News and Events

2013 - Award of Excellence for the Red River Floodway Inlet Control Structure Trunnion Anchor Replacement

Reliable operation of the gates at the Floodway Inlet Control Structure is critical to protecting Winnipeg during large floods.  The gates have performed well for over 45 years, however, life extension measures are now required to ensure the gates continue to provide reliable protection.  These measures include replacing the anchors that secure the gate trunnions (hinges) to the concrete.  Project challenges included: tight timelines, unprecedented drilling and tensioning methods, replacing and tensioning  44 anchors with a total load of 11 million pounds, precise 3D drilling and machining within confined spaces. The project was completed ahead of schedule and below budget.

Project Description Summary

2013 - Award of Excellence for the GE Aviation Engine Testing, Research and Development Centre

In 2010, General Electric Aviation formed a partnership with StandardAero to construct a state of the art jet engine certification test centre in Winnipeg. StandardAero engaged a diversified project team including Hanuschak Consultants Inc., KGS Group, and MCW/AGE to provide engineering design services for the test centre. The team provided expertise in structural, electrical, mechanical, and project management to support the design and a highly collaborative 3D model was developed to coordinate the project and combat an aggressive project schedule. The project was successfully delivered on schedule and on budget due to focused and coordinated design and construction.

Project Description Summary

2013 - Award of Merit for the Pointe du Bois Spillway Replacement Project, Eco-Hydraulic Studies

The Pointe du Bois Generating Station is the oldest hydroelectric plant in operation in Manitoba. Manitoba Hydro decided to replace the aging spillway facilities with a modern spillway to meet current dam safety standards. Because the Winnipeg River hosts a productive Lake Sturgeon fishery, the environmental effects of the spillway replacement were carefully assessed. KGS Group and North/South Consultants combined state of the art 3D modeling with site-specific Habitat Suitability Modeling at a level of sophistication not previously undertaken. This approach proved to be instrumental in defining the project arrangement and obtaining the project license to commence construction on schedule.

Project Description Summary

2013 - Award of Merit for the Red River Floodway Inlet Control Structure Mechanical and Electrical Upgrades

SNC - Lavalin in conjunction with KGS Group were engaged by the Manitoba Floodway Authority to perform a detailed risk based analysis of the Floodway Inlet Control Structure. The outcome of the analysis resulted in the development of detailed mitigation strategies and subsequent construction to ensure that the existing systems within the original design continue to operate effectively, and to incorporate additional reliability and redundancy into the facility. The objectives for the project included the achievement of an additional 50 years of operating life with reliable operations during that period to satisfy a 1 in 700-year flood capability for the Floodway system. The upgrades included specific measures for improvement to mechanical and electrical systems and were accomplished under demanding circumstances associated with access, complexity, weather and time limitations.

2012 - Tekla North American BIM Award for Best Concrete Project

KGS Group was awarded the Tekla 2012 North American BIM Award for Best Concrete Project and was automatically entered into the Global BIM Awards which took place this December, 2012. The Manitoba Hydro Spillway Replacement project, was designed using Tekla software to successfully model and co-ordinate its design. Winners can be viewed at, http://www.tekla.com/us/Documents/BIM-awards-2012/winners.html.

KGS Group was the first Canadian company to ever win this award.

2012 - Keystone Award for the 2011 Assiniboine River Flood Emergency Engineering Project

The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Manitoba (ACEC) (formerly Consulting Engineers of Manitoba (CEM)) Annual Awards of Excellence in Consulting Engineering serves to foster and promote the provision of exceptional product and service locally, nationally, and internationally. The event further serves to inform the public that standards of excellence exist and are being met in Manitoba, and to promote the services of Manitoba's Consulting Engineers in their work at home and abroad. The event offers two levels of awards to successful entrants under six engineering categories: Award of Merit and Award of Excellence. The prestigious Keystone Award is presented each year for the event’s best overall project that is selected from the Award of Excellence recipients. KGS Group has won a number of these awards, the prestigious Keystone Award being one of them.

An interview with Steve Ashton, Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation
Consulting engineers key players in 2011 Assiniboine River flood mitigation