Canadian Consulting Engineer November December 2024 by Annex Business Media

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COLUMNS

04 | Comment

The Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards are set to become more accessible and competitive in 2025.

08 | Climate Perspectives

This new column will focus on matters of global warming and climate change about which Canada’s professional engineers need to remain current.

16 | Legal

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office’s (CIPO’s) recent extension of industrial design protection to buildings and other structures may affect engineers.

22 | Conversation

RDH principal David Vadocz, P.Eng., strives to balance both seismic and energy-efficiency requirements when designing and renovating façades.

FEATURES

Surveillance: Successful Adaptive Environments

Urban development has led to greater integration of ‘smart surveillance’ technology in projects’ earlier stages, including design.

COVER STORY

AHR Expo Preview

Canada’s consulting engineers specializing in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC+R) will cross the border in February to attend the annual AHR Expo in Orlando, Fla. We preview some of the big event’s educational highlights.

November/December 2024

Volume 65 | ISSUE 6 ccemag.com

14 5

Advances in Electric Boiler Technology

Today’s zero-emission high-voltage electrode boilers offer advantages for centralized heating, power plants, swing-load balancing and fuel boiler replacements.

Effective Course Design and Delivery

Engineering firms must provide not only quality service to clients, but also a challenging and stimulating workplace for employees, which involves training and learning.

Comment

by Peter Saunders

Opening the CCE Awards

As I only briefly mentioned in my September/October column, there will be some changes to the Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards in 2025. While further details are still to come early in the new year with our annual call for entries, I wanted to take this opportunity in the meantime to give you a bit of a preview!

First, we are excited to announce that starting next year, the longest-running and most prestigious national recognition program for professional engineers in private practice will be opened to all Canadian consulting engineering firms to enter, as many times as they want, regardless of whether or not they are members of an industry association.

and awards ceremony in Toronto, to be held on Oct. 16 at the historic Palais Royale Ballroom.

The Palais holds a special place in my heart. My grandmother recalled heading there to dance to big-band jazz back in its heyday as an Art Deco nightclub in Sunnyside Amusement Park, but so did my friends and I during the swing revival of

The reason behind this change is that the awards are now being managed entirely by Canadian Consulting Engineer. We want the program to become both as accessible and as competitive as possible in this, its 57th year, so any and all high-calibre projects from across the country will be in the running for the 20 Awards of Excellence and five Special Awards (including the nation’s top technical award, the Schreyer).

“I look forward to welcoming you to this storied venue.”

Other aspects of the awards entry process will remain the same—with the call for entries going live in early January, notices of intention (NoIs) to enter due in March and full project entries in April, so our esteemed jury of industry experts can review submissions and determine the winners by early summer—but the program will now culminate in a gala dinner

the late 1990s. It was repaired and renovated shortly thereafter, reopening for events in 2006.

I look forward to welcoming you to this storied venue, where for the first time I will be helping to announce and present the awards on-stage. We’re going to have a lot of fun!

There will also be new opportunities to partner with us and sponsor the awards throughout the year, including at the gala when the winners are showcased to an attentive audience, in the high-profile September/October Awards Issue and online at CCEmag.com.

Be sure to join us again in 2025 as Canada celebrates the best of the best in engineering!

Peter Saunders •

psaunders@ccemag.com

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Palais Royale Ballroom.

PHOTO BY NITHYA CALEB.

Successful Adaptive Environments

‘Smart surveillance’ benefits from data analytics.

By Aaron Kamitomo

Urban development has undergone major transformations over time.

The transportation, energy and construction sectors, among others, have been profoundly affected by technological revolutions —in particular, by progress in information and communications technology (ITC), which as led to 'adaptive environments.'

One example of this shift is the growing practice of integrating surveillance technology early in the construction process, using the Internet of Things (IoT). Historically, the addition of surveillance systems was more of an afterthought, performed only when necessary to update or upgrade a facility. More recently, however, it has become standard for smart surveillance to be included during a project’s design stage.

Integration with blueprints

Consulting engineers have played an instrumental role in integrating IoT surveillance at a project’s pre-construction phase. As primary influencers, they assess which functions and features are crucial to achieve the client’s desired building performance and operational efficiency. Their recommendations and guidance ultimately dictate an adaptive environment’s safety and security in all phases, from construction to completion.

By addressing surveillance integration in the design phase, consulting engineers can also take legal and regulatory requirements into consideration and settle any compliance issues at the onset. In doing so, they can address concerns regarding privacy and data protection, which are common reasons for post-construction adjustments. As such, they can help clients avoid costly issues in a later phase.

Among other benefits, early integration can reduce

Issues can be settled at the onset.

costs. The installation of smart surveillance systems, which comprise many discrete components, is more complex than that of traditional surveillance equipment. As motion sensors, access control, intercoms, network audio, workstations, smart locks and lights are to be mounted in different areas, the alternative option of post-construction retrofitting poses a laborious undertaking, where expenditures can seem to grow exponentially, depending on the extent of the work. Simply by completing the task earlier, the integration of smart surveillance becomes much more economical.

Beyond cost, consulting engineers may also find planning smart surveillance installation prior to the construction phase can yield esthetic and functional benefits. A well-considered plan can ensure design priorities—such as concealment and finishes—are blended seamlessly, contributing to the intended spatial appearance and unencumbered by clashing structures or colours.

Post-construction installation often involves adjusting the system design to account for existing pillars, signage and other obstructions. Pre-construction instal-

lation provides more freedom to modify component placement to ensurie optimal ‘line of sight’ surveillance. Camera height, angle, lighting and weather protection can also be revised, optimizing the overall effectiveness of the system. Post-construction integration also tends to encounter a higher number of technical issues, which early planning could have avoided.

System synergies

Adaptive environments are made possible by data. The ability of IoT-enabled surveillance technologies—connecting sensors and cameras—to collect, transmit, integrate and analyze data is key to improving operational efficiency for modern urban developments.

IoT-enabled sensors

There are many types of sensors that can gather and transmit data using IoT infrastructure, including environmental, motion, presence, health and safety, to name a few. And when these sensors are embedded in surveillance equipment, the data can also be integrated and analyzed to yield insights into anomalies, patterns or inconsistencies.

Environmental sensors, for example, can provide data on temperature, humidity, air quality, water contamination and other factors, which can help consulting engin-

eers support sustainability initiatives, such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

With motion and presence sensors, meanwhile, the detection of occupancy levels can be useful for further spatial planning and crowd management assessments.

Health and safety sensors are triggered by harmful elements, such as carbon monoxide or smoke, to alert rescue personnel. They can help building managers adhere to regulations and, together with surveillance footage, can be reviewed after incidents to identify a sequence of events and assess response effectiveness.

Surveillance cameras

To complement the valuable information gathered by IoT-enabled sensors, surveillance cameras can provide visual context with broader coverage from multiple vantage points, adding further certainty to collected data. They are invaluable in situations where immediate feedback or response is needed.

Functions and features

Today’s smart surveillance cameras offer a variety of characteristics to facilitate system effectivity:

• High-definition (HD) video: As a baseline, smart surveillance cameras can capture HD or ultra-HD/4K images, providing ac-

curate visual information for monitoring and reporting purposes.

• Network connectivity: Smart cameras can support the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), Internet Protocol (IP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) extension for the seamless provision of data.

• Edge processing: This capability involves on-board and local processing of data, enabling the rapid transmission of information, which is crucial for urgent or emergency situations, while also reducing the need for power-intensive servers that would otherwise increase the system’s total cost of ownership (TCO).

• Compatibility with IoT sensors: There are many types of sensors in the market; smart surveillance cameras are designed to be compatible with them all, supporting enhanced awareness of data.

Data analytics have many uses.

• Open platforms and APIs: Smart surveillance cameras can be integrated with third-party platforms and IoT devices through application programming interfaces (APIs), which enable customization, scalability and interoperability.

Through these technologies, video surveillance also demonstrates predictive intelligence through data analytics. In a city near a body of water, for example, where any shifts in the water level create the potential for flooding, surveillance cameras offering edge-processed analytics can continuously monitor the water and automate alerts if it reaches a concerning level.

Further applications

IoT-enabled surveillance and data analytics have many applications. Those of particular interest to consulting engineers may include infrastructure health, security

Early integration of surveillance systems into blueprints can reduce project costs in the longer term.

threats and traffic management.

Infrastructure health

A smart system can use IoT-enabled surveillance and data analytics together to effectively monitor and maintain infrastructure health, collecting real-time data on the status of adaptive environments. Data sets based on historical information can serve as a baseline for optimal health, allowing anomalies to be reported immediately through alerts.

Surveillance cameras and drones can patrol and inspect infrastructure in hazardous environments in lieu of manpower, facilitating rapid feedback while prioritizing staff safety. Gathering data in this way can help users understand their infrastructure’s current condition and predict its future state, mobilizing and applying any repairs or patches needed to prevent issues and failures.

Security threats

A ‘smart city’ equipped with surveillance cameras and sensors can continuously collect relevant data on environmental and other conditions where disruptions could indicate security threats. If a threshold is breached for the level of a certain chemical’s presence, for example, automated alerts can summon response teams and provide warnings to nearby areas.

Traffic management

IoT-enabled surveillance and data analytics can also contribute to traffic management in a smart city. A well-designed system can improve flow and ease congestion through the use of real-time data, such as by alerting motorists of roadside concerns, providing alternate route recommendations and estimating travel times. With pedestrian traffic, too, large venues like stadiums can

monitor queues and direct patrons accordingly, to improve guests’ experience and temperament.

Enhancing cities

The advent of proactive integration for IoT-enabled surveillance technology at the pre-construction phase has empowered consulting engineers to increase safety and livability in adaptive environments, allowing cities’ leaders to prioritize regulatory compliance, optimize resource allocation and improve operational efficiency. Analytics harness data to provide insights into infrastructure status, predictive maintenance and future projections, helping engineers navigate new urban challenges.

Aaron Kamitomo is the architecture and engineering (A&E) manager for Axis Communications in Canada, involved in discussions and initiatives surrounding security technology implementations, artificial intelligence (AI) ethics and cybersecurity.

climate perspectives

By Stan Ridley

Stan Ridley, C.Eng., MICE, BSc (Eng), MSc (Eng), is president of West 2012 Energy Management, based in Vancouver. He is also a member of United Nations (UN) groups of experts on gas, coal mine methane and just transition.

Engineering Energy Solutions

This article is intended to be the first of a new, ongoing series of columns that will focus on various important matters of global warming and climate change, about which Canada’s professional engineers in private practice should remain current, relative to critical existential issues facing our civilization.

Human civilization has been in the ‘fossil fuel age’ since the early 1800s. It is clear we will not end this age until we find cost-effective, efficient, convenient, human-friendly and planet-friendly alternate sources of power and energy—or, as the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) has pointed out, until we exhaust all economically reachable fossil fuels, which of course are not limitless.

At present, estimates of total an-

nual anthropogenic (i.e. caused by human activity) global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions range from a low of about 60 billion tonnes to close to 100 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and others. The higher estimates are based on the global warming potential (GWP) of methane, with about 104 times the heat trapping potential of CO 2

VIRTUAL SUMMIT I APRIL 23, 2025

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

The AI in Engineering virtual summit will be held on April 23, 2025, at a time when Canada’s consulting engineers are looking to more deeply integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into their operations, planning, design and communications processes. This is a key opportunity to reach technology decision-makers across an industry where Canada punches above its weight in the global marketplace, determining how major construction and infrastructure projects are undertaken both locally and internationally.

Our goal with this special event is to present high-level discussions of AI’s development so far, in terms of its immediate relevance to consulting engineering firms, and where the technology is heading with input and feedback from across the industry’s multiple disciplines. Attendees will learn not only about AI tools from the tech sector, but also about how firms have innovated in this area themselves.

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climate perspectives

Further, the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) have shown realistic levels of fugitive emissions of methane are 70% to 100% higher than the quantities adopted by most governments and, for that matter, many global warming and climate change professionals.

Presently, on a global basis and without real technological breakthroughs in a number of major areas, we effectively have no viably scalable solutions that could take a significant ‘bite’ out of our gigatonnes of anthropogenic CO 2 e emissions. While engineers and scientists are conducting significant research and development (R&D), such work needs to be scaled up by at least an order of magnitude.

As we try to develop alternatives to our currently enormous use of fossil fuels, which comprise more than 80% of global primary energy consumption, wind power and solar power only account for less than 4% and 3%, respectively, according to the Energy Institute. So, where should our focus be?

At present, there seems to be an international ‘push’ on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen, as I pointed out earlier this year (Canadian Consulting Engineer, May/June 2024, page 18). However, we are not going to solve the climate crisis by burning more fossil fuels, such as

natural gas, and hydrogen is one of the most inefficient carriers of energy.

So, if not LNG or hydrogen, then what?

Fossil fuels may be significantly more energy-dense than intermittent renewable energy sources like wind and solar, which need to be backed up with energy storage (which is limited in availability, given the most widely used options are large hydroelectric reservoirs, including pumped storage)—but kilogram for kilogram, nuclear fuel contains orders of magnitude more energy than fossil fuels.

Presently, less than 1% of input nuclear fuel is used. Another challenge is dealing with spent nuclear fuels, spent from fission processes, that are highly radioactive for hundreds of years. And yet another is the widespread perception that nuclear energy may not be safe. These are all roadblocks that will need to be removed, through technological breakthroughs.

Much R&D work in Canada and elsewhere has gone toward carbon capture and safe sequestration (CCSS) as a way to eliminate emissions from fossil fuels’ life cycle. Without viable solutions, however, which we presently do not have at the needed scale, we would have to stop using fossil fuels as soon as possible.

Storage of intermittent renew-

75%

of the technologies we will need to meet net-zero targets by 2070 are in the prototype, demonstration or early adoption phases.

able energy will be necessary if we are to move from our presently low total primary energy consumption (TPEC) for solar and wind. While significant R&D work is being carried out in this area, major roadblocks remain to viably scaling up such storage systems.

We often discuss biomass, which of course dominated the human race’s use of energy from about 200,000 years ago to the early 1800s, when our global population reached 1 billion. Such consumption of biomass was not sustainable, as our ancestors cut down entire forests and harpooned whales nearly to extinction. Further, wood chips carry about 30% moisture content and a heating value half of coal’s, leading to significantly higher CO2/ MWh emissions.

If we replant one to two trees for each mature tree that is chipped and burned, the new trees will absorb the same amount of CO 2 as they grow, over a few decades. With this in mind, we will need major R&D to significantly improve the life-cycle efficiency of biomass energy sources.

Future columns will explore some of these possible solutions. The IEA reports only 75% of the technologies we will need to meet net-zero targets by 2070 are in the prototype, demonstration or early adoption phases. “Without strong and targeted R&D efforts in critical technologies,” the organization says, “net-zero emissions are not achievable.”

Global warming and climate change are a human-made crisis. Former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor Mark Carney has suggested we will need to invest US$5 to $7 trillion a year, globally, to meet our carbon reduction commitments. We had better to the R&D first, however, to determine what other technologies we will still need to develop. We have a long, long way to go.

Hydrogen is one of the most inefficient carriers of energy.

2025 AHR Expo

Co-sponsored by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), the 2025 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo) is expected to draw more than 50,000 attendees—including engineers, design-build professionals, architects, contractors, facility managers, public utility professionals, educators, manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors—to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., in February. (Engineers are a particularly key group, drawn also to the concurrent ASHRAE Winter Conference at the Hilton Orlando.)

Over three days, from Feb. 10 to 12,

AHR Expo will showcase more than 1,800 exhibitors—including heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) product manufacturers—across 500,000 square feet of show-floor space, along with more than 350 expert speakers taking part in more than 250 seminars, panel discussions and new product and technology theatre presentations, focusing on trends, regulations, practices and industry forecasts.

“Over the years, the education program has grown into an important complementary asset to the show floor experience,” says show manager Mark Stevens, “lending an opportunity for deeper understanding of what’s happening within the industry, how to apply skill and knowledge and how to prepare for shifts.”

The following pages preview just a few of the educational highlights of the 2025 AHR Expo that may prove especially rel-

evant to Canadian consulting engineers who work with HVACR systems. Canadian Consulting Engineer will be at the show too, so you may see us at some of these!

For full details, make sure also to visit www.ahrexpo.com.

Educational Highlights

Monday, Feb. 10

8:30 a.m.

Air-to-Air Energy Recovery Applications: Best Practices

ASHRAE member Paul Pieper, Eng., will review real-world examples of integrating air-to-air energy recovery technologies in high-performance buildings to help optimize indoor environmental quality (IEQ), energy efficiency and thermal comfort. (Location: TBA)

8:30 am

Design of Affordable and Efficient Ground Source Heat Pump Systems

ASHRAE member Stephen Hamstra, P.E., describes best practices for effective and efficient ground-source heat pump systems, from energy analysis and equipment selection to drilling technologies, testing, hydronic system design and controls (Location: TBA)

10:30 am

The Power of Hybrid Solutions: Benefits of Supplementing Heat Pumps with Boilers

Chris Lane and Olivier Damiron of Cleaver-Brooks will discuss how hybrid heating plants, which combine heat pumps with backup boilers, can help clients reduce both their risk and their carbon footprint in an age of electrification. (Location: W311C)

2:30 pm

Fundamentals of Test, Adjust and Balance for Engineers, Cx and Energy Providers

Mike Kelly with the Associated Air Balance Council explains many of the key test and balance challenges—from practical system design considerations to obtaining useful data—that need to be properly addressed to ensure a project goes smoothly. (Location: W311AB)

3:30 pm

Variable Refrigerant Flow System Design and Application

In this course, geared toward consulting engineers who already have basic knowledge of VRF technology, ASHRAE member Pushpinder Rana, P.Eng., offers comprehensive system design and ap-

plication guidance using building-specific scenarios. (Location: TBA.)

Tuesday, Feb. 11

9 a.m.

Solar Energy Systems: Design, Applications and Real-World Best Strategies

This full-day, two-part course is designed to prepare engineers, energy consultants and other professionals to evaluate and implement cost-effective solar photovoltaic (PV) and thermal systems for commercial, institutional and residential sites. (Location: TBA.)

9 a.m.

Healthcare Facilities: Best Practice for HVAC Design and Operation & Maintenance of High-Performance Buildings

Based on ASHRAE’s HVAC Design Manual for Hospitals and Clinics, this full-day course will cover infection control, air distribution for surgical and patient rooms and techniques for improving control and energy efficiency for cooling and heating plants. (Location: TBA.)

9 a.m.

Scaling Up Smart Building Design

Brad White of SES Consulting and Greg Fitzpatrick of Cochrane Supply promise actionable strategies for adapting smart building designs to meet new expectations in such areas as electrification, interoperability and cybersecurity. (Location: W309.)

AHR Expo attendees will connect with more than 1,800 exhibitors.

11:30 a.m.

Improving Energy Efficiency, Reliability and Profitability Through Pump System Optimization

Matthew Derner, the Hydraulic Institute’s manager of business development, education and training resources, will examine the economics of pumping systems, along with strategies for assessment and optimization based on life-cycle expenses, so as to reduce long-term energy and maintenance costs. (Location: W312AB.)

1 p.m.

Changing Environments and Loads for Data Centres

ASHRAE members Brandon Gill, P.E., and Jeff Stein, P.E., will address data centre design considerations to accommodate changes in information technology (IT) equipment, especially with regard to liquid-cooled computers. (Location: TBA.)

Wednesday, Feb. 12

9 a.m.

BAS 101 - Essential Insights for Engineers, Facility Managers and BAS Professionals

Smart Building Academy founder and CEO Phil Zito promises to provide a thorough understanding of building automation systems (BASs), from their core structure to the nuances of today’s communication protocols. (Location: W309.)

9 a.m.

Thermal Storage and Heat Pumps: Lessons Learned from Hydro-Quebec’s Deployment

Steffes business development manager Katie Harrington and Resillia CEO Patrick Judge will jointly examine Hydro-Quebec’s successful program in 2022 to aid in the transition from fossil fuels to electric heating across the province, with a particular focus on its various research and development (R&D) aspects. (Location: W312AB.)

11:15 a.m.

A2L Gas Detection and UL 60335-2-40

With a focus on leak detection and safety response, Kevin McKeigue of Process Sensing Technologies (PST) will address new requirements for HVAC systems and A2L refrigerants in Underwriters Laboratories’ (UL’s) updated Standard 60335-2-40. (Location: Theater D.)

11:45 a.m.

Key Applications to Drive Decarbonization and Sustainability

In a new product presentation, Siemens’ Sahil Diwan will showcase how the effective monitoring, analysis and management of building performance can achieve sustainability goals and prepare for new regulatory requirements. (Location: Theater C.)

1:15 p.m.

Air Curtains: Minimizing Airborne Particulates from Wildfire and Vehicle Exhaust

This new product presentation will show how air curtains are not only effective thermal barriers, but can also improve indoor air quality (IAQ) by reducing airborne particulate infiltration through a doorway by as much as 50%. (Location: Theater B.)

The event will offer more than 250 seminars, panel discussions and new product and technology theatre presentations.

Advances in Electric Boiler Technology

They are virtually 100% efficient.

By Robert Presser

For consulting engineers tasked with planning, designing and supervising construction projects, today’s zero-emission high-voltage electrode boilers offer advantages over traditional fossil-fuel burning models.

Used for centralized heating, power plants, swing-load balancing and fuel boiler replacements, they can match the capacity (up to 65 MW) and output (270,000 lb of steam per hour) of traditional gas- or oil-fired boilers in a smaller footprint, while converting almost all of the energy to heat.

There is growing interest in using these boilers to assist in decarbonization, as companies around the world plan to become carbon-neutral in alignment with targets set at the 2021 United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference, COP26. Gas-fired units, by contrast, emit carbon dioxide (CO 2), methane (CH 4), nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrous oxide (N2O), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter.

Without combustion, electric boilers are emission-free. Their design eliminates fuel fumes, fly ash and large exhaust stacks.

Types of electric boilers

In resistance element type boilers, current flows through a resistance wire, which generates heat. That heat is then transferred through the element’s sheaf into

Slimmer models have been designed to ease installation or conversion.

the water by conduction to produce hot water or steam.

The first factor to consider in selecting an electric boiler is the required capacity. Lower-voltage (i.e. 480-KV) electric resistance heating element boilers are compact options, with capacity from 9 to 3,600 kW, for industrial use. They encounter design limitations when exceeding 4 MW, however, as numerous flanges, elements, contactors and fuses are typically necessary and the considerable amperage requires expensive bars for distribution, step-down transformers and large switchgear.

High-voltage electrode boilers include immersion and water-jet types. With the immersion design, the electric current is passed through the water from electrodes to counter electrodes, grounded via the vessel’s shell. The more direct the exposure between the counter electrodes and the electrodes, the greater the current draw in terms of amperage and, as a result, more power is produced.

With the jet type, meanwhile, alternating current (AC) is carried from a grounded central column to a minimum of one electrode box per phase, using water as a conductor. Given the water’s electrical resistance, the current flow generates heat directly in the water. The greater the current, the greater the heat generated and steam produced. Both water-jet and immersed electrode boilers directly connect to high-voltage supply lines from 4.16 to 25 KV. They are filled with treated water to create a closed loop system.

Maximum capacity can be adjusted by varying conductivity. Typically, a conductivity monitor is installed in the piping and any adjustments are automatically made with chemical treatment.

Installation

Prior to installation, consulting en-

gineers will need to consider whether there is sufficient voltage or a new transformer will be required. The incoming voltage typically required by code is a four-wire, three-phase wye configuration and the phases must be balanced.

It is also necessary to ensure adequate access, clearance and space are available to bring in and install the boilers. As mentioned, slimmer electric boilers have been designed to ease the installation or conversion process, fitting into smaller spaces without requiring costly demolition.

Benefits

Electric boilers offer numerous advantages over gas-fired units, including the following.

Energy efficiency

Traditional gas-fired boilers, even when using an economizer, are inherently less efficient than modern electric units, which convert almost all of their energy into heat with no stack of heat transfer losses.

Output control

For high-voltage electric boilers, the control system automatically monitors water level, steam pressure, conductivity and electrical imbalances, so energy input and adjustment are precise and virtually immediate. Increasing or decreasing the temperature in a gas-fired boiler is a slower process, because it takes time for the heat in the boiler to rise or dissipate before reaching the targeted output.

Safety

High-voltage electric boilers are inherently safer to use than traditional, combustion-fuelled boilers, which can emit harmful vapours, leak gas and even cause explosions and fires and must therefore be continually monitored or periodically inspected.

With electric boilers, there are no combustion hazards because there are no flames, fumes, fuel lines or storage tanks. In case of an electrical short, the breaker that protects the high-voltage circuit trips within milliseconds, protecting the boiler and the electrical network.

Further, since the design does not rely on combustion, it does not create emissions that would endanger the operator.

Fulfilling purpose

Understanding how to select, specify and install electric boilers for industrial purposes will conserve substantial energy, space and resources compared to fuel-fired options, facilitating not only project success, but also a safer environment and combatting global warming.

Robert Presser is vice-president (VP) of Acme Engineering Products, based in Montreal. For more information, contact him at rpresser@ acmeprod.com or (514) 342-5656.

Installation can be accommodated in smaller spaces than for traditional gas-fired boilers.

IP Protection for Buildings and Structures Legal

OBy Alex Buonassisi, Pablo Tseng and Annik Forristal

Alex Buonassisi, based in Vancouver, is an associate who runs a broad intellectual property (IP) practice for McMillan LLP. Pablo Tseng, also based in Vancouver, is a partner, IP lawyer and trademark agent at McMillan. Annik Forristal, based in Toronto, is a partner and group head of McMillan’s national infrastructure and construction group, specializing in municipal land use and development. For more information, contact them at alex.buonassisi@mcmillan.ca, pablo.tseng@mcmillan.ca and annik.forristal@mcmillan.ca.

n June 14, 2024, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) introduced a change to its practice with respect to industrial designs applied to buildings and structures. Specifically, CIPO now takes the position that buildings and structures may be eligible for design protection.

This recent extension of industrial design protection to buildings and structures may affect parties who are involved in their design and construction, including engineers, architects, developers and property owners. Understanding how this change in practice—with respect to the industrial design system in Canada—complements the existing Canadian copyright regime will be key for governing existing and future relationships between these parties.

Canada’s industrial design regime

Industrial designs in Canada are governed by the Industrial Design Act (IDA) of 1985, last amended in 2018. To be granted legal protection, an industrial design application must be prepared and filed in accordance with the IDA. Once the application is filed, it is reviewed by CIPO. If the formal and substantive requirements for a design are met, then the industrial design is registered.

The owner of the registration then enjoys protection of the industrial design for a period of 10 years from the date of registration or 15 years from the filing date of the application, whichever is longer.

An industrial design is registrable in Canada if all of the following requirements are met:

• the application is filed in accordance with the IDA.

• the design is novel.

• the design is created by the applicant or the applicant’s predecessor-in-title.

• the design does not consist only

of features dictated solely by a utilitarian function of the finished article.

• the design is not contrary to public morality or order.

To be novel, the design must not have been previously disclosed in such a manner that it became available to the public. Notwithstanding

the foregoing, persons who publicly disclose their own industrial design have a 12-month grace period to submit an application for it to CIPO without jeopardizing their ability to register their design, despite the prior disclosure.

Broadening protection

The recent change in practice follows a comprehensive review by CIPO of Canada’s industrial design framework and the relevant case law. Notably, the change brings Canada in line with other jurisdictions, like the U.S., where design patents for buildings and other on-

site structures have long been available. By way of example, the Statue of Liberty was protected by a design patent back in 1879!

The change in practice also applies retroactively to pending industrial design applications, regardless of their filing date, as per Canada’s Industrial Design Office Practice Manual (IDOP), which was also updated in June. No additional criteria specific to buildings and structures are required and these applications will be processed similarly to all other applications.

Given that a registration provides a monopoly on reproducing the protected industrial design, the change in practice may prove valuable to parties that construct buildings and structures with particularly distinctive and notable designs. After all, the owner of an industrial design registration controls the use of the protected design and can influence any proliferation or restriction of the design in other buildings and structures.

Revisions and the existing copyright regime

In Canada, architectural works have already long enjoyed protection under copyright law. The Copyright Act of 1985 extends protection to works that are original artistic and creative expressions fixed in a material form and are produced through an exercise of skill and judgment, as noted in CCH Canadian Ltd. v. Law Society of Upper Canada, 2004 SCC 13.

When it comes to buildings and structures, such works may include architectural plans and drawings, as well as the artistic expression embodied in the building itself. In contrast, the Canadian industrial design system can be used to protect the unique visual appearance or ornamentation applied to a building or structure, including its shape, configuration, pattern or ornament.

As such, industrial design protection may overlap with certain design features already protected by copyright, but may also apply to other design features not currently protected by copyright. It is accordingly prudent for engineers, property owners, developers and architects to turn their minds to ownership and control of industrial design rights in addition to copyright when entering contracts for the design and construction of buildings andstructures.

Architectural works have long enjoyed protection under copyright law.

Key takeaways

As mentioned, CIPO’s recent change in practice with respect to industrial designs applied to buildings and structures may have several implications for parties involved in the design and construction of buildings and structures as well as for the owners of such buildings and structures. These include the following.

First, as noted by CIPO, “buildings and structures may be acceptable finished articles to which a design can be applied.”

Secondly, when multiple parties are involved in designing a building or structure, it would be prudent of the professionals involved to clarify in writing which party owns the industrial design for the building or structure.

Finally, parties involved in designing and constructing buildings and structures must also be aware of existing third-party industrial designs and any potential risk in infringing upon them.

Editor’s note: This article is based on the following bulletin: https://mcmillan.ca/insights/publications/expanded-ip-protection-in-canadafor-buildings-and-structures/.

Effective Course Design and Delivery

Learning styles vary.

By Bryan Leach, P.Eng.

To remain competitive in the marketplace, a consulting engineering firm must provide not only quality service to clients, but also a challenging and stimulating workplace for employees. Investing in training and learning is an important element of the business.

Training and learning

Training is focused on development of new skills (e.g. using a software application), while learning relates to everyday experience, often facilitated through mentoring, which helps employees understand the business and how to deal with a wide range of situations.

During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, many firms turned to online platforms for both training and learning, instead of face-to-face experiences. While these platforms can provide necessary resources and content, online training or learning also presents new challenges for employees with regard to motivation, engagement and avoiding distractions.

For a course to be effective, it must be designed and delivered in a form compatible with employees’ learning styles: "Effectiveness = Content x Delivery."

All too often, there is a tendency to focus on content, rather than delivery, which can result in a course comprising a crowded PowerPoint presentation, delivered by a trainer reading slide after slide. Often referred to by employees as ‘Death by PowerPoint,’ this approach certainly limits the effectiveness of a course.

Instead, content and delivery need to be designed with an understanding that people perceive and process the world around them differently and, thus, have different learning styles.

Learning styles, perception and process

In terms of perception, some people prefer to learn by feeling, others through thinking. Feeling involves learning from concrete experiences and being sensitive to other people’s feelings. Thinking involves abstract conceptualization, learning through a logical analysis of ideas and acting on an intellectual understanding of a situation.

Too often, there is a tendency to focus on content, rather than delivery.

In terms of process, on the other hand, some people prefer to learn by watching, others by doing. Watching involves reflective observation before

making a judgement. Doing involves active experimentation, ‘getting things done,’ influencing people and events and taking risks.

In the 1970s, American educational theorist David A.

Kolb helped develop the Experiential Learning Model (ELM), which suggests four combinations of perceiving and processing determine learning styles (see Figure 1).

Engineers tend to be convergers, focusing on thinking and doing. They like facts, proof, evidence and hands-on activity. In a course, they respond well to examples, demonstrations, applications of theory, trial and error, visual graphics, clear objectives and a logical sequence. They dislike games, distractions, role-playing and ‘touchy-feely’ content.

Scientists tend to be assimilators, focusing on thinking and watching. They like reading, preparation, theory, individual learning, lectures, written handouts and reflective activities in an orderly sequence with respect for their time. They dislike large groups, redundancy and unstructured discussions.

Divergers, who focus on feeling and watching, tend toward careers in the humanities. They enjoy brainstorming, discussions, games, role-playing, reflection activities, learning journals and simulations. They dislike long-winded lectures, too much theory and passive and isolated learning.

Accommodators, who focus on feeling and doing, tend toward ‘action-oriented’ careers, such as sales and marketing. They enjoy drama, icebreakers, metaphors, analogies, debates, free-flowing activities, real-world examples and big-picture relevance. They dislike lengthy presentations, abstract theory, straight lectures, limited interaction, individual learning and sitting for too long.

A firm’s mix

Years ago, I conducted a survey of 40 professionals (out of more than 400) at an international consulting engineering firm; 80% of the respondents were either convergers or assimilators, with an approximately even split between the two learning styles.

This split reflected the office’s focus on engineering and environmental science. With two exceptions, the remaining 20% were a mix of accommodators and divergers, typically in non-technical support roles.

The two exceptions were both female senior environmental scientists with diverger learning styles. One explained how earlier in her career, she was very thinking- and task-focused, but with age and becoming a wife and mother, her perceptions changed. Feelings and the ‘big picture’ had become more important to her.

It is not unreasonable to assume the consulting engineering profession is dominated by convergers and, to a lesser extent, assimilators.

Tailoring courses for engineers

I have been involved in developing and facilitating faceto-face courses in consulting engineering and environ-

Figure 1: Kolb’s learning styles.

mental science for more than 25 years, focusing on the business, people, financial and project management aspects of the business.

These courses were designed with an understanding of the learning styles of engineers and scientists, resulting in an emphasis on interactive group and individual exercises, discussions, the sharing of experiences, stories and minimizing the length of presentations and lectures.

At the end of such courses, participants were invited to provide feedback. In particular, they were asked, ‘When were you most engaged and when were you most disengaged during the course?’

Feedback from 43 participants in

The consulting engineering profession seems to be dominated by convergers and assimilators.

(a) introductory consulting business and (b) project management courses, representing two small consulting engineering firms (i.e. each comprising less than 200 people), helped identify which course elements stimulated engagement, with some participants reporting more than one process engaged them (see Table 1). The results emphasized team exercises and group discussions, reflecting the preferred learning styles of engineers and scientists. Of those 43 participants, 21 identified sources of disengagement (see Table 2). Four of them

cited a 45-minute module, featuring 44 information-dense PowerPoint slides referencing accounting system software, presented at the end of their course’s first day, with limited opportunity for interaction. Their responses are not included in Table 2, as they were specific to that module and consequently atypical, but they are still worth noting.

That said, outside of the 21 aforementioned participants, many others reported feeling engaged the entire time or never feeling disengaged, suggesting the design and delivery of the courses were wellaligned with their learning styles. Sources of disengagement were perhaps more related to personal situations regarding knowledge and experience than to course design and delivery. Examples cited included “doing math,” “information I had heard before,” “the contracts portion” and “these subjects have been beat into me for over 38 years!”

Achieving ROI

Courses represent an investment in the sustainability and competitiveness of a consulting engineering firm. To be effective, they should be designed and delivered to address a range of learning styles. Varying processes will help increase employees’ motivation, engagement, learning, understanding and application.

The benefits of well-designed and delivered courses for the firm include increased employee productivity and retention, fewer project write-offs and claims, higher client satisfaction and greater profitability. The potential return on investment (ROI) is substantial.

Bryan Leach is a retired, Calgary-based engineer who has been designated P.Eng. in Alberta and C.Eng. in the U.K. and now focuses on helping organizations learn. He can be reached at bryleach@telusplanet.net.

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Selecting Façade Systems

David Vadocz, P.Eng., is a principal at RDH Building Science in British Columbia, where code updates have placed an emphasis on both seismic requirements, given the region’s risk of earthquakes, and energy efficiency, to help meet provincial net-zero targets. When he tackles a façade project—such as the recent renovation of the University of British Columbia’s (UBC’s) Museum of Anthropology—he strives to balance these elements.

We spoke with David following his presentation on this topic at the 2024 Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) Summer Conference in Montreal.

What do Canada’s consulting engineers need to know more about when selecting façade systems?

It’s all about (a) the movement of the building and how the façade can accommodate it and (b) the building’s thermal performance. These elements can conflict with or complement each other; it’s about finding the balance.

The type and number of connections the façade uses to accommodate a building's movement can create more thermal bridging, negatively affecting performance. So, it’s a question of how to create attachments without creating thermal bridges.

To stay competitive in the industry, it is essential for engineers to consider high-performance glazing products.

How are codes changing in this field?

The Canadian General Standards Board’s CAN/CGSB-12.20-M89,

Structural Design of Glass for Buildings, is from 1989. It was withdrawn in November 2021, so we have relied on a lot of direction since then from other standards from countries, including the U.S., U.K. and Australia. However, our code is now being updated for the first time since 1989, with reference to newer standards and high-performance materials. It’s going to be fantastic to see that come out.

With the UBC Museum of Anthropology, what changes did you make and why?

The museum was designed in 1976. While it performed quite adequately, it was determined in 2017 to have a

"It's about finding the balance."

high level of seismic risk. It was decided the Great Hall would be detached from the rest of the museum and rebuilt. The new building would be able to move freely, up to approximately 12 in.

The project was a balancing act of modern engineering with preservation of historical architecture. A base isolation system under the main floor slab will help protect the building and its artifacts during a seismic event, while allowing for heritage design elements as much as possible.

The original glass patch fitting connections didn’t allow for lateral movement. The architect’s vision was to have new fittings maintain the same appearance, so we had to design all the new bracketry with concealed articulation and slots to allow for movement. The redesigned façade combined a high-visibility grid of glass fin brackets with low-visibility interior fins and glass joints.

All the connections were mocked up at a small scale and tested to ensure they would perform adequately. It was incredible to see how well the new patch fittings functioned during these mockups. After each lateral movement, all the components went back to normal again and passed air, water and structural testing.

For the museum’s iconic skylights, we specified self-supporting glass. The idea was to use the smallest members possible, so when occupants looked up at the skylights, those supports would blend into the background and ‘disappear.’

This project helped illustrate the importance of—and challenges inherent to—lateral and vertical movement, the significance of physically testing unique connections and conducting a performance mockup to validate the facade system executes as designed.

David Vadocz.

UBC’s Museum of Anthropology was updated to meet today’s seismic guidelines.

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