Momentum supported the team led by BBBL on behalf of Public Services and Procurement Canada to undertake a regulatory review of the Gilles-Marceau building in Saguenay, where the Revenue Agency offices are located. Part of the review included an assessment of fire evacuation scenarios, which was conducted using Momentum’s innovative dynamic microsimulation modelling tools.

Momentum collaborated with the client and the design team to determine three realistic fire scenarios that would impact the movement of people evacuating the Gilles-Marceau building. These scenarios, along with a baseline scenario of evacuation without a specific fire location, were modelled using the Legion SpaceWorks software and were based on the worst-case occupancy of the building, when the two employee shifts overlap. The evacuation time was calculated and compared to regulatory standards and guidance from the US and Europe to assess the building’s performance and identify any necessary changes to the building layout to reduce evacuation times.

The Chase Center is the highly anticipated mixed-use, multi-purpose arena set to be the impressive new home for the five-time NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors. Located along the coastline of Mission Bay in San Francisco, the Chase Center will offer a state-of-the-art indoor venue designed to host a variety of major events, from sports and concerts to conventions and shows. The arena will be complemented by approximately 3 acres of landscaped public space and new retail outlets to serve the surrounding community.

Led by our modelling and analytical expertise, Momentum supported the arena during the preliminary design stages with crowd flow and traffic modelling to ensure the best design provisions were made to improve the circulation of visitors and spectators before, during, and after event times. As part of our involvement during the preliminary design stages of the Chase Center, Momentum led the preparation of traffic models that incorporated key elements of the stadium parking area to help assess the anticipated impacts of event day traffic on the surrounding highway network. Thanks to our ability to provide robust and detailed operational car parking models, we were able to assist the design team in understanding potential queues outside the stadium, while also enabling internal stakeholders to better estimate the demand for shuttle services and coaches.

Momentum is supporting Provencher Roy in the development of the 20-year master plan for the Concordia University campuses in Montreal, to plan for a significant increase in the student population in the coming years. Momentum is assisting the architects and the University by analysing the transportation conditions around the site and developing a transportation strategy to better integrate sustainable transport.

Momentum analysed the issues of internal mobility on campus. This analysis included a thorough diagnostic of pedestrian routes, an assessment of operational needs, as well as an evaluation of the external circulation challenges related to access to both campuses via public and active transport. Based on the results of the sustainable mobility analysis, Momentum is developing planning and design recommendations to improve the experience of students and staff moving to and through the campus, and to facilitate operations without compromising the safety and comfort of pedestrians. Momentum’s assessments will guide the development of both campuses. Our recommendations will enable the University to create spaces that are well connected and can meet the mobility needs of future users, while ensuring harmonious coexistence with surrounding neighbourhoods and integration with current and future projects in the vicinity of the campuses.

Following the adoption of its strategic plan in 2019, the Toronto Zoo sought to update its conceptual site plan based on the new directions identified. These include goals for sustainability, environmental conservation, and education. The strategic plan also aims to better integrate the Zoo into its urban environment. Momentum was part of the Mandaworks design team to provide recommendations for improving visitor mobility and operations.

Based on the mapping of the Zoo’s internal traffic movements, the Mandaworks and Momentum teams identified four broad categories of issues:

• Optimise the number of vehicles travelling within the site;
• Plan roads shared between operational vehicles and pedestrian visitors;
• Facilitate visitors’ wayfinding around the site without complicating the signage;
• Deploy multimodal solutions to navigate the site.

Momentum developed a mobility toolkit to help the Zoo better address the four major challenges. Objectives were identified for each challenge, and concrete actions were proposed to meet these objectives. Examples of inspiring projects carried out by zoos, urban parks, and botanical gardens in Canada and internationally were also provided to support the ideas

Momentum was mandated by McGill University to prepare a logistics and waste management study for the Neuro Hospital and the Lyman-Duff Pavilion. The primary objective of the study was to identify potential solutions for relocating the waste management compactors, currently located in the Royal-Victoria Hospital, which will be inaccessible due to the ongoing renovation work for the Royal-Vic project.

The work began with a phase of stakeholder consultation to identify the current logistics processes of each stakeholder and their waste and logistics needs. This information was used to assess the usage of current logistics areas and to evaluate the potential increase in activity at each area. Additionally, vehicle tracking analysis was employed to determine the largest vehicle that can access each area and identify issues with the current site characteristics. A key element studied was the volume of different types of waste generated by the complex and how this is currently managed internally by the university.

Three potential solutions for waste management were proposed, along with a complementary solution for logistics to improve efficiency. These solutions suggested significant changes to the current logistics in terms of frequency, compactor sizes, and the size of collection vehicles, which required further exploration with contractors.

The results of the analysis informed the client about the complexity of their waste and logistics operations and provided actionable solutions to be implemented in the short term once the current logistics zone of the hospital becomes inaccessible.

Phase 6 of the Marché Central proposes the redevelopment of the current location of the Montreal Maraichers to provide a newly built and improved pedestrian-friendly environment. Momentum’s collaboration with the design team aims to enable this sustainability objective by moving ahead with creating a people-first built environment and by reducing the internal car movements, while improving mobility. This will contribute to creating an inclusive retail experience attracting all types of visitors and providing a safe and comfortable experience.

The Momentum team collaborated with Ædifica for the future development of Phase 6 of the Marché Central. The objective of the mobility study was to quantify the future multimodal mobility generated by the site in order to develop the site’s connectivity with the surrounding neighborhoods and offer an improved pedestrian experience.

We set out several recommendations which constitute the transportation strategy supporting the sustainable and pedestrian vision for the scheme. We took the recommendations further to develop a detailed Transportation and mobility flow strategy on and around the site by setting out the forecast travel demand at different times of the day and analysing how people will travel to, from and within the site. The strategy was supported by a trip generation study, a transport specification study and an OD matrix. Momentum also advised on design elements proposed by Ædifica related to active transportation routes, surface and underground parking and access for pedestrians.

The Montreal Olympic Stadium Tower is undergoing a major redevelopment of its tourist and entertainment spaces to offer a unique experience with a 360-degree view of Montreal from the top of the tower. Visitor access is proposed at the ground floor level, via the funicular, connecting to the rest of the Stadium as well as the wider Olympic Park. The top of the tower is being redesigned by the architects Lemay to offer three levels for visitors, including an observatory, an Eco-walk attraction, and a corporate level.

In order to validate these developments, and particularly the issues of security and fire standards, Momentum conducted several analyses to evaluate the building’s capacities, as well as the management of visitor flows, both in normal circumstances and in case of evacuation. A static analysis was first carried out to assess pedestrian density in public spaces, according to several scenarios during peak hours, when the funicular is operating at full capacity. Following this analysis, recommendations were made for the design of waiting areas and ticketing desks. A second dynamic analysis, using pedestrian modelling, was undertaken to test the detailed design plans and to provide recommendations for the operation and design of the visitor areas. The Legion software was used to illustrate pedestrian density, waiting times at congestion points, visitor movements on the different floors, as well as the operational parameters recommended for the elevators. Potential zones for content presentation and technology deployment were identified on the plans for the future activation of internal spaces.

Through the acquisition of a new site near the Marché Bonsecours, PHI (which includes the PHI Centre and the PHI Foundation) aims to create a new hub dedicated to artistic and cultural creation, named PHI Contemporary. In partnership with L’Enclume, Momentum was commissioned to conduct a study on the local impact and potential of the site to inform the City of Montreal as well as international architects wishing to bid on its design.

The analysis was based on the current travel patterns of visitors and PHI Centre staff, as well as the PHI Centre’s delivery, waste collection, and parking, cycling, and vehicle equipment needs. The preliminary recommendations presented are based on best practices in mobility from here and elsewhere. An in-depth analysis of the future site’s mobility needs, including its integration into Ville-Marie’s highway and pedestrian network, future ridership patterns, and the necessary infrastructure, allowed for the determination of the potential of the Bonsecours site to promote sustainable transportation. The study also highlighted the cultural impact the future PHI Contemporary could have on the eastern part of Old Montreal, and the neighbouring cultural attractions.

The New San Francisco Flower Mart project proposes the redevelopment of the current location of the flower market in San Francisco to provide a newly built and improved development offering new land uses on the site including creative office space, retail and restaurant activities. The project, at the heart of the fast-changing SF neighbourhood of SOMA, will create a new urban destination and improve the visitor experience at the San Francisco Flower Mart for the general public.

Momentum has undertaken observations and collected data on the current logistics and operation of the site including: movement of vehicles, loading/unloading activities at the flower market, and movement of goods within and around the flower market. The information collected on the current flower market was used to analyse the requirements for the new SFFM. Logistics requirements were added for the commercial scheme, meaning the office and retail land uses proposed in the future development.

The dynamic pedestrian modelling tested the expected crowd density and pedestrian level of service in the lift lobby areas of the proposed buildings, the paseo between the wholesale Flower Mart building and the Market Hall building and the surrounding pedestrian facilities.

The City of Mississauga (sixth largest in Canada by population) plans to introduce a shared dockless micromobility service that offers a useful mode of transport for residents, workers and visitors.

Image credit Kevin Cabral