Little Mountain Reservoir Reconstruction

About This Project

At its heart, engineering is about using science to find creative, practical solutions. It is a noble profession. – Queen Elizabeth II

A Lot Happening on Little Mountain

Little Mountain Reservoir is part of Metro Vancouver’s water distribution system and is built into a hillside within Queen Elizabeth Park, in the City of Vancouver. Due to its age and vulnerability to a major seismic event, Metro Vancouver decided to replace the reservoir with a new facility on the same site. The top of the existing reservoir serves as a parking lot for many of the park attractions, including MacMillan Bloedel Conservatory, Seasons in the Park restaurant, a lawn bowling club, and Queen Elizabeth Gardens. Considering the close proximity of these attractions to the construction site and the presence of nearby residences, noise from demolition and construction was a major concern. To address this concern, BKL Consultants was retained to predict, assess, and recommend means of mitigating noise impact.

Up to the Task

The first stage of BKL’s overall scope of work included modelling of construction equipment and activities to predict overall noise exposures at various receptor locations. This was done for the two stages of construction that were expected to create the highest noise exposure. The resultant noise impact on park users and residents was assessed considering both absolute noise levels and predicted increases above existing ambient levels. This required 24-hour ambient noise monitoring, carried out at eight locations within and adjacent to the park.

The Finish

Noise mitigation measures recommended by BKL included temporary noise barriers, limits on equipment noise emission and numerous other noise control requirements that were incorporated into the construction contract. Throughout the planning phase of the project, Metro Vancouver held information sessions for residents and park users and BKL’s project engineer attended to explain and discuss noise mitigation efforts.

The People Behind Our Work

Our Technical Leads
Our Team

Brigette Martin

P.Eng., WELL AP

Technical Director, Sound and Vibration Measurements

Brigette Martin, P.Eng., WELL AP

Technical Director, Sound and Vibration Measurements

Brigette Martin graduated from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2009. Before joining BKL in 2015, Brigette worked as an acoustic consultant on various building and environmental projects throughout New Zealand and Australia.

Brigette has extensive experience with environmental noise including assessing noise impacts and designing noise mitigation for gas compressor and pump stations, power generation sites, port terminals, and transformers sites; modelling construction noise, and developing construction noise abatement and management plans; designing noise controls and preparing noise management plans for mines and quarries; and monitoring benchmark noise, developing 3-D noise models, and designing noise walls for road infrastructure projects.

In the area of building acoustics, Brigette has been involved in numerous projects and has consulted on sound insulation and mechanical services design, as well as controlling external noise intrusion and reverberation noise levels, and optimizing speech clarity for critical spaces.

Over her career, Brigette has gained experience with a wide range of technical equipment and software including Insul, SoundPLAN, Cadna/A, SONarchitect, Brüel & Kjær analyzers, and numerous other sound level meters.

Brigette has also developed and presented training courses for using acoustical software and sound level meters for acoustical engineers and clients throughout New Zealand and Australia.
Trevor Cheng

P.Eng., MIOA

Managing Specialist Acoustical Consultant

Trevor Cheng, P.Eng., MIOA

Managing Specialist Acoustical Consultant

Trevor Cheng holds a bachelor of applied science (engineering physics) from University of British Columbia and joined BKL in January 2016, with experience in environmental and architectural acoustics, as well as condition monitoring, and machine vibration analysis and diagnostics.

With BKL, Trevor has primarily been involved in transportation, commercial, industrial, and infrastructure projects. His work experience includes measuring baseline noise conditions, predicting future noise environments, assessing noise impact, and offering mitigation measures where appropriate.

Trevor also has experience in architectural acoustics, working on hospitals, performance spaces, and multipurpose buildings. He is proficient in measuring noise insulation performance, reviewing building designs, and predicting noise levels from HVAC equipment.

Prior to joining BKL, Trevor worked in London, UK, on a wide variety of projects ranging from large-scale architectural renovations to major airport improvement works. He has unique experience in measuring and assessing noise and vibration in buildings from underground rail sources.

He also has experience using sound level meters by Brüel & Kjær, Norsonic, and Larson Davis, and software tools such as Cadna/A. He is familiar with ASTC/AIIC testing and using acoustic software including Insul, SONarchitect, and EASE for indoor noise predictions.

Trevor is a member of the Institute of Acoustics (IOA) in the UK.