them how pleased he was with the project and insisting that Hughson put one of their decals on the barrier so that everyone could see who had installed it.
