News Potpourri – urban transport ideas, concrete roads, data centres, etc.

Bombardier has launched a competition inviting people to submit new ideas for sustainable mobility in the urban environment. The YouCity competition applies to existing well developed cities, or as theoretical projects for cities of the future. It already has some ideas proposed, including a new multimodal monorail system that allows small electric vehicles to be integrated into it in an organic manner. The competition is open to students and professionals from anywhere in the world. Winners receive 2000 euro dollars and an all expenses paid trip to Berlin in September for the InnoTrans trade fair, which focuses on the rail transport industyr. To submit ideas and for more information, visit http://youcity.bombardier.com, or click here.

The Cement Association of Canada and the Ready-Mixed Concrete Association of Ontario applauded the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure on a decision that will enable concrete bids to be accepted for arterial roads. The concrete industry claims that the Ministry saved over $45 million on 10 recent freeway projects that were awarded for concrete paving vs. traditional asphalt.

“Women in HVACR” is an international organization focused on promoting careers for women in the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration industry. It held a networking session during the CMX/CIPHEX conference and trade show in Toronto in March. (For information, e-mail spapp@hrai.ca.)

ASHRAE is proposing a change to the energy standard for data centres, to recognize the role that system efficiencies – v. only equipment – can play in reducing energy consumption. Drake Erbe, the vice chair of the Standard 90.1 committee, says: “We recognize that equipment used in buildings is reaching maximum capabilities in energy efficiency. We now must examine the role that system efficiencies play in saving energy. Inclusion of data centers in the standard was a step in that direction.”

The Society for Design Administration (SDA) has entered a strategic alliance and endorsement agreement with ARCOM. SDA is an organization for administrative personnel from design firms across the U.S. and Canada. ARCOM publishes the MasterSpec and SpecText master specification systems.