BUILDINGS
Bibliothèque Guy-Bélisle in St-Eustache, Quebec
The library was one of several projects to win design awards of excellence from the Quebec chapter of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC-ICCA) at a gala held in Laval on October 8. The award went to SDK et associés, structural engineers, ACDF Architecture, Sofab and Opron Construction in the commercial-institutional category.
TRANSPORTATION
Waterloo bridge
spans Grand River
Construction was recently completed on the Fairway Road Grand River Bridge, which connects Kitchener and Cambridge in the Region of Waterloo, southern Ontario. The crossing is the largest bridge ever constructed by the Region. It consists of a four-span, high-level, variable depth, post-tensioned, cast-in-place, twin-box girder segmental structure measuring 237 metres long. It has a main span of 95 metres over the river and carries four lanes of traffic with multi-use sidewalks.
MMM Group was the prime consultan for both the design and construction administration.
PROFESSION
Stark questions posed
to Elliott Lake panels
On November 18-21 roundtables were held in Ottawa as a follow-up to evidence given at the Elliot Lake Commission of Inquiry. Justice Paul Belanger called for the roundtables to seek expert advice on subjects related to public safety that had arisen during the hearings. into the collapsed mall.
The panelists considered questions such as:
• Should the term “prime consultant” be defined and the roles and responsibilities be clearly enunciated?
• The Algo Centre Mall included an open air parking lot over occupied space. Are you aware of other commercial buildings in Canada of similar design and construction? Are there problems with this kind of structure which need to be addressed by consultants?
• Should Professional Engineers Ontario adopt a system of mandatory continuing education as do other professional engineering licensing bodies?
• Should PEO adopt guidelines for structural engineering practice and independent reviews similar to those now published by APEGBC and which resulted from the inquiry into the Station Square collapse in Burnaby, B.C. in 1988?
• Should PEO, OAA and OACETT provide guidelines with clearer standards for the inspection of an existing building?
The roundtable participants included representatives from Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), the Ontario Architects Association (OAA), the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT), the Ontario Buildings Officials Association and organizations representing insurers and building owners.
STRUCTURES
Wood Centre under way
In downtown Prince George, B.C., work is under way on the tallest contemporary all-wood building in North America.
At over 29 metres high, with seven stories, the Wood Innovation and Design Centre will use 1,800 cubic metres of wood and wood engineered products manufactured in B.C. It will include research and classroom space for the University of Northern BC’s new master degree program in wood engineering and science.
Consultants are Michael Green Architecture, Equilibrium Consulting (structural), B.R. Thorson, RDH Building Engineering, MMM Group and Opus DaytonKnight.
PROFESSION
Problems in bill to amend
Quebec Engineering Act
The Association of Consulting Engineers of Quebec (AICQ) submitted a brief to the National Assembly on November 12 regarding hearings on Bill 49. The bill proposes changes to Quebec’s Professional Engineers Act, Architects Act and legislation for geologists, chemists and agronomists.
AICQ said that overall the association is “satisfied” with the bill and its long-awaited revisions to the legislative framework. However, AICQ also has concerns, such as that the proposals seem to exclude engineers from doing work on the building envelope.
AICQ would also like the law to specify that engineers have a role in the field of sustainable development and supervision.
And whereas the bill recommends that engineers should keep documents related to a project for its entire life cycle, AICQ recommends this period should be limited to 10 years.
POWER
Timiskaming Dam complex first phase opens
Repairs to the Quebec portion of the Timiskaming Dam complex have been completed.
Located in the Ottawa River 65 kilometres northeast of North Bay, the complex consists of two structurally independent dams, one in Quebec and the other in Ontario, joined by an island in the river. An interprovincial roadway runs along the top.
The dams were built in 1909-1913 by the Government of Canada and consist of concrete structures with sluices and removable stop logs.
CIMA+ SENC of Gatineau were consulting engineers on the $800,000 Quebec Dam repairs, which included installing new steel supports under the existing concrete slab.
Meanwhile Hatch of Niagara Falls has a $1.9 million contract from the federal government to do engineering design for the larger and more complex work of entirely replacing the Ontario Dam. An environmental effects evaluation was due this fall.
PEOPLE
Martin Roy is LEED Fellow
Martin Roy, ing., has become the first Quebec engineer to be designated a LEED Fellow. The tribute was given at the Greenbuild conference in Philadelphia on November 21 by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Seven Canadians have been made LEED Fellows so far. The designation honours expertise, leadership, innovation, and dedication to green building.
Roy was one of the first LEED-certified professionals and a member of the Canada Green Building Council. His firm, Martin Roy et Associés, is near Montreal.
COMPANIES
50 years at Crossey Engineering
Crossey Engineering celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The company was founded by Ted Crossey, a mechanical engineer, on Charles Street in downtown Toronto. After being joined by Ron Firman, an electrical engineer, the office expanded quickly and moved to north Toronto. In 1992 Wally Eley and Clive Lacey took over the leadership and in 2000 the company established Consullux Lighting and other specialist groups. .
The company’s portfolio includes the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Four Season Opera House, Toronto; and Palm Island, Dubai.
POWER
Sunnybrook hospital helps stabilize
Ontario grid
Large electricity consumers in the Toronto area have joined a network to help balance the Ontario power system. Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Collingwood Public Utilities, Walmart, McMaster University, and Atlantic Packaging are on the Enbala Ontario Grid Balance network. It automatically fine tunes their power needs second-by-second in real time. The system is designed to give a 4-MW demand response.
MATERIALS
Wood First questioned
At the CONVERGE 2013 conference held in Vancouver in October, members of the National Coalition for Fair Construction Practices expressed concerns with the wood industry. Members are upset over a campaign to have governments mandate the use of wood over other materials for public projects.
TOOLS
Free app from
Vancouver engineers
Fast + Epp, structural engineers in Vancouver, have developed a free iPhone app that allows architects and engineers to assess the feasibility of a project before they do more detailed design. http://fastepp.com/index.php/en/concept-app
