Canadian Consulting Engineer December 2009

For professional engineers in private practice

DECEMBER 2009

AGO Street Transformation LEED Building Energy Results Golder at 50 Retail Goes Green

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contents

December 2009 Volume 50, No. 7

Cover: Art Gallery of Ontario facade, Toronto. Photograph

by Sean Weaver, courtesy AGO Photo Resources, c. Art Gallery of Ontario 2009. See story page 14.

Sunset Community Centre in Burnaby, B.C. See story page 16.

departments Comment

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Up Front

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ACEC Review

9

Engineers & the Law

25

Products

31

Advertiser Index

33

The Human Edge

34

Next issue: transportation infrastructure in Canada’s cities; BIM technology ; water treatment; science vs. engineering.

features Structures Street Front Transformation. A 600-foot long glass and timber facade on the Art Gallery of Ontario adds drama to a Toronto street.

By Crispin Howes, P.Eng., Halcrow Yolles

14

Warp and Twist. The Sunset Community Centre in Burnaby, B.C. shows economical tilt-up techniques can be used on a signature building.

Fast + Epp

16

Energy Management Green Buildings: Good News and Bad. An analysis of the actual energy used by 100 occupied LEED buildings found some unsettling results.

By Guy R. Newsham, Ph.D. NRC Institute for Research in Construction

19

Retailers Go Green. Big chain retailers have found their environmental conscience. Who would have thought it?

By Bronwen Parsons

22

Business Golder at 50. A principal of one of Canada’s most successful consulting firms explains how the company has developed using an unusual business model.

By John Boyd, P.Eng.

26

Conference Preview ASHRAE’s 2010 Winter Conference. Highlights from the event to be held with the AHR Expo in Orlando, Florida, January 23-27.

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December 2009

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

Editor

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

Maureen Levy E-mail: mlevy@ccemag.com (416) 510-5111

Should green roofs be mandatory?

Art Director

Ellie Robinson Contributing Editor

Rosalind Cairncross, P.Eng.

I

struggled with writing this comment. Editors are supposed to take a firm position on issues, but I find myself prevaricating on whether green roofs should become a fixed requirement on all buildings -- which is the case in Toronto thanks to a new bylaw. Word has it that Burnaby and Vancouver in B.C. are considering a similar regulation. If mandatory green roofs catch on further, the entire urban landscape of Canada could be transformed.

On October 20 at the CitiesAlive conference on green roofs held in Toronto, hardly a question about their practicality was raised. When one lone voice asked the experts on stage – all green roof designers, vendors, activists and Toronto politicians -- whether anyone had compared the energy savings vs. the maintenance costs of green roofs in dollar terms, the question was abruptly dismissed by Toronto’s deputy mayor.

The problem is that “our society is geared to science,” the deputy mayor said, whereas, “we have to go with our basic instincts as a society. Nature does it best.” At that, I found myself wondering whether he would take the same cavalier approach in ordering a new roof for his own home. Surely we’re right to expect that someone has carefully measured the entire benefits vs. lifecycle costs of green roofs before they become a fixture on all our buildings?

One often cited study that found environmental benefits with green roofs was published four years ago by the National Research Council of Canada’s Institute for Research in Construction (NRCC-48204). The research found that a green roof over a Toronto community building reduced the heat flow through the roof by 70-90% in summer, and 10-30% in winter, compared to an adjacent standard bitumen roof.

Green roofs also reduce stormwater run-off, which cuts down the load flooding into city sewers. The NRC/IRC study found that run-off from the green roof was reduced by 57% on average.

The benefits of green roofs might even be global. German researchers were at the Toronto conference to promote green roofs because they say the earth’s loss of vegetation – hence loss of photosynthesis – is the prime cause of rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

But I still have some nagging questions. All that soil has to be transported and hauled up to the roofs, for one thing. The roof structure has to be more robust, requiring more structural material. In many climates, the roofs have to be irrigated, both to keep the plants alive and for fire safety reasons. With all that water sitting up there, are the roofs more likely to leak? What about mosquitoes? Instead of requiring green roofs, why not require developers to provide more trees and permeable paving at ground level? And once a building is higher than 12 storeys, their cooling benefits are dissipated. Then there’s the biggest question of all – ongoing maintenance. Who will make sure that building owners don’t let the vegetation die after a year or two?

With all these unresolved questions, my head is spinning. Hopefully someone with a more analytic mind will come up with more complete answers soon.

Bronwen Parsons

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President, Business Information Group (BIG)

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12 Concorde Place, Suite 800 Toronto, ON M3C 4J2 Tel: (416) 442-5600 Fax: (416) 510-5134 CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER is published seven times a year by BIG Magazines L.P., Toronto, Ont. EDITORIAL PURPOSE: Canadian Consulting Engineer magazine covers innovative engineering projects, news and business information for professional engineers engaged in private consulting practice. The editors assume no liability for the accuracy of the text or its fitness for any particular purpose.

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December 2009

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up front

PROFESSION

Technologists selfregulating in Alberta In Alberta, new legislation has been enacted that gives technologists the right to practise their skills independently and use their stamps on documents.

With changes to the Engineering, Geology and Geophysical Professions Act, a new category of Professional Technologist or “P.Tech” has been created. Each licensee will be given the right to a scope of practice that will be tailored for each individual.

No mandatory continuing education in B.C. This fall, members of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C. (APEGBC) voted not to ratify a bylaw that would have made professional development activities compulsory for its members.

The proposed bylaw would have required licensed engineers to spend 30 hours a year on professional development activities. Instead, they will continue to be asked to report their professional development hours voluntarily. In 2008, 40% of the members reported such activities.

The bylaw needed to be ratified by two-thirds of APEGBC voting members.

CONSTRUCTION

Upset in Quebec construction industry Quebec’s construction industry became embroiled in scandal in October following reports that a group of contractors was rigging the bidding process to take turns in winning work in Montreal.

Reports said that the contractors would use fictitious golf games as a code to set the top bidding prices. There were also reports that organized crime groups were involved in the masonry industry.

The Quebec government resisted calls for a public inquiry, but on October 22 announced the creation of a

POWER

Downtown Montreal.

60-person special anti-corruption police squad. The force would have the right to do background checks on all the owners and shareholders of the province’s 30,000 construction contractors.

There would also be a “snitch line.”

Consulting engineers were caught in the sidelines of the fray when on November 4, Louise Harel, leader of the official opposition party on Montreal city council, criticized the city for consistently using consulting firms and the private sector rather than relying on its own internal expertise.

Meanwhile, the Association of Consulting Engineers of Quebec (AICQ) responded to an article in Le Devoir in late October that suggested there was collusion between AICQ member firms and the Quebec Ministry of Transport (MTQ).

In an open letter response published in Le Devoir October 28, AICQ president Johanne Desrochers strongly objected to points made in the newspaper’s article. She explained that MTQAICQ meetings had been specifically established to be open and transparent.

“The consultative committee between the MTQ and our association is not formed of a ‘club of privileged firms of consulting engineers,’ but of all members of the Transport Committee of our association. This committee is

NB Power sells to Hydro-Quebec Hydro-Quebec, Canada’s largest utility, has struck a tentative $4.8 billion deal to take over the majority of New Brunswick Power’s generating stations as well as transmission lines.

New Brunswick’s single nuclear reactor, at Point Lepreau, won’t change hands until its refurbishment is complete in 2011.

DAMS

Did a dam help cause an earthquake?

The American Geophysical Union has published a research paper suggesting that the construction of the Zipingpu Reservoir that was impounded in 2005 hastened the Wenchuan earthquake in China. The earthquake in Sichuan province on May 12, 2008 killed approximately 68,000 people.

EMPLOYMENT

Salary rates in Alberta The Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta (APEGGA) recently issued their 2009 Employer Salary Survey. The median top rate for those in the “Engineering Consulting Services” category was $175,000 per year, which applied to senior managers and senior specialists. www.apegga.org

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open to all member firms, Centre. The 50-year large, medium and small, old modernist buildinvolved in the transport ing was the former sector.” home of the National Ms. Desrochers said Ballet of Canada, later the meetings were held to became t h e H u m discuss general approachm i n g b i r d Centre, es and solve mutual issues, then the Sony Centre. not to discuss any specific Famed New York projects or plans. She also architect Daniel Libepointed out that the minskind has designed istry and the association the L Tower, which is had been meeting for 15 named after him and years, not since 2004 as Le the tower’s shape.

L Tower at Sony Centre for Devoir suggested.

(Libeskind is also the Performing Arts, Toronto.

The reason that the architect of the Crysvalue of contracts going to consulttal addition to the Royal Ontario ing engineers had risen so sharply Museum uptown.) The team includes between 2005-2008, Ms. Desrochers Page & Steele (architect), Jablonsky explained, was simply because the & Ast (structural), Smith & Andervalue of infrastructure spending by sen (mechanical and electrical), R.J. the Ministry during that time had Burnside (civil), IBI group (transporrisen from $1.4 billion to $3.7 billion. tation) and GME (wind).

The full text of the AICQ Communiqué is published at www.canadiPEOPLE anconsultingengineer.com, Headline Alan G. Davenport dies News, November 20.

One of Canada’s m o s t i m p o rtant engineers CITIES died this summer.

Libeskind strikes Alan G. Davenport in Toronto again founded the UniA sculpted 58-storey “L Tower” of conversity of Western dominiums is being added above the Ontario’s Boundary Sony Centre for Performing Arts in Wind Layer Tunnel downtown Toronto near the St. Lawin London, Ontarrence Market. Ground was broken on io and pioneered Alan G. Davenport the $270-million project in October. the use of such laboratories and the The work also involves renovatdesign of wind-sensitive structures. ing the landmark theatre which was Dr. Davenport worked on structures known for decades as the O’Keefe around the world, including the World

Trade Center in New York City, the Sears Tower in Chicago, the Messina Straits Crossing in Italy, and the Tsing Ma Bridge in Hong Kong. In Canada he worked on Toronto’s CN Tower and Confederation Bridge in P.E.I. Dr. Davenport died on 19 July, 2009 in London, Ontario from Parkinson’s Disease. He was a member of the Order of Canada.

New COO at Stantec Starting in January, Stantec will have a new chief operating officer. Rich Allen is based in Boston, Massachusetts and is cur- Rich Allen rently a senior vice president and manager of Stantec’s operations in the eastern U.S. He is a member of the bar for the U.S. Supreme Court and has written extensively on engineering and construction law.

David Harvey honoured in B.C. David Harvey, P.Eng. of Associated Engineering in Burnaby, B.C. was presented with the R.A. McLachlan Memorial Award David Harvey, P.Eng. by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (APEGBC) in October. The award is the organization’s highest honour for professional engineers.

Electric Motors VFD’s and Soft Starters Controls & Protection Machines Transformers info@pamensky.com 1 877 PAMENSKY (726-3675)

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CHAIR’S MESSAGE

Being heard on key issues

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conomic uncertainty is a time when the benefits of ACEC membership are most important and most obvious — like our advocacy for a business and regulatory climate that allows our members to be successful, while providing high quality service and value to our clients.

Advocacy is just one area where we are taking our efforts to the next level. Leveraging our profile with the federal government, we are monitoring and providing informed feedback on its economic stimulus programs. We recently testified before two Government Standing Committees recommending strategic, longterm approaches to infrastructure investment and reform of government procurement. This effort has now led to a significant breakthrough for our sector. The Standing Committee on Government Operations recently concluded that

qualifications and innovation should play a larger role in government procurement and recommended consideration of legislation requiring the use of Qualifications Based Selection (QBS) for the procurement of professional services.

Now ACEC has launched a Parliament Hill outreach day with the Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards as its backdrop. Armed with key messages and buoyed by our recent advocacy successes, ACEC members and staff descend upon Parliament Hill for prearranged meetings with ministers, critics and MPs. By putting human faces to our industry, we are positioning ACEC as a pre-eminent authority on the role of science and technology in our social, economic and environmental quality of life. We are showing how our members provide value to taxpayers as well as creating opportunities for our members.

ANDY ROBINSON, P.ENG., CHAIR, ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERING COMPANIES (ACEC)

MESSAGE DU PRÉSIDENT DU CONSEIL

Nous nous faisons entendre sur les enjeux clés

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’est durant une période d’incertitude économique que les avantages de l’adhésion à l’AFIC sont particulièrement importants et évidents. Ces avantages comprennent entre autres les initiatives de représentation mises de l’avant par l’AFIC pour assurer un climat commercial et réglementaire qui permet à nos membres de réussir tout en procurant des services de grande qualité et une valeur accrue à leurs clients.

Cette représentation de l’industrie n’est que l’un des domaines où nous dirigeons déjà nos efforts vers le prochain niveau. En haussant notre profil auprès du gouvernement fédéral, nous suivons de près ses programmes de stimulants économiques et nous partageons les informations que nous recueillons avec nos membres. Nous avons récemment témoigné devant deux comités permanents du gouvernement pour recommander des approches stratégiques à long terme en matière d’investissements dans l’infrastructure, ainsi qu’une réforme des pratiques d’approvisionnement du gouvernement. Cet effort a mené à un gain important pour notre secteur. En effet, le Comité permanent des

opérations gouvernementales a récemment conclu que les compétences et l’innovation devraient jouer un rôle plus important dans l’octroi de contrats et a recommandé l’utilisation de la sélection basée sur les compétences (SBC) pour l’achat de services professionnels.

L’AFIC vient aussi de lancer sa « Journée sur la Colline », tenue conjointement avec le gala des Prix canadiens du génie-conseil. Armés de messages clés et appuyés par les récents succès de nos représentations, des membres et du personnel de l’AFIC se rendent au Parlement pour des rencontres organisées d’avance avec des ministres, des critiques et des députés. En mettant des visages sur notre industrie, nous positionnons l’AFIC comme une autorité de premier rang sur le rôle que jouent les sciences et la technologie dans notre qualité de vie sociale, économique et environnementale. Nous montrons ainsi comment nos membres procurent une valeur aux contribuables et comment l’AFIC crée des opportunités pour nos membres.

ANDY ROBINSON, PRÉSIDENT DU CONSEIL ASSOCIATION DES FIRMES D’INGÉNIEURS-CONSEILS (AFIC)

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ACEC celebrates 40 Years of partnering with ENCON

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or 40 years the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies (ACEC) and ENCON have enjoyed a very special and very productive relationship. ENCON, Canada’s largest underwriter of professional liability insurance for the consulting

Jean Laurin, President of ENCON (left) and ACEC Chair Andy Robinson (right) at the 2009 Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards.

engineering sector, has been a strategic partner with ACEC — freely sharing its expertise and providing support to ACEC programs.

Through this exclusive arrangement, ENCON has provided ACEC with expert advice and has strongly supported ACEC efforts to promote commercially fair relationships between ACEC member firms and their clients.

ENCON has also added value to numerous ACEC events through its generous financial support that allows ACEC to offer first-class programs and presenters.

“ENCON’s close relationship with the ACEC over the past 40 years has played an invaluable role in the success of our engineers’ professional liability program, while providing a

stable and competitive insurance program for members of the association,” says Jean Laurin, President of ENCON Group Inc. “Drawing on the expertise of both the engineering and insurance professions, together we have built a program that is unique in Canada because of its strong focus on loss prevention.”

ACEC made a special presentation to ENCON at the 2009 Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards in Ottawa on November 3, marking 40 years of this unprecedented collaboration. Both ACEC and ENCON are already looking ahead to the future, looking for more ways to support the consulting engineering community in Canada and to provide value to ACEC members.

Canadians make their mark at FIDIC conference in the U.K.

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an informal celebration with early 30 Canadians attendJohn on his final evening as ed the annual conference FIDIC president, attended of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers by the Canadian delegation (FIDIC) from September 13 and leaders of the consulting to 16 in London. The anengineering community from nual FIDIC conference is the around the world. largest and most important The new FIDIC president international forum for the is Gregs Thomopoulos of the consulting engineering sector U.S. Mr. Thomopoulos is one —bringing together eminent of the foremost advocates of international speakers repreQBS in FIDIC and has been senting clients, industry, gova good friend and supporter ernment, funding agencies, to ACEC Canada. Also, five Andy Robinson (left), Chair of ACEC, and John Gamble (right), consultants, and engineers. candidates ran for three vacanOver 600 delegates and President of ACEC, celebrate Canadian John Boyd’s (centre) cies on the FIDIC executive tenure as FIDIC Chair at the annual FIDIC conference other guests deliberated over in London, England. committee and all three of the how the consulting engineering candidates supported by Canafidic.org/conference/2009/talks/ industry can take the lead in planning da were elected: Akihiko Hirotani of This year’s conference was Japan; Bisher Jardaneh of Jordan; and and delivering sustainable solutions noteworthy for Canada because it Jae-Wan Lee of South Korea. to the global challenges facing the world’s infrastructure. Presentations marked the end of Canadian John from the conference can be viewed Boyd’s eventful and influential term Canadians play key roles on the FIDIC website at http://www1. as FIDIC president. ACEC hosted In addition to John Boyd, several

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Canadians played key roles in the conference. AICQ President Johanne Desrochers made a highly anticipated presentation on QBS developments in Canada — including the recent legislation by the Quebec Government.

Senior ACEC staffer Susie Grynol presented the development and evolution of ACEC’s video and student outreach project with association managers from nearly 60 countries at the Directors and Secretaries Meeting. ACEC president, John Gamble served as one of two co-chairs for this year’s Directors and Secretaries Meeting. John has been invited to join the organizing committee for FIDIC’s centenary conference to be held in 2013. Former ACEC Chair Andrew Steeves is also active in FIDIC’s QBS Task Force.

The Canadian delegation included four Young Professionals (YPs) who joined approximately 70 other YP delegates at this year’s annual FIDIC Conference. The YP delegates participated in four days of business sessions as well as additional activities designed specifically for YPs. Canadian YPs in attendance included the recipient of the ACEC Allen D. Williams Memorial Scholarship Award, Kristel Untershultz, and the outgoing Chair of YPFSC, Alex Eyquem.

Creating opportunities for members While in London, ACEC in cooperation with the Canadian Government arranged an information session at Canada House in Trafalgar Square on possible business opportunities in the U.K. and Europe. Presenters included representatives from the Canadian Trade Commission Service, Think London, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

This event, arranged specially for members of ACEC, was well attended and informative. ACEC and the Canadian Government expect to organize a similar event for the 2010 FIDIC conference in New Delhi, India.

Beaubien Award Winner – Jacques Lamarre

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n November 3, the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies (ACEC) presented its prestigious Beaubien Award to Mr. Jacques Lamarre, former President and Chief Executive Office of SNC-Lavalin. This annual award is bestowed to an individual for exceptional work as a member of ACEC and for making contributions to the advancement of consulting engineering through their professional accomplishments.

Characteristically humble in accepting the award, Mr. Lamarre acknowledged his life-long partner, his wife Mrs. Céline Lamarre, for her never-ending support during his accomplished career. He then went on to make a poignant speech reflecting on how the Canadian consulting engineering industry can now be attributed for much of Canada’s economic growth over the last 30 years and how it continues to be a world leader for innovation and design.

“Receiving this honour from the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies means a great deal to me,” Mr. Lamarre said. “The engineering consulting business has been a leading driver to our economy, even in a very open unprotected market. As manufacturing jobs have decreased, the service sector has grown, and the highest rate of growth has been in the field of engineering,” Reflecting upon what it meant to be recognized by his peers in the industry, Mr. Lamarre commented: “I am honoured to receive this recognition, and proud to be part of such a dynamic group.”

With over 40 years of experience as an engineer and as a senior executive responsible for managing and implementing large industrial, infrastructure and power projects in Canada and worldwide, Jacques Lamarre is one of the most respected leaders

Mr. Jacques Lamarre with his wife, Céline Lamarre, at the Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards

of the consulting engineering community within Quebec, Canada and internationally.

He began his career in 1967 with the engineering firm Lavalin, where he held a series of senior executive positions overseeing and managing some of the company’s most highly visible and prestigious projects in Canada and internationally. Mr. Lamarre served as President and Chief Executive Office of SNC-Lavalin from 1996 until his retirement earlier this year.

During his 13 years in charge, SNCLavalin grew into one of the world’s leading engineering-construction firms, with over 20,000 employees and revenues exceeding $7.0 billion.

Mr. Lamarre holds many honours in recognition of both his technical accomplishments and his business acumen and is an Officer of the Order of Canada.

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Government of Quebec honoured by ACEC

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ne-year after enacting its progressive procurement legislation, the Government of Quebec was honoured at the Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards by the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies (ACEC). For the public sector to be so honoured by ACEC is unprecedented.

ACEC Chair Andy Robinson was joined on stage by AICQ (Association des ingénieurs-conseils du Québec) Chair Steve Fiset for the presentation. In introducing the award, Mr. Robinson praised the Province of Quebec for demonstrating vision

and leadership through its groundbreaking procurement legislation.

Under this legislation, its Ministries and Agencies are required to select engineering and architectural consultants using Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) — a method proven to encourage quality and innovation and to provide the best value to taxpayers. He also gave credit to AICQ, noting that this legislation did not happen overnight and that it was the result of a long-standing spirit of collaboration by both the province and by AICQ. The award was accepted by Mr.

Alain Parenteau, secrétaire associé, Sous-secrétariat aux marchés publics – Secrétariat du Conseil du trésor – Gouvernement du Québec.

The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies applauds the Government of Quebec for adopting a best practice recognized around the world for the selection of engineering and architecture services, solely based on selecting on qualifications and not price.

The province of Quebec becomes a leader not only in Canada but moreover around the world for adopting this legislation.

ACEC Student Video Campaign gains great momentum!

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his fall ACEC kicked off its “Engineering Legacies” video campaign that included a number of stops at university engineering faculties across the country.

By hosting university information sessions, together with its Member Organizations, ACEC has been able to address a large audience of students to increase awareness about a potential career in consulting engineering.

Students are most interested to learn that entry level positions exist after graduation in the field of consulting engineering. ACEC is playing an important role in providing students with valuable information on what life could be like as a consulting engineer.

“The information session was very informative because I found out about career opportunities in consulting I never knew existed,” says Kulwa Ndalahwa a mining engineering student at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

ACEC has also had a presence at

many career fairs across the country, including in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Newfoundland. Many engineering students who approach the booth walk away with a better understanding of the industry and are visiting the “Engineering Legacies” website to find out how to find a meaningful and rewarding career in the Canadian consulting engineering market.

Students are finding the “Engineering Legacies” website useful because they are able to access the ACEC Member Search. This allows them to link to consulting engineering firms in their area whom they can contact directly

regarding job opportunities.

Working with the Member Organizations, ACEC will continue touring the video throughout 2010 with events planned in all of the provinces across Canada. By the end of the spring, ACEC hopes to have reached all of the major engineering universities in Canada.

ACEC would also like to thank its sponsors for their support in seeing through the success of the campaign.

For more information about the “Engineering Legacies” campaign, contact Susie Grynol, Director of Public Affairs and Business Practices, at sgrynol@acec.ca or 1-800-565-0569.

ACEC CO-ORDINATES The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies’ national office is located at 130 Albert Street, Suite 616, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5G4, tel: 1-800-565-0569; 613-236-0569; e-mail: memserv@acec.ca. website: www.acec.ca

ACEC Member Organizations: Consulting Engineers of British Columbia, Consulting Engineers of Yukon, Consulting Engineers of Alberta, Consulting Engineers of Northwest Territories, Consulting Engineers of Saskatchewan, Consulting Engineers of Manitoba, Consulting Engineers of Ontario, Association des Ingénieurs-conseils du Québec, Association of Canadian Engineering Companies of New Brunswick, Consulting Engineers of Nova Scotia, Consulting Engineers of Prince Edward Island, Consulting Engineers of Newfoundland and Labrador.

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events HVAC

ASHRAE’s 2010 Winter Conference The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is holding its 2010 Winter Conference at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida, January 23-27, 2010.

The accompanying AHR Expo of products will take place January 25-27 at the Orange County Convention Centre in Orlando.

Following is just a small selection from hundreds of sessions in the ASHRAE Technical Program.

For full details and to register, see www.ashrae.org/events, or call 1-800-527-4723.

Sunday, January 24 8:00 a.m. Acoustics in High Performance Buildings 8:00 a.m. Don’t let your BIM Go Boom.

Dealing with Liability Issues of BIM.

11 a.m. High Density Cooling Issues Update.

Monday, January 25 8:00 a.m. Overview (Part 1), ASHRAE Standard 189.1P for the Design of High Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings.

11.00 a.m. Recent Advances in Thermal Storage.

11.00 a.m. Solving Moisture Problems Created by Energy Retrofits (chaired

by Alex McGowan, P.Eng. of Levelton, Victoria, B.C.).

2.00 p.m. (Orange County Convention Centre) Construction Management. Open Session.

Tuesday, January 26 8:00 a.m. Which BIM Interoperability Schemes Are Most Appropriate

for Different Types of Building Energy Design?

11.00 a.m. High Performance HVAC Systems in LEED Platinum Projects.

11.00 a.m. Economics, Energy and CO2 Savings of Combined Heat and Power Systems.

11.00 a.m. Humidity Control Solutions for High Performing Buildings (chaired by Ray Sinclair, RWDI, Guelph, Ont.).

11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. Poster Session.

Wednesday, January 27 8.00 a.m. Advances in Refrigerants and Secondary Coolants.

9.45 a.m. Chilled Water Plant Retrofits for Optimization and Reduction in Energy.

11.00 a.m. Impact of Ventilation Air Strategies on Ground Source Heat Pump Systems.

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structures

Street Front Transformation

ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO FACADE

T

A 600-foot long sculpted glass and timber façade has added new life and drama to a landmark institution in downtown Toronto.

he Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in downtown Toronto reopened its doors at the end of 2008, having undergone a radical transformation. Most visitors’ first encounter with the transformed institution involves the new glass and timber façade that extends 600 ft. (183 m) along Dundas Street West and rises 70 ft.

(21 m) above street level. Architecturally, this north façade is intended to unify a building that has undergone six separate additions and renovations in the last century.

The form of the façade has four distinct zones. The central zone with a gently varying curvature encloses a 400 ft. long sculpture court known as the Galleria Italia. Abutting this central portion are two exterior zones with an aggressively warped curvature, which are referred to as “wings.” Finally, a “skirt” extends the full 600 ft. of the building. The skirt helps to conceal a stainless steel-lined gutter that runs above the pedestrian level.

Above: interior 14

Stan Weaver/ AGO

By Crispin Howes, P.Eng. Halcrow Yolles

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Required: maximum transparency and radiating elements “Maximize transparency” and “utilize a series of radiating elements” were two clear architectural goals from the start.

From a structural perspective, to maximize transparency involves optimizing the framing members using the minimum volume of material. The challenge is to optimize the members while dealing with forces from multiple loads, including wind and gravity.

The remedy was to separate the facade into two specialized structural systems.

The first specialized glulam framing system is referred to as the “mullion grid” and it provides direct support for the glazing panels. The weight of the glazing is transferred directly to a second floor steel platform through straight vertical mullions.

The wind load on the face of the glazing is resisted by a system consisting of curved horizontal glulam mullions.

The second system, referred to as the “primary layer,” is separated from the “mullion grid” by a 3-in. (75 mm) gap that allows for geometrical variations. The curved radial arches within this layer span from the second floor platform to the roof line of the existing buildings and are the main elements for resisting overall wind loads on the façade. The slope of each radial arch varies in proportion to its distance from the main entrance.

Out-of-plane bending in the radial arches due to the slope is controlled with rows of straight horizontal elements, which are referred to as “louvre headers” since they also support a series of sun shades. The rows of louvre headers are stabilized by curved structural steel box sections at each end of the main zones of the façade.

The solution included nearly 1,800 pieces of Douglas Fir glulam pieces and involved evaluating over 200 load case scenarios.

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structures

View along Dundas Street West in downtown Toronto. Photograph by Stan Weaver, courtesy AGO Photo Resources.

Photograph by Stan Weaver, courtesy AGO Photo Resources.

Structural steel platform and sliding bearing connections Both of the glulam framing systems are supported on a structural steel platform that also provides support for the sculpture court on the second floor. The steel platform is a new addition that is supported along the inner edge by the existing reinforced concrete buildings, and along the outer edge by a series of concrete encased structural steel columns spaced up to 60 ft (18 m) apart.

A challenge was how to connect the unified façade to this long span steel framing that is prone to expansion and contraction during changes of temperature. A fixed connection would have pulled the façade apart as the beam lengthened or shortened.

To remedy this problem, Halcrow Yolles specified a sliding bearing connection made of two plates: one steel, one teflon. These plates slide against one another, allowing the façade to maintain its structural integrity as the steel framing below reacts to environmental temperature changes.

The Dundas façade structure was achievable only through close collaboration between the structural and architectural teams. Building Information Modelling was also a vital part of the design process.

CCE

December 2009

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Above: view along Dundas Street West shows curved facade with “wings” at each end and lower “skirt.”

Owner: Art Gallery of Ontario. Structural engineer: Halcrow Yolles (Hugo Blasutto, P.Eng., Eric Gordon, P.Eng., Kari Valli, P.Eng., Chris Hendrata, Crispin Howes, P.Eng., Raef Ghali). Architect: Gehry International. Wind, snow, ice consultants: RWDI

Canadian Consulting Engineer

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structures

WARP &TWIST

Photo courtesy Bob Matheson/ Bing Thom Architects

FAST + EPP

Above: entrance to the centre.

The Sunset Community Centre in Burnaby, B.C. shows that economical and efficient tilt-up building techniques can be used to create a signature building.

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hile tilt-up construction methods have mostly been used for standardized, industrial type buildings, this economical building technique is now starting to be used in more architecturally innovative ways.

The Sunset Community Centre in Burnaby, B.C. is a striking example. Here, tilt-up construction was combined with an undulating, free form steel roof to create a playful and expressive architectural design.

Bing Thom Architects designed the unique form of the 3,000-m2 community centre to reflect its open park setting.

As structural engineers, Fast + Epp had to design a structure that needed to warp and twist to match the playful geometrical architecture, yet which also had to be left exposed for reasons of durability and economy.

Roof structure The undulating oval roof involves five independent steel roof structures. Each varied in plan, size, slope and elevation, and every piece of steel is a custom piece.

The documents were shared with all the construction subtrades, and the steel fabricator kept a detailer on site with a laptop to coordinate the 3D model.

The free-form roofs were created by varying the vertical bearing points, and thus the slopes of conventional open web steel joists, while maintaining a fixed horizontal spacing. The horizontal spacing aligned the supporting columns with the wall glazing grid.

A key challenge was finding a relatively simple way for the contractor to attach the straight roof deck to the warped roof truss. Fast + Epp designed a special concontinued from page 18

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NOTES:

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structures

Up against the wall on infrastructure projects?

continued from page 16

nection detail with unique, site-rotatable clamps (see figure).

These were added to the top of the OWSJs (open web steel joists) to allow the deck-bearing surface to rotate freely to match the angle of the deck, while providing the necessary even bearing surface for the deck-to-joist connection.

While one end of each OWSJ is supported by the tilt-up structure, the other end is supported by elliptical HSS (hollow steel section) columns. These columns also provide horizontal support for the curtain wall system.

Save time.

Save money.

Tilt-up concrete Because concrete is poured horizontally for tilt-up panels, the tilt-up technique made it is easier to create the necessary reveals and contours at the top of the walls where they meet the undulating roof.

Forty-six uniquely shaped doublewythe concrete tilt-up panels were used. Each consisted of a structural wythe, insulation and an exterior veneer wythe. Among the panels are some large spandrel units, one of which is 25 m long and 3.6 m high, weighing 60 tonnes. This panel serves as a major load-bearing span in the open main lobby, and it is likely the largest panel of its type in North America.

The tilt-up precast construction required the structural engineer to provide details for all the wall elevations. As well, the engineers had to take into account potential stresses on the panels caused when they were lifted up off the ground by a crane.

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Above: connection between the straight roof deck and warped roof truss.

tally into one flat form allows more control over the concrete finish.

The walls at the community centre were left exposed and hand-ground smooth, then sealed to preserve the natural colour of the concrete.

The end result, completed in 2007, is a building of poetic simplicity that has walls with no form lines, cold joints, or tie holes that are hallmarks of standard cast-in-place walls, all lending to the sculptural feeling of the architecture. The project won the 2009 Award for Excellence from the U.S. Tilt-Up Concrete Association.

CCE Owner: City of Burnaby, Board of Parks & Recreation Structural engineer: Fast + Epp (Gerald Epp., P.Eng. , John Miller, P.Eng.) Architect: Bing Thom Architects Other key players: Haebler Construction (contractor), Solid Rock Steel (steel fabricator), Mardina Construction (tilt-up contractor)

December 2009

SLUG - DO NOT PRINT · 1256 · 2.125" x 10" · AIL_AgainstWall2 AIL-017-9ME · Pub: Canadian Consulting Engineer · CMYK Prepared by sgci communications · May 2009

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energy management

GREEN

BUILDINGS GOOD NEWS, AND BAD An analysis of the actual energy used by 100 occupied LEED buildings showed some unsettling results.

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umerous countries have developed green building rating systems, and many organizations have committed to a future portfolio of green-certified buildings. All rating systems for green buildings use a scheme that allots credits for design features deemed to improve sustainability. The credits are for reductions in energy use, improvements in indoor environment quality, and other measures.

To date, many of these rating systems have been based on expected performance at design time. [However], many green-rated buildings have now been occupied, and it is reasonable to ask: are these buildings living up to expectations?

This article focuses on energy performance. A major effort to collect appropriate data was undertaken by the New Buildings Institute, under contract to the US Green Buildings Council. These organizations generously shared their data with Canada’s National Research Council, Institute for Research in Construction (NRCIRC) for the analysis presented in this article. Our analysis focused on 100 LEED-certified commercial and institutional buildings in North America (the vast majority in the U.S.), which provided one full year of measured post-occupancy energy use data.

Total energy use intensity (EUI) for each building was

Measured Purchased EUI kBtu/sf/yr

By Guy R. Newsham, Ph.D. National Research Council Canada, Institute for Research in Construction (NRC-IRC)

Energy Performance Credits Above: measured Energy Use Intensity (EUI) vs. energy credits achieved, for all LEEDcertified buildings in the sample.

derived by summing the purchased energy from all fuel types. This result was compared to the EUI of buildings in the U.S. national building stock, derived from the 5,000+ buildings in the 2003 Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) database, and to initial baseline and design models in LEED submittals.

Our findings Our analysis shows that, on average, LEED buildings used 18-39% less energy per floor area than their conventional counterparts. However, about one-third of individual LEED buildings used more energy than their conventional counterparts. Further, the measured energy performance of LEED buildings had little correlation with the certification level of the building, or the number of energy credits achieved by the building at design time.

The method To make for the fairest comparison possible between green and conventional buildings we paired each LEED building with a single matched CBECS building. The CBECS matched building was chosen to be as similar as possible in terms of activity type, size, age, and climate zone. We did the matching in many different ways, varying the strictness continued on page 20 December 2009

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energy management

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of the matching criteria. We conducted analyses for all building types and for offices alone (35 of the 100 buildings).

No matter what was the basis for comparison, the results showed that LEED buildings used statistically sig-

nificantly less energy per floor area than CBECS buildings: average savings were in the range 18-39%, depending on the parameters of the comparison. However, despite these average savings, 28-35% of individual LEED buildings used more energy

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December 2009

per floor area than their individually matched CBECS counterpart.

We then tested whether the measured EUI, and measured % energy saved compared to the modelled baseline, varied by LEED certification level. Here we found no effects. This might seem surprising, but remember that a given certification level is achieved by accumulating credits for many different sustainable practices beyond energy performance. Therefore, in the next stage in our analysis we looked at these same two variables versus the number of LEED energy credits received (up to 10) at design time. We only found one statistically significant relationship: measured EUI did decrease with increasing energy credits across all buildings.

This effect is shown graphically on page 19. However, this is a weak relationship, with much scatter in the data. Further, the effects for EUI for offices only, and for measured % savings relative to the modelled baseline for all buildings, were not statistically significant.

Finally, we looked at whether LEED buildings that had received credits for additional commissioning and measurement and verification had better energy performance. We found no effect.

What does it all mean?

Overall, it appears that LEED buildings do save energy, and that a general program of building green can be expected to reduce energy use by upwards of 20%. However, about onethird of LEED buildings are actually using more energy than their conventional counterparts. This may be a problem for the owner/operators of these buildings, who are not realizing the energy performance that they presumably expected. Further, the energy-related credits that people are striving for seem to have little relation to measured energy performance.

These factors might raise questions for the credibility of green building rating systems, which could jeopardize the overall societal benefits.

10/29/09 2:46:59 PM

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energy management It is important to recognize that these conclusions are drawn from a dataset with many limitations. We had a relatively small sample size of LEED buildings in their early years of operation. Building owners and operators participated voluntarily, and it is possible that those who thought their buildings exhibited better performance would be more likely to participate. There were inevitably a host of on-the-ground design and operational issues affecting energy use that were not recorded in the dataset. Further, LEED-certified buildings tend to have a higher proportion of owneroperators, particularly public-sector ownership, which may also have systematic feature differences compared to the general population of buildings. In addition, even the newer CBECS buildings were, on average, a couple of years older than the LEED sample; it is possible that newer conventional buildings will have better energy performance due to general improvements in building design and operation. For all these reasons, we recommend that these findings should be considered as preliminary, and that the analyses should be repeated when longer data histories from a larger representative sample of green buildings are available.

Despite these concerns, this is the best data to-date with which to explore whether green buildings are delivering on energy savings. The good news and bad news is likely no surprise to green building advocates. There are some things in green building performance that need to be improved, and in this context research such as this is simply a necessary part of evolving the green building process from “good” to “better.”

The results do highlight the importance of investigating the postoccupancy performance of buildings.

NRC-IRC has begun a new project to look at the indoor environment quality in green buildings, in addition to energy performance. In the longer-term, it may be wise for all green building certification systems

to require not only sustainable design intent, but also demonstrated sustainable performance after the building is built and operating.

CCE

for Research in Construction, Ottawa.

E-mail guy.newsham@nrc-cnrc gc.ca This article was derived from a more detailed scientific paper published in Energy and Buildings. See http://www. nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/projects/irc/postoccupancy.html.

Guy Newsham, Ph.D is a senior research officer at the NRC Institute

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WASTE WATER

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energy management

RETAILERS GO GREEN

BY BRONWEN PARSONS

S

hopping. Some of us do it from necessity. Others for pleasure. Whether we’re buying the weekly groceries, strolling along Main Street, or browsing the aisles of a supercentre, we are taking part in what is the predominant cultural activity of our age. We live in the Age of Material Consumption.

This constant acquisition of material goods goes against the “reduce, re-use, recycle” mantra of the environmental movement. However, the retail sector has huge potential for moving society along the path to sustainability simply because it is such a large component of the economy and its influence is all-pervasive.

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) has been studying the retail sector and in September issued a report, Greening Retail. “Because of its broad

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reach,” says the report, “the retail sector has the potential to effect significant change in society in a way that no other industry can.”

Retailers had sales of $425 billion in 2008. The sector’s GDP was the same as that of the construction industry, both approximately $74.5 billion. In terms of its environmental footprint, the retail industry has to deal with the fact that it produces six million tonnes of waste and is responsible for 40 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

Most significant for consulting engineers, however, is the fact that the retail sector represents 1.2 billion square feet of property — and counting. That is a lot of opportunity for consulting engineers who can help retailers reduce the environmental impact of their buildings, whether by energy management or other tactics.

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energy management

Big chain retailers have found their environmental conscience. Who would have thought it?

CCE/Bronwen Parsons

Driven by mounting public pressure, many large retailers are already starting to adopt green building practices.

Just in September, the Retail Council of Canada held a conference devoted entirely to environmental sustainability. The speakers were from The Home Depot, Canadian Tire, Mountain Equipment Co-Op, Sobey’s, Grand & Toy, Loblaws and Walmart Canada — all making presentations on how their companies are going green.

Strategies for energy savings Grocery stores seem to be leading the way to sustainability, followed by department stores and big box stores.

What are they doing? For a start they’re selling more environmentally friendly products, and some are also tracking the environmental costs of transporting those goods.

Retailers are also looking at reducing the environmental footprint of their cavernous buildings. Because energy conservation is easy to measure and provides cost savings, it is one of the first items on the list.

The first grocery supermarket in Quebec that was certified by the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system was in 2007. The Sobeys’ IGA supermarket in St. Pascal-de-Kamouraska on the northern St. Lawrence combines a host of energy-saving technologies. It has an 1,800-sq.ft. metal box attached to an exterior wall for capturing solar heat, it recovers heat for spacing heating from refrigerators, and the refrigeration system has a secondary glycol loop that reduces its refrigerant requirements by over 700 lbs. The HVAC system incorporates fabric ducts made of recycled material that promote indoor air quality. It has an automated building system and high efficiency lighting. Similar strategies are now being adopted by other grocery retailers as they start on the road to green.

Mountain Equipment Co-op has been in the vanguard of the green movement and has installed photovoltaics as well as a green roof on its Toronto store. However, most retailers are still shying away from on-site renewable power.

Richard Hudon, M.Eng., national director of construction at home improvement retailer RONA in Quebec, says that for the large chains, any new systems have to show a payback. “Honestly,” he says, “these new technologies will have to evolve a bit before we can efficiently use solar panels or equipment like that.”

Left: shoppers on Bloor Street West, Toronto.

Geo-exchange systems, however, are being used by several retailers. They can take advantage of a ubiquitous feature of big box stores — the parking lot — and use the ground below it as the thermal source. Walmart’s Burlington, Ontario store has a large geo-exchange field, for example.

Walmart Canada has also opened a “high-efficiency” prototype supercentre in Waterdown, Ontario that “will become the norm for future Walmart stores nationwide.”

The store captures waste heat from the refrigerators, and has reduced the floor lighting by 20%. The roof has a white membrane to deflect heat.

At the opening of the Waterdown store in September, David Cheesewright, chief executive officer of Walmart Canada, announced that the store would ultimately be operated entirely waste-free. “Our goal is to be the greenest business on the block,” he said. Ten years ago, who would have thought that Walmart, the North American icon of consumerism, would one day be pronouncing itself a champion of environmental causes?

Tough but loyal clients For Stantec Consulting in Calgary, retail projects represent approximately 20% of the local business, says James Furlong, who is in charge of business development at the Calgary office. He estimates that around half of Stantec’s retail projects “have a very strong green mandate.”

The big chains can be a “tough” market, says Furlong, but once a relationship with a consulting engineer is established, they can be “very loyal” clients. “They want consistency,” Furlong says. “They want a similar approach and a similar output, even with different staff.” But, he says, “if you can consistently deliver, you will get the work.”

Does the retail sector’s cookie-cutter approach stifle the engineers’ creativity? Furlong suggests Stantec uses it to advantage. They apply “innovation through replication,” whereby they build on the lessons of one project and apply them to the next. “We try incredibly hard not to reinvent the wheel,” he says.

But when it comes to changing the physical environment in the store, Furlong says that retailers always have one thing in mind. “Whatever we do, we can’t affect sales.”

MMM Group is another consulting engineering firm that works in the retail sector, but it is a smaller component of their business -- less than 8% in western Canada, according to Steven Iker, managing partner of mechanical engineering continued on page 24 December 2009

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for MMM in Vancouver. Iker finds that “Green or sustainable design seems to be important for new projects more than existing building fit-ups.” Some retailers do want to go green to advertize their environmental conscientiousness, Iker suggests. But for many of these private sector clients, sustainable design “appears to be important only if there is some sort of an incentive from government agencies.”

CCE

Tip of the [melting] iceberg Certainly, the retail sector’s efforts so far are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what needs to be done to make them truly sustainable. The big box store has too many large exposed surfaces per square foot floor area to be truly energy efficient, for example. And too often the megastore sites are carved from forests or former agricultural land. Their very business model relies on the private automobile, with all its environmental drawbacks.

Then there is the host of small struggling retailers who lease units in strip malls and other real estate, for whom green design is largely out of their control. Bernie McIntyre of the Toronto Region Conservancy says the biggest challenge with tenant retailers lies with the fact that so much commercial development is built “on spec” for rental. The mall owners won’t install expensive high-efficiency HVAC equipment because they don’t pay the utility bills, their tenants do.

Unfortunately, until these traditional business and economic structures change, it’s unlikely that any industry sector — least of all the retail sector — june09gm1020 SaaS half page.qxd 8/6/09 11:07 AM Page 1 will ever become truly green.

CCE

Opened this year, RONA’s home improvement store in St. Georges-de-Beaucé in Quebec (above) is one of the first two stores that the company has had designed for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

Julie Seidel from RONA says that while the company has been committed to lowering its environmental footprint for years, the LEED certification enables them “to put a name on it.”

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December 2009

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engineers & the law

By Charles Bois, Miller Thomson LLP

Liens and Cost Recovery

A B.C. case has undermined a long-standing tradition

C

onsulting engineers are familiar with Builders Lien an abuse of process. At the hearing of this application, legislation. When an owner cannot pay for work the contractor argued that it should have filed a lien for that has already been performed on its project, $375,175. The owners challenged the value of the work the contractor, architect, consulting engineers and others done and argued that after deducting various amounts, can enforce a lien claim against the owner’s land to secure including the $211,571 they had paid to the contractor, the payment of the amounts outstanding. In these situations, value owing was $43,549. the lien claimants seek an order from the court for the land In deciding the application, Mr. Justice Burnyeat conencumbered by the lien to be sold so that they can recover cluded that the contractor was entitled to a lien, but that the amounts owing to them. The lien legislation also pro- the lien filed by the contractor was an abuse of process vides the owners with the right to because it was excessive and included The payment of security for improper amounts. He then ordered provide alternative security in place of the lands to secure the lien and costs is expressly contemplated that the amount of the security held the lien claimants’ legal costs. in the relevant legislation in by the court be reduced to $90,000.

Consulting engineers and other Mr. Justice Burnyeat then considseveral provinces, such as ered whether the reduced amount claimants have come to expect that when property owners seek to disAlberta and Ontario. should include an amount for security charge a lien filed against their for costs. He noted that the wording of property by payment of security into court, that security will B.C.’s Builders Lien Act was silent on the issue of “costs.” His almost always include an amount to secure the claimants’ review of the relevant lien legislation of several other provlegal costs. The payment of security for costs is expressly inces showed that they expressly contemplated the payment contemplated in the relevant legislation in several prov- of security for costs. However, he concluded that there was inces, such as Alberta and Ontario. “no jurisdiction [in the B.C. legislation] to entertain such an Requiring a property owner to pay security for costs in lien inclusion” and to hold otherwise would add to the substanclaims has also been the common practice in British Colum- tive rights of a lien claimant in a way that is contrary to the bia for years. However, a recent decision of the B.C. Supreme purpose of Section 24 of the Act. Court may indicate that the courts in that province are going The B.C. Court of Appeal refused to grant the contracin a different direction on this issue. Inter-provincial consult- tor leave to appeal and upheld the lower court’s decision ing engineers ought to sit up and take note. and appeared reluctant to consider the issue of whether Until recently, it had been a common practice of the the security ought to have included security for costs in the B.C. courts to require that the security deposited into court Tylon case. The court said that the owners should not have be equal to the value of the lien claim, plus a further 10%- to respond to an appeal on the issue of security for costs at 15% of the value of the lien deemed as security for the lien this stage of their litigation, and that it was open to Tylon at claimants’ costs. However, in the 2009 case of Tylon Steepe the end of the litigation to challenge the order refusing the Homes v Pont, Mr. Justice Burnyeat brought an abrupt end inclusion of security for costs. to this long-held practice. It should be noted, however, that Until the decision relating to the posting of security of the particular facts in Tylon might cause the decision to be costs is reversed by a higher court, property owners will “distinguished” or overturned by future courts. undoubtedly argue that they should not be required to pay In Tylon, the contractor had invoiced the owners for into court an amount greater than the amount required to $375,175, but had filed a claim of lien for $255,982, which secure the lien. For now, consulting engineers have fewer the contractor declared was the value of the work done. The tools at their disposal to enforce lien claims than they have CCE owners sought and obtained the traditional order discharg- come to expect and rely upon. ing the lien upon payment of security into court, including Charles Bois is a partner at Miller Thomson LLP (www.millersecurity for costs.

The owners subsequently applied to have the lien thomson.com), in Vancouver, tel. 604-643-1224, email cbois@ cancelled on the basis that it was frivolous, vexatious and millerthomson.com.

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Inset left and inset far right: Library of Parliament in Ottawa; Golder oversaw major excavations below the building in 2002. The project required careful blasting to avoid causing damage to the heritage structure.

GOLDERAT

FIFTY G

A DIFFERENT BUSINESS MODEL

BY JOHN BOYD, P.ENG.

eneral Motors topped the “Fortune 500” list in 1960, the year Dr. Hugh Golder and two colleagues got together in Toronto to form what is now Golder Associates. By 2008, GM had dropped to ninth place in the Fortune 500 and the list was led by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., a company that was not even in existence in 1960.

Much has changed in the world during Golder’s first five decades. To mark the company’s 50th anniversary next year, this account of how Golder Associates has evolved to meet those changes might provide some insights to engineers about what has been successful — and not so successful — in the company’s development. Certainly, Golder’s development has been highly unusual, following a decentralized pattern that departs from the conventional business model of professional practices.

Today the company has 7,000 employees in 160 offices and is a long way from its origins as a handful of professionals working out of a walk-up office in Toronto. Yet much of what has helped Golder thrive was set into the company’s DNA in its early years.

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Widespread employee ownership At the beginning of Golder’s history, the standard practice in professional firms was for equity to be held by a small group of founders. Other employees would be expected to work hard to build the company’s value, for the “privilege” of paying a higher price for the equity if and when a founding owner decided to sell. This seemed to be rather one-sided and, accordingly, Golder Associates took what was then an almost-revolutionary step of opening up equity participation to a wider range of employees. Ownership is now available to all full-time employees, and a major percentage of employees worldwide are shareholders.

Shares are offered directly to employees through a voluntary payroll-deduction plan. The company’s rules require that shareholders divest themselves of the shares at a regular rate as they approach age 65.

Shareholding does not buy status in the firm, but significant shareholding is a requirement for acceptance as an Associate or Principal – the two levels of senior leadership. Employee ownership makes the job personal. As Vic-

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business

Left and facing page: Golder Associates provided geotechnical services for the 13-kilometre long Confederation Bridge across the Northumberland Strait to P.E.I., completed in 1997. The geotechnical challenges of this major Canadian engineering feat were dealing with soft foundation sediment, deep piers and lateral pressures due to wind-blown ice at the water surface. Golder won an Award of Merit in the 1999 Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards for their part in the project.

tor Milligan, one of the founders, put it, “Nobody in the history of the automobile has ever washed a rental car.”

Employee ownership also gives the company better control over its future, without external shareholders squeezing management for short-term gains at the expense of longterm development.

However, it also means that the company does not have access to deep outside pockets with which to fund growth through major acquisitions, as do some of our publiclytraded competitors. In a world where mergers and acquisitions are creating an environment of globe-spanning giants, Golder’s employee-ownership model has followed a less spectacular but more uniform pace of growth than some of our competitors.

Ownership is held in the Golder group, which promotes cooperation between the regions – everyone benefits. Cyclical shifts in regional economies and in different areas of consulting rarely happen at the same time, and the Golder share model helps to even out variations in performance.

Historically, Golder share ownership has been one of the best investment its shareholders have ever made.

Local autonomy, up to a point The geotechnical services with which the company started depended on being able to provide clients with the benefit of local knowledge and local connections. To provide this local focus, Golder soon expanded into other cities. This led to a culture in which each office ran its affairs in a relatively autonomous fashion, depending on the wisdom of local leadership.

As the company expanded across Canada and into the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and other parts of the world, it has kept to this model -- local staffing and leadership. At the same time, our global linkages are critical to make specialist company resources available to clients in different parts of the world. The currently popular term is “glocal” – local understanding supported by global resources. We have found it important that the Golder company in each “new” part of the world -– recent expansions are offices in Russia, India and Turkey -- is not asked to sink or swim on its own. It is expected that the longer-established entities will provide technical and financial support while continued on page 28

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the new operation finds its way. ent skills and different business One advantage to this disneeds. Today, the glue that holds tributed leadership structure is the company together remains that decisions are made based on the peer administered principal sound knowledge of local realiand associate system. ties. The downside is that major, company-wide decisions can Expansion, but at a sometimes take longer than optimeasured pace mal to both make and implement, Almost always, the guiding prinand wide ownership makes it necciple for Golder’s expansion is essary for everyone to be condemand from our existing clivinced of the need for a change. ents or a passionate desire on An unintended side effect of Above: two of the company’s founders. Left is Dr. Hugh the part of one of our existing Golder in the early 1970s at a field camp in Greece; Golder local autonomy is that the com- was there doing a major study of hydroelectricity potential. staff to take on new challenges. pany operates without a physical Right is Victor Milligan, P.Eng. For example, in the late 1970s head office. The Golder entity in and early 1980s when environeach region has a president, and there is a global president mental issues and legislation started to affect our clients, as well, but there is no permanent headquarters facility, and we realized that the range of Golder’s technical skills new leaders generally do not have to move to take charge. and credibility could help clients respond to these new There is also an expectation that leadership is not a life demands. sentence. For example, we recently appointed a new global In growing this new service line, however, we found that president, Brian Conlin, P.Eng., after his predecessor Rick it was difficult to attract people with the wide range of skills Firlotte, P.Eng. announced his intention to step down, that were required – we did not yet have a track record in indicating that he felt that 10 years was long enough for the biological sciences for example. The best way we could a person to exercise leadership and that it was time to let jump-start our environmental practice was through the someone else take the reins. While in some companies step- acquisition of companies with existing staff and a reputaping down from a senior role might create pressure to leave tion in the marketplace, which we did. We have used the the company, possibly through retirement, at Golder there same technique to grow the business in other technical and is “life after management.” At all levels – whether office geographical areas, but always with a concept of what our managers, sector leaders or presidents – leaders are encour- core competence should be. At first it was a geotechnical aged to stay and develop another role for themselves after and rock engineering focus, then the environment, and their time in leadership is completed. Leadership changes now energy. While there are many stories in the business bring fresh ideas, and because no stigma is attached to such world of acquisitions and mergers that failed to work – witchanges, the company keeps the individuals’ experience ness Chrysler and Daimler – due diligence in acquisitions at Golder focuses on determining whether the culture and and knowledge to use in other ways.

In Golder’s early years, before e-mail, the Internet, the values of the other company will mesh with ours.

We expect that Golder will continue to grow by a comeasy electronic sharing of documents and cost-effective conference calls, this type of distributed leadership and long- bination of “organic” growth, acquisitions and mergers, to distance collaboration was challenging. It has become much meet client needs. It is our intention to grow “taller not easier with the fruits of the telecommunications revolution. wider,” offering more services to existing clients and to try to be the most respected firm in each of our business areas.

Peer respect rules In this way, we will continue to evolve to meet our clients’ Early in Golder’s history, the decision was made to focus needs, just as we did at the start, nearly 50 years ago. CCE on technical excellence as a major differentiating factor. It has meant that an employee’s acceptance into the ranks of Author John Boyd, P.Eng., has been with associates and principals is based on demonstrated leaderGolder Associates for 35 years, spending ship abilities, peer respect for the technical excellence of at least half that time in senior management, one’s work, and trust that the individual is worthy of repincluding as a senior principal and vice presiresenting the company. dent of operations. He also worked on a wide These qualities were relatively easy to determine in range of mining and civil engineering projects Golder’s early years – our work was focused on geotechnical and started the Canadian company’s environmental sciences engineering, and most of our clients understood what we practice in the late 1970s. He was president of the Internationdid and so could provide feedback on the technical perforal Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) 2007-2009. mance of Golder professionals. At an early stage, expansion into new technical disciplines taught us to respect differ28

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December 2009

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manufacturer case study

pumps

Toronto hospital boosts water supply and saves energy

T

oronto East General Hospital on Coxwell Avenue needed to replace an outdated and oversized constant speed booster system. The existing booster system consisted of one 20 hp lead and two 40 hp lag pumps. The 20 hp lead pump was constantly running, even when the hospital required little water. In order to control the water flow throughout the entire hospital, the system was using an old technological method of applying a brake to the pumps, resulting in water and energy wastage. On top of that, the pumps were very costly to operate.

TVS Pump Supply recommended and installed an economic solution: a Grundfos BoosterpaQ pumping system MPC-F-3CR32-3 15 HP 575/3/60. The new BoosterpaQ system consists of three CR vertical inline multistage pumps for variable speed operation, with three 15 hp motors. The variable frequency drive (VFD) located in the multi pump controller slows the pumps down so that they only run at a speed suitable to supply the hospital with the amount of water it needs, while maintaining a constant pressure. If no water is needed, the BoosterpaQ will turn off completely and resume again once there is demand.

The BoosterpaQ system was chosen for the following reasons: 1. The multi pump controller (MPC) alternates between the lead and lag pumps. This, in combination with the pumps running at a slower speed, reduces wear and tear and maintenance costs.

2. The pumping system will consume less power since it requires less horse power and has variable speed.

3. The CR multistage pumps are known for their economical and quiet operation, with one of the highest efficiencies in the market.

4. The package includes a corrosion-free stainless steel base frame, panel brackets and manifolds, which make for reliability, durability and cleanliness.

5. The system is a compact unit, requiring approximately a 20-sq.ft. footprint. It comes preassembled for easy installation and is tested prior to delivery.

6. The control panel is extremely user friendly. It enables manual settings and a change of parameters.

7. The system also includes high system pressure protection, low suction protection, and an Ethernet connection for remote desktop monitoring, as well as a variety of communication modules.

Immediately after the BoosterpaQ’s installation in November 2008, the Toronto East General Hospital began to see an energy savings of 75,000 kilowatts per hour and $5,500 per year. The hospital is extremely satisfied. In addition to the energy and cost savings, staff were able to turn off a second 100 hp constant speed booster system that was operating in another wing and supply the entire hospital with water from the Grundfos BoosterpaQ alone.

ADVERTORIAL

GRUNDFOS

Grundfos is the world’s largest manufacturer of pumps and pumping systems. Grundfos’ Canadian headquarters is located in Oakville, Ontario. 1-800-644-9599, www.grundfos.ca December 2009

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Specifier’s Literature Review ULTRA EFFICIENCY A remarkable thermal efficiency rating as high as 99.1%, makes the eF Series is the most efficient in its class. In addition to this remarkable performance the eF Series is second to none in installation flexibility. All models can vent vertically or horizontally in a balanced or unbalanced direct vent application. The eF Series is noticeably quieter than any other heater in its class. Building owners, managers & occupants will appreciate the difference. The eF Series with its superb efficiency, unprecedented installation flexibility, and unmatched quiet performace meets the needs of todays installation demands.

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CLAESSEN PUMPS LIMITED NEW PUMPS NEW STYLE A totally redesigned product brochure is now available from Claessen Pumps Limited. Both sludge and dewatering pump curves and all of the new features are included. Contact your sales rep today to get your copy. Toll Free (888) 249-7084 www.claessenpumps.com SUPPLIER: CLAESSEN PUMPS LIMITED

DESIGN CHANCE® HELICAL PIERS AND ANCHORS WITH CONFIDENCE This comprehensive Technical Design Manual provides in-depth methodology and design assistance for the many applications of Chance® Helical Piers and Anchors. This resource has been compiled to provide information to geotechnical and structural engineers on how to design Chance Helical Piers and Anchors for structural retrofits, new structures, telecom towers, soil retention and environmental boardwalks. Contact us for a free copy before your next deep foundation project. Please visit www. c3group.com/ebs for further information on EBS Engineering and Construction Limited and CHANCE® HELICAL PIER® Systems.

SUPPLIER: EBS ENGINEERING

p30-32 CCE Dec_09 Lits_Prod_profDir.indd 30

EXTEND THE LIFE OF YOUR PROJECTS WITH SUPERIOR DRAINAGE Water can be one of the most destructive factors for any type of construction. Line drainage can offer a more efficient and elegant solution in many situations, inside or outside buildings. For almost 40 years, the ACO Drain name is trusted for quality drainage systems used in a variety of applications, from light commercial environments to airports. Request your 128 pages ACO Drain catalogue at (877) 226-4255 or visit our website at www.acocan.ca SUPPLIER: ACO SYSTEMS

INFRA-RED HEATING: RE-VERBER-RAY TECHNOLOGY The DX-2 Series single input tube-type infra-red heaters offer standard control of a heated space while the HL-2 Series twostage will offer additional control and energy savings. Contact us today for information on the complete Re-VerberRay product line. Call 1-800-387-4778 or visit www.brantradiant.com SUPPLIER: BRANDT RADIANT HEATERS

PREVENT ASPHALT CRACKING If you were planning to rout and seal your asphalt joints after they fail, think about the added costs of repairing what you’ve already done. Denso Re-instatement Tape is a polymer modified bituminous strip that is cold applied and designed to seal the joints between asphalt, concrete and steel, the first time. Re-instatement Tape seals around catch basins, manholes, utility cuts and next to concrete curbs prior to paving. Do it right the first time with Denso Road Products. For more information contact: Blair Slessor at 416-291-3435, email: blair@densona.com, or visit our website at www.densona.com SUPPLIER: DENSO NORTH AMERICA INC.

GRUNDFOS CANADA IS TAKING RESPONSIBILITY OFFERING SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR THE COMMERCIAL BUILDING INDUSTRY. As a pioneer of innovative pumping solutions, Grundfos is dedicated to developing, producing, and selling the highest quality pumping systems while at the same time contributing to a better quality of life and a healthier environment. This brochure will give you a great visual overview of Grundfos / Paco solutions for Heating, Air conditioning, Pressure Boosting and Wastewater applications. For more information please visit our website at www.grundfos.com SUPPLIER: GRUNDFOS CANADA

19/11/09 9:51 AM

THE NEWEST RESOURCE FOR PUMPS AND PUMPING SYSTEMS Today’s processes place heavy demands on pumps when it comes to optimum operation, high reliability and low energy consumption.

Therefore, we have developed the Grundfos Pump Handbook which, in a simple manner, deals with various considerations when sizing pumps and pump systems. This handbook, developed for engineers and technicians who work with design and the installation of pumps and pump systems, includes answers to a wide range of technical questions. For more information please visit our website at www.grundfos.com SUPPLIER: GRUNDFOS CANADA

CITY MULTI Introducing Mitsubishi Electric’s City Multi modular units. This flexible heating and cooling system is now more efficient and provides more outdoor space savings than ever. City Multi is famous for its industry-leading VRF technology, geothermal applications, and the world’s only 2-pipe system featuring simultaneous heating and cooling along with reduced installation costs. City Multi also offers complete sustainable heating and cooling solutions, which qualify for LEED credits.

For more information, visit www.mitsubishihvac.ca SUPPLIER: MITSUBISHI

SOFT STARTER SSW-06

S-CONCRETE FOR WINDOWS

The SSW-06 is WEG’s third generation Soft Starter line. Its Keypad with dual display provides high visibility with bright red LED digits and easy programming. With built-in bypass contacts to eliminate heat dissipation once the motor is at full voltage it is extremely compact. This allows for simple integration in non-ventilated enclosures and replacement of electromechanical starters in Motor Control Centers. This product recently won the IF Design Award - Industrial Products Category. The main design attributes which conferred this award to the SSW-06 were the simplicity of constructive solutions and its user friendly operator interface. Call 1 877 PAMENSKY www.pamensky.com SUPPLIER: V.J. PAMENSKY

S-CONCRETE is a reinforced concrete section design and detailing software that operates in stand-alone mode or integrated with our structural analyis software, S-FRAME and P-FRAME. S-CONCRETE supports the current American, Canadian, British, and Singapore standards. It will design beams, columns, composite columns, and shear walls subjected to wind and earthquake loads. For more information please visit our website at www.s-frame.com SUPPLIER: SOFTEK SERVICES LTD.

VICTAULIC CIRCUIT BALANCING Enhance comfort and cut energy costs through precise control of building temperature.

Hydronic balancing is the means and method to control hydronic systems thus providing a comfortable indoor climate, minimizing energy costs and preventing problems during operations. Victaulic provides a complete line of balancing products that allow for accurate control of building temperatures while optimizing energy efficiency. For more information visit, www.victaulic.com/balancing SUPPLIER: VICTAULIC

CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER 2010 MEDIA KIT Canadian Consulting Engineer magazine provides high quality editorial coverage of the most pertinent and timely issues that affect engineers across Canada. The magazine reaches the consulting engineers who make the critical decisions on building and construction projects. This is exactly the audience you need to reach. Advertise your product or service with us. Be seen and be specified!

To order your 2010 media kit, please send along your request to Maureen Levy at (416) 510-5111 or email: mlevy@ccemag.com

products ENVIRONMENTAL

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Raypak/Rheem’s XTherm Vertical Modulating Condensing Boiler has 96% thermal efficiency for hydronic boilers and 97 % for domestic water heaters, and can reach 99% efficiency at part load. www.raypak.com

MECHANICAL

Berner International Corp (BIC) has introduced the Intelliswitch 2 air curtain controller. Its operating switch, timer/delay, thermostat and 10 speed fan control are built in. www.berner.com

p30-32 CCE Dec_09 Lits_Prod_profDir.indd 31

OMEGA of Laval, Quebec has a new FMA1000 Series general purpose Air Velocity/Temperature Transmitter and Indicator. www.omega.com COMPUTERS

Hydronic PEX tubing snow and ice melting systems from Uponor are available in on/off or automatic programmable control systems that respond to changing weather conditions. www.uponor.ca

Autodesk has developed a tool, C-FACT, to help corporations measure and target their greenhouse gas emissions from direct and indirect sources, such as business travel. www.autodesk.com

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professional directory

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October/November 2008

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engineer CANADIAN CONSULTING

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Toronto hospital boosts water supply and saves energy

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CCBDA Po

the human edge

Space Messages

University of Calgary students lift up their eyes

I

n September, students from the University of Calgary Schulich School of Engineering gathered in a dark field miles outside of the city to send light messages to astronaut Robert Thirsk. Thirsk is an alumnus of the school and spent six months on the International Space Station.

The light stunt was choreographed by Kasmira Pawa, president of the engineering students’ society, and Liam Nelson, who directs the university’s eChannel.

Pawa actually spoke to Thirsk on her cell phone before the event, but unfortunately at the very moment the space station passed overhead, thin cloud cover obscured the astronaut’s view of their patch of Earth.

It was calculated that all 300 LED lamps had to be on at the same time to concentrate enough light to penetrate space and signal a Morse Code message to Thirsk.

However, the students and their lamps were also choreo-

graphed in different sections to produce signs that were filmed from an airplane for a video. The plane was flown by a former classmate of Thirsk, Soren Christiansen, who owns the range in Dewinton where the event took place. Professor Dave Irvine-Halliday did the light calculations and Osram provided the LED lamps.

One of the words spelled out in lights was “Dream,” and the other was “ERTW.” Pawa says the latter (“engineers rule the world”) was a light-hearted, unauthorized message she and Nelson added at the last moment.

The lights were also formed into a blinking eye, which tallied with “Dream” and the video’s title: “Lift up Your Eyes.” The title is a play on the university’s motto, “I Will Lift up Mine Eyes,” which is spelled out in Gaelic at the end of the riveting short video.

Visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDo57TAoOS4 CCE

Scenes from the video.

34

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19/11/09 9:52 AM

CCBDA Power Quality Ad_8 14/11/09 9:52 AM Page 1

In Today’s High Tech World Reliable Power Quality Is Not the Question...

It’s the Answer There has never been a time when so much is at stake in industry as there is with today’s demand for dependable power.

The power structure of many buildings constructed in the last three decades simply do not have adequate grounding or the appropriate cable size necessary to handle the power requirements of today’s sophisticated electronics and overall power consumption needs. The consequences are power outages or cutbacks that result in scrambled data, production line stoppages or even a possible fire risk.

The most dependable and proven upgrades of outdated power systems have been through the use of new copper grounding and cable systems. These measures can provide a consistent flow of power for all your internal energy demands.

Version 3.0 of the new Power Quality CD-Rom includes segments on the following topics: • Equipment grounding and bonding • Harmonics • Transients and lightning • Power conditioning and surge protection • Robust wiring for power quality considerations • Additional case histories Contact the CCBDA for the Power Quality information package, which includes the new CD-Rom and case studies.

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