The evolution of building science at NAIT

By Mehdi Zahed, Architect AAA, Ph.D. c., MRAIC

Overall building performance in Canada and coldclimate buildings, as well as special considerations of the economic, social and environmental sustainability landscape in Alberta, makes the topic of Building Science an unconditionally important subject. A brief definition for Building Science provided by

WBDG is: “Building science is a field of knowledge that draws upon physics, chemistry, engineering, architecture, and the life sciences”.

Back in 2011 when I joined ‎the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), I was assigned to teach the building science and building envelope courses in the Construction Engineering Technology program. The focus of CET is construction management and project control, incorporating the practical, local construction with the theoretical framework of Building Science. The course covers the fundamental theories of Building Science and incorporates hands-on experience with an expected outcome of being able to assess and adequately diagnose building envelope problems and propose constructible remedial solutions.

Later on, I had the opportunity to also help with the Architectural Technology program. Many courses have a close relationship with the fundamentals of Building Science, with objectives including: building material and methods, building systems, working drawings, plan and section generation and computer applications, including Building Information Modelling (BIM). Without any hesitation, I can say that the courses’ syllabi and content integration at NAIT, as well as the internal cohesiveness among the topics, theoretical bases and design projects, all revolve around the key concepts of building science fundamentals.

The Architectural Technology program at NAIT not only has the fundamentals of architectural design built into the courses, but also has a strong mandate to educate and graduate qualified technologists who properly incorporate design excellence and industry standards to produce effective drawing sets for building construction. The program sequentially divides the courses based on the type of structural system employed, starting in the first year with wood frame construction, then concrete and masonry buildings. In the second year of school, steel structures are introduced in the program outcomes. These courses deliver substantial technical knowledge about materials, methods, systems, drafting technologies, industry standards and software applications.

As a tangible example of the process of envelope and façade design, our students learn technical terminology and the practical meaning of key concepts such as airtightness, envelope leakage, moisture barrier, water management system, thermal insulation and thermal bridging in order to be able to practically utilize them in drawings and specifications. In this important and contemporary area of sustainability, our courses not only address the social and economic aspects of the topic, but also deeply explore concepts like energy efficiency, renewable energy use, natural lighting, thermal comfort and durability, all in the context of local construction, tied with architectural design.

Another interesting fact about NAIT is that all programs have an advisory committee that includes seasoned industry experts with experience and a sharp vision about the market and labour needs of the field. Programs collect the latest needs of the industry yearly and re-design courses based on those current market needs. This is an example of an objective-based outcome system used in polytechnic education in Alberta. I would encourage all industry experts, including the Building Science Specialists of Alberta, to reach out to the program chairs and the Associate Dean of Industry-Engagement in the School of Applied Science and Technology (SAST) at NAIT to advocate for their field and have a voice in polytechnic education in the growing Alberta economy. n