CHUM Hospital (HVAC), Montreal, Quebec

• Building Type: Medical
• Consultant: Design Build/Pageau Morel
• Main Contractor: Pomerleau
• MEP Contractor: BATIVAC
• Building Structure: Concrete
• Services: HVAC

The Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM Hospital) in Montreal, Quebec is one of two major healthcare networks in the city. It is a teaching institution affiliated with the French-language Université de Montréal and is one of the largest hospitals in Canada. The hospital provides over 349,000m² floor space and delivers 772 single-bed rooms.

The 22-storey concrete building is a design and build a hospital project and has LEED silver level status.

For this project, Gripple was asked to supply the suspension kits for ductwork across the building. The biggest challenge this project faced was the tight void spaces and overcrowding with the other services meant cable was ideal as it provided a flexible suspension solution during the installation process, which became rigid once fully installed.

The logistic side of on-site handling the Duct Trapeze and Express hanger kits was a huge bonus to the contractor as they benefitted from having thousands of cables/ supports in a singular box making it easier to move fewer parts around the site, along with reducing the load on the building structure.

With various duct sizes been installed across the project the use of Gripple systems accommodated for each piece of duct, along with allowing the contractor to order two Gripple part-codes rather than multiple different traditional parts.

Both cable bracing kits are load rated at 45 kg with a 5:1 safety factor and are up to 6 times faster to install than traditional methods.

“The material handling was very important to me on this project because we have several floors and the site takes a long time to get around. With Gripple, we carry a couple of boxes and can hang several hundred hangers per day. Easy to accept delivery and takes half the manpower to install. I also can install my hangers’ way in advance as cable does not bend.”
Jean-Guy Malette, Foreman, BATIVAC