Mount Pearl, Newfoundland offers a peaceful retreat from the provincial capital of St. Johns. Originally a small town, Mount Pearl has grown to a population of 24,000 as of September 2021. The area is surrounded by natural beauty including national parks, large mountains, and the North Atlantic Ocean.
Designed by TRACT Consulting Inc. in 2016, St David’s Park features various amenities, making it a hub for local events and activities. Thanks to joint funding from Infrastructure Canada, the provincial Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, and the City of Mount Pearl itself, a smart accessible playground was installed in October of 2023 to replace outdated equipment. In total, $900,000 was granted to the park's team for essential upgrades to the playground such as the replacement of current infrastructure and equipment, accessibility upgrades like ramps, and two gender-neutral washrooms with adult changing tables.
To make the playground equipment smart, the developers chose to use the Biba app to encourage physical activity and enable parents and park managers to monitor usage.
When designing the washrooms, the mechanical engineering team, Jewer Bailey Consultants, had to abide by the standards outlined in the 2020 Canadian National Building Code; specifically 9.32. Ventilation, which concerns exhaust ventilation, to deal with obnoxious odors.
Section 3.5, Ventilation Systems Not Used in Conjunction with Forced Air Heating Systems, sentence (2) states,
“An outdoor air supply fan shall be installed with a rated capacity within ±10% of the actual normal operating exhaust capacity of the exhaust fan installed to satisfy the requirement for a principal ventilation fan."
What this sentence tells the designers is that the supply airflow of the ventilation system must be within 10% of the exhaust airflow. This standard ensures balanced airflow throughout the rooms (even if the air pressure scheme is slightly positive).
Both washrooms needed exhaust ventilation to move the stale, musty air out. Since there are 3 rooms in total within this ancillary space, two washrooms and a mechanical room, each space needed exhaust ventilation to keep the same air going out across the three spaces.
Therefore, the designers chose to use a HERO® Fresh Air Appliance. This appliance exhausts stale air from each of the rooms. Before being removed to the outdoors, the exhaust air is brought through a separate channel within the counterflow core, warming the core as air is removed from the building’s envelope. Simultaneously, the appliance brings in an equal amount of fresh air through another channel within the core to keep the pressure equal throughout each space. As the fresh, Canadian air is brought in, it is tempered through the core before being introduced inside; lightening the load on the baseboard heaters.
The revamped playground at St. David’s Park gives local families an equal opportunity to enjoy playground equipment thanks to the many accessibility upgrades. It also encourages children to transform their screen time into a tool to be more active. For parents, it encourages them to be more involved with how their children play by acting as the mediator between fantasy and reality. Overall, the playground is a welcome addition for all residents in the area, and the accessibility upgrades ensure all children have an equal chance at play.
