Canadian Consulting Engineer May 2015 by Annex Business Media

For professional engineers in private practice

MAY 2015

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contents

May 2015 Volume 56, No. 3

features Cover: Data centre at 45 Parliament Street and Front Street E. in downtown Toronto. Photo courtesy Urbacon. See story p. 20.

Critically Complex — Data Centre Design. Far from being off-theshelf corporate commodities, these facilities need a carefully engineered approach. By Peter Sharp, IBI Group 16 Data Centres Downtown. Outside their architecture fits in with the pedestrian context. Inside they protect banks of machines. By Tanya Enberg, Urbacon 20 Teaching in Green. The award-winning Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario Headquarters in Toronto. By Christopher Piché, P.Eng., Integral Group

Dancing with Physics. Engineering for the largest buildingintegrated photovoltaic system in Canada at the Jeanne & Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre in Camrose, Alberta. By Gordon Howell, P.Eng. Howell Mayhew Engineering 28

Teaching in Green, Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario Headquarters, Toronto. See story p. 24.

The Alternative Village. A unique research site at the University of Manitoba is populated by straw bale and other unconventional structures. By Leona Krahn 34 Night Cooling. A new technology exploits the radiant heat losses from earth to cool buildings. By Victoria Hollick, Conserval Engineering 37

departments Comment

Up Front

ACEC Review

Products

Advertiser Index

Next issue: Flood defence in Alberta; industrial eco-zones; coping with algae; water treatment and distribution.

Very Small Nuclear Reactors. Small modular reactors could be the energy answer for Canada’s remote communities and mines. By Brian Gihm, P.Eng., Hatch 38

on topic ENGINEERS & THE LAW Dismissed Employees: What’s Fair? The rule of thumb for how much compensation an employee should be given does not hold up in court. By Cole L. Lefebvre, Miller Thomson 42

CONVERSATIONS Harold Orr, Pioneer An engineer who helped design the Saskatchewan Conservation House in the 1970s has received the international Passive House Institute award. 46

May 2015

Canadian Consulting Engineer

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comment FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS IN PRIVATE PRACTICE

engineer C A N A D I A N C O N S U LT I N G

Privatizing innovation means privatizing information

uring the interview with Harold Orr (p. 46), recalled that during the 1970s oil crisis he and other government and academic researchers sat around a table under the charge of the Saskatchewan government’s research arm. With oil prices surging, they were asked to design a house that used solar energy instead of oil. The solar technology ended up being too expensive to maintain in those early days and wasn’t successful. But the simpler idea that Orr championed of adding piles of insulation to the house structure and making sure the air barrier was completely sealed caught on. It has become a mainstay of energy-efficient building. Today we don’t hear much about governments doing independent research or initiating new types of construction. Funding for innovation is funnelled largely to the private sector, whether micro-sized start-ups or huge corporations. So whereas this magazine used to be able to publish regular articles about the research being done in laboratories at Ottawa’s National Research Council’s Institute for Research in Construction, there has been little information emerging from there since it refocused to the private sector. Another federal agency, Sustainable Development Technology Canada, invests millions to private companies developing technologies. As for provincial examples: Ontario is funding private technological innovation in the water sector, and Alberta partners with oil sands companies to help them find more sustainable ways of extracting black gold. Universities do research, but they too are embedded with private sponsors. Everyone is pinning their hopes for a brighter future on the private sector. Certainly corporations and entrepreneurs are more nimble and responsive to the market. As I write, the media is full of talk about Tesla’s latest invention, a compact 10 kWh solar battery for off-grid homes. Nuclear companies are coming up with their own small-scale solutions (see p. 38). But from our point of view as a publication, the privatization of innovation makes it difficult to get unbiased, transparent information out to readers about new building technologies. The private sector companies are guarded about the results of their research. So, for example, sustainable wall systems made of materials like hemp are being tested and monitored at the Alternative Village at the University of Manitoba (see p. 34). But there were no results to report, apparently due to concerns about releasing proprietary information. And when companies do announce what seems to be an exciting new invention, for example the night cooling system by Conserval (p. 37), we are torn between wanting to tell our readers, while at the same time realizing we are coming close to crossing the perilous line between providing readers with independent editorial information and promoting manufacturer products. Without having non-biased, independent research results from government and academic sources, we find that if we want to tell readers about new ways of building and new technologies, we must rely increasingly on the manufacturers of those products to provide the articles and information. Bronwen Parsons

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com

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Editor

Bronwen Parsons (416) 510-5119 bparsons@ccemag.com Senior Publisher

Maureen Levy (416) 510-5111 mlevy@ccemag.com Art Director

Jessica Sharpe Contributing Editor

Rosalind Cairncross, P.Eng. Advertising Sales Manager

Vince Naccarato (416) 510-5118 vnaccarato@ccemag.com Editorial Advisors

Bruce Bodden, P.Eng., Gerald Epp, P.Eng., Chris Newcomb, P.Eng., Laurier Nichols, ing., Lee Norton, P.Eng., Jonathan Rubes, P.Eng., Paul Ruffell, P.Eng., Andrew Steeves, P.Eng. Circulation

Barbara Adelt (416) 442-5600 x3546 E-mail: badelt@bizinfogroup.ca Production Co-ordinator

Kim Collins (416) 510-6779 Vice President, Annex Business Media East

Tim Dimopoulos (416) 510-5100 tdimopoulos@canadianmanufacturing.com President & CEO

Mike Fredericks mfredericks@annexweb.com CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER is published by Annex Publishing & Printing Inc.

80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9 Tel: (416) 442-5600 Fax: (416) 510-5134 EDITORIAL PURPOSE: Canadian Consulting Engineer magazine covers innovative engineering projects, news and business information for professional engineers engaged in private consulting practice. The editors assume no liability for the accuracy of the text or its fitness for any particular purpose. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Canada, 1 year $60.95; 2 years $91.95 + taxes Single copy $8.00 Cdn + taxes. (HST 86717 2652 RT0001). United States U.S. $60.95. Foreign U.S. $60.95. PRINTED IN CANADA. Title registered at Trademarks Office, Ottawa. Copyright 1964. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the consent of the copyright owner(s). ISSN: 0712-4996 (print), ISSN: 1923-3337 (digital) POSTAL INFORMATION: Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Circulation Dept., Canadian Consulting Engineer, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9. USPS 016-099. US office of publication: 2424 Niagara Falls Blvd., Niagara Falls, NY 14304-5709. Periodicals postage paid at Niagara Falls, NY. US Postmaster: send address changes to Canadian Consulting Engineer, PO Box 1118, Niagara Falls NY 14304. PRIVACY: From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us. tel: 1-800-668-2374, fax: 416-510-5134,

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

May 2015

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Government of Canada

up front

ENVIRONMENT

Ontario to cap-and-trade greenhouse gases The Ontario government announced on April 13 that it will implement a cap-and-trade system for companies that are large greenhouse gas emitters. A company that emits above a threshold has to Artist's rendering of new St. Lawrence Bridge, Montreal. INFRASTRUCTURE

SNC-Lavalin wins St. Lawrence Bridge project with “best price” The federal government has selected a consortia led by SNC-Lavalin to build the new bridge to eventually replace the Champlain Bridge over the St. Lawrence River in Montreal. SNC-Lavalin is the lead member of the “Signature on the St. Lawrence Group," which includes MMM, TY Lin and International Bridge Technologies Canada. According to the announcement by Minister of Infrastructure, Denis Lebel, the consortium was selected over two others, “because its proposal met all the technical criteria required for the project, and offered the best price possible for taxpayers.” The new bridge will be immediately downstream from the existing bridge, and will connect from Ile-des-Seours to communities on the South Shore. It will be a tripartite corridor, with a road section for vehicles, another section for a planned light-rail transit line, and a third for pedestrians and cyclists.

The estimated cost is between $3 billion and $5 billion and the work is expected to create 30,000 jobs. The government wants the crossing to be a “world-class corridor” and earlier put in place a program to ensure that the architecture is worthy of its status as the “gateway to Montreal.” Arup engineers led the team that came up with the architectural concept, working with Dissing+Weitling and Provencher Roy. The architectural review panel included the City of Montreal, Heritage Montreal, the Order of Architects and the Order of Engineers (OIQ). The SNC-Lavalin consortium will be responsible for the final design, “with some flexibility to choose construction materials and techniques.” The two other consortia that submitted proposals were the Saint-Laurent Alliance which included Kiewit, WSP, Buckland & Taylor and Parsons Brinckerhoff Halsall; and the St. Lawrence New Bridge Partnership which included Hatch Mott MacDonald and Dessau (now Stantec). AWARDS

Canadian Niagara Power Forebay Bridge reconstructed.

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Bob Rae at Consulting Engineers of Ontario Awards Consulting Engineers of Ontario (CEO) held the 2015 Ontario Consulting Engineering Awards Gala on April 18 in Mississauga. This year the association is celebrating its 40th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Ontario Premier Kath-

buy permits from those that emit less. The arrangements are set up using an auctioning system. It is expected trading will be tied in with systems in Quebec and California. Alberta has had a levy system for large greenhouse gas emitters since 2007 and was Canada’s first province to do so. British Columbia has had a simple carbon tax since 2008 whereby it adds a tax to every tonne of carbon burned. PROFESSION

B.C. engineers evenly split on professional development Engineers in British Columbia have responded by an even split for and against a proposal to have manda-

In a an

tory professional development.

Le ga vi

The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C. (APEGBC) reported that of 5,168 respondents to the survey,

28.6% were in favour of a manda-

• • • • •

tory professional development program, and 28.6% were against. The remaining 42.8% were unsure. A bylaw on the question will be put to the vote in the fall. continued on page 8

May 2015

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continued from page 6

leen Wynne addressed the crowd by a video message, while another special guest was the Honourable Bob Rae, former Premier of Ontario in 1990-95 and Interim leader of the federal Liberal Party. The evening’s keynote speaker was the Honourable Michael Coteau, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport who is responsible for the upcoming 2015 Pan/Parapan Am Games. The "Willis Chipman" top award, went to ELLIS Engineering for their innovative approach to reconstructing the Canadian Niagara Power Forebay Bridge while preserving the original stonework of the arch structure. Awards of Excellence were awarded in categories according to firm size. Winners were R.E. Poisson Engineering (1-25 employees) for Upgrading the Campbellville Well House in Halton; Cowater International (26-50) for Rural Water and Sanitation Projects; Associated Engineering (51-100) for the Oakville Water Purification Plant; Halsall Associates (100-350) for the CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Aquatics Centre and Field House in Toronto; and Hatch Mott MacDonald (350+) for expanding the Keswick Water Pollution Control Plant. AWARDS

Champlain Bridge emergency retrofit wins ACEC-BC award Top award from the Association of Consulting Engineering CompaniesB.C. went to a project that dealt with

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com

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Fast + Epp

up front

Kin Centre, Prince George, B.C.

an emergency situation on a bridge in Montreal. The awards gala was held on April 10 at the Vancouver Conference Centre West . The Hon. Judith Guichon presented the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Engineering Excellence to Buckland & Taylor for the "Champlain Bridge Superbeam and Modular Truss Project." When a major flexural crack was discovered in one of the post-tensioned girders of the 6-kilometre crossing an emergency remediation was done in 48 hours. Awards of Excellence went to the Kin Centre Complex in Prince George by Fast + Epp (buildings); the Kamloops Sewage Treatment Centre Upgrades by Urban Systems (municipal and civil infrastructure); the Nanaimo Reservoir No. 1 and Energy Recovery Facility by Associated Engineering (energy and industry); and Building Envelope Thermal Bridging Guide by Morrison Hershfield for BC Hydro Power Smart (soft engineering). The Meritorious Achievement Award went to John Collings, P.Eng. of

ENERGY

Hydro-Québec to build $1.4 billion transmission line The Government of Quebec has decided it will go ahead with constructing a 400-km hydro-electricity transmission line. The 735-kV, $1.4-billion project will be the first major new transmission line that Hydro-Québec has constructed in 20 years. It will bring power from the Lac St-Jean region to Montreal. AECOM, CIMA+ and WSP were involved in the planning and preparation of the project, which has received environmental approval. PROFESSION

PEO appoints first president from visible minority Professional Engineers Ontario appointed Thomas Chong, P.Eng. as its 96th president on April 25 in Toronto. Chong is the first member of a visible minority to be elected president since the inception of PEO in 1922. A fellow of Engineers Canada, he works as a senior system lead with the Ministry of Health Thomas and Long-term Care. Chong

May 2015

2015-05-08 10:47 AM

up front Collings Johnston. He is a leader in the transportation industry in B.C. The Young Professional Award went to Mark Byram, P.Eng. of Levelton Consultants. COMPANIES

Executive shuffles at big firms April was a month of change at the top executive levels for three of the largest consulting engineering firms operating in Canada. At CH2M (the company has now dropped "HILL") Alan Cary is now overseeing all its Canadian operations. Alan Cary As Regional Managing Director, Cary will be based in Calgary, the company's Canadian headquarters. He succeeds Tom Searle as head of CH2M in Canada. Cary came to CH2M from his most recent post as president of SNC-Lavalin Fayez Engineering in Saudi Arabia. Another executive also made the move from SNC-Lavalin, this time to Golder. Dr. Hisham Mahmoud was appointed the president and chief execuHisham tive of global operaMahmoud tions at Golder Associates on April 29. He is located in Atlanta, Georgia, making him the first Golder president to be outside Canada. He had joined SNC-Lavalin just in 2013 as part of the new executive team. Mahmoud succeeds Brian Conlin as Golder Associates' global president and chief executive officer. Meanwhile SNC-Lavalin has rearranged its own top table, appointing Neil G. Bruce to a newly created position of chief operating officer. Bruce joined Neil Bruce the company in 2013 and led the company's acquisition of Kentz, a large U.K. company. He will now be based in Montreal.

PEOPLE

Principal of DIALOG dies in skiing accident Tom Sutherland, an architect and managing principal of DIALOG, died suddenly in a skiing accident on April 3. Sutherland, aged 53, was vacation-

Tom Sutherland

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May 2015

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Canadian Consulting Engineer5/6/2015 9

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ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERING COMPANIES | REVIEW

CHAIR’S MESSAGE

We must reflect the society we serve

onsulting engineers share the unique privilege of shaping the world and contributing to the quality of life we enjoy as Canadians. It is a responsibility we do not take lightly and it is one we must embrace as our industry continues to change alongside an evolving society. Therefore, in order to fully and meaningfully meet this responsibility, we must strive to truly reflect our diverse society. Such diversity takes us one step closer to our goal of being a profession and an industry that is recognized for our achievements and regarded as trusted advisors to society. In fact, if we consider engineering to be a nexus that integrates scientific and technical knowledge with societal needs and values, then diversity will allow us to do our job better. Furthermore, our industry is at the precipice of transformation and it is imperative that we work collectively to align our business models with new realities and new ways of doing business. As competition for talent increases

worldwide, it becomes vital that we remove any barriers to recruiting and retaining top talent in the consulting engineering sector. When I talk to students about a career in consulting engineering, I tell them that it involves interdisciplinary teams working together to find innovative solutions. The challenges that consulting engineers are hired to tackle require a diverse team of individuals, each of whom bring his or her specialized skills to the table. It is the diversity of our skills that drives our project success; it shouldn’t be a surprise that diversity on our teams within our firms also benefits the bottom line. I encourage all those in a position of leadership to take up this challenge and look for ways to increase diversity and inclusion in your firm and clear the talent pipeline into the industry. Let’s commit to reflecting the society we serve to realize the successful, trusted and sustainable industry Canadians deserve. ANNE POSCHMANN, P.ENG. CHAIR, ACEC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MESSAGE DE LA PRÉSIDENTE DU CONSEIL

Nous devons refléter la société que nous servons

es ingénieurs-conseils partagent le privilège unique de pouvoir façonner notre monde et contribuer à la qualité de vie des Canadiens. C’est une responsabilité que nous ne prenons pas à la légère et qui nous appartient alors que notre industrie continue de changer à mesure que la société évolue. Ainsi, pour nous acquitter de cette responsabilité d’une manière significative, nous devons tout faire pour réellement refléter la diversité de notre société. Cette diversité nous rapproche de notre but d’être une profession et une industrie qui est reconnue pour ses réalisations et que les ingénieurs soient considérés comme conseillers de confiance auprès de la société. En fait, si nous considérons l’ingénierie comme un point focal qui intègre les connaissances scientifiques et techniques aux valeurs et aux besoins de la société, alors la diversité nous permettra de faire notre travail encore mieux. De plus, notre industrie étant au bord d’une transformation, il nous est impératif de travailler ensemble pour aligner nos modèles de gestion aux nouvelles réalités et aux nouvelles manières de gérer nos firmes. Comme la concurrence pour de nouveaux talents s’intensifie partout dans le monde, il est devenu essentiel d’éliminer les obstacles au

recrutement et au maintien des meilleurs talents dans le secteur canadien du génie-conseil. Lorsque je parle à des étudiants et étudiantes en génie des possibilités de carrière en génie-conseil, je leur dit qu’il s’agit d’équipes interdisciplinaires qui travaillent ensemble pour trouver des solutions innovatrices. Les défis que les ingénieurs-conseils sont appelés à relever requièrent des équipes où chaque membre apporte ses compétences spécialisées ou même uniques. C’est la diversité de nos compétences qui assure le succès de nos projets. Il n’est donc pas étonnant que la diversité de nos équipes de projet contribue également à nos bénéfices. J’encourage tous ceux et celles qui occupent des postes cadres dans notre industrie à relever ce défi, à trouver de nouvelles manières d’accroître la diversité et l’inclusion dans leurs firmes et de profiter des talents qui s’offrent à notre industrie. C’est pourquoi je vous propose de refléter la société que nous servons pour continuer d’assurer l’importance de notre industrie, la qualité de nos services et notre statut en tant que conseillers de confiance auprès des Canadiens. ANNE POSCHMANN, P.ENG. PRÉSIDENTE DU CONSEIL DE L’AFIC

May 2015 Canadian Consulting Engineer

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ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERING COMPANIES | REVIEW

Selecting enterprise software in the professional services industry – Choosing a vendor

By Barry Goman, AMR Group Limited

his article is part two of “Selecting Enterprise Software in the Professional Services Industry,” which appeared in the May 2014 issue of Canadian Consulting Engineer (p. 12). Part one reviewed the benefits of ERP (enterprise resource planning) software and highlighted important guidelines for evaluating and selecting alternative systems. Part two continues with the focus shifting to choosing a software vendor. Finding software vendors These days, a short-list of candidates (we suggest 3-5 firms) can be assembled fairly quickly using Internet research, speaking with industry peers about their experiences and contacting companies or consultants specializing in software “matchmaking.” Many vendor websites are extremely informative and helpful to individuals charged with gathering preliminary ERP solution information. Examples of resources available include product videos, software fact sheets, customer case studies and customer testimonials. Also, vendor personnel will generally give freely of their time to help with the preliminary assessment of the software “fit.” Evaluating vendors Key steps to successfully evaluating vendors include clearly and concisely documenting needs and priorities.

This will help ensure requirements are completely addressed. ERP solutions should not be demonstrated exclusively using vendor data. Presentations should be set up to allow participants to compare and contrast the functionality of the different solutions as easily as possible. Note that too many customizations or “workarounds” increase risk (for example, failure to implement, delays and cost overruns) and should be closely examined. Weighted evaluation criteria can be used to differentiate ERP solutions and facilitate a final decision. Assessments by the evaluation team should be done on a timely basis throughout the process. Examples of criteria, that can be broken down g r o further and assigned a

share of the total points, include: (a) Software fit (how well vendors meet functional requirements) – 35 points (b) References – 15 points (c) Vendor and VAR (value added reseller) capabilities and stability – 20 points (d) Vendor implementation plan and delivery timeline – 5 points (e) Cost – 25 points. This phase of the ERP selection process concludes with the signing of software, software maintenance and services purchase agreements. Next, preparation of an implementation plan takes center stage!

Barry Goman, CMC, is Managing Director with AMR Group Limited, www. amrgroup.ca.

Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Canada (ACEC-Canada), 420-130 Albert Street, Ottawa, ON, K1P 5G4, tel: (613) 236-0569, fax: (613) 236-6193, info@acec.ca, www.acec.ca. ACEC Member Organizations: Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – British Columbia, Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Yukon, Consulting Engineers of Alberta, Consulting Engineers of Northwest Territories, Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Saskatchewan, Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Manitoba, Consulting Engineers of Ontario, Association des Ingénieursconseils du Québec, Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – New Brunswick, Consulting Engineers of Nova Scotia, Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Prince Edward Island, Consulting Engineers of Newfoundland and Labrador. 12

Canadian Consulting Engineer

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May 2015

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ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERING COMPANIES | REVIEW

Building together, smarter

he Institute for BIM in Canada (IBC) was established in 2010 and, according to its website, “leads and facilitates the coordinated use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the design, construction and management of the Canadian built environment.” BIM is part of a wider network of solutions aimed at improving the performance and increasing the value generated by the Canadian architecture, engineering, construction, owner and operator (AECOO) community. ACEC spoke with IBC Vice-Chair and Steering Committee member Bill Moore, Technical Services Production Manager with Associated Engineering in Calgary, about IBC and its championing of BIM in Canada.

Importance of BIM Q: IBC makes it easier for the Canadian consulting engineering sector, and other related industries, to use BIM. Generally speaking, why is BIM important? What are the benefits of BIM? BIM is a cornerstone of better practice, a way to improve collaboration in the industry and a way to better support project delivery across the entire project lifecycle. When correctly implemented, BIM allows better access to up-to-date and relevant asset information, which in turn supports better understanding and better decision making. In some cases, BIM, combined with other innovative project delivery approaches, has shown upwards of a 10% reduction in construction costs and the elimination of change orders. Over the course of an Left: Bill Moore, Technical Services Production Manager with Associated Engineering, is IBC ViceChair and a Steering Committee member

asset’s lifecycle, the benefits of BIM are supposed to be even greater, though we’ve only begun to scratch the surface in this regard. The list of IBC’s priorities include an awareness program, a practice manual, a bibliography of useful resources, and a full environmental scan/assessment on the use of BIM in Canada and internationally. Resources Q: In 2014, IBC released several resources to facilitate the use of BIM, including the BIM Contract Appendix, the BIM PxP Toolkit Package and the Benefits of BIM for Owners document. How do these resources improve upon what is already available for project delivery? Prior to the release of the BIM Contract Appendix, no such Canadian BIM contract existed. The Appendix dovetails into already existing, well-known contracts. It acts as a common, legal basis for the use of BIM between collaborating parties. It employs straightforward language and contains important provisions to protect all parties and shield them from undue liability. The BIM PxP Toolkit Package was designed to support the process of creating a BIM Project Execution Plan (PxP) that was based upon widely accepted guidelines. Each of the three Toolkits in the package is aimed at guiding users through the process of applying the PxP for a project and provide unique commentary and examples from the perspective of the three project phases: design development, construction and handover and maintenance. Benefits of BIM for Owners is designed to be an approachable introduction to BIM for building owners and operators. As many of the impacts of BIM can positively impact owners, it is important to bring them into the process as early as possible. This document helps own-

ers understand why an engineer or architect might suggest using BIM on a project and how this will directly benefit them. It looks at case studies and other evidence and lays out the tangible results BIM can provide. buildingSMART International and buildingSMART Canada buildingSMART International (bSI) began in 1995 as a private alliance of 12 companies assembled to prove the viability and benefits of interoperability in building design and construction. Today bSI is the “International home of openBIM” and is organized into regional chapters, including buildingSMART Canada (bSC), founded in 2011 and operated by IBC. Q: As the operator of buildingSMART Canada, how has IBC and the promotion of BIM in Canada benefited from participation in buildingSMART International? Initiating the buildingSMART Canada chapter was instrumental in connecting IBC to the global BIM movement. As the Canadian chapter of buildingSMART International, we collaborate with BIM thought leaders around the world. These relationships provide Canada with invaluable insight as to how BIM is advancing in other countries and how they are managing this transformation. Our involvement enables Canada to contribute to the development of international standards and data exchange formats relative to the needs of the Canadian built environment. The buildingSMART International community is also very active in developing tools and approaches for the effective application of BIM and evaluating and sharing results. With its active membership in bSI, buildingSMART Canada and IBC are better positioned continued on page 14

May 2015 Canadian Consulting Engineer

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ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERING COMPANIES | REVIEW

to bring this knowledge back to industry and ensure that the Canadian AECOO community remains relevant on the world stage. Q: Last year, IBC opened bSC to membership. Now, firms, associations, students and individuals can become part of a community of organizations and experts developing, implementing and maintaining BIM standards. What are some of the benefits of a bSC membership? A bSC membership allows members to: • Collaborate with Canada’s BIM thought leaders and receive clarity related to the discreet needs of the extended project team. • Gain exposure to the advances in BIM internationally and understand

the challenges and solutions BIM presents in other countries. • Gain valuable insight into the direction of the global market and influence trends before they become common practice. • Participate in the development of international standards and the opportunity to adapt them for Canadian practice. • Contribute to and influence the development of national BIM resources produced by bSC. Looking ahead Q: What can we look forward to from IBC in 2015? The biggest step is the Roadmap to Lifecycle BIM for the Canadian AECOO Community, published in January

Why does infrastructure need to be an election issue? Infrastructure is a core responsibility of government and decisive leadership is needed in 2015 and onward. Infrastructure grows the economy, strengthens communities and protects the environment. It creates jobs and prosperity.

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Pourquoi l’infrastructure doit-elle être un enjeu électoral? L’infrastructure étant une responsabilité fondamentale du gouvernement, il nous faut un leadership décisif en 2015 et pour l’avenir. L’infrastructure est un moteur de notre croissance économique. Elle renforce nos collectivités, elle protège l’environnement, elle crée des emplois, et elle contribue à notre prospérité. Des investissements soutenus et prévisibles dans l’infrastructure assurent un excellent rendement pour les gouvernements, les contribuables et l’ensemble des Canadiens.

Investment in infrastructure is an investment in our prosperity.

Investir dans notre infrastructure, c’est investir dans notre prospérité.

WWW.ACEC.CA • @ACECCanada

Canadian Consulting Engineer

The resources named in this article are available for purchase or free download at www.ibc-bim.ca and www. buildingsmartcanada.ca. Learn more about IBC’s future direction in the May issue of ACEC’s newsletter, Source. Visit www.acec.ca/source.

Sustained, predictable infrastructure investment makes good business sense for governments, taxpayers and all Canadians.

#VoteInfrastructure

2015. The roadmap sets a clear way forward for the widespread adoption and implementation of BIM in Canada. We’ve laid out the core elements and tasks and set clear targets to help the Canadian AECOO community move towards BIM. We are actively seeking out and engaging with anyone who is interested in supporting this effort and developing and accomplishing the tasks laid out in the roadmap.

#VotezInfrastructure

WWW.ACEC.CA • @ACECCanada

May 2015

2015-05-08 10:49 AM

The Logical Choice for Green Buildings

solutions for sustainability Approximately one out of every four LEED Platinum-Certified commercial buildings in British Columbia depend on Reliable Controls.

James Puritch

Vice President, R&D Camosun & UVic Co-op Alumnus

Headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, in a modern and environmentally constructed LEED Platinum-Certified facility, we design and develop internet-connected building controls for a wide range of green buildings, including schools, hospitals, universities, recreational and commercial facilities. To learn more about our solutions for sustainability, and opportunities in the green buildings industry, please visit our website or sign-up for a facility tour at: www.reliablecontrols.com/corporate/facility/tour.php

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hvac

CRITICALLY COMPLEX Photo courtesy of Hossana Ashagrie, GTAA

Data Centre Design

s consulting engineers we ply our trade by solving problems, typically problems that require a technical analysis as a step towards meeting some organizationally beneficial goal. We offer to the owner — our prospective client — the benefit of our scientific knowledge, analytical skills, technical experience and our capability to devise economical and viable solutions. Expectations of excellence seem all the more likely to be achieved when the engineer has a thorough knowledge of what the client does and wants. We know this to be true because no request for proposal (RFP) for professional and consulting service is written that does not place some degree of importance on the need for the consultant to have 16

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Data centre facilities are far from being commodity, "off the shelf" designs. They require a team that can identify HVAC and electrical systems for each owner's precise business needs.

"done it before" and to provide examples of their experience with projects of a similar nature. But do the benefits of having the consultant possess prior expert knowledge of the owner’s business still have significance if the subject is a commodity item? And data centres are rapidly being perceived — rightly or wrongly — as a commodity. To be a commodity an item is so familiar that there seems little need for an expert to prepare solutions that were once viewed as complex; solutions can be taken "off the shelf." Is the educated owner so familiar with the fulfillment of a data centre design that there is little room for a consultant’s expertise? What are the expectations of the owner in

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hvac

By Peter Sharp, IBI Group

issuing an RFP? Why is the owner pursuing a course that has tolerance only for their preconceived solution? Where is the true value of the consultant if their only purpose is to draft and seal contract drawings? In preparing an RFP most owners will call for the consultant to provide an organization chart detailing how the design team will be constituted and assembled. Included at a minimum will be the project manager, the mechanical, electrical, structural, and civil engineers, and for anything but the simplest refit, there will also be an architect — or at least there ought to be. Everyone is necessarily involved to keep the job moving, on track, and in line with what the owner wants. Inevitably missing from the consultant’s "org chart" will be Inside the data centre one individual that some inof the Integrated formed owners are unwittingly Operations Control asking to be included, unaware Centre at Toronto's of their own prescience. That Pearson International Airport. individual is the “Technical Liaison” between owner and the design team. Sophisticated facilities such as data centres have a pressing need for the services of a design team that includes a Technical Liaison, someone who as an engineer, or designer or technician, has an intimate working knowledge of the Information Systems world and who can identify the owner’s operational, business and performance requirements and articulate them to the engineers for execution in the design. Design dictated by the business It might be a disaster recovery business continuity centre, a bank data processing centre, a utility operations control centre, a transit authority operations and control centre, or a "co-location" data facility, each of these are technical spaces for the operation of equipment that is deemed by a business to be indispensable. Whatever the project, the design requirements of data centres and IT facilities will be dictated by the business. First, the facility must meet the functional demands and deliver service without interruption. It must be economical to operate, be able to survive a local disaster; and cause no unnecessary harm to the environmental ecosystem. To

Keeping operations flowing at Toronto Pearson International Airport For the Toronto Lester B. Pearson International airport to provide client services to 39 million travelers and 433,000 aircraft movements as it did in 2014, over 50 technical and operations support staff work around the clock within the airport’s Integrated Operations Control Centre. They coordinate gate schedules, ground services, customer safety, operations management and public safety. Within the walls of the 700-m2 control centre, which is itself a critical facility with redundant double capacity power and HVAC, there exists a data centre providing uninterrupted support for the over 50 real-time on-line computer applications that are essential to the airport’s business operations. As an annex to the airport’s twice double redundant data processing centres, the IOCC data centre provides further power and cooling diversity as protection against unwanted service interruptions. The compact data centre achieves a higher than average power density by the use of full air containment using flexible hot air chimneys above the equipment cabinets. Heat exhaust of 10 kW per cabinet is circulated through overhead air return ducting and supplied through an underfloor air supply plenum left completely free of obstruction by placing all services overhead. Copper twisted pair and optical fibre Ethernet network cabling double-home to each networked device to ensure no single failure will impair the operations. Power distribution from tap-boxes and overhead power busways provides easy access to power disconnects and assures the airport of flexibility to accommodate future growth and system changes. IBI Group was the consultant for all engineering and architecture in the Integrated Operations Control Centre.

these requirements must be applied the design constraints, which vary from cause to cause: green field or brown field; size of real estate available; capacity of available electrical power; investment limitations; proximity to sources of interference, to a market, to services, to consumers of noise or air pollution; issues of municipal zoning, and more. continued on page 18

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continued from page 17

Power Use Effectiveness rears its ugly head Today, the governing factor of heat and power density is how much equipment can be accommodated in a single data cabinet. Part of the engineer’s challenge is to design around a varying value. Some cabinets will be strictly passive and have no heat exhaust, whereas others will operate with a demand of 25–30 kW per cabinet. A more typical high number is 15 kW. The tradeoff is real estate versus air flow. Cabinets themselves offer resistance to the high air flow required to maintain safe working temperatures for the equipment inside. If the air flow can be reduced, so too can Cooling options: just open the windows? the power required to push the air around. Power to move The design equation begins and ends with heat. Injecting air follows a "square" law, so twice the air volume requires energy into the facility is easy: provide electrical power — four times the motivating power. Here the dreaded and lots of it. Removing the energy is another matter. Although much misapplied metric of PUE — Power Usage Effectiveoptions have been tried such as direct cooling of the active ness — rears its ugly head. equipment by chilled liquid, the most beneficial arrangePUE is supposed to provide the owner a measure of just ment today is still forced air cooling. how good the engineer is at the job of designing a high efAnother option that was first seen as sarcastic — just ficiency facility. But there are so many ways to cheat the open the windows and let the heat out — has taken on a equation that it has ceased to provide any value, except as real existence: unconditioned free air cooling, where out- an operations optimization metric. By way of example, conside fresh air is blown through the facility, is a reality, but sider that every server assembly includes an array of fans to extreme care has to be taken when applying these simplis- deliver cooling air to its hot interior. As the numbers get tic solutions. Contaminated "fresh air" will destroy equip- crunched and the interior components tend to be hotter, so ment in no time. Attractive as free cooling may be in re- the air flow increases. At high air flow rates the energy exducing the bills, the owner will pay pended in the server fans becomes PUE is supposed to provide by a reduced equipment lifecycle. disproportionate to the useful energy, On the other hand, a short equipthe owner a measure of just but this energy is still accounted for in ment life cycle may not be an issue if the PUE equation as "IT equipment" how good the engineer is at load, not "Facility" load. This pushes the business case refreshes equipthe job of designing a high ment annually. And not all free air the PUE down. In contrast, using the cooling is bad quality. more efficient fans in the air handlers efficiency facility. There are many forms of cooling to increase the static pressure of the that take advantage of evaporation as a highly effective conditioned air in the data centre will lighten the load economizing technique and they are economic alterna- placed on the server fans. This pushes the PUE up. The tives to more traditional methods. more efficient arrangement has the higher PUE! Here then The price for air or water side economizers is footprint. is an example of how failure to take in the "big picture" can The engineer can design a space using free air and evapora- lead to unwanted yet rewarded results. The engineer’s chaltive cooling and meet a specific target performance efficien- lenge is to keep the big picture front and centre and not to cy, but the system will be larger than another using conven- allow the simplistic to prevail. tional chillers with the same heat rejection capacity. Higher efficiency heat rejection systems can often re- Uninterrupted power: pros and cons of batteries sult in architectural sprawl, whereas a chiller plus chilled and flywheels water system has the topographical benefit of allowing a How to provide continuous power was at one time a de facto separation between heat source and heat exhaust, giving decision, namely to provide a battery, charge it while utility the architect more options. power is available, and discharge it through power inverters Rejecting heat wouldn’t be the problem if there and hence to the equipment when it is not. This imperfect weren’t so much of it. Although the trend of increasing process — one that rectifies the supply to DC for the battery heat loads doesn’t follow anything as simple as "Moore’s and inverts it to AC for the load — has an energy cost, so Law," the demands for data processing equipment follow technology has endeavoured to reduce the inefficiencies of their own "more" law: more software applications, more the double conversion process and with it reduce the risk of data, more equipment, more servers, more data storage, component failure. Numerous options are available to the more space, more power, and more availability. engineer to reduce these losses. The wisest first step for the owner is to undertake a feasibility exercise coupled with a requirements analysis and requirements optimization exercise. The owner with participation by the consultant will set out to list the essential and known requirements, classifying them into degrees of "mission critical." For the typical control room the engineer is asked to create a facility that is as robust and resilient as possible given the specific constraints of the site and purpose. But the engineer is mostly constrained by cost, both capital and operating.

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hvac

Many eliminate the battery altogether and replace it with another form of energy storage, the flywheel. With advances in vacuum technology and frictionless bearings, the losses incurred by maintaining the rotation of a flywheel are small, and the reliability of a rotating mass is high. "Rotary UPSs" are of a size and form that makes them highly scalable, useful for the engineer who is designing to a moving and growing target. One impediment to wholesale acceptance of the rotary UPS is that it sustains power delivery for mere seconds rather than minutes or even hours, the forte of the battery. Also, substituting a rotary storage unit for a battery still doesn’t rid the designer of the losses due to double conversion, so UPS manufacturers are calling up well established techniques and applying them to the data centre, such as inline interactive power regulators that depend much less on power conversion. Generators are often the target of the “what if it doesn’t work” syndrome. Too often the argument is made that more battery is needed in case the generator fails to start. But the "more battery" argument is specious because to fit up a facility with a battery large enough to carry the load through the maintenance window of a failed generator is simply not practical nor economical — unless the client is Telco operating under a different set of requirements. Generators, like other mechanical equipment, are prone to failure, but running carefully managed maintenance procedures ensures that they remain available. It is ironic that during the power failure of 2003 when so many generators failed to start, it was the cranking battery that was often found to be the weak link. In sum, the design of a data centre or any other critical facility is not a process that can easily follow a wellworn path. It is not trite to observe that every facility is unique, because to say otherwise would be to imply that the owner’s design criteria are not

unique. The final challenge to the engineer is to be tolerant of mixed and often conflicting criteria and accept the importance of compromise. CCE Peter Sharp, RCDD, is a senior communications consultant with IBI Group. He is based in Toronto.

DID YOU JUST SPEC

THE END OF YOUR CAREER WITH THE WRONG WATERPROOFING?

CCEA_122014.indd 1

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2:02:35 PM

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buildings

By Tanya Enberg, Urbacon

Data Centres Downtown New data centres in Toronto and Montreal have architectural exteriors that fit in with their bustling, pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods. But inside the buildings are windowless spaces built to protect banks of machines.

ith its sleek façade, the recently completed building at 45 Parliament Street and Front Street East in downtown Toronto might suggest stylish loft living. This is a formidable part of its appeal — and ultimately of its approval — within the bustling urban landscape. The vibrant five-storey structure just steps from the historic Distillery District draws the eye, while cleverly concealing the industrious machines tightly secured within its walls. Residing within the polished exterior is a bulky essential for modern living: data processing. In the more than 240,000 sq.ft., 16-MW development, approximately 106,500 sq.ft. of white space is dedicated to servers. It's clear this is not your average data centre. “Normally data centres are utilitarian,” explains Kevin Johnston, vice president of data centre solutions at Urbacon, the developer and designer of the project. “They are designed to service the needs of the IT equipment inside, and aesthetics is really completely optional and normally not a focus for suburban industrial sites.” But this downtown design-build project for lead tenant Equinix defies traditional data-facility design. In this prime, pedestrian-friendly locale, the challenge was deciding how to develop a facility that looks inviting on the outside, but actually isn’t. Set against black metal is a blend of smooth and ribbed terracotta porcelain panels that form the patterned exterior. Look closely and the sparseness of windows — aside from the glass tenant offices at the base and the stunning reflective glazed cube at the southwest corner — reveals the building's true identity. 20

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Inside are floor slabs designed to hold between 250 lbs. and 500 lbs. per square foot; six 2500-kW diesel engine generators; redundant fibre optic points of entrance, fibre vaults and a heavy duty freight elevator that allows equipment to be replaced without using cranes or helicopters. With stringent security measures in place, including CCTV, motion detection, hand geometry readers, and card readers, the reality is: data centres are built to welcome machines, not people. “Security is paramount,” Johnston stresses. “This means no windows in the data area at all, only one entrance, and the loading dock has to be specially designed

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buildings

Above: "It's clear this is not your average data centre. Normally data centres are utilitarian."

to address the security of the building," he says. "We also put a great deal of thought into redirecting rainwater away from the data hall because of risk to the IT equipment. These are major elements that affect the design of the building.” It’s no accident that 45 Parliament is a quick jaunt to the Financial District and TorIX, the major Canadian Internet hub at 151 Front Street West. This proximity affords a strategic competitive edge, allowing essential information to travel to businesses faster. “We have the Toronto Stock Exchange, we have all the

banks, the trading houses — these companies rely on data centre space and proximity to those markets is critical to the success of their business,” says Johnston. Network latency is important in the trading business, where microseconds can make a difference to transactions.” To succeed in a dense metropolis, the team had to find ways to attenuate the noise produced by the massive electrical and mechanical equipment, which includes diesel generators, chillers, and cooling towers. continued on page 22

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

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continued from page 21

All photos: Urbacon

buildings

Above left: cooling towers on the roof; the designers had to find ways of reducing the noise from all the equipment to avoid annoying close neighbours. Above centre: pre-occupancy shell space; ceilings are purpose-built 16-ft high, while heavy duty floors support up to 500 lbs. per square foot. Right: elaborate electrical distribution systems in a facility of 16 MW of power.

H c lig A

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are

“The audible noise created by the equipment can exceed acceptable limits,” explains Tien-Khanh Ngo, director of engineering at Urbacon. “The material used for the building envelope must be carefully selected for noise reduction, as must the location and type of equipment used to avoid radiation of noise to the adjacent buildings.” In contrast to converting existing spaces, a benefit of constructing a new facility in the design-build model is flexibility. It allows space to be mapped out in advance, the construction of proper ceiling heights, and the installation of heavy-duty flooring. “Existing office buildings are not strong enough to support heavy equipment installed on the floors or roofs,” explains Ngo. For instance, the Parliament Street property has a foundation strength equivalent to a 24-storey structure. “(With older buildings) Reinforced floors and roofs are possible but will add significant costs that can make projects no longer viable in some situations," says Ngo. Also, ceilings of less than 14.5 feet slab-to-slab, more typical of office towers, are not suitable for medium and high-density data centres. With cooling being the largest controllable cost, extra ceiling height provides the opportunity to incorporate more efficient technologies, such as free cooling and air-side economies. Montreal's 544 rue de l'Inspecteur Montreal will also soon be welcoming a contemporary new data centre building in its downtown. Billed as Montreal’s “only true stand alone, purpose built data centre," the 10-storey, 16-MW building is at 544 rue de l'Inspecteur in Griffintown. It is a partnership between Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ and Urbacon, and is slated for occupancy at the end of this year. The slick 234,000-sq.ft. tower will be clad in reinforced concrete panels in varying shades of black and grey inspired by a "piano roll," an early form of data input. Being carefully integrated into the tower is a four-floor former industrial heritage building that boasts a grand stone façade on 22

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the east wall. The preservation of the original building honours Montreal’s industrial history while serving as an entrance to a lobby and renovated office space. As in Toronto, this "ground up" project conveniently neighbours the financial area and is destined to bring an elegant presence to the maturing streetscape. “It’s critical that we find ways to build data centres in urban settings that don’t offend,” says Johnston. “Between the aesthetics of both of these buildings and the purposebuilt nature, there is nothing else like this in Canada.” Both buildings feature 16 ft.6 in. ceilings, while the Montreal site will provide floor loading of up to 200 lbs. per square foot, an industrial-grade freight elevator, underground fuel storage, redundant fibre optic points of entrance, and green initiatives. “Taking advantage of Montreal’s cool climate, the data centre will have a mechanical 'power usage effectiveness' target under 1.1 and deliver exceptional performance across the entire range of rack densities," Johnston explains. CCE

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Urbacon is a project manager and construction company with over 25 years experience in constructing and developing data facilities.

Above: the purpose-built data centre under construction in Montreal's Griffintown. Proximity to financial centres has advantages for the transmission of data.

Sub OM O

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2015-05-08 10:49 AM

Her decision to cut energy costs by 70% with LED lighting was a great idea. And a great start. Once your clients start seeing the benefits of our incentives for LED lighting, they will want to look into making other areas of their facility like HVAC, pump systems and building automation more efficient too. When they do, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be joining thousands of organizations across Ontario who are already enjoying the energy savings that our programs deliver. Take a look at their stories and our incentives at

saveonenergy.ca/business

Subject to additional terms and conditions found at saveonenergy.ca. Subject to change without notice. OM Official Mark adopted and used by the Independent Electricity System Operator.

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The central atrium serves as a focal point and allows daylight to penetrate deep into the interior.

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buildings

By Christopher Piché, P.Eng., Integral Group

The award-winning Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario Headquarters in downtown Toronto combines passive and active energy saving measures to achieve over 55% savings.

Teaching in Green

Maris Mezulis

he goal of the 11,400 m² Elementary Teacher Federation of Ontario Headquarters is to become a leader not only in education but also in environmental protection. The four-storey building at Bloor and Jarvis Streets in downtown Toronto demonstrates how innovative sustainable design can be successfully integrated into an urban neighborhood in transition. It is also a candidate for LEED Platinum certification. Integral Group provided mechanical engineering consulting services as part of a comprehensive design team led by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects. Integral Group won an Award of Excellence in the 2014 Ontario Consulting Engineering Awards in the small firm category for their role in the project. Throughout all the design phases an integrated design process was used that involved all consultants at all design phases. Also a Guiding Charter was established that allowed the team continually to assess sustainability measures against the client's objectives. The result was a building completed in 2013 that combines proven passive measures for sustainable design coupled with active high performance technologies. It will have an estimated 64% of energy cost savings compared to the Model National Energy Code for Buildings (MNECB). First the team focused on optimizing all passive sustainable design components before integrating active technologies. We relied on a comprehensive building energy model to analyze each technology in extensive detail and subsequently optimize their integration.

Daylighting and solar control Each of the four floors is wrapped around a large atrium that is strategically placed at the centre of the building. As a result daylight can penetrate deep within each floor plate without the ceiling levels having to be raised significantly. The atrium also serves as an anchor and way-finding point for people as they navigate through the building. Daylight and occupancy sensors help to manage the harvesting of daylight to reduce the lighting energy demand. North facing skylights also make the building feel fresh and vibrant by creating another connection to the outdoor environment. Along the south and west facades there is exterior solar shading, which operates automatically based on daylight levels measured at the exterior. Locating the shades on the exterior means that solar heat can't enter the building then remain trapped within an enclosed space between blinds and windows. Geo-exchange field installed after structural slabs The building's heating and cooling needs are served by a geo-exchange field that is located directly below the building. While the installation of a geo-exchange field traditionally occurs before any structure is installed, in this case the team installed 85 boreholes, each at a depth of 500 feet, after the structural slabs had been installed and the shoring was removed. The technology used for drilling the boreholes is based on mining technology. The equipment was anchored temporarily to the structure

and then used to drill boreholes in 4-ft. spools. As a result, the project could proceed on a traditional construction schedule without the delay of “waiting” for the borehole field to be drilled. Using this technology, the installing contractor drilled three to four holes per week, while construction of the superstructure was able to continue simultaneously and uninterrupted. The process shaved three to four months off the overall construction schedule, minimized disruption to the surrounding neighbourhood from drilling, while providing a higher performance system. Every ounce of energy The building aspires to use every ounce of energy created before it leaves the building. The efficiency of the heat pump system is the main driver for energy savings, along with the decoupling of the ventilation systems (outdoor air) from the thermal loads (heating and cooling). The thermal loads are provided by hydronic means – a much more effective system vsersus an all air system. In the summer months, the geoexchange field is the primary source of cooling. The cooling is provided to a series of radiant ceiling mats, and heat is rejected to the field through four high efficiency extended range heat pumps. During the shoulder and winter seasons, the building systems recover and transfer waste energy generated in the building before using the energy stored within the field: A dedicated heat exchanger is installed between the geo-exchange field and the building. In the winter, the continued on page 26

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continued from page 25

ductwork are much smaller than a conventional all-air system (approximately 30% of the size required for all-air). Each pump is selected with premium efficiency motors, and variable speed drives are incorporated where suitable. There is also a green roof and rainwater is captured on site and re-used for water closets and urinals. Window-to-wall ratios of around 40% were chosen, which mitigates the heat island effect, thereby positively affecting energy performance. Finally, the design team developed a comprehensive measurement and verification methodology to validate the design analysis and overall performance. The anticipated design-based performance metrics include the following: • conditioned space of 8,049 m² (11,500 m² total) • energy intensity (building and processs): 112 ekWh/m²/year • energy savings (ekWh): 55.7% reduction over MNECB reference model • energy cost savings ($): 64% reduction over MNECB reference model • in-building potable water use reduction: 50%. Community involvement ETFO acquired the two-acre site, located within a well established and highly

Jesse Colin Jackson

loop provides cool water from the central heat pumps to the interior zones first; these zones essentially require cooling year round. The loop, having picked up heat from the interior zones, is then routed towards the perimeter zone, thus effectively "transfering" the energy. This represents the first stage of heating. If the building requires supplemental heating, energy is recovered from the general and washroom exhaust systems, and transferred to the hydronic loop to supplement heating demand. This represents the second stage of heating. Finally, if the building still requires more heating, then the heat pumps will engage and provide low grade heating from the field to the overall radiant ceiling system. The building is controlled via a central building automation system which monitors control points such as temperature, humidity and indoor air quality (CO2) to enable the various systems to respond to indoor environmental demands. The building energy use intensity (EUI) is 113 ekWh/m² excluding the parking. Each of the heat pumps is rated for 45 ton capacity and the airhandling units are providing only ventilation air to the building — hence the fans and corresponding

Above: aerial view of building with its green roof. A geo-exchange system is drilled directly below the building and provides the backbone of the heating and cooling system.

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Maris Mezulis

buildings

Above: entrance to the building in downtown Toronto at Bloor and Jarvis Streets.

dense neighbourhood, in 2007. The urban nature of the project added to its complexity. Community engagement was a priority from the outset and meetings led to a number of measures that enabled the design team to deliver a building that integrates with ease into the existing fabric of the neighbourhood. For example: • The team analyzed the building sight lines and aspect ratios to maximize daylight penetration and access to views. At the same time we ensured that unnecessary shadows were not cast on surrounding buildings. • The team selected a colour scheme and brick colored panels that blend with the surrounding buildings and neighbourhood context. The new headquarters provides teaching professionals and educational workers with a healthy, comfortable and collaborative environment. At the same time it shows that we can ask for buildings that in terms of sustainable performance go far beyond what we see in the typical commercial office building. CCE

Owner: Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario Architect: KPMB Mechanical engineer: Integral Group (Chris Piché, P.Eng., Jeff Phinney) Structural engineer: Blackwell Electrical engineer: Smith & Andersen Computer modelling: CDML/Integral General contractor: Bird Construction Other key players: CFMS West (commissioning), Turner Townsend (client representative), Fenix Energy (geoexchange installation)

May 2015

2015-05-08 12:11 PM

It’s Time You Experienced

Introducing Distech Controls’

Connected IP and Wi-Fi Product Series, and

, responsive, web-based design and visualization interface. Providing powerful connectivity and advanced control, monitoring, and analysis for your Internet of Things building. it at www.distech-controls.com/ECLYPSE-CANADA.

2015 ®

FINALISTS

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renewable energy

By Gordon Howell, P.Eng. Howell Mayhew Engineering

Dancing with

Physics The engineer who designed the largest BIPV solar PV system in Canada explains what makes it unique. The array is located at the University of Alberta's Jeanne & Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre in Camrose.

Gordon Howell

ngineering design involves the application of engineering principles to both the "big" picture view and the small details of a project. It is somewhat like dancing with physics. It embraces both the flair of art and the bonds of mathematics at the same time â&#x20AC;&#x201D; specialized professional judgement informed by numbers. This interplay between art and physics is readily seen in the use of two revolutionary energy technologies, solar photovoltaics (PV) and light-emitting diodes (LED). Their use is breaking new ground in sustainable building design at the Jeanne & Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre on the University of Alberta's Augustana campus in Camrose, central Alberta. The Centre is a 550-seat theatre, built as a joint initiative between the City of Camrose, Camrose County, the Government of Alberta and the University of Alberta.

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The adoption of new technologies comes with a fascinating set of technical challenges, barriers and opportunities, mixed with human emotion and ingenuity. The challenges come from understanding what is needed to design, install and market technologies in applications that have rarely if ever been done before, and from understanding the underlying physics, economics and human psychology that are simultaneously at work. As with any large building, learning institutions have stringent requirements for capital and operating costs and user relationships. Designers and owners are typically more comfortable in specifying and operating well known older technologies. Breaking through barriers to introduce new technologies needs designers and owners who are willing to accept less familiar technologies and demonstrate them to the world.

May 2015

2015-05-08 10:50 AM

Gordon Howell

renewable energy

Integration with flytower cladding The goals for the PV system at the performing arts centre include both: • technical goals: reducing electricity operating costs and reducing the building's environmental footprint • capacity development goals: gaining experience with the technology on a large building, combined with integrating the technology into the building cladding system, and providing leadership to building owners, consultants and contractors. Most grid-connected solar PV systems consist of the same basic elements: an array of solar PV modules, PV array mounting racks, grid-dependent DC to AC inverters, wiring, disconnects, signage, design, approvals, procurement, supply, construction, commissioning, operation, monitoring, analysis and maintenance. This PV system is the largest of about 40 building-integrated (BIPV) systems installed in Canada. A BIPV system is one in which the system’s solar PV modules are integrated into and form part of the building’s wall or roof assembly instead of just being fastened onto an existing assembly. The next largest BIPV system is 86 kW on the flat roof of a building in Toronto. The Centre's solar PV array is integrated into the cladding on all four walls of the theatre’s fly tower (facing due south, west, east and north). The PV modules are clamped to two horizontal rails mounted onto vertical Z-girts with insulation fitted between them. If a PV module is removed, then yellow insulation is visible. A building-mounted grid connected PV system is designed to meet a number of concurrent and competing factors all in one system:

University of Alberta

Above: building under construction. The PV system is integrated into the cladding on all all four sides of the flytower.

Above: entrance to the completed building.

• architectural (aesthetics and available building geometry); • structural physics (weight, wind and snow) • electrical physics (electrical characteristics of the PV modules matched to the DC requirements of the inverters throughout a range of PV cell temperatures and levels of solar irradiance) • financial requirements (project budget, energy generation, energy price, return on investment) • environmental requirements (emission reductions), and • legal requirements (grid connection regulations). As with any design, compromises between these factors need to be made. The Centre's solar PV array is configured structurally and electrically as shown in Table 1 (p. 30). Strings of seriesconnected PV modules are connected to 24 single-phase inverters operating at 208 VAC and rated at 5 kW AC, for a total PV system capacity of 120 kW AC. The solar PV system is expected to generate 80 MWh of electric energy per year, which is 20% of the building’s annual electric energy concontinued on page 30

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

2015-05-08 10:50 AM

29944_LA

renewable energy

continued from page 29

Table 1. Solar PV System Stats Structural Wwall Direction

PV Panels

Electrical

Modules per Panel

PV Modules

PV Strings

Energy Generation

Modules per String

DC Capacity

MW•h / year

kW•h / year/m2

South

19 kW

150

West

192

48 kW

109

North

25 kW

East

120

30 kW

109

Total

488

122 kW

105

continued on page 32

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Above: simple PV system electrical, single-line diagram, showing how the system is connected into the building's circuits. Gordon Howell

Design and installation challenges As happens with most leading-edge projects, challenges were encountered in the design and installation. These challenges are providing valuable information about integrating solar into the building design process, and about solar PV operation on wall surfaces throughout the year. The main technical challenges arose from: • PV array angles. The PV system is effectively four separate PV systems facing in different directions, each with different generating profiles and operating temperatures throughout the day. The result is they have different electrical design requirements. • Flashing. Natural ventilation of the PV array was reduced because the PV modules needed to have flashing mounted between them and at the ends of the rows. The flashing was needed so that the yellow insulation behind the modules would not be seen, and to restrict the construction of any bird or insect nests. Increased PV module temperatures reduce power generation slightly. • Dimensions. The unique building-integrated nature of the PV array required it to fit within tight horizontal wall dimensions. The width of the PV array had to be acceptable both at the time of construction in accommodating PV module manufacturing tolerances, and throughout the year with the expansion and contraction of aluminum mounting rails at temperatures between –45°C and +80°C.

Gordon Howell

sumption. Once finalized, the system's energy performance will be displayed in the building's foyer and on the internet, and compared with the expectations from modelling. The system commenced operation in June 2014 and was connected to the internet in March 2015. Its actual performance over a year is not known yet.

Above: diagram of how the PV racking is mounted onto the building.

May 2015

2015-05-08 10:50 AM

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Tanya Pattullo

LED theatre lighting and energy savings Along with generating electricity from solar PV, the building significantly reduces its energy consumption with high-efficiency boilers and chillers, fans with infinitely variable speeds, high levels of insulation — and most notably by using very high-efficiency LED lighting. The use of LEDs for stage lighting in the theatre is unique and innovative — the Centre broke all kinds of new ground with this lighting. There are no incandescent lights; this is the first theatre in Canada that uses LEDs for its entire house and stage lighting, and it is likely among the first 20 theatres in the world that have lighting based entirely on LEDs. Theatres have lighting requirements that are much more rigorous and specialized than many other lighting applications. In this case the stage lighting uses next generation seven-colour LEDs, which can change colour and intensity on command. As a result, coloured plastic films (called “gels”) are not needed in front of the lights in order to get the required colour tones and balance. Gels typically need to be replaced after every three hours of use because the large amount of heat generated by standard incandescent lighting bleaches out the colour from the gels. As a result, theatres have two sets of stage lights — one for rehearsals, which are not as bright, and one for performances. Because of LEDs’ cool operating temperatures and their adjustable colour, only one set of stage lighting needed to be designed, purchased and installed in this building. Furthermore, because of the LEDs' cool temperatures, the Centre doesn’t require as much building cooling equipment or use as much cooling energy. In addition the lifetime of the LED lights is around 90 times longer than incandescent lights (50,000 hours, or 45 years of life, if used three hours per day, instead of 300 to 500 hours, or six months).

Gordon Howell

renewable energy

Above: PV system inverter bank. It converts DC from the array to AC for use in the building and also performs grid safety functions.

All of this adds up to savings in energy, labour and lighting infrastructure. It is estimated that the LED lighting reduced electrical demand from 184 kW to 25 kW and saved more than $100,000 on infrastructure costs alone. The building earned four Green Globes, the highest level of achievement under the green building certification system. Four Green Globes are awarded to projects that demonstrate national leadership and excellence in energy, water and efficiency to reduce environmental impacts. The application of these new technologies will yield many years of research, evaluation, presentations and notable leadership for the University of Alberta and its farreaching "Envision" energy management program, which is now celebrating 40+ years of experience The Jeanne & Peter Lougheeed Centre for Performing Arts is hosting visits from theatre owners, designers and actors wanting to experience the new theatre. It is a treasure of which the University of Alberta, the City of Camrose and its partners and surrounding community can be very proud. CCE Gordon Howell, P.Eng. is a principal with Howell Mayhew Engineering of Edmonton.

Above: the theatre is the first in Canada to use LEDs for its entire house and stage lighting.

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Owner: University of Alberta Client: University of Alberta and City of Camrose Solar PV engineering: Howell Mayhew Engineering (Gordon Howell, P.Eng.) Lighting consultants: Schick Shiner and Associates Design-builder: Clark Builders Architecture: BR2 Architecture Structural engineering: Read Jones Christoffersen Mechanical-electrical engineering: Smith & Andersen

May 2015

2015-05-08 10:50 AM

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2015-05-08 10:50 AM

research

By Leona Krahn

The Alternative Village Buildings formed with unconventional materials like straw bales and hemp are being monitored at a unique research site at the University of Manitoba.

he Alternative Village at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg is a unique research hub situated on one-and-a-half acres. A venue for research, testing and industry partnerships, the Village also provides students with the ultimate in hands-on experience. The Village got its start when a strawbale building was built during the winter of 2003-2004 to house research equipment while the university's Faculty of Engineering building was being remodeled. “I was given the great opportunity to construct a building using nonconventional materials for our engineering equipment during the building renovation, with the idea it could evolve into more of a permanent research centre. I jumped at the chance,” says Dr. Kris Dick, Ph.D., P.Eng.. Dick is an associate professor with the Faculty of Engineering Department of Biosystems, and the founder and director of the Alternative Village. “There was a parcel of land on campus available, previously a storage ground for the physical plant. We now

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use the space to evaluate everything from the energy efficiency of new building products like straw, flax, oats, barley and hemp, to the effectiveness and durability of building systems.” “My ultimate goal is to create a true multi-disciplinary centre where engineering students work in collaboration with students and researchers from other faculties, including architecture, environment and agriculture. This way, students are prepared for the real world of engineering where professions work together in design teams. The Village also allows students to get engaged with the [building] industry, which is equally important.” “As design engineers, we need hands-on experience with alternative building materials and data on which to base our designs. The research done at the Alternative Village provides valuable information for code forming bodies, building inspection departments, insurance companies and financial institutions,” says Dick. ”The Alternative Village scenario allows us to test and research both nonconventional and conventional building techniques and materials."

Strawbale research building At the heart of the village stands the Biosystems Strawbale Research Facility, located in the original 4,200 sq.ft. strawbale structure built in 2004. “Straw is an excellent and popular building material due to its high insulation values and, when covered with a plaster finish, its fire resistance,” says Dick. Strawbale construction uses bales of straw of wheat, oats or barley covered in plaster. Straw is typically considered a waste product by farmers, who often burn off what they can't sell for animal bedding or landscaping. The burning creates air quality problems and greenhouse gas emissions. This particular building is a one-storey structure built with 2,000 straw bales covered with cement-based plaster on both the interior and exterior. The straw bales are interspersed with nail laminated posts that support the roof. The inside dimensions are 40 ft. x 107 ft. with an 18-ft. ceiling height. The walls are 20" thick and have an insulation value of approximately R40, which is at least twice that of typical batt-insulated wood frame

May 2015

2015-05-08 10:51 AM

research

house wall systems.The fire residence is also better than a conventional home, says Dick. To allow the students to monitor in real time how the building responds to environmental loads from wind, snow, temperature and moisture, the building's posts, trusses and portions of the walls have been fitted with measuring instruments. Valued around $280,000, the building is also oriented with its length facing due north-south to study the effects of solar radiation on the wall performance. It has wide roof eaves to help protect the outside walls from moisture damage. Test structures with fibreglass, cellulose, SIP, concrete-filled PVC and hempcrete walls There are six smaller structures on the site, which are test buildings for evaluating the performance of different building envelopes. Heat transfer and moisture behaviour are studied. The six buildings are all 16 x 16 ft. with identical roof and floor systems; only the walls vary. The roofs consist of metal-plate connected trusses covered with corrugated

Above: strawbale building under construction in 2004. The 4,200-square foot building is at the heart of the village.

metal sheeting. The ceilings are finished with 1/2" gypsum wall board with 6 mil vapour barrier and R40 of blown in cellulose insulation. Floors are EPS foam structural insulated panels. One test structure is wood frame with fibreglass insulation in the walls, and another is wood frame with cellulose insulation. Both have a 1/2" gypsum wall board interior finish and painted 7/16" oriented strand board (OSB) on the exterior. A third structure has walls of 4-1/2"thick structural insulated panels (SIP). The panels have 7/16" OSB skins with

Above: section through solar greenhouse, with mass solar storage wall at the rear. Opposite page top: the solar greenhouse as built.

2-1b. polyurethane foam. Fourth and fifth are buildings with walls of concrete-filled PVC. One has 4" of concrete with 4" of external EPS foam. The other has 8" of concrete with the same 4" of external insulation. The sixth test building has hempcrete panels made from hemp hurd and a cementitious binder. The walls are 12" thick. The exterior is covered with a building wrap, rain-screen gap and wood sheathing. The interior was left unfinished to investigate the effect of an air barrier on the ability of hempcrete to manage moisture. "Hempcrete is turning out to be a great building material," says Dick. "Hempcrete panels perform very well, comparable to the efficiency of fibreglass," he says. Earth building materials stabilized with artificial pozzulans are also being investigated. Dick says these alternative building panels (straw and hemp hybrids) could be the way of the future. However, the supply of hemp hurd is limited at this time. Each test building is equipped with electricity and data lines that are tied back into the main strawbale building. Thermocouples, relative humidity sensors and power meters are installed in each structure. They are all heated with electrical resistance heaters to allow their power consumption to be measured. continued on page 36

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

2015-05-08 10:51 AM

research

continued from page 35

Above: students and staff in front of a test building with hemp walls.

In addition to monitoring the test buildings themselves, general research on wood building systems is conducted inside the main strawbale research building. This work includes full-scale testing of structural insulated panels systems, laminated dimensional lumber posts, and metal plate connected wood trusses. Solar greenhouse There is also a greenhouse on site, which incorporates a mass wall to capture solar energy. The greenhouse's basic structure is made from steel tubing that is bolted together. The entire 22' x 50' building fits inside a 4' x 4' x 10' box that allows for shipping. The mass wall is located on the north back wall. Currently the wall's interior layer is 6" fabric-formed rammed earth that absorbs heat from incoming solar radiation. Behind this is an 18" thick layer of wheat straw for insulation. Corrugated metal covers the exterior (see diagram). The heat stored in the back wall is released into the growing space to reduce the supplemental heat requirements. The performance of the greenhouse is being evaluated and a computer model for designers is being developed. Recent funding will see the addition of a gasifier that uses biomass as a fuel source and will be used to provide 36

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p35-42 May15 AltVill Solar Nuclear.indd 36

heat and electricity to the greenhouse. This project is part of research on food security for northern Manitoba and the use of local materials for construction. The solar wall of the greenhouse will be reconfigured to evaluate the use of such things as stabilized soil, recycled plastic, biomass based insulation materials and repurposed landfill materials. Alternative energy strategies are also being used. For example in the strawbale building solar air is being distributed with fans through a conventional metal duct system. Flat-panel solar water heat systems and several sets of evacuated tube solar water heating panels are also being researched. Alternative electricity generation demonstrations are also central to the Alternative Village mandate. A grid-tied, vertical axis wind turbine is one example. Growth and Outreach Alternative building techniques do present complications, says Dick, citing the difficulties of obtaining building permits and of getting insurance. Working with industry-funded research can also present challenges. After almost a decade

of research the Village has provided insight into the use different materials. While some of the results have been published, a portion remains proprietary to industry partners. But outreach and education are happening. The Village has established a connection in rural Honduras to work on projects that focus on sustainable living. Students from engineering, architecture and nursing work closely with the partner community after researching and prototyping design solutions in the Village. And on August 10-13 the Village is hosting the Non Conventional Materials 2015 (NOCMAT2015) conference. It is the first time the conference will be held in North America. "My desire, says Dick, "is to keep moving the Village forward, to grow the Village. I envision a facility where students, researchers and industry can work together. It also provides the general public with an opportunity to come and â&#x20AC;&#x153;scratch and sniffâ&#x20AC;? various materials. They can meet with researchers and industry partners to gain insight into products that may be of interest to them. Aside from the usual challenges of funding, the Alternative Village will hopefully be providing interesting opportunities for our students and researchers for years to come.â&#x20AC;? CCE Leona Krahn is a freelance writer based in Winnipeg.

Above: full-scale testing of posts inside the Biosystems Strawbale Research Facility.

May 2015

2015-05-08 10:51 AM

renewable energy

By Victoria Hollick, Conserval Engineering

Conserval

Night Cooling S olar cooling a building at night? At first this idea seems an inherent contradiction of conventional science. But have you ever enjoyed an evening outdoors on a deck watching the sun set and felt the air get cooler? It is not the air temperature that changed. What you are feeling is your body radiating heat to the night sky at a rate of 75 watts/m2. This cooling effect applies to the entire surface of the earth as it loses heat to the cold sky. During the day the incoming radiation from the sun is 10 times greater, which offsets the heat loss. But from sunset to sunrise, the radiation heat loss is one way — from earth to sky. The nocturnal radiation cooling effect is documented in ASHRAE Handbook HVAC Applications 2011 and is well known in other circles, including agriculture and weather forecasting. However, the renewable energy sector has not fully grasped the opportunity. John Hollick of Conserval is the inventor of the SolarWall transpired collector, a solar air heating system that has been used on thousands of buildings around the world since the 1990s. The company's recently patented “NightSolar” unit incorporates the

A new invention exploits the radiant heat losses from earth during night hours to cool buildings.

same solar collector as a SolarWall system, but in a reverse way to harness the properties of nocturnal radiation cooling. As the roof cools by as much as 10°C (18°F) below ambient, it can cool air passing through it by as much as 5°C from before sunset to almost an hour after sunrise on clear nights. This cooling has the ability to reduce or even displace conventional air conditioning at night. As warm night air touches the cooler surface of the NightSolar transpired collector, it transfers its heat to the surface, which cools the air. The chilled air is then drawn in through perforations in the collector and enters the HVAC unit via an economizer cycle. The system works day and night in the summer, with the daytime solar heat collected in the same way as a conventional SolarWall system. The system simultaneously provides shading and ventilation to the roof. The heat can either be dissipated or used to heat water or industrial processes. From a structural perspective, the NightSolar system consists of a single sheet of corrugated metal, mounted 100 to 200 mm above an existing roof. The weight is approximately 10 kg/

m2 and it has the same appearance as a SolarWall system or a conventional metal roof. The technology is commercially available and recent field monitored installations are reporting impressive cooling savings on buildings, using existing fans and economizers. Test systems at the National Solar Test Facility in Mississauga have confirmed the ability to cool air below ambient in accordance with ASHRAE Handbook HVAC Applications 2011. A demonstration project on telecom shelters in Turkey showed cooling savings of up to 50%, and closer to home the U.S. military has installed pilot projects that are to be monitored. CCE Victoria Hollick is vice-president of operations, Conserval Engineering, Toronto. In 2014 the SolarWall and John Hollick, were honoured by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in New York City in an exhibit of 80 of the best inventions of the past two centuries. Other honorees were Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Willis Carrier, Westinghouse and the Panama Canal. Photo above: NightSolar system mounted on a roof in Yunnan Province, China.

May 2015

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

2015-05-08 10:51 AM

energy

By Brian Gihm, P.Eng., Hatch

VERY SMALL

NUCLEAR REACTORS

ÂŠ PyvovarPavlo/ThinkStock/GettyImages

The nuclear power industry believes that deploying very small modular reactors in Canada's remote mines and communities will have substantial environmental and economic benefits.

anada is a top tier nuclear nation with more than 60 years of safe history in commercial nuclear power. Our CANDU reactors have produced more than 3,200 TWh of electricity during their years of operation without radiation health impacts. The industry is also credited with creating food and medical sterilization solutions, as well as medical diagnosis technologies. While the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) industry in the U.S. experienced a series of setbacks in 2014 when some leading SMR developers scaled back their programs significantly, the recently held 3rd International Techni38

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p35-42 May15 AltVill Solar Nuclear.indd 38

cal Meeting on Small Reactors in Ottawa was attended by more than 200 industry and government representatives. There, several companies such as Terrestrial Energy and StarCore Nuclear announced their plans to deploy very small reactors in Canada within the next decade. These units are mostly generation IV nuclear reactors such as gas-cooled reactors, molten salt cooled reactors and lead-cooled fast reactors. They can be about the size of a small truck, with a power generating capacity of 5 MW(e) to 30 MW(e). In Canada, the SMR industry is almost exclusively fo-

May 2015

2015-05-08 10:51 AM

energy cused on niche market applications, such as providing electricity and heat to remote, off-grid communities and industrial facilities such as mines. Many of these remote communities and mining operations currently rely on diesel power plants for most of their electricity. Very small nuclear reactors are therefore expected to bring significant environmental and economic benefits as a low greenhouse gas (GHG) emission alternative for generating electricity. Part of Canada's climate change solution The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) calculates that the world is on a trajectory to an increase in global mean temperature between 2.5°C and 7.8°C compared to preindustrial levels by the end of the century. In order to meet the internationally agreed target of limiting the increase to less than 2°C to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change, the recent IPCC report calls for a profound transformation of energy systems by midcentury through a steep decline in carbon intensity in all sectors of the global economy. The report lists advanced nuclear power technology as one of the key technologies to achieve this target. The mining industry in Canada is a significant contributor to the economy. It employs 418,000 workers and adds over $50 billion to Canada’s GDP. At the same time, mining's GHG emissions and energy consumption account for 7.75% and 8.5% of our industrial GHG emissions and energy use. While the industry's overall energy efficiency and GHG emissions in mining have improved in the past 20 years, the fossil fuel consumption for power generation is steadily growing at off-grid mining operations in Canada's northern regions. In 2013, 259 million litres of petroleum fuel was consumed for power generation at northern off-grid mining operations, emitting 690,000 metric tons of CO2. Canada is also home to 292 remote communities, with a total pop-

ulation of approximately 194,000 people, based on Natural Resources Canada estimates. Many of these communities are not connected to grids and are powered instead by local diesel generators. The total remote diesel generating capacity in these communities is 328 MW, consuming over 90 million litres of diesel annually, and emitting continued on page 40

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victaulic.com 8726 REV A 03/2015 Victaulic and all other trademarks used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Victaulic Company, and/or its affiliated entities, in the U.S. and/or other countries. The terms “Patented” or “Patent Pending” refer to design or utility patents or patent applications for articles and/or methods of use in the United States and/or other countries. © 2015 VICTAULIC COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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Patented

Canadian Consulting Engineer

2015-05-08 10:51 AM

energy

continued from page 39

240,000 metric tons of CO2 and a number of other air contaminants in the process. Very small reactor benefits Very small modular reactors have the potential to play an important role in the economic development of Canada’s remote northern communities and mining operations, while simultaneously leading to deep and transformative reductions in the greenhouse gas emissions of Canada’s North. On a life cycle basis, offsetting diesel production and combustion with nuclear power has the potential to reduce emissions by 690 gCO2 equivalent for each kWh generated. If applied to remote mines and communities, very small reactors could reduce CO2 emissions in Canada’s northern regions by up to 900,000 metric tonnes per year, which is equivalent to taking 190,000 cars off the road. The potential reduction represents about 1% of the CO2 reduction Canada needs to meet the Copenhagen Target. Very small nuclear reactors also resolve the classic challenge of nuclear power projects: that is, cost overruns and schedule delays typically associated with mega projects. Because of their small physical size, the reactors and building components can be successfully mod-

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ularized and pre-fabricated, then shipped to sites for assembly. This approach will bring construction schedule and cost certainty to a nuclear project. Safety design features rely less on human intervention Nuclear power has one of the safest track records of any electricity source available based on nearly all quantitative safety measures. The industry expects small nuclear reactors to continue to improve the safety of nuclear power through additional intrinsic design safety features. The next generation of small reactors relies almost exclusively on inherently safe design features and less on human intervention and active components to assure a stable reactor state. Their smaller physical size, some about the size of a minivan, also allows the radiation to be securely contained for improved protection. In the next decade, Canada could witness a few of these very small nuclear reactors providing stable base load electricity to our North while reducing our national GHG emissions. CCE Brian Gihm, P.Eng. is with the nuclear technologies group of Hatch in Mississauga, Ontario.

professional directory

DATA CENTRES

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Behlen Industries in Brandon, Manitoba is the first plant in North America to deploy robotic welding for custom pre-engineered steel structures. A robotic simulation uses touch-sensing to detect potential clashes. www.behlen.ca High-speed industrial Rytec Spiral Doors minimize energy loss from a building by operating at speeds of 60 inches per second. swww.rytecdoors.com REFRIGERATION

Emerson Climate Technologies has released its LifeCycle Climate Performance Online Calculator for calculating supermarket refrigerants' annual power, peak power and CO2 emissions. www.emersonclimate.com 40

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Experts in Measurement, Analysis & Control

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Our People Know Nuclear. Our Track Record Proves it. RCM Technologies Canada Corp. (“RCMTCC”) is a premier provider of business and technology solutions. For over 25 years, industry leaders and technology companies have repeatedly relied on RCMTCC for engineering design, project management and technical support services. RCMTCC is recognized for its accomplishments with large EngineeringProcurement-Construction projects as well as smaller but equally detailed partial to full service projects. The Senior Vice President/Vice President designated as Branch Manager Reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer, RCM Power Systems Services, RCMT Inc. The Branch Manager is responsible for profit and loss associated with Branch operations. He/she is responsible for ensuring organizational growth through leadership and collaboration with assigned senior managers, managers, supervision and branch staff.

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•

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Compensation & Benefits Overview Target Salary: Employment Status: Benefits:

$250,000 Cdn. /40 hours week/as required Regular Full-time, Permanent Extended Health including, Prescription Drugs, Emergency Out-of-country Coverage, Dental, Life Insurance, AD&D, STD, LTD, RRSP/DPSP Plan, Employee Share Purchase Program, Employee Assistance Program, Vacation

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Contact Information

Apply at: hr.canada@rcmt.com or visit our website today.

895 Brock Road South Pickering, Ontario L1W 3C1 Telephone: 905-837-8333 Apply through email: hr.canada@rcmt.com

RCM Technologies Canada Corp. 895 Brock Road S. Pickering, ON L1W 3C1 www.rcmt.ca

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engineers & the law

By Cole L. Lefebvre, Miller Thomson

The rule of thumb for how much compensation an employee should be given upon termination is a myth that does not hold up in the courts.

Dismissed Employees: What's Fair?

aw is full of its share of miscontions suited for a limited job market, ported by the jurisprudence and is ceptions. For instance, many will generally need more time to find inconsistent with Bardal." people talk about a "rule of new and similar employment. Alberta courts have also rejected thumb" that provides that a terminatCanadian courts have noted that the formula. The court in Milsom v ed employee is entitled to one month no one factor should be given disproCorporate Computers Inc., 2003 ABQB of pay in lieu of notice per year of portionate weight, but each situation296, noted: "It is clear from the case employment. The rule of law that Courts cannot apply thumb is often advanced in Each contest deserves assessment of the rules of thumb to set the termination proceedings, eilength of notice required in ther during arbitration or be- individual circumstances and should be an individual case: each confore a court, as a convenient test between an employer and viewed in light of current social and formulaic way to deteran employee deserves individpolicy demands. mine reasonable notice. ual assessment in the circumDespite this common unstances of the specific case derstanding, courts across Canada should be considered as a whole to and in light of then current social have emphatically rejected the nodetermine the reasonable notice pepolicy demands." tion that there is rule of thumb for riod of a terminated employee. More recently, the Alberta Court of determining appropriate notice periOne of the most emphatic rejecQueen's Bench in Lovely v Prestige ods for employees. tions of the rule of thumb was by JusTravel Ltd., 2013 ABQB 467, reiterated The starting point for determining tice Laskin in the Ontario Court of its position on the rule of thumb, statwhat constitutes reasonable notice is Appeal case Minott v O'Shanter Developing that "[t]here is no law that an the landmark decision over 50 years ment Company Ltd., [1999] OJ No 5. employee is entitled to one month's ago of Bardal v Globe and Mail Ltd., He found the rule of thumb suffers notice for every year of employment." (1960), 24 D.L.R. (2d) 140 (Ont. from several deficiencies. Most unfaEmployers and employees are free H.C.). It suggested that the factors to vourable was that it overemphasized to determine in advance what reasonbe considered include, but are not length of service and reduced the imable notice will be, by including a limited to: character of employment, portance of the remaining Bardal facprovision in an employment contract. length of service, age of the employee, tors. Thus, Justice Laskin notes, "in my Provided the employment contract is and the availability of similar employopinion the rule of thumb approach otherwise enforceable, a court will ment in light of the employee's experis not warranted in principle, nor is it uphold a notice period in an employtise, training and qualifications. supported by authority." ment agreement as long as it meets or Each factor can increase or reduce The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal exceeds the minimum standards set the reasonable notice period, dependin Capital Pontiac Buick Cadillac GMC out in the relevant employment staning on the facts of each case. For inLtd v Coppola, 2013 SKCA 80, was dards legislation. stance, a highly skilled employee who equally dismissive. Justice Caldwell So, while legal myths like this will holds a position of responsibility withwarned employers of the dangers of continue to fester, it is important to in the organization would generally relying on the rule of thumb, stating: remember that each case must be be entitled to a longer notice period "Practically-speaking then, while emviewed on an individual basis, taking than a lower skilled employee with no ployers may wish to use the 'one into account all relevant factors, not CCE such responsibility. All things being month's notice per year of service' just length of service. equal, an employee who is older, has rule of thumb as a guideline in their Cole L. Lefebvre is a labour and employworked for the employer for a long day-to-day decision-making given its ment lawyer with Miller Thomson, LLP period, holds a high position with the apparent facility, they do so at their in Calgary. employer, and has skills and qualificaown peril because the rule is not sup42

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com

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May 2015

2015-05-08 10:51 AM

INTRODUCING ACO STORMBRIXX

Specifier’s Literature Review

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The eF Series high efficient heater is one of the most exceptional additions to the Bradford White’s commercial line-up. Utilizing exclusive designs and technologies, the new eF series outperforms all competition when it comes to unprecedented installation flexibility, quiet operation and, most importantly, superb thermal efficiencies as high as 99.1%. 866-690-0961 www.bradfordwhite.com SUPPLIER: BRADFORD WHITE CANADA

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KRYSTOL TECHNOLOGY: THE DURABLE WATERPROOFING SOLUTION

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Resolving or preventing environmental erosion issues - Cable Concrete® is the first choice of engineers, planners, conservation authorities, communities, municipalities and general contractors. IECS is seen as the leader in providing successful, sustainable erosion solutions to protect the environment and by extension, likely protect physical, human, livestock and wild life assets. 1-800-821-7462 | www.iecs.com SUPPLIER: IECS

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2015-05-08 10:51 AM

LG MULTI V IV 575V: COMMITTED TO THE CANADIAN MARKET. Once again, LG raises the bar for the HVAC industry with the introduction of Canada’s first 575V Air-Cooled VRF and low ambient solutions. With the elimination of transformers and smaller wiring, stakeholders can expect easier installation and considerable initial and operational cost savings. For more information, please visit www.LGVRF.ca or call 1-888-824-6211. SUPPLIER: LG ELECTRONICS CANADA

WEG E-CATALOG MOBILE APP

This application will allow WEG Electric Motor customers in NEMA markets to search an electronic catalog for motors and produce data sheets and technical drawings. The application will also allow the user to download or email PDF data sheets and drawings. The app is available for iOS, Blackberry, Android. Go to www.pamensky.com/downloads SUPPLIER: V.J. PAMENSKY

RITTAL’S IT LIQUID COOLING PACKAGE

Rittal provides an innovative cooling solution that provides up to 60 kW of cooling capacity direct to your rack. By bringing the cooling direct to the heat source, energy efficiency is optimised. Rittal’s LCP is a scalable solution that you can expand as your data centre and cooling needs grow. marketing@rittal.ca 1-800-399-0748 www.rittal.ca SUPPLIER: RITTAL SYSTEMS

ELIMINATE FUSING WITH THE NEW VICTAULIC COUPLING FOR HDPE

The new Refuse-to-Fuse™ Victaulic Style 905 coupling is specifically designed to quickly join 2"- 6" high density - polyethylene (HDPE) pipe ranging from SRD 7-17 and eliminates the need for fusing. 10 times faster than traditional fusing, the Style 905 can be used on buried services. The coupling meets or exceeds the rating of the pipe. Exceeds bend capabilities specified in PPI (Plastic Pipe Institute) by a factor of 2X. To learn more, visit Victaulic.com and download PB-905: http://static.victaulic.com/assets/ uploads/literature/PB-905.pdf or contact viccanada@victaulic.com with any questions. SUPPLIER: VICTAULIC

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NOT ALL FABRIC STRUCTURES ARE ALIKE.

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UPONOR HYDRONIC DISTRIBUTION PIPING SYSTEMS PRODUCT GUIDE

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CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER 2015 MEDIA KIT

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2015-05-08 10:51 AM

ad index

Need more Info? Contact Our Advertisers Listed Below Advertiser

Pg#

May 2015

Telephone

Website

ACO Systems Ltd.

info@acocan.ca

877-226-4255

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Bradford White

info@bradfordwhitecanada.com

866-690-0961

www.bradfordwhite.com

Distech Controls Inc.

sales@distech-controls.com

IESO (Independent Electricity System Operator)

Kryton International Inc.

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Legacy Building Solutions

legacy@legacybuilding solutions.com

LG Electronics Canada

Navien America, Inc.

marketing@navienamerica.com

VJ Pamensky

anthonyz@pamensky.com

1-877-726-3675

Reliable Control Corporation

info@reliablecontrols.com

250-475-2036

Rittal Systems Ltd

Marketing@Rittal.ca

1-800-399-0748

www.rittal.ca

Tetra Tech

charlie.macpherson@tetratech.com

1-626-470-2439

www.tetratech.com

Uponor

una.getconnected@uponor.com

888-994-7726

www.uponorpro.com

Victaulic Company

viccanada@victaulic.com

905-884-7444

www.victaulic.com

Viessmann Manufacturing

info@viessmann.ca

1-800-387-7373

www.viessmann.ca

1-450-444-9898

www.saveonenergy.ca/business

1-800-267-8280

www.kryton.com

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www.legacybuildingsolutions.com

1-888-824-6211

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Canadian Consulting Engineer Weekly E-Newsletter

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS I am engaged in the following Professional Engineer in a consulting engineering practice Specification Writer in a consulting engineering or architectural firm, government department or development company Engineering Technologist/Technician in a consulting engineering firm Other (Please specify)_________________________________________ Engineering discipline (Check one box only) Civil Structural Mechanical Electrical Other (Please specify)_________________________________________

Contact: Barbara Adelt, badelt@bizinfogroup.ca, Tel. 416-442-5600 x3546

May 2015

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

2015-05-08 10:51 AM

conversations

Interview by CCE

Harold Orr, Pioneer

Harold Orr, P.Eng. of Saskatoon has received the international Passive House Institute Pioneer Award for a project he designed during the oil crisis of the 1970s.

Q. How do you feel about receiving the Pioneer Award? Above: recent photo of the Saskatchewan Conservation House on Rink Avenue in Regina. I have mixed feelings about it. The Saskatchewan Conservation House was a collaborative effort of too difficult to insulate a basement and basements are a probat least 10 people, even more. Although I think I was the lem in Regina, so let's build the house on a grade beam and only one who was working in the field of airtightness at the pile foundation and we'll put R20 or R30 in the floor. The committee decided to go with that. time, the other people had a lot of input to the program. If you make the house airtight, then you have to do In terms of how the project came about, we had this severe energy crisis in the 70s and overnight the price of something about providing ventilation. The university gasoline doubled at the pumps. So the provincial govern- engineers, Bob Besant and Rob Dumont (I think they ment asked the Saskatchewan Research Council to build were the two major ones) got a technician from the university to build the first air-to-air heat exchanger to be a solar house. I was on staff at the National Research Council of Canada installed in a house for in Saskatoon at the time and they asked me to sit on the com- the project. I installed the vapour mittee for the project. We also had people from Housing and Urban Development, from CMHC, several from the univer- barrier as I had a carpenter's licence. When sity, from architectural firms, and a couple of contractors. We got together to design the house, but we knew that we did the tests we we had very little solar energy available between November found that it was likely the tightest house in the and March, which is our heating season. world at that time. After this project, 14 Q. I thought you had lots of sun in the prairies in the winter? There is a lot of sun, but there is also a lot of cold weather houses were built by difand the days are very short. We recognized that if we were ferent builders in Saskagoing to use solar energy, we would have to reduce the heat- toon that had approxiing component of the house to a very small fraction of that mately the same conserving features as the Sasof a conventional house. From my research I knew that the biggest single compo- katchewan Conservation Above: Harold Orr (left) receiving his nent of heat loss in any house is air leakage. The normal House. This program award on April 18 in Leipzig from Dr. amount of insulation at the time was R7. I suggested we became the impetus for Wolfgang Feist, director of the Passhould use R40 in the walls, R60 in the ceiling. And I said it's the R2000 project. CCE sive House Institute. 46

Passive House Institute

Harold Orr

arold Orr, P.Eng. of Saskatoon travelled to Germany in April to receive the 2015 Pioneer Award from the Passive House Institute. This international award recognizes the trailblazers of energy efficient construction and has only been given four times before. Orr received the award for his work as a driving force behind the Saskatchewan Conservation House built in Regina in the 1970s. CCE spoke with Orr, now 84 years old, just before he was about to leave for Germany.

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com March/April 2015

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2015-05-08 10:51 AM

What’s your output?

If you’re pricing tankless units based only on input, it’s like using the wrong end of a hammer Before you pick a non‑condensing tankless water heater to save money, check out the total costs. Consider the Navien NPE-S (NPE-240S, NPE-210S, NPE-180S) condensing advantages: •More output for the money. With high efficiency condensing technology, NPE‑S units deliver more BTUs where it counts, resulting in greater flow rates than comparable units. •Lower installation costs for you. You can typically install a NPE‑S in half the time of other tankless units — usually within 4 hours, with more flexibility and lower material costs. •Lower operating costs for the homeowner. Our industry leading 0.99 EF can save the homeowner more on the yearly operating cost. Compare the total costs and you’ll see why Navien is the leader in condensing technology. To learn more visit www.CondensingSaves.com or www.Navien.com

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T A

2015-05-08 10:51 AM

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2015-05-12 8:28 AM