Canadian Consulting Engineer November December 2023

District heating for schools p. 6

Green infrastructure governance p. 16

Digital twinning for hospitals p. 22 November/ December 2023

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Learn at AHR Expo

A sneak peek at highlights of the 2024 show. P. 9

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CONTENTS

November/ December 2023 Volume 64 | ISSUE 6 ccemag.com

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6 COLUMNS

FEATURES

4 | Comment An award-winning photographic project helps bring the energy transition to life with ‘familiar’ images that actually depict cutting-edge engineering efforts.

6

22 | Conversation With hospitals facing increased pressure to reduce costs and improve efficiency, the implementation of digital twins offers a path to enhance operations.

District Heating for Schools SMcN Consulting helped Victoria’s Spoke School District optimize efficiency with a central plant that collects and distributes energy between two newly built schools.

9

COVER STORY AHR Expo Preview For Canada’s HVAC+R consulting engineers who willl attend January's AHR Expo in Chicago, we preview educational highlights.

12

Project Management Training In response to project write-offs, claims and client pressure, an international consulting engineering ccemag.com

16 firm introduced a formal project management training course for staff.

16

Governance for Green Infrastructure If managed properly, green infrastructure assets can play a significant role in increasing resilience for municipalities.

18

What Makes A Good Leader?

As consulting engineering is a ‘people business,’ it is important for leaders to create a positive culture and connect with their employees to earn their trust and respect.

ON THE COVER Chris Ireland, a lead key account manager at Grundfos for commercial buildings in Canada and the U.S., spoke at the 2023 AHR Expo.

The event returns with new educational content in 2024. See preview starting on p. 9.

PHOTO COU RT E SY A H R E X P O.

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3

Comment

by Peter Saunders

Picturing Net-Zero

W

hen summer ends and the weather gets cooler, do you have any fall traditions? One of mine is to visit the annual World Press Photo exhibition as it passes through downtown Toronto in October. It’s free to attend, simply by strolling through the Allen Lambert Galleria at Brookfield Place, and it’s always fascinating to see which photojournalism and documentary photography projects, submitted from around the globe, have impressed the World Press Photo Contest’s jury as the best and most important works of the past year.

“Images showcase facilities exemplifying efforts toward a net-zero economy.”

This year, one of the winning photographers was Italy’s Simone Tramonte, who captured images of facilities exemplifying ‘energy transition’ efforts toward a net-zero economy. Tramonte’s work, which has been published in Wired, National Geographic and The Guardian, to name a few, focuses on contemporary social and environmental subjects, with an aim to demonstrate how technology can help improve sustainability. Thus, his photos are relevant to consulting engineers.

For his award-winning long-term project, titled ‘Net-Zero Transition,’ Tramonte travelled from Iceland to Italy between 2020 and 2022, documenting how a variety of companies are striving to reach European Union (EU) targets to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and achieve net-zero performance by 2050.

Tramonte’s striking imagery helps bring many innovative, little-seen concepts to life.

One image that from a distance resembles an igloo actually showcases a geodesic dome over a geothermal power plant’s injection 4

CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER

well in Iceland. Underground fluids produce steam at the surface to drive turbines and generate electricity. At the same time, the plant captures carbon dioxide (CO2) from the process and fixes it within the bedrock, where it can be mineralized.

Another image resembling an information technology (IT) server room depicts a microalgae facility’s photobioreactor. In a carbon-negative process (since microalgae consume CO2 ), the facility— also in Iceland—produces antioxidant-rich food supplements.

Next, a worker harvesting tomatoes stands not in a field, but in an Italian greenhouse. A biogas plant nearby provides 100% of the energy needed for high-efficiency lighting, ensuring sustainable agricultural production; and the controlled environment means there is no need for herbicides or glysophates.

(And speaking of plant growth, another photo showcases a lab technician examining microbial biofertilizers. The lab is part of an indoor ‘vertical farm’ in Denmark, where fermented plant waste is used to make the fertilizers on-site.)

What may look at first like a satellite dish turns out to be a commercial solar plant in Spain, reportedly the first in the world to promise uninterrupted power all day long to the electrical grid. It does so by collecting and storing solar heat, rather than light. As such, it can operate for up to 15 hours without any sunlight.

These are just a few examples of how Tramonte’s images can catch the eye with cutting-edge engineering efforts. If you would like to view the full series, visit www.worldpressphoto.org/collection/ photo-contest/2023/Simone-Tramonte/1.

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November/ December 2023

SAVE THE DATE

DECARBONIZING

REMOTE COMMUNITIES VIRTUAL SUMMIT • APRIL 11, 2024 Canadian Consulting Engineer will host a special thought leadership event focusing on a key topic in Canada’s energy transition: the need to decarbonize remote communities.

Through a combination of tax credits, infrastructure funding and carbon pricing, the federal government is incentivizing communities across the country to switch from traditional hydrocarbons to emissions-free and/or renewable energy sources, such as solar, nuclear and biomass. This move, which can help wean residential, commercial and industrial facilities off of increasingly costly diesel and natural gas, also promises to help meet goals relating to First Nations prosperity, equity and business development.

Canadian Consulting Engineer is gathering a lineup of industry experts to speak to the scale of such opportunities, the progress made so far and the current reality on the ground.

In addition to our established audience of consulting engineers, this event will be of keen interest to municipal and provincial government leaders, technology suppliers and others who will be directly involved in these new opportunities.

PRESENTED BY

For more information contact Maureen Levy, Sr Publisher O: 416-510-5111 / Mobile 437-219-0623

HVAC

District Heating for Schools Pre-insulated pipe enhanced installation speed and energy efficiency. By Ali Sajjadi

W

Going for gold The district sought to integrate the new schools into the existing landscape in an earth-friendly way. Its goals included optimizing energy efficiency and achieving the Canadian Green Building Council’s (CaGBC’s) Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) v4 Gold certification. To do so, the project incorporated photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on the roofs, strategically positioned the windows and deployed geothermally boosted heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, which would run heating and cooling water through the ground to extract or reject heat, as needed.

The planners also decided to follow a district heating model, whereby a central plant would collect and distribute energy between the two schools, for greater flexibility in heating and cooling. Rather than running two separate mechanical rooms, the single heating/ cooling plant conditions water to accommodate the schools’ different energy cycles. This way, if one school requires less heat, the system can move excess heat to 6

CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER

"The heat loss numbers were within tolerance and the pipe met all of the design criteria very well."

— Michael Hladky, principal, SMcN Consulting

854

The project’s scope encompassed 854 m (2,800 ft) of underground energy transfer piping.

the other school.

Heating and cooling can be produced simultaneously by a water source heat pump (WSHP), with additional heating provided by electric boilers if needed. The water is delivered through underground piping to the terminal units of each school, where it is then used in local HVAC systems to provide comfortable heating and cooling.

Meeting the challenge The engineering firm behind the project was SMcN Consulting. According to its principal, Michael Hladky, the key to success in distribution piping or energy transfer piping applications is to prevent the heating or cooling energy from escaping while it travels. Only then could temperatures be maintained efficiently in both schools.

To meet this challenge, SMcN’s team specified Rehau’s pre-insulated cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) pipe as the basis of its system design. The pipe is engineered to efficiently transfer hot or chilled fluid through buried pipelines, minimizing energy loss.

The system uses 125-mm thick pipe to transfer energy November/ December 2023

PHOTOS COU RT E SY S O OK E S C HO OL DI ST R IC T.

ith many young families moving to Victoria’s Western Communities, Sooke School District 62 recently found itself with a need to quickly build more schools to accommodate approximately 1,200 elementary and middle school students.

After seeking community input for the project, the district chose to build the new PEXSISEN Elementary School and Centre Mountain Lellum Middle School.

(The former, named by the Songhees First Nation, refers to the opening of hands; while the latter, named by the Beecher Bay Nation, suggests ‘house’ or ‘the idea of community, where we raise our children.’)

Designed by HCMA and built by Farmer Construction, both schools opened in 2022.

Project planners sought to transfer hot and chilled fluid from the central plant to the two new schools for heating and cooling.

from the central plant to each school. The middle school uses 671 m (2,200 ft) of pipe, while the elementary school uses 183 m (600 ft).

In both cases, the flexible pipe was supplied in coil lengths of 40 m (130 ft) or greater, consisting of PEX oxygen (O2) barrier pipe surrounded by foam insulation and a durable corrugated polyethylene (PE) outer jacket. The O2 barrier pipe’s co-extruded oxygen diffusion layer would help prevent the corrosion of any cast iron components within the heating system, as per the requirements of DIN 4726, ‘Warm water surface heating systems and radiator connecting systems – Plastics piping systems and multilayer piping systems.’

The project’s scope encompassed 854 m (2,800 ft) of underground energy transfer piping.

Ensuring product compatibility Hladky explains SMcN’s team had to do a lot of number-crunching and run through many ‘what if’ scenarios from the start to determine the optimal sizing and other specifications for the project.

“Rehau had lots of technical information available online that helped us calculate relative flow rates, pressure drops, pump sizes, heat loss and other aspects of the project,” he says. “Having this information readily available allowed us to efficiently calculate design ccemag.com

parameters and determine product compatibility.”

By working up the specifications with the supplier, the team was able to meet the project’s challenges.

“We were using a very low-temperature and high-efficiency heating system, with water at only 46 C (115 F), so we couldn’t afford to lose much heat in the trip through the pipe from the heating plant to the buildings,” he explains. “With the PEX pipe, the heat loss numbers were within tolerance. The pipe met all aspects of the design criteria very well.”

Ease of installation Once the products were specified, a hydraulic tool kit allowed the installers to achieve quick, yet secure, connections in the field.

“Larger bore pipes are generally more challenging to work with, but the hydraulic tool does it all for you,” says Gord McLaren, division manager of mechanical contractors at Professional Mechanical, which handled

Professional directory

Experts in Measurement, Analysis & Control

905-826-4546 answers@hgcengineering.com www.hgcengineering.com

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PHOTOS ©R E H AU.

HVAC

Designed for educational purposes, the district heating system’s central plant features colour-coded pipes and a ‘dashboard’ to display data.

the job. “Once you get the hang of it, it’s easy to make the connections.”

“The system is bulletproof,” says project installer Joe Bell. “You can’t put the pipe and fittings together wrong. The tool won’t let you misposition anything.”

Choosing pre-insulated piping also streamlined the installation process. Metal piping must be manually insulated on the job site, which can become costly and labour-intensive and lead to performance issues if there are assembly errors. As a secure, one-piece solution, the pre-insulated pipe reduced the client’s costs for materials and labour.

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CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER

With flexible piping, installers could navigate bends and obstacles without needing extra fittings or couplings, minimizing leak points.

Additionally, the material’s flexibility supports faster installation, compared to rigid piping. Installers can navigate bends or obstacles without the need for extra fittings or couplings, minimizing potential leak points.

“We put in thousands of feet of pipe and had no leaks at all,” says Bell.

For both SMcN’s Hladky and Professional Mechanical’s McLaren, this was the first time specifying these products for outdoor underground piping; they had previously only used them for indoor radiant heating applications.

“In our experience, it’s somewhat uncommon in this climate to bury building heating piping underground,” says Hladky. “Of course, corrosion would be a concern for metal piping. Pre-insulated plastic piping is the answer for long-term durability and it’s even, consistent and gap-free throughout. The pipe just rolls out and is ready to go. We will certainly con-

sider specifying it for similar applications again in the future.”

Increasing awareness The central plant, meanwhile, was designed with an educational purpose. The project team added colour-coded pipes and a dashboard that displays plant data, energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions, for the benefit of future engineers and tradespeople.

While central plants are often concealed, this project prioritized visibility, with windows at the front of the building. Both industry professionals and the public can learn more about the inner workings of district heating applications.

Ali Sajjadi studied mechanical engineering and has served Western Canada for 13 years as a business development manager and technical sales engineer for Rehau’s building solutions division. He specializes in the design of radiant heating andcooling, snow and ice melting and geothermal systems. For more information, contact him at ali.sajjadi@rehau.com.

November/ December 2023

TRADE SHOWS

AHR Expo Preview

PHOTOS COU RT E SY A H R E X P O.

C

o-sponsored by the American Society of Heating, and Refrigerating Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), the 2024 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo) is expected to draw more than 50,000 attendees to Chicago, Ill., in January. (The annual show is never closer to the Canadian border than when it rotates to Chicago’s McCormick Place, so it wouldn’t be surprising if many of those attendees were to arrive from parts north!)

Over three days, from Jan. 22 to 24, AHR Expo will showcase more than 1,600 exhibiting heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) prod-

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uct manufacturers, along with more than 370 expert speakers through more than 110 free seminars, panel discussions and more than 145 new product and technology theatre presentations, focusing on new trends, regulations, practices and industry forecasts.

“The education program has grown into a true complementary asset to the show floor experience,” says Mark Stevens, show manager. “It will offer discussions about real problems that are shared across the industry. By inviting our associations and community leaders to the table, we can spark important conversations that lead to smarter decision-making.”

The following pages preview just a few of the educational highlights of this year’s AHR Expo that may prove especially relevant to 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, visit www.ahrexpo.com.

Educational Highlights Monday, Jan. 22 10:30 a.m.

Thermal Energy Storage: Current Technologies and Innovations In this panel discussion, attendees will learn about innovations in thermal energy storage. The presentation will cover rooftop packaged units, chillers and campus-wide tanks, as well as economic and carbon-reduction benefits to users and to the grid.

(Location: S403a) CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER

9

TRADE SHOWS

1 p.m.

Fundamentals of Adiabatic Heat Rejection This entry-level session will discuss how to compare various heat-rejection systems, how to determine when adiabatic coolers and condensers are right for a specific project, the different types of adiabatic units available and requirements for code compliance. (Location: S401a) 1 p.m.

Necessity of Filtration on Open Cooling Systems This is a one-hour entry-level course on the basics of HVAC water filtration. The course will discuss overall benefits in detail (including potential energy savings), system efficiency, various types of filtration typical to HVAC, basic applications and sizing. (Location: S401d) 1:30 p.m.

Indoor Air Quality: Understanding the Link Between Ventilation, Health & Industry Dynamics This intermediate session will explore strategies to address indoor air quality (IAQ) challenges, including 10

CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER

effective ventilation systems, air filtration techniques and humidity control, and discuss the pivotal role of source control in minimizing pollutants. (Location: S403b)

370 The show will feature more than 370 expert speakers.

2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Fan and System Curves with Fan Energy Index (FEI) This two-part session will examine how fan and system curves are derived and interpreted, how static pressure and velocity pressure change as air moves through a system, how pressure loss is calculated and how the fan energy index (FEI) efficiency metric works.

(Location: S404d) 3 p.m.

ACG Building Systems Commissioning Guideline Overview This session will present best practices for executing the ASHRAE Standard 202 process, with details for commissioning specific types of building systems while overcoming common challenges encountered in both design and field settings. (Location: S402a)

Tuesday, Jan. 23 8 a.m.

Revolutionary Energy Management: Rethinking the Paradigm This session suggests energy consumption, decarbonization and comfort could be revolutionized by preloading buildings with heating or cooling as a ‘reservoir’ to be tapped as needed, leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI). (Location: S402b) 9 a.m.

The Engineer’s & Integrator’s Role in Creating Cyber Harmony This presentation will introduce the concept of ‘cyber harmony’ and its relevance to the roles of consulting engineers and systems integrators, delving into hardware and software that must be integrated into designs to ensure the security of their deployments. (Location: S401bc) 11 a.m.

Trending and Driving Forces of Change for Smarter Buildings In this session, attendees will learn how the Smart Building Academy November/ December 2023

Wednesday, Jan. 24

has made a difference as a driving force in ASHRAE and joint working groups and how industry thinkers continue to change the building automation systems (BAS) business.

(Location: S401bc) 1 p.m.

Heat Pumps, Electrification and the Grid This panel will discuss deploying heat pumps in retrofits while addressing major barriers to electrification: how to avoid costly upgrades to a building’s electrical infrastructure; and how to prevent stress on the grid from added load during peak demand. (Location: E350) 3 p.m.

Application, Installation and Maintenance of Life-Safety Dampers Fire and smoke dampers are integral to fire protection in commercial and industrial buildings, restricting the spread of flame and smoke. This session will address the finer points of these devices’ application, installation and maintenance.

(Location: S404d)

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145 There will be more than 145 new product and technology theatre presentations.

9 a.m.

Air-Curtain Technology: Theory, Operation and Applications This presentation will cover all facets of air-curtain technology, which is installed at a building’s entrance to minimize the cross-migration of warm and cold air from buoyancy pressures and wind, while repelling airborne dust, dirt, fumes, odours and insects.

(Location: S404d) 10:30 a.m.

A Hybrid Solution to Heating, Cooling and Ventilating Schools As centralized heating and air systems cannot adequately ventilate individual rooms in large school buildings, this presentation will cover decentralized strategies, the measurement of proper ventilation and the importance of indoor air quality (IAQ) to students. (Location: S404d) 12:30 p.m.

The Decarbonization Countdown: What’s in Store for Commercial HVAC Systems

This 60-minute session will highlight the top sustainability challenges on the horizon for the commercial HVAC industry and provide guidance for its professionals as they join the decarbonization movement.

(Location: S404bc) 1 p.m.

Avoiding Impacts of System Design and Fan Accessories on Fan Performance This presentation will cover the performance of commercial and industrial fans and address the factors that can diminish it. Attendees will gain insight into the impacts of design and accessories on fan performance and power consumption.

(Location: S404d) 2:30 p.m.

Next-Generation Mega Air-Handling Units Air-handling units (AHUs) are being enhanced with new, larger, electronically commutated (EC) motorized fan assemblies. Coupled with partial-width blades, motors can reach higher static pressures while diagonal-impeller designs realize higher efficiencies. (Location: S404d) CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER

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BUSINESS

Project Management Training A formal course can reap benefits.

By Bryan Leach

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CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER

course, a program of project management audits was also introduced.

These audits were undertaken in the firm’s offices every three months.

They involved checking a random selection of projects against a 12-point list of essential project management documentation— e.g. signed agreement with conditions, authorization to proceed, approved change orders and review of final work product. This list was introduced as part of the course as a tool to guide the firm’s project managers.

While the firm’s stated goal for the course and the list was to improve project delivery, it never explicitly defined the desired outcomes. The implicitly desired and discussed outcomes were to reduce the project write-offs and claims and to increase profitability and client satisfaction. The success of the course was internally evaluated, using the participants’ course satisfaction ‘scores.’

After the course had been in place for about four years, five courses had been presented in one of the company’s major offices. Independent of the company, this author undertook an evaluation of the benefits of the course to that office.

This evaluation focused on the

54%

Average score for consistenly meeting participants' expectations.

extent to which the course had resulted in: • Participant satisfaction.

• Implementation of the requirements of the list.

• A decrease in write-offs and claims.

• A positive change in profitability and client satisfaction.

The process was undertaken using the Kirkpatrick Model’s four levels of evaluation for the course: • Reaction (Level 1) – Did they like it?

• Learning (Level 2) – Did they learn it?

• Behaviour (Level 3) – Did they use it?

• Results (Level 4) – Did it make a difference?

Did they like it?

The firm’s target was an average participants’ satisfaction score above 7.0 out of 9.0 (i.e. 78%). Following the evaluation, the firm considered the course to have been a great success, based on the conNovember/ December 2023

PHOTO: © NOL A V IG L I ET T I / A D OB E STO C K.

S

uccess in consulting engineering depends in part on the effective management of projects for (or on behalf of) clients. Most young engineers entering the field, however, receive little to no project management training during their academic schooling.

Such training is available through the Project Management Institute (PMI) and its book, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. This process can lead to Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

In consulting engineering workplaces, on the other hand, formal project management training is often absent. Instead, the relevant skills are acquired ‘on the job,’ under the guidance of an experienced project manager.

Such guidance, however, is not always sufficient. In response to an undesirable level of project writeoffs, claims and client pressure, an international consulting engineering firm introduced a more formal, three-day project management training course.

The intent was to provide the knowledge and tools to help the firm’s staff become better project managers. In parallel with the

sistently high scores achieved and due to very positive feedback from the course participants.

Reactions were evaluated using the participants’ course satisfaction feedback sheets, which were made available in the subject office for all of the presented courses. Administered at the end of each course, they represented the limit of evaluation undertaken by the firm itself.

The sheets solicited feedback from the participants on the course content, presentation, format and venue and asked whether the course fell below, met or exceeded their expectations.

As mentioned, there was a high degree of participant satisfaction.

The average scores for course content, presentation and format were 87%, 91% and 85%, respectively and the participants’ expectations were

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BUSINESS

Did they learn it?

To evaluate the increase of the participants’ knowledge, a self-assessment questionnaire was designed.

It asked them to measure the extent to which their knowledge had increased in 26 specific areas, related to nine aspects of project management, using the following system: • 1 indicates no (0%) increase.

• 3 indicates a moderate (50%) increase.

• 5 indicates a significant (100%) increase.

The knowledge questionnaire was sent to 71 individuals who had participated in the course in the subject office. Some 31 of these were completed and returned, for a response rate of 44%.

Five responses were from experienced and 26 from inexperienced project managers. In an attempt to ensure honest and unbiased reporting, the questionnaires were completed anonymously and returned to an impartial co-ordinator.

The inexperienced project managers reported an overall increase in 14

CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER

knowledge of 60%. The two greatest areas of knowledge increase (78%) were understanding the importance of clearly defining the project scope and the value of regular communications with the client.

The experienced project managers reported an overall increase in knowledge of 28%. The greatest area of knowledge increase (56%) was in understanding the skills and attributes of a successful project manager. Other indicated areas of enhanced knowledge included satisfying the client, understanding the interface with the client, issues related to schedule achievability and the importance of implementing the list.

Did they use it?

A similar self-assessment questionnaire was designed to measure the degree of change in 15 specific project management behaviours of the participants, related to nine aspects of project management, again as per the following system: • 1 indicates ‘never,’ no (0%) change.

• 3 indicates ‘sometimes,’ moderate (50%) change.

• 5 indicates ‘always,’ dramatic (100%) change.

Relevant skills are often acquired ‘on the job.’

Did it make a difference?

The most difficult part of the evaluation process was quantification of the results. There was a desire from management to prove the value— i.e. return on investment (ROI)—of the training in monetary terms.

Project management effectiveness can be measured.

Post-training surveys provided valuable insight.

The results were evaluated by considering the findings of the quarterly project management audits conducted in the subject office over a period coincident with the presentation of the courses. The office’s project write-offs and

PHOTO: © DR E A M ST U DIOS / A D OB E STO C K

consistently met (54%) or exceeded (46%).

The behaviour questionnaire was sent with the knowledge questionnaire to the same 71 individuals and saw the same response rate. The inexperienced project managers reported a 53% positive change in behaviours. The greatest change, at 72%, was in practising their delegation skills; while a 70% increase was reported for satisfying the client and paying more attention to exercising leadership skills.

The experienced project managers, meanwhile, reported a 38% positive change in behaviours. The two greatest changes in behaviour, both at 60%, were in better understanding the client’s organizational structure and improving communications with the client. A 52% increase was noted for referring to and implementing the list.

November/ December 2023

12-month running average percentage of profitability over the same period were also reviewed.

Unfortunately, work in progress and receivables were not included in the evaluation. In retrospect, these two elements would perhaps have been the best direct measures of project management effectiveness.

Over the seven quarters coincident with the presentation of the courses, project management audit scores increased from 74% and 69% in the first two quarters, respectively, to 94%, 79% and 89% in the last three quarters, respectively. Project writeoffs were mixed at 0.88% and 1.19% (as a percentage of revenues) in the first two quarters, respectively, and at 0.76%, 2.18% and 1.76% for the last three quarters, respectively.

There was a 5% increase in the 12-month running average profitability of the office over the same period. There was also limited, anecdotal evidence of improved client satisfaction, based on client interviews.

Making a direct causal link between the course and changes in office profitability is difficult. Office profitability is primarily controlled by the cyclic nature of office revenues and the chargeability (i.e. billability) of staff. Another important consideration was the number of project managers who had participated in the course in the subject office.

Unfortunately, the benefits of behavioural changes due to the course are not immediate. Sufficient time must elapse between the course and the evaluation of its effectiveness, value and benefits, so as to allow the participants’ increase in knowledge and positive changes in behaviours, while working on new projects, to take effect and make a difference.

Indeed, it was difficult to provide proof of a positive ROI for the course. Rather, it was only possible to provide a weight of evidence that it had been a success.

Participants enjoyed the course and expressed satisfaction with it. Their knowledge increased and their behaviours underwent positive change.

It was particularly interesting to note the greatest increases in knowledge and ccemag.com

behavioural changes, for both inexperienced and experienced project managers, were in ‘soft skills’ like leadership, delegation, communication, understanding clients and satisfying their needs. Experienced project managers significantly increased (52%) their knowledge of the importance of the list and changed their behaviour (52%) by increasing their refer-

ence to and implementation of it when managing projects. These findings confirmed the benefit and value of introducing the list as an effective tool for project managers.

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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CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER

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2023-11-21 3:14 PM

CITIES

Governance for Green Infrastructure If managed properly, GI assets can play an important role in increasing resilience.

By Jennifer Court, Gemma Dunn and Jeff Matthews

M Figure 1.

16

unicipalities across Canada are facing challenges with growing populations, aging infrastructure, degraded ecosystems and the need for climate change mitigation and adaptation, slow economic growth and low social equity. Increasingly, they are turning to green infrastructure (GI) to help address these challenges, given its low cost and wide range of economic,

CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER

environmental, health and social benefits (see Figure 1).

GI includes natural assets (e.g. native vegetation, wetlands and parks), enhanced/hybrid assets (e.g. green roofs, bioswales and raingardens) and engineered assets (e.g. permeable pavement, perforated pipes, infiltration trenches and cisterns). If managed appropriately, these assets can play an important role in increasing the re-

silience of a city.

Unique challenges As GI assets represent a unique combination of engineered and living elements, they present a number of challenges in themselves: • Natural elements ( e.g. plant or soil systems) need different maintenance to function optimally compared to water-related infrastructure.

November/ December 2023

PHOTO: ©R A M U NA S / A D OB E STO C K.

• Many decision makers do not recognize GI as municipal infrastructure and, as a result, do not include its full range of benefits among financial priorities.

• GI assets have traditionally been owned and maintained by separate municipal departments, so the scope of governance—including responsibility and accountability for associated maintenance—is unclear.

Financing, governing, monitoring and maintaining GI assets is already complex, but will only become more so as local governments become responsible for increasingly larger portfolios of them.

Hence, there is a need for more rigorous, well-considered and effective asset management, to ensure assets are not built and then forgotten.

The importance of asset management GHD recently demonstrated the relationship between asset management and governance when it comccemag.com

90%

Vancouver has committed to capturing and cleaning a minimum of 90% of its average annual rainfall.

pleted a GI planning project for the City of Vancouver. The program provides guidance for managing existing GI, scaling up implementation of new assets and adapting to evolving governance and funding challenges. It focuses on maximizing the benefits of existing assets and ensuring the city realizes a return on investment (ROI).

Specifically, the program is in support of the goals articulated in Vancouver’s Rain City Strategy, with an aspirational vision of becoming a water-sensitive city and treating rainwater as a resource to be embraced and valued. The strategy aims to improve water quality, resilience, natural and urban ecosystems and overall livability.

The city has set measurable targets by committing to capturing and cleaning a minimum of 90% of its average annual rainfall; managing urban rainwater runoff from 40% of its impervious areas by 2050; and retrofitting 10% of such surfaces, such that GI manages the runoff. To achieve these goals, the city forecasts it will need to significantly scale up GI assets from 283 to 10,000 by 2050.

GHD worked with the city to develop a ‘living framework’ for GI asset management framework—the first of its kind in Canada. This process, which involved gaining a greater level of understanding about existing GI (including associated life-cycle costs) and developing a plan that could be sustainably scaled up based on both financial and human capacity, was undertaken by asking five key questions: 1. What is the current context?

2. What needs to be delivered?

3. How should we deliver it?

4. Who is accountable for delivery?

5. How do we pay for it?

This work also involved identifying pressures and demands that will affect the city’s services and determining how to track these services’ performance levels. This process

included data reviews, financial modelling, interviews and workshops with both Vancouver employees and their peers from comparable cities.

The project’s outcomes included: • A level of service (LoS) framework.

• A service delivery model (SDM), which outlines all organizational processes involved in the design, development, deployment and operation of GI services.

• A governance structure designed to complement existing municipal processes and relationships and support the success of future GI development.

• A GI asset valuation, including replacement, expansion and renewal costs and time horizons.

• Cost estimates associated with various growth strategies, providing insights on budgeting requirements and potential annual investment rates.

An example to other municipalities A key lesson learned from this process was GI asset management is still an emerging practice, particularly at the strategic level. While some municipalities are doing well at day-to-day operations and maintenance (O&M) of their GI, none has yet implemented asset management at the strategic decision-making level.

Adopting a strategic approach to GI asset management, which drives short-, medium- and longterm decision making, is crucial to addressing the aforementioned challenges and ensuring sustainable GI implementation.

Vancouver’s takeaways will serve as examples for other municipalities of how to strategically plan, set targets for, fund and manage GI assets in a sustainable manner and fully realize the important benefits such assets deliver.

Jennifer Court is GI lead, Gemma Dunn is Western Canada water market leader and associate and Jeff Matthews is executive advisor for GHD. For more information, visit www.ghd.com.

CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER

17

MANAGEMENT

What Makes A Good Leader?

C

onsulting engineering is a ‘people business.’

Our largest and most important resource is our people. It is important for leaders to create a positive culture and connect with their employees to earn their trust and respect, within a nurturing and supportive workplace.

A good leader should be expected to harness the power of employees’ creativity, intellect and collaborative teamwork—but this raises the question of who can be a good leader. Is leadership a learned skill, which anyone can be taught? Or is it a naturally inherent attribute?

There is an abundance of self-help books, development guides and online resources filled with tips and ideas describing how introspective self-evaluation and best practices can jump-start and shape readers’ leadership skills. Career coaches also offer mentoring to those aspiring to develop leadership skills.

Those in positions of leadership in consulting engineering firms have learned—or should have learned— over time what works and doesn’t in leading teams. We ought to be able to recount mistakes we have made, including errors in judgment, complacency or indecision, as well as our successes in implementing strat18

CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER

egies and promoting and rewarding good practices.

While experience is invaluable, however, it is not sufficient by itself, unless combined with sound judgment, behavioural integrity and coherent communication.

Articulating a vision The role of organizational leadership starts with defining and articulating an aspirational vision and goals, simple and coherent in its messaging.

This process requires ‘homework,’ insight and diverse expertise, so as to inspire employees in their actions, decisions and behaviour.

Motivating employees Success relies on the motivation of staff, both individually and in teams, to work toward a set of common goals. Sound communication skills are vital, as well as personally demonstrating behaviours and values.

Employees tend to embrace goals and targets that are delivered with passion, sincerity and empathy by leaders committed to listening, being present and practising what they preach.

Employees also respond well to recognition and acknowledgement.

Effectiveness in this context depends somewhat on individual personality.

We remember managers who possessed excellent skills in delivering messages and demonstrated personal commitment by adhering to the values they espoused.

Motivating employees and sustaining their commitment requires leaders to keep in touch. It is important to be aware of how employees seek recognition and acknowledgement. The role cannot be practised from afar; it requires personal engagement, understanding and responding to needs and feedback.

To promote employee satisfaction and a sense of belonging, it is imperative to reward performance in a meaningful way. Financial incentives, bonuses and profit-sharing are highly effective, but equally so are other intangibles, including public acclaim of noteworthy performance, profiling individual contributions in corporate correspondence or internal publications and funding skills development programs or supplemental education. In many situations, peer recognition is another powerful tool.

The lesson learned is that a corporate culture that promotes flexibility in its ability to recognize and reward staff, beyond typical programs dictated purely on milestones, resonates heavily with staff on a personal level.

November/ December 2023

PHOTO: © K LOU W/PEOPL E I M AG E S.COM / A D OB E STO C K.

Skills can be learned, but the right personality is also key.

By John Weeraratne

Clear communication As leaders, what we say, how we say it and how it is received and absorbed are all important.

Generally, employees across consulting engineering firms—including engineers, scientists, technologists and support personnel—want to hear from their leaders about such matters as: the health of their organization’s

performance relative to market metrics; progress on achieving internal targets; trends and growth plans; and other relevant developments. There are numerous means of reaching employees, but such communication must be frequent, consistent, clear, open and honest.

It is not enough to limit communication to factual information. To create a connection between leaders

Welcome

to a place where people are at the heart of everything we do.

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CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER

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2023-11-07 1:55 PM

MANAGEMENT

and employees, personal opinions on relevant matters must also be voiced, in an appropriate manner.

‘Humanizing’ the corporate persona is highly effective in countering skepticism and mistrust harboured by staff toward ‘corporate-speak.’

It is common for large organizations to have a department with dedicated staff preparing communications, but too often, insufficient attention is paid by leadership to the tone and nuance of such material, even though the face of the leadership is reflected in information disseminated to employees.

An astute leader must also understand there are different audiences to engage in various forms of communication. In addition to communicating with employees, it is no less important to engage owners, executives, directors and shareholders. And when differences in opinion or approach emerge, leaders must exercise tact, diplomacy and a willingness to accept who calls the shots.

Many strong-willed, opinionated leaders learn battles cannot be won with heavy-handed pushback. It is infinitely more effective to present thoughtful and insightful recommendations with patience to win over decision-makers.

The right people To lead an organization to success, much emphasis is correctly placed 20

CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER

on recruiting staff based on attitude, skill, personality and personal goals.

Where there is strong, effective leadership, you will typically find employees who have bought into the organizational agenda.

Every effort must be made to prevent recrimination toward constructive criticism.

Effective leadership also involves empowering local and regional managers to likewise recruit and develop people with the right attitude and values.

Responding to behaviour and feedback A strong, decisive leader must demonstrate there are lines that cannot be crossed without consequences and certain behaviours and actions that will not be tolerated within the organization. Any inaction or procrastination over the need to act swiftly when necessary will usually diminish authority and respect.

Input sought and received from others, including managers and leadership support personnel, can be helpful, but acting upon such feedback requires careful assessment and good judgment, based on successful experiences from the past.

Inviting feedback through proper-

Vital attributes It is impossible to describe a formulaic approach to sound leadership. It cannot merely be taught or instilled; rather, it is a combination of experience, judgment, emotional intelligence, integrity, drive, communication skills and a personality that draws people with trust. It is also not difficult to describe and recognize traits that are contrary to good leadership!

A leader may feel ‘alone’ when confronted with the need to make difficult decisions. Despite being surrounded by supportive advisors, you must possess the internal fortitude to own your decision and stand behind your actions. Thus, self-assured confidence is an additional, vital attribute of good leaders.

Great leaders are also generally able to identify leadership potential in their employees. Succession planning, after all, is essential to maintain the ongoing health of the organization, as the mantle of leadership changes hands.

John Weeraratne, P.Eng, is a retired civil engineer and former president of Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions (E&IS) Canada.

With more than 30 years’ management and leadership experience in consulting engineering and construction, he has overseen and directed the career development of engineers and scientists who have gone on to leadership roles in consulting engineering firms across Canada.

November/ December 2023

PHOTO: © WS ST U DIO 1985 / A D OB E STO C K.

ly framed questionnaires and surveys can produce a range of valuable comments, questions and suggestions, but what is important next is the response by leadership. If there is a willingness to be responsive regardless of how critical or diverse the feedback might be, the ensuing trust that is fostered will enhance the connection employees feel with their leaders.

Every effort must be made to prevent recrimination toward constructive criticism. Many undesirable lessons have been learned by leaders in allowing a ‘shoot the messenger’ culture to proliferate.

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CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER

21

Conversation

J

ean-Pierre Rivard is the lead building information modelling (BIM) manager at AtkinsRéalis (the consulting engineering firm formerly known as SNC-Lavalin), which has used digital twins— i.e.virtual replicas of physical systems, with predictive analytics and simulation capabilities based on real-time data collected by sensors—to help identify flaws and solve problems for transportation infrastructure and industrial projects. Now, he sees an opportunity for the same technology to benefit health-care facilities, as they face increasing pressure to optimize efficiency.

What’s your background with digital twin technology?

I’m a mechanical engineer and my team is mostly working on the design side. We’ve been using 3-D models—which are mandatory in Quebec for major projects—for quite a few years. We take our client’s requirements and pump them into the 3-D model, to make sure whatever is being designed meets those criteria.

More and more clients are asking us to add components to our models relating specifically to the operation of their facilities. This is where we see the next step: organizing these models to be used by operations and maintenance (O&M) staff. We have to find a way to get these people on board when we design buildings, so we can get their feedback and ensure a digital twin provides information that can help them complete daily tasks and plan maintenance.

We’ve already been using models to this extent in some industries, but not yet in health-care facilities, 22

CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER

where we know there would be benefits with a proper digital twin, because we have operated some of these facilities ourselves.

Why has health care been slower to adopt digital twins?

Many hospitals are aging and complex. And there are lots of people to convince this is the way to go. We need to leverage our past experience from other industries to show how we can help these facilities become more efficient, by using 3-D models to train operators before they’re on-site.

With a new facility, you can add the sensors as you build, which is more cost-effective than in an existing facility, where it would carry an additional expense. That said, the maintenance routine for a new facility may not be known yet. The way we design the building should show we understand how people will operate it.

Jean-Pierre Rivard.

“The way we design a building should show we understand how people will operate it.”

Why are digital twins important in health care?

When a mechanical system fails, you lose your ability to treat people and you might have to send them to another hospital. I’ve seen this happen to members of my family.

We need to spot potential failures before they happen.

New standards require sections of the building that can be converted into pressurized zones when there’s a pandemic or a fire. The ability to secure such areas is something we can model.

The same is true for preventing fires. We commonly use 3-D models

to simulate smoke generation to make sure ventilation systems are designed in the right way to get the smoke out.

I worked on a hospital site a few years ago where, as employees came in to work in the winter, the entrance doors were essentially open from 7 to 10 am. The temperature inside would drop and it got to the point where people complained they were always cold. The wind was coming in one side and going out the other, so the whole hospital was acting as a wind tunnel.

We used digital twin data to reconfigure the entrance.

That kind of analysis can be applied to any facility for which we can build a geometric representation. If the model is built right, you can access information to help make sure O&M staff is working at the right place at the right time.

We have to understand people are working in a very difficult environment, with shortages of staff and beds. They’re probably overwhelmed at the moment and can’t see everything that’s going on. So, the challenge is how O&M can become more proactive, rather than reactive.

A small improvement in how we do things can create a direct benefit.

We have to get everyone involved in the digital twinning process, including clients, operators, constructors.

Then we can help support the best care for patients.

November/ December 2023

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Digital Twins in Health Care

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