Canadian Consulting Engineer December 2010

For professional engineers in private practice

DECEMBER 2010

SHERBROOKE UNIVERSITY’S NEW LONGUEUIL CAMPUS YOUNG PROFESSIONALS FORUM ON CONSULTING ENGINEERING AS A CAREER

ATRIUMS

The Great Indoors

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com

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contents

December 2010 Volume 51, No. 7

Cover photo: Atrium in the TELUS William Farrell complex, Vancouver. Photograph

by Martin Tessler. See story page 16.

Calgary Courts Centre Atrium.

See story page 24.

departments Comment

4

Up Front

6

Events/ASHRAE Preview

10

ACEC Review

11

Engineers & the Law

25

Products

32

Advertiser Index

33

Human Edge

34

features STRUCTURES Atriums: the Great Indoors. Engineers are improving the design of Canada’s favourite gathering spaces, minimizing the structure and making the walls more transparent and open.

By Bronwen Parsons

16

BUILDINGS Sherbrooke University Longueuil Campus. Structural and mechanical engineering at a monumental new university building on Montreal’s south shore.

SM Group International (SMi) and DESSAU

21

MECHANICAL SYSTEMS Calgary Courts Centre Atrium. Dealing with stack effect was a major design challenge in an atrium that is 150 metres high.

Hemisphere Engineering

24

SPEAKING OUT Young Professionals Forum. Six young people talk about starting out in the consulting engineering business — its rewards, and its pitfalls.

26

Next issue: transportation, cleaning up after Hurricane Igor; computer modelling for water resources, BIM.

Sherbrooke University Longueuil Campus.

See story page 21.

December 2010

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

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engineer FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS IN PRIVATE PRACTICE

comment

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

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Editor

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

Boomers make way for young professionals

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

Ellie Robinson

F

or decades baby boomers have dominated the workforce in most industries, including consulting engineering.

But now that we boomers are becoming the grey-haired ones, we are noticing — with something like shock — the contrast between us and those in their 20s and 30s. We’re realizing just how much energy young people have compared to us, and how much enthusiasm, not to mention tech-savvy skills, they bring to the team. Of course, firms will depend on having a stable of such young professionals in order to survive after the baby boomers retire.

The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies (ACEC) and the provincial associations of consulting engineers have lately been devoting a lot of energy to building their relationship with young professionals and engineering students.

This magazine also wants to engage more young professionals — both as readers and as contributors. Our print issues have generally been snailmailed out to consulting engineers who are at the managerial level. But now we’re in the internet age there is no limit to how widely we can distribute the digital magazine and our weekly electronic newsletter. This opens up exciting possibilities for reaching out to younger readers.

As a start CCE held an online Young Professionals Forum this fall. Part I appears on page 26.

Several of the six participants in the forum confessed that when they started working in consulting they felt somewhat overwhelmed. They thought they had been handed too much responsibility sometimes.

Nearly all of them felt they would have really benefited from having a mentor. They needed someone to show them the ropes, they said.

But apparently — with notable exceptions — few of their baby boomer bosses made themselves available.

Young professionals do need nurturing and in this Canadian Consulting Engineer has a role. I have heard firm principals say that they don’t really want their staff receiving and reading the magazine online at work because it diverts them from doing billable work. That’s understandable in part.

But CCE can be a valuable tool for helping young professionals find their feet in this business. The case studies and articles explain the engineering concepts in a quick and accessible way, and through them young professionals can find out what’s going on across the country. Our coverage is cross-disciplinary, so they can also learn about key advances in related fields, and there are articles about the practical issues of running a practice.

A magazine like this also helps to build up a sense of community, so in a more intangible way it helps consulting engineers to feel connected to their work and enriched by it. And via the website, CCE can be an ongoing forum — a place where young people can float ideas and opinions.

As we launch this effort to reach out to younger professionals, we hope our regular readers will support us by encouraging them to subscribe, which can be easily done at www.canadianconsultingengineer.com.

Bronwen Parsons 4

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com

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Contributing Editor

Rosalind Cairncross, P.Eng. Advertising Sales Manager

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

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

Beata Olechnowicz (416) 442-5600 x3543 bolechnowicz@bizinfogroup.ca Production Co-ordinator Karen Samuels (416) 510-5190 Vice President, Publishing Business Information Group (BIG)

Alex Papanou

President, Business Information Group (BIG)

Bruce Creighton Head Office

12 Concorde Place, Suite 800 Toronto, ON M3C 4J2 Tel: (416) 442-5600 Fax: (416) 510-5134

Pho

CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER is published by BIG Magazines LP, a division of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd. 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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ISSN: 0008-3267 (print), ISSN: 1923-3337 (digital) POSTAL INFORMATION: Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Circulation Dept., Canadian Consulting Engineer, 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON M3C 4J2.

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PRIVACY: From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us. tel: 1-800-668-2374, fax: 416-510-5134, e-mail: jhunter@businessinformationgroup.ca, mail to: Privacy Officer, BIG, 12 Concorde Place, Suite 800, Toronto, ON M3C 4J2.

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Th ily in t in c hea T com low fan spe tra W au Top pat con ma of T

Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Member of the Canadian Business Press Member of Audit Bureau of Circulations Inc.

Association of Business Publishers 205 East 42nd Street New York, NY 10017

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. PAP Registration No. 11002.

December 2010

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Sys all o duc term 100 Nor

The Top ERV– Topvex for compact installations

Photo: Scanpix

Low Profile Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) The Topvex FR series is the latest addition to the Systemair family of ventilation products. The unit is designed for installations in tight spaces including above T-bar and other lowered ceilings, in corridors, underneath stages or left visually exposed but not heard within the space.

The Topvex FR is considered to be high performance by combining two rotary wheel heat exchangers in parallel, with low pressure loss within the cabinet and EC (brushless DC) fan motors for maximum efficiency. This results in a very low specific fan performance (SFP) value indicating maximum energy transfer at very low fan power consumption.

When designing the Topvex FR we have focused on creating a unit that is easy to choose, install, commission and use. The Topvex FR comes complete with a remote control system compatible with building/energy management systems or demand control devices such as CO2 sensors. Once installed it’s just a matter of switching it on and then relaxing, knowing the benefits of Topvex.

Systemair was founded in 1974 and has today subsidiaries in 38 countries all over the world, employes around 2150.The broad product range includes duct fans, roof fans, axial fans, smoke extract fans, air handling units, air terminal devices, air curtains and accessories.We sell on a regular basis to 100 countries. In October 2007 Systemair was listed on the Nasdaq OMX Nordic Exchange in Stockholm.

p03-05 CCE Dec10 ContComment.indd 5

Topvex FR has a low profile design and is available in four sizes for airflows up to 4025cfm (1900 l/s)

Systemair’s most energy efficient products are marked with this Green Ventilation symbol

Systemair – 50 Kanalflakt Way Bouctouche, NB E4S 3M5 sales@systemair.net • www.systemair.net

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Morrison Hershfield

up front

STRUCTURES

Wood is first in B.C. The city of Surrey is the latest in B.C. to adopt a “Wood First Policy.” The policy requires that any civic buildings must be constructed using wood, subject to the building code. So far 27 communities and regions have adopted the Wood First policy, including Terrace, Prince George, Kelowna and Port Alberni.

Capilano Cliffhanger under construction in North Vancouver.

STRUCTURES

Cliffhanger at Capilano The Discovery Channel is filming the construction of a new pedestrian walkway known as “the Cliffhanger” close to the famous Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver. The “heart-stopping” walkway through the rainforest is 0.5 m wide and 215 m long, with cantilevered bridges and stairs protruding from a granite cliff face, set 25 storeys above the Capilano River. The designer is Morrison Hershfield (Kent LaRose). Construction is finishing this December.

BUILDINGS

parkway for 30 years is the Windsor Essex Mobility Group. It includes Acciona, ACS, Dragados and Fluor, with Hatch Mott MacDonald as prime consultant and designer.

The new six-lane highway is said to be “the most significant single highway investment in Ontario’s history,” generating 12,000 jobs. The cost is as yet undetermined, but an earlier estimate was $1.6 billion.

LEED applications made smoother The U.S. Green Building Council has a new tool for submitting projects for LEED certification.

“LEED Automation” is a tool that works with LEED Online and allows it to interact with third party technology platforms. The tool is written using Internet standards like HTTP, XML and Simple Object Access Protocol, and works “like an app.”

ENERGY

TRANSPORTATION

Windsor-Essex Parkway designers announced Hatch Mott MacDonald is the lead design firm for the Windsor-Essex Parkway — a brand new 11-kilometre highway that is being built to connect Highway 401, the main east-west corridor in southern Ontario, to the U.S. border in Michigan. Currently cross-border traffic has to travel through Windsor via Huron Church Road, dealing with 17 stop lights and busy local traffic.

On November 5, the federal and provincial governments announced that the preferred bidder to design, build, finance and maintain the new 6

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com

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Design for the Pulford Bridge section of the Windsor-Essex Parkway.

Because of community concerns over traffic noise and pollution, the new road will run below grade in long cut-and-cover sections. There are also extended tunnels and more than 300 acres of green space around the road as a buffer between it and nearby residential areas.

The goal is to start construction in

$500 billion needed At the UN in November, a group of investors from around the world who together have assets valued at $15 trillion warned that global investments in clean energy are not enough. While $200 billion is being invested this year, Bloomberg and the World Economic Forum argue that by 2020 roughly $500 billion is needed to keep global warming below 2 degrees.

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continued on page 8

December 2010

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up front

continued from page 6

2011, but first about 900 properties are being expropriated.

Much work went into the planning of both the parkway and its eventual destinations, which will be a new customs plaza in the Brighton Bridge area of Windsor and a new bridge over the Detroit River. URS Canada was the prime consultant for the environmental assessment, known as the Detroit River International Crossing study. The study won a Transportation Association of Canada award this year.

COMPANIES

Enermodal and MMM Enermodal Engineering, a consulting firm of 100 people, has joined the MMM Group of Toronto. Enermodal is responsible for approximately 40% of all buildings certified under the LEED Canada NC (new construction) program. It was founded in 1980 in Kitchener, Ontario and has offices there and in Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton.

Left: Stephen Carpenter, president of Enermodal. Right: Bruce Bodden, president and CEO of MMM.

MMM and Enermodal are already working together on two large P3 projects.

Stephen Carpenter will continue as president of Enermodal, and Enermodal will maintain its name and its office locations.

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Halsall joins Parsons Brinckerhoff The Halsall Group, a structural engineering company based in Toronto, has joined with the international Peter Halsall, chair of Halsall engineering giant Par- Group sons Brinckerhoff.

Peter Halsall, P.Eng., chair of Halsall Group, said: “Our employees increasingly will be able to apply their ideas, practices and innovations to infrastructure as well as buildings.”

Founded in 1956, Halsall will continue to operate under its own name. It has 350 employees working in Ontario, Vancouver, Calgary and Dubai.

Parsons Brinckerhoff is a division of Balfour Beatty plc.

Tetra Tech acquires BPR BPR, one of Quebec’s largest consulting engineering firms, with 1,600 employees, has been acquired by Tetra Tech of Pasadena, California. BPR was established almost 50 years ago and provides services in the energy, industry, buildings and infrastructure sectors. Tetra Tech acquired EBA Engineering of Edmonton in August, and Wardrop Engineering of Winnipeg in January 2009. It has 12,000 employees worldwide, 3,000 in Canada.

CODES

New National Building Code released On November 29, the NRC/IRC Canadian Commission on Building

December 2010

and Fire Codes was set to release the new 2010 national model construction codes — the first new edition since 2005. The codes consist of the National Building Code of Canada (NBC), the National Fire Code of Canada, and the National Plumbing Code of Canada.

Some 800 technical changes have been made in the 2010 version of the NBC. In Part 4, Structural Design, for example, there are stricter requirements for live loads in sports arenas, grandstands and stadia that have fixed seats with backs. As well, these live load requirements have been extended to include churches, lecture halls and theatres.

In Part 6, Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning, there are new requirements for building ventilation related to maximum levels of particulate matter, ground-level ozone and carbon monoxide.

Changes in the 2010 National Fire Code (NFC) affect demolition and construction sites. Adjacent buildings must now be protected from fires, and the requirements for access by the fire department have been improved.

To draw a clear line between the roles of the National Building Code and National Fire Code, technical requirements that relate to building design have been moved from the NFC into the NBC. Webinars will be given in February to provide more information and help. In the meantime, the codes are available at www.nrc.gc.ca/virtualstore.

How do you define innovation?

Look at the world the way Generac Industrial Power does and you might change your mind.

Gordon Food Service in Grand Rapids Michigan, the largest familyowned food service distributor in North America, defines innovation with Generac’s Bi-Fuel system. For this and more case studies, visit generac.com.

To you, innovation means progressive, improved and enhanced. To Generac Industrial Power, innovation means advanced industrial sensors and actuators, digital precision fuel mapping, and factory-built and warranted Bi-Fuel™ generators. That’s just how we see the world. And thousands of hospitals, municipalities and other mission-critical service providers who installed a Generac industrial power system, as large as 9MW, know just what we mean. For more information on our products, call 1-888-GENERAC or visit us at generac.com.

See us at Booth 3129 at the Power-Gen Show in orlando, FL, December 14-16, 2010.

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events

ASHRAE’s 2010 Winter Conference The 2011 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Winter Conference is being held at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada from Saturday, January 29 to Wednesday, February 2. Under the theme, “Zero Energy Design: a Safe Bet,” the event involves hundreds of technical sessions, public forums and a poster show for building HVAC engineers.

Specialist examinations offered On the final day of the conference, ASHRAE will hold certification exams in five specialist programs: Building Energy Modeling Professional (BEMP), Commissioning Process

Management Professional (CPMP), High-Performance Building Design Professional (HBDP), Healthcare Facility Design Professional (HFDP), and Operations & Performance Management Professional (OPMP).

ASHRAE is also introducing a new certification: Building Energy Assessment Professional (BEAP) at the conference. The program is targeted at energy auditors and is being developed in collaboration with ASHRAE’s Building Energy Quotient program, which labels the energy performance of buildings. The IES and National Institute of Building Sciences and other industry organizations are participating in this certification program.

Technical session highlights The technical sessions of the ASHRAE Conference are in nine tracks, designated basic, intermediate and advanced. The nine tracks are: 1. Codes and Standards in the HVAC&R Industry, 2. Integrated Design, 3. Low Energy Design, 4.

Refrigeration Update, 5. Industrial HVAC&R, 6. Net Zero Energy, 7.

HVAC Systems and Equipment, 8.

Professional Skills, and 9. HVAC Fundamentals and Applications.

Several technical sessions will address zero-net energy buildings and how we reach that panacea i.e. the state where a building produces as much energy on-site as it consumes. One is called “CuttingEdge Japanese Technologies for Zero Energy Buildings,” and there will be several other presentations on zero-net energy buildings from Europe and around the world.

Bowing to the Las Vegas location, sessions will deal with HVAC systems and air quality for casinos. Other presentations cover a wide range of topics, for example: energy simulations and modelling, reducing air leakage in HVAC air systems, micro combined heat and power systems, ASHRAE’s commissioning standard, absorption and alternate refrigeration technologies, smoke control for tall buildings, right-sizing equipment, and HVAC for tunnels.

For full details and to register, visit www.ashrae.org/lasvegas.

AHR Expo The accompanying AHR Expo will have 1,800 manufacturers exhibiting products, as well as awards for innovations. It is being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from Monday, January 31 to Wednesday, February 1.

Visit www.ahrexpo.com CCE

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December 2010

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ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERING COMPANIES | REVIEW CHAIR’S MESSAGE

Speaking out ... and also listening

T

he recent Consulting Engineering Awards and ACEC’s Parliament Hill Day are excellent examples of just how effective ACEC can be at keeping our industry visible and making it heard by government and other stakeholders.

And those who are aware of ACEC and its advocacy efforts generally think ACEC is successful. However, we are also aware that is not enough to be successful. We must also demonstrate our success to our members – and more importantly why our success is their success.

ACEC is direct and unapologetic in its advocacy on behalf of the business and commercial interests of consulting engineering companies. And engineering companies can be more than engineers. Today our members employ many professions and para-professions such as architects and natural scientists, to name a few. They all benefit when ACEC is successful. In fact all employees of our firms, including those in support and administrative

roles, also benefit when ACEC is successful.

One of the ongoing challenges for ACEC is that we represent firms rather than individuals. This is not always well understood within the engineering community or, even in some cases, within ACEC member firms. Perhaps this is because we communicate primarily through the principals and senior management of our member firms. Consequently, in some cases, the employees of our member firms are often unaware that their firm belongs to ACEC and what ACEC does on their behalf.

This is why ACEC has undertaken a comprehensive audit of communications methods and tools and will be integrating member communications as a cornerstone of its strategic priorities. The goal is not only to inform, but also to engage our members. Our members are of course our greatest resource and our raison d’être. Thank you to ACEC members and others who participated in our surveys and interviews over the past months.

WILFRID MORIN, ING., CHAIR ACEC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MESSAGE DU PRÉSIDENT DU CONSEIL

Nous nous faisons entendre ... et nous écoutons

L

e récent gala des Prix canadiens du génie-conseil et la Journée sur la Colline de l’AFIC sont d’excellents exemples de l’efficacité avec laquelle l’AFIC assure la visibilité de notre industrie auprès du gouvernement et d’autres intervenants. Nous pourrions cependant peut-être faire un meilleur travail à renseigner davantage nos propres membres et la communauté du génie dans l’ensemble sur nos efforts et les succès que nous réalisons pour eux.

Ceux qui sont au courant des travaux de l’AFIC et de ses efforts de représentation considèrent généralement que l’AFIC est efficace. Nous avons toutefois appris qu’il y a une insuffisance au plan des communications avec les membres individuels de nos firmes membres. Nous devons aussi démontrer notre succès à nos membres et, ce qui est encore plus important, montrer pourquoi notre succès est aussi leur succès.

L’AFIC représente ses firmes membres plutôt que des individus, ce qui pose un défi. Cette état de fait n’est pas toujours bien compris dans la communauté du génie et même, dans certains cas, au sein des firmes membres de l’AFIC. C’est probablement parce que nous entretenons des relations avec nos membres principalement par le biais des dirigeants des entreprises membres. C’est pourquoi dans certains cas, les employés de nos firmes membres ne savent pas que leurs firmes sont membres de l’AFIC et ne

sont donc pas au courant de ce que l’AFIC fait pour eux.

L’AFIC est très directe dans ses initiatives de représentation des intérêts commerciaux des firmes de génie-conseil.

Or, les firmes de génie-conseil regroupent souvent plus que des ingénieurs. Aujourd’hui, nos membres emploient plusieurs autres professionnels et membres de professions connexes comme des architectes et des scientifiques, par exemple. Or, ces professionnels bénéficient tous des succès de l’AFIC. En fait, tous les employés de nos firmes membres, y compris ceux et celles qui occupent des fonctions administratives ou de soutien, bénéficient aussi des réussites de l’AFIC. C’est pourquoi l’AFIC a entrepris un examen exhaustif de ses modes et outils de communication et qu’elle intégrera les communications aux membres dans ses priorités stratégiques. Le but de cet exercice sera non seulement d’informer mais aussi d’engager nos membres qui sont non seulement notre plus importante ressource mais aussi notre raison d’être.

Je remercie tous les membres de l’AFIC et autres répondants qui ont participé à nos enquêtes et à nos entrevues au cours des derniers mois. C’est grâce à vous et à vos contributions que nous pourrons assurer la réussite de notre nouveau plan de communication.

WILFRID MORIN, ING., PRÉSIDENT CONSEIL D’ADMINISTRATION DE L’AFIC

December 2010

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ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERING COMPANIES | REVIEW

Over 40 Members of Parliament Welcome ACEC to Parliament Hill

O

n October 26, 2010, with This lobbying effort will allow the backdrop of the CaACEC to further pursue these nadian Consulting Engineerissues, building on the tracing Awards Gala, ACEC held tion achieved by Hill Day and a successful day of meetings the support from all sides of with politicians from all four the House. federal parties on ParliaThis year, ACEC was able ment Hill in Ottawa. The to secure a very successful annual ACEC Hill Day allows and productive meeting for face-to-face discussions with the Honourable Chuck between ACEC representaStrahl, Minister of Transport, tives and federal politicians Infrastructure and Comon issues important to ACEC munities. In total, over 40 members and the consulting meetings were held with key engineering sector at large. parliamentarians, strategiParticipants included reprecally identified by ACEC, insentatives from ACEC’s 2010 cluding: award winning firms, mem• Members representing the bers of the ACEC Board of communities of ACEC parDirectors, and several Executicipants tive Directors from its pro• Members on the House vincial counterparts. During of Commons Finance Comthe meetings, ACEC had two mittee key messages for the federal • Members on the House government and opposition of Commons Infrastructure, parties: Transport and Communities 1. The need for a long-term Committee infrastructure investment • Members of the House of plan to address Canada’s inCommons Treasury Board frastructure deficit that has • Members of the House of “Hill Day presented a great Commons Government Opaccumulated over decades.

2. A requirement for the erations Committee. opportunity to learn more about the adoption of InfraGuide “Best According to some in Practice” (i.e. Qualificationsimportant work that ACEC does for our Ottawa’s government relaBased Selection) for procuretions circles, the ACEC Hill industry.” – Judy Cohen, SNC-Lavalin Day is one of the best orment of engineering services ganized and most effective for all projects receiving fedamong similar events organized by other national aseral funds.

The goal was to solicit letters of support for ACEC’s key sociations. In only its second year, Hill Day has become issues from all parliamentarians to be sent to the Ministers ACEC’s premier advocacy event and a cornerstone of its responsible for infrastructure and procurement policies. government relations program.

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, Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Manitoba, Consulting Engineers of Ontario, Association des Ingénieurs-conseils du Québec, Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – New Brunswick, Consulting Engineers of Nova Scotia, Consulting Engineers of Prince Edward Island, Consulting Engineers of Newfoundland and Labrador.

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December 2010

26/11/10 7:11 AM

ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERING COMPANIES | REVIEW

Understanding Public Private Partnership in Canada ACEC Report on P3s is Now Available

W

ith Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) being increasingly used in the delivery of public infrastructure in Canada, the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies (ACEC) established a Task Force to explore P3s and the implications for consulting engineers. This resultant report was commissioned by ACEC to synthesize key information about P3s in a single document. This document is not intended to advocate for or against the use of P3s. It is intended to educate and stimulate discussion on P3s.

The report discusses P3s as they are used in Canada, and explains why P3s are now considered by some, under the right circumstances and properly executed, a viable alternative

to more conventional project delivery models for successfully delivering infrastructure projects. The report also notes that P3s are not a panacea and use of P3s for inappropriate projects or under inappropriate circumstances can have significant consequences for both the owner and the team delivering the P3 — not to mention the end users.

The report therefore strives to inform public owners, consulting engineers and others about some of the opportunities and challenges, benefits and risks related to P3s based on Canadian

experience. Ultimately the report aims to assist public owners in determining when P3 or other delivery models will result in the most successful project outcomes and to provide guidance, based on Canadian experience, to both owners and to consulting engineering companies considering involvement in P3s. The report was prepared by ACEC with the assistance of Strategies 4 Impact.

Copies of the report are available in both English and French on ACEC’s website, at www.acec.ca.

ACEC Testifies to Finance Committee

E

mphasizing that infrastructure is an investment in Canada’s economic, social and environmental quality of life, ACEC has called upon the federal Standing Committee on Finance to commit to the development of a long-term strategic approach to infrastructure investment.

ACEC was invited to appear before the committee as part of the government’s pre-budget deliberations.

ACEC President John Gamble and Vice-President Susie Grynol testified to the committee that the majority of current commitments to infrastructure by the federal government will expire by 2014. A long-term strategy is therefore essential to strengthening and preserving Canada’s competitiveness and economic integrity and to ensuring value to taxpayers. In the interim, ACEC has also recommended that pre-stimulus infrastructure programs be maintained and that the government recognize the realities of

implementing infrastructure projects by showing flexibility on the stimulus funding deadline for pre-approved projects. Current indications from the government are that the government will in fact exercise appropriate flexibility.

ACEC acknowledged the success of infrastructure investment through the Federal Stimulus Program in both creating jobs and making progress on Canada’s chronic infrastructure deficit. ACEC referred to a recent Conference Board of Canada report indicating that of all the federal stimu-

lus initiatives — including tax cuts — infrastructure investment was the most efficient at creating jobs. While recognizing that current fiscal pressures on the government may make current funding levels unsustainable in the immediate future, ACEC also emphasized that the perils of Canada’s infrastructure deficit are still very real and will only be effectively addressed with a coordinated, wellplanned, long-term approach.

The ACEC written submission to the Finance Committee can be viewed at www.acec.ca.

ABOUT ACEC The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies Canada (ACEC) is a business association representing nearly 500 consulting engineering companies across Canada. ACEC is made up of 12 provincial and territorial organizations. For more information on ACEC, visit www.acec.ca.

December 2010

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Canadian Consulting Engineer

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ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERING COMPANIES | REVIEW

“Why I want to be a consulting engineer” — Jessica Friesen wins Engineering Student YouTube Contest!

J

essica Friesen of the University of Manitoba has won the ACEC Engineering Student YouTube Contest geared at getting engineering students thinking “why they want to be a consulting engineer.” View her video at www.youtube.com/ user/EngineeringLegacies.

The YouTube Contest is part of ACEC’s successful educational student outreach campaign, Engineering Legacies. The Engineering Legacies student outreach campaign was developed over two years ago in an effort to attract young talent into the consulting engineering industry. For more information, visit www.engineeringlegacies.com.

The YouTube Contest launched in September received great interest from engineering students across the country. Jessica Friesen’s video has received many hits from students interested in a career in consulting engineering and has garnered significant participation on the campaign Facebook page and the website.

Jessica’s prize for winning the contest was a trip to attend the 2010 Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards where she had the opportunity to meet industry leaders, Members of Parliament and ACEC Board Members.

“A couple years ago,” Jessica said, “I developed an interest for acoustical engineering, and so as I was learning more about the industry, I found out a lot of acoustical engineers are consulting engineers, which made me want to figure out what it meant to be a consulting engineer.”

After attending the Awards, Jessica has a better appreciation for the work consulting engineers do.

“I never realized how big the

14

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Jessica Friesen (centre) at the Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards Gala with Herb Kuehne, ACEC Board Member (right) and Bryan Grabowski, Deltek (left).

“I never realized how big the Canadian consulting engineering industry was and how dedicated people are towards the work they do, as well as the quality of work being accomplished.”

Canadian consulting engineering industry was and how dedicated people are towards the work they do, as well as the quality of work being accomplished,” Jessica said.

Jessica was very happy about the experience.

“Seeing the awards being given out for such great projects and talking to people about their work, it was obvious they love what they

do and I found it very inspiring.”

To view the top three YouTube Contest entries, along with Jessica’s video, visit www.youtube.com/ user/EngineeringLegacies.

For more information on the ACEC’s student outreach campaign, please contact Nadine Boudreau, Communications Coordinator at 1-800-565-0569 or by email at nboudreau@acec.ca.

December 2010

26/11/10 7:11 AM

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structures

ATRIUMS GREAT INDOORS

BY BRONWEN PARSONS

the

E

Engineers are working to improve the design of Canada’s favourite gathering spaces, making the walls more transparent and open to outside.

nter almost any complex in North America and you will find yourself moving into a large open space. Atriums -- or atria, if you prefer the Latin -- have become the living heart of most commercial and institutional buildings. We use atriums primarily as access routes to avoid Canada’s wintry blasts and searing summer heat. But they’re also places where we stop to meet friends, eat lunch, or simply sit and gaze at the great outdoors through their expansive plate glass walls.

As Canada’s indoor answer to the European piazza, the atrium is here to stay. But these indoor spaces can be dreary places sometimes. Tinted glass walls cast a brown, muddy pall over everything. Sound echoes off the hard surfaces, and their huge scale can be overwhelming.

Their roofs are often weather-stained and leak, and they can also be huge energy wasters.

Today’s architects and engineers are perfecting and improving on these designs. Structural engineers are helping to make atriums brighter and more transparent. Mechanical engineers are finding ways to use their great volumes of air to make building heating and cooling systems work more efficiently.

Less Structure Halcrow Yolles consulting engineers have worked on some extraordinary glass structures around the world. The firm is currently renovating the glass roof of the Devonian Gardens in Calgary, and it is just finishing up replacing the glazing at the Calgary Eaton Centre. continued on page 18

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December 2010

Photograph by Martin Tessler.

26/11/10 7:15 AM

structures

Atrium in the Telus William Farrell complex, downtown Vancouver. Read Jones Christoffersen were the structural engineers.

p16-20 CCE Dec10 Atriums.indd 17

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continued from page 16

Halcrow Yolles

structures

Photo courtesy of Imara (Sussex Drive) Limited

One of their most innovative recent atrium designs, says David Thompson, manager of the firm's building envelope and structural glass group in Toronto, is at the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat on Sussex Drive in Ottawa.

“The Aga Khan was trying to create something similar to rock crystal,” Thompson says.

“He wanted the glass to be translucent and transparent. We used fritted glass and also a veil of white material on the inside to give diffused light. If you look at the roof from different angles you can see through two different layers of glass and then through to the sky. It’s like a white scrim of sorts. From the outside it has more of an appearance of a quartz crystal.” The architects were Fumihiko Maki and Associates in collaboration with Moriyama & Teshima Architects.

Thompson says the general trend is for architects to ask for two things when it comes to atrium design: “more transparency; less structure.”

One way to achieve greater transparency, Thompson explains, is to strip down the layers supporting the glass. “What we’re trying to do is reduce one level of structure. The way atriums used to be designed was with a steel frame, then with an aluminum frame over the top of that, on which they laid the glazing. Today we’re trying to use just a steel frame. We can create a light and nimble steel frame so that we don’t impede the view through the glass.”

In the Calgary Eaton Centre’s arched roof, for example, the glass is hung from tubular steel arches by stainless steel “spider” fittings. “The structure is almost concealed in the joints of the glass,” Thompson says. “The glass roof appears as one monolithic film. It has probably the least amount of steel you would ever see in a glass roof.”

Structural engineers are also pushing the limits when it comes to the size of glass roofs, says Thompson. The Calgary Eaton Centre skylight measures 230 metres long by 26 metres wide, covering 6,500 square metres (70,000 sq.ft.), making it one of the largest continuous skylights in North America. To deal with the thermal expansion and contraction that occurs in Calgary’s extreme climate, the steel has to be discontinuous in order to flex with differential movement. “The whole thing is designed like a movement joint,” says Thompson.

Across the country, in Vancouver, president C.C. Yao, P.Eng., a principal of Read Jones Christoffersen (RJC), also

Left: atrium in the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat in Ottawa. Above: Calgary Eaton Centre/TD Square with its expansive glass roof. The supporting structure is pared down to make the skylight seem as transparent as possible. Halcrow Yolles was structural engineer for both buildings.

sees a trend for atrium walls to be more transparent with seemingly lightweight supports. “Basically, with glass atriums, the challenge from designers, especially architects, is that they want them to be as transparent as possible.”

At the same time, Yao says, a glass wall has to withstand wind loads, and especially in Vancouver, it has to be designed to seismic standards in order to survive earthquakes.

To avoid having heavy structural supports, Yao explains, the engineers might use cable systems. “Over the last 15 years you can see a lot of cable-supported backing structures to support the glass.” But these systems need pre-tensioning, and intricate connections, and are challenging to design. As a result, Yao says, “They become quite expensive. You only do these for institutional or iconic structures.”

Yao is particularly proud of the award-winning atrium in Building ‘C’ of the Telus William Farrell complex in downtown Vancouver. The fully glazed atrium sits between two adjacent existing buildings and is around eight storeys high.

At one end is a glass wall that is 26 metres high and 15 metres wide — very large.

Yet the Telus atrium is supported by a minimal structure.

“We used steel rods to hang the glass,” says Yao, “and used cast steel to make the supports in an aerodynamic shape, which is what the architect wanted to achieve.” The system includes full height elliptical steel columns with custom continued on page 20

18

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December 2010

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structures

Developments in Glass

continued from page 18

fabricated arms supporting the glazing walls.

Two lightweight three-dimensional trusses span the 15 metres between the buildings, providing the glass wall with additional wind resistance. Meanwhile, sky bridges traverse the space at the sixth and eighth floors, and a steel stair is cantilevered off a single elliptical column. The architects of the project were Busby Perkins & Will and Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership.

RJC is currently working on a new atrium design for the Surrey Civic Centre. “The challenge here is using very slender wind columns,” says Yao. And on another project, RJC is using pre-stressed carbon fibre cables. “The idea is just like a tennis racket,” says Yao. “You tension the cables until they are very stiff so that they support the glass with a minimal structure.”

Structural engineers are pushing the envelope even further. “Traditionally glass is an inlaid material,” Yao explains.

“But the trend is to recognize the structural properties of glass and to use it as a loadbearing element. So why do we need that cable? The glass becomes part of the structure.

“The challenge is obvious: glass is strong, but it is brittle.

So there has to be enough redundancy introduced into the system. Engineers use composite materials to increase ductility and they perform analysis to ensure that if one glass component is broken due to vandalism, or whatever, that the loads can be transferred by another element.”

Material Developments and Energy Efficiency Atriums are very susceptible to outside weather conditions, so much effort is put into finding a glass that is as energy efficient as possible. The glass has to keep heat inside the space during cold days, and must ward off solar heat and glare when the sun shines too brightly.

As Thompson sees it, structural engineers are faced with trying to satisfy two different goals: “Right now we’re blessed that architects want clarity in the glass, and the mechanical consultants want energy performance.” But, he points out, “Those are at two opposite ends of the scale.”

Thankfully, he says, “glass coatings have evolved considerably in the last few years to allow us to get better thermal performance.” Halcrow Yolles designers are using fritted glass and low-e insulated units for thermal efficiency. To achieve better clarity they’re using more low iron glass, which doesn’t have the usual green tinge It has traditionally been reserved for applications like display cases.

Manufacturers are constantly coming up with new products. One new insulated glass unit achieves an insulation value as high as R20 (thermal resistance value of U 0.05) compared to R-4 for standard low-e glazing.

Furthermore, mechanical engineers are finding ways to use atriums as an integral part of their HVAC system designs, capitalizing on their large volumes of air in order to save energy and improve the indoor air conditions. Hemisphere Engineering has done so at the Calgary Courts Centre (p. 22).

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The trend driven by advances in glass technology is to longer spans, greater transparency and increased integration with building envelope systems.

Methods of combining glass with plastics, resins, fibre meshes, etc. are helping to produce a more ductile glass structure.

Larger autoclaves are enabling the production of larger laminated glass panels.

Advanced coatings include anti-glare, anti reflective, low-e, self cleaning, and restorative/self healing (the appearance of scratches is reduced over time).

Very complex surfaces are starting to be constructed, with high precision and high optical qualities.

Composite construction methods are being explored, such as glass-steel, glass-concrete and glass-wood assemblies.

Structural adhesives are being explored to increase the transparency of edge connections.

For aesthetic purposes, silk screened images are being used on the glass interlayer; also LED lights are being embedded in the glass inter-layers.

— Source: Brock Schroeder, P.Eng., Read Jones Christoffersen

Condensation and Leaking What about the problems that plagued older atriums? “Condensation is an issue with skylights,” says Thompson. We control it by working with the mechanical engineers to get air movement that washes across the glass. In the open skylights in the large malls the air is moving across them fairly easily, so condensation is next to nothing.”

The performance of the glass from a U-value or thermal transmittance value also helps to reduce the potential for condensation, says Thompson.

And he believes that today’s pared down glass walls and roofs won’t leak like their older cousins did. “By simplifying the assemblies, we’re also making them easier to maintain.

From a design point of view they look a lot more complicated, but truly we are simplifying them.”

In the older aluminum frame systems, the joints were hidden, which meant the systems had to be taken apart for repairs. “It was a costly problem to fix them, other than just adding sealant on the outside,” Thompson says.

But with the new skylights at the Calgary Eaton Centre, for example, all the joints are visible from each side, so it is easier to see what needs replacing. “We’re anticipating that these skylights will outperform any of the older skylights,” Thompson says.

Asked whether using vast expanses of glass in buildings can ever be considered a really good idea, energy-wise, Thompson replies: “It is more of a challenge in an extreme climate like Canada. But why should we be hidden inside and not be able to take advantage of the outside environment from a visual standpoint? It’s just a bit more challenging here, that’s all.”

CCE

December 2010

26/11/10 7:15 AM

buildings

Sherbrooke University Longueuil Campus The new campus on Montreal’s South Shore is a monumental complex that incorporates a jewel of an atrium.

The atrium; the support structures for the glazed end facades are suspended elements with side and bottom supports.

K. Lacroix

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

By Yves Levesque, ing.

S.M. GROUP INTERNATIONAL (SMi) unit designed for a future extension of four additional storeys; a two-storey zone with an exterior garden or “Oasis”; and an atrium with a glass canopy and an exposed steel structure. The atrium connects to the adjacent AMT bus station and Longueuil metro station.

Structural Frame A structural frame of 9 x 9 m was established for the complex. It incorporates twoway reinforced concrete slabs with drop panels for most floor levels. The 3½ floors of underground parking within the peripheral foundation walls constitute a single solid, rigid structural block ensuring the lateral stability of all the structural sub-units.

K. Lacroix

W

ith the completion of the Longueuil Campus of the Université de Sherbrooke, the new downtown core of the city of Longueuil in the Montreal South Shore region has entered an era of avant-garde design and sustainable development. Officially opened in February 2010, the $125-million complex accommodates 3,000 students, with classrooms, laboratories and offices for several faculties, including law, medicine and engineering.

SMi were the structural engineers of the building. Marosi + Troy, Jodoin Lamarre Pratte, and Labbé were the architects.

The monumental above-ground complex covers the site’s entire surface area. It consists of a 16-storey tower; a four-storey

continued on page 22 December 2010

Above: the tower and other components of the complex cover the entire site.

Canadian Consulting Engineer

21

buildings

continued from page 21

Vertical Campus At the entrance to the main tower is a five-storey open space — the “vertical campus promenade” — which includes a long steel staircase and a high glazed wall overlooking the Oasis garden. The design of the five-storey space was a technical challenge. The provision of movable joints between the structural units required a curtain wall structure fixed to the upper floors of the tower and attached at the base to the adjacent structure also by movable joints in all horizontal directions.

The long staircase was the subject of a step-by-step dynamic analysis with simulations of “step impact” and

rhythmic activity in order to ensure vibrations would not be a problem. A grid-type model was used to simulate the rigidity of all the components of these stairs.

Atrium With its exposed steel space-frame structure supporting a glass roof and the facades, the atrium is the jewel of the project. Its steel structure is supported on the ground floor on three sides, and is supported on the second floor of the building by the wide span reinforced concrete and 9 x 9 m structural frame of the Oasis garden.

The atrium’s special support

INNOVATIVE MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

By Chantale Bourdages, ing. and Charles Julien, ing.

DESSAU

B

uilt in Longueuil’s city centre, Sherbrooke University’s new campus building is one of the tallest structures on Montreal’s South Shore.

The new building includes a 16-storey tower and other components with a total floor area of 61,000 square metres.

Determined to create an eco-

structure constituted a significant technical design challenge. Load transfer in the roof diaphragm was facilitated by the installation of robust, rigid steel beams hidden in the water discharge drains on the roof.

The support structures of the front and rear glazed facades were designed as suspended elements with side and bottom supports that are mobile in the vertical plane of the facades. Different models with semi-detached and detached buildings were considered, and the worst conditions of each simulation were used in the design for lateral wind and earthquake loads. friendly building, DESSAU took a unique approach in engineering the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. The HVAC design reduced energy consumption by 45% (350,000 m3 of natural gas and 1.1 million kWh of electricity) compared to a standard similar building, consequently saving over $250,000 a year on energy bills. When including government subsidies, the return on

DESSAU

Three-dimensional drawings of the main mechanical room helped to ease the construction process.

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December 2010

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buildings

Geothermal Energy The building’s heating system relies on geothermal energy. A total of 37 vertical geothermal wells were installed on site, each of which is 183 metres deep. Although conventional geothermal boreholes are approximately 150 metres deep, DESSAU opted for deeper boreholes so that the overall quantity could be reduced. This was important given that space was restricted due to the area’s density. The geothermal boreholes provide 24% of the building’s heat capacity using clean, renewable energy.

Heat Recovery DESSAU pushed the concept one step further and through the use of innovative equipment and design strategies they massively reduced the amount of energy wasted. For example, rotary air-to-air heat exchangers (enthalpy wheels) transfer sensible and latent heat from the outgoing air to the fresh incoming air with an average efficiency of 79%. Run-around coils were installed in contaminated air exhaust ducts (from places such as the kitchen) to recover heat without degrading the incoming air quality.

Most typical buildings need cooling in their central areas year round — even in winter temperatures — because of heat gains from sources such as lights, appliances and occupants. It is very common to see mechanical systems heat and cool different areas of a building simultaneously. Typically, buildings reject their excess heat outside by means of air condensers or cooling towers. At the new Longueuil campus, however, the HVAC system incorporates heat recovery chillers linked to a low temperature heating

loop. The system redirects excess heat from the centre of the building to other areas that need heat, acting much like a heat pump.

Residual heat is supplied by boilers. Four natural gas, high-efficiency condensing boilers recover heat from the exhaust gases, consequently increasing their efficiency up to 95%.

Finally, an electrical boiler is used during off-peak hours.

Mechanical 3D Design To avoid delays and additional costs resulting from on-site adjustments during construction, all plans for the main mechanical room on the building’s top floor were prepared using AutoCAD MEP with 3D models. This software helped to coordinate the various trades and engineering disciplines and prevented a large number of unexpected events happening on the work site.

Energy Simulation The unique design was made possible through effective energy simulation software like DOE2.1e and TRNSYS. The simulation software allowed the designers to model and analyze the building’s hourly energy use. It simultaneously takes into account weather data, building envelope parameters and complex building HVAC system interactions that are almost impossible to estimate using traditional calculation methods.

In the end, the designers determined that integrating geothermal energy with heat recovery equipment was well worth the initial investment.

Sustainable Development The significant energy savings contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 655 tons per year. However, the designers also wanted to lessen

K. Lacroix

investment for energy-saving equipment is less than two years.

Staircase in the main entry hall.

the building’s ecological footprint.

Consequently, they decided to integrate vegetation into a part of the building’s roof. Green roofs have many environmental benefits, espe cially in urban areas where they help diminish heat islands, filter pollutants and carbon dioxide, and reduce storm water run-off.

Other green design features include reduced-flow toilets (4.8 litres/ flush) and the collection of rainwater for the green roof water basin. These initiatives reduce the building’s water consumption by 20%.

As a whole, the Longueuil campus building is a good example of sustainable development technologies that could easily be applied to future buildings.

CCE

Client: Sherbrooke University. Structural engineers: S.M. Group International (SMi) (Jacques Guertin, ing., Yves Levesque, ing., Steve Chamberland, ing.) Mechanical/electrical engineers: DESSAU (Hélène Rheault, ing., René Dansereau, Michel Gendron, ing., Pier-Luc Vinet-Thibault, ing.) Architects: Marosi-Troy/Jodoin-Lamarre-Pratte/Labbé Project management: CIMA+

December 2010

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mechanical systems

Hemisphere Engineering

With an atrium that stretches up 150 metres, dealing with the air movement stack effect was a major design challenge.

Calgary Courts Centre Atrium

Above: the open atrium and elevators.

T

he Calgary Courts Centre consists of two towers, joined by a 150-metre high open atrium. By joining the buildings this way, the designers found that the towers would expose less wall to the exterior, thus achieving energy savings.

The 150-metre atrium is believed to be the tallest atrium ever built in a cold climate. It provides a spectacular entry lobby and houses the elevators 24

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that serve the courtrooms and other facilities on the upper floors. The highest tower is 24 storeys, but because of the high floor heights in the courtrooms, it is equivalent to around 35 storeys high.

The challenge with such a tall atrium was dealing with the stack effect. Even with a tight building envelope, air would normally rush in at the main level and be drawn sharply

up through the space. Tests showed that the force would be 1.5 inches static pressure, says Paul Elfner, P.Eng. of Hemisphere Engineering, who were the mechanical engineers.

That’s equivalent to about 100 lbs. of force pushing on a 3 x 7 ft. door, i.e. “quite severe,” he says.

Hemisphere’s solution was to provide a system that keeps the main floor at a neutral or slightly positive air pressure. The equipment is similar to what they used in a high-containment laboratory on a previous project. It includes an equalizing tank and four high quality pressure sensors that measure the outdoor conditions. As well the ambient pressure on each floor is individually maintained through sensors and controls.

To minimize the stack effect further, the building has a highly efficient building envelope to prevent air infiltration. The envelope features triple-pane, argon-filled low-E glazing. Its high cost was offset by reducing the size of the boiler and chiller plants and eliminating perimeter hot water heating.

The atrium contributes to the overall HVAC system in various ways. For example, in summer warm air is vented out of the top, and in winter warm air along its south wall is redirected inside the building. Thanks to these and other measures, the building uses 50% less energy than an equivalent conventional building.

CCE Client: Government of Alberta Mechanical consultant: Hemisphere Engineering (Paul Elfner, P.Eng.) Architects: Kasian (lead), NORR, Carlos Ott, Spillis Candela DMJM

December 2010

26/11/10 7:50 AM

engineers & the law

By Bryan J. Buttigieg, Miller Thomson, LLP

Consulting engineers in Ontario have helped develop new – and improved – soil background data for site remediations.

Brownfield Remediations

C

o-operation between consulting engineers and regulators is crucial in the development of practical, science-based policy. The Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) has recently shown greater willingness to work with scientists and consultants in private practice to address issues where policy, science and law intersect. A good example of this is the recent update to Ontario’s database of background soil concentrations of chemicals that are typically present in brownfield sites.

Problem with background levels A primary purpose of site remediation regulation in Ontario is to ensure that lands that have been adversely affected by human activity are remediated to a point where appropriate use can be made of those lands. In some cases, such as where the site is environmentally sensitive, the lands must be remediated to “background” chemical levels. The concept of “background level” assumes that some quantity of the chemical may well be present in the soils but is not the result of any human activity that should be the subject of regulation.

In the early 1990s, the MOE created a database of background soil levels based on samples obtained from a number of parkland sites (termed “old rural parkland” and “rural parkland”) from six regions in the province. Unfortunately, the data was subject to criticism that the sampling and handling methodologies were not as rigorous as they should have been, resulting in losses prior to analysis that in turn resulted in artificially low background levels: “Since the collection of VOC samples in 1991, scientific evidence has shown that the failure to use proper methods to preserve soil samples during sample collection and storage can result in substantial under-reporting of VOC concentrations (in some cases by over 99%) and consequently, substantial under-estimating of background concentrations. This seems to be the case with current Table 1 VOC values especially Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylenes (BTEX) ...” — Ontario Typical Range Soil Background Study, Ontario Centres of Excellence, 2010, page 5.

In other words, the original sampling and handling methods could have resulted in significant losses of volatile material. This in turn would result in artificially low analytical results that would not reflect the real background levels.

Policy decisions and regulations would be based on numbers that were more stringent than was necessary.

The financial implications, if the criticisms were correct, would be that site remediations were being needlessly extended to levels beyond what the true background levels were. Greenfield sites that were found to have “above background” numbers were cited as examples of needless remediation activity driven by faulty data rather than by a genuine policy or scientific imperative.

Finding a better database Responding to these criticisms, the MOE and the Canadian Petroleum Producers Institute hired the Ontario Centres of Excellence to manage an up-to-date background study that would use the latest sampling, handling and analytical methods to arrive at a better database that could be used by industry and regulators in determining background petroleum hydrocarbon and VOC soil levels.

To create the new data, expert consulting engineers and laboratory scientists were engaged to develop rigorous sample collection, handling and preservation protocols.

The process, including participant selection, methodology development and how unforeseen field circumstances were handled, has now been published, along with the results, in a web-based publication: www.oce-ontario.org/documents/ Ontario_Soil_Background_Study_Report20100929.pdf.

Whether the results unequivocally validate the criticism of the original data is perhaps open to question and will no doubt be the subject of future discussion.

The exercise, however, is a good example of how closely consulting engineers and regulators need to work together to develop defensible regulatory parameters in fields where science, policy and law intersect. The new database will be far less open to criticism than its predecessor.

While the results were not published in time to be incorporated in Ontario’s Regulation 511 amendments to the generic standards of the Brownfield Regulation, there is no reason the numbers will not be acceptable to the MOE in any risk assessment submission.

The methodologies and techniques used to develop the new database as well as the co-operative approach of industry, consulting engineers and the regulator throughout the process, could serve as a useful model for other Canadian jurisdictions contemplating a similar exercise.

CCE Bryan Buttigieg is a Certified Specialist (Environmental Law) with Miller Thomson, LLP in Toronto.

December 2010

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Young Professionals Forum Six young people talk frankly about what it is like starting out in the consulting engineering business — its rewards, and its pitfalls. seem to have woken up to the fact that the future depends on nurturing the talents of staff in their 30s and 40s. There’s an excitement in the air about young people taking up the reins, and engineering associations across the country are establishing young professional groups, specifically to provide occasions for young people to meet for either social or educational events.

For our part, Canadian Consulting Engineer also hopes to engage more young professionals. We intend to publish more articles that speak to their concerns, we encourage their feedback, and we invite them to become regular subscribers.

With these goals in mind, CCE hosted an on-line discussion between six young professionals who work in the consulting engineering industry in Canada. Most of them are also heavily involved in their provincial young professional groups.

We asked them about what kinds of joys and fears they have experienced during their years in the industry so far.

Part II will be published in the January-February 2011 issue, at which time we will publish a complete transcript

RECENTLY CONSULTING ENGINEERING COMPANIES

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www.canadianconsultingengineer.com

p21-30 CCE Dec10 SherbrookeCalgCrtsLawYoungProf.indd 26

of the discussion on our website www.canadianconsultingengineer.com Q. You have all been involved in consulting engineering for around 10 years or less. Did you intend to work in this industry when you left university? And are things turning out to be what you expected?

JAMES KAY: I wish I could say I knew what consulting engineering really was when I graduated from school. Without knowing any better, it was a matter of hustling to get a job, preferably a good job, upon graduation. So you could say I fell into consulting engineering.

But it has been a phenomenal career choice for me. The challenge, the variety, the options to grow and develop and pursue areas of interest are really second to none.

GEOFF SARAZIN: One thing that I did not expect when I started working was how important the personal, client relations aspect of the job would be. It was something that was never brought up in school, and goes against the

December 2010

26/11/10 7:51 AM

speaking out

image of the bookish engineer. But a consulting engineer is selling services and therefore to be successful has to be a good salesman as well as a good engineer.

BRAD ROBINSON: I started working in the consulting field in high school, so my early work experience in this area is why I ultimately decided to go into engineering and continue along this path. After finishing university, I had a wide variety of jobs but came back into the consulting field about six years ago, and I am convinced this was the right path for me.

I have to say I enjoy the fast pace and problem solving involved. The downside is probably dealing with the difficult client. I’m sure there are not many jobs without downsides though.

I agree with Geoff’s comment about the personal relationships with clients and being somewhat of a salesman.

This is definitely not something that is taught in school, and it is probably the biggest challenge I face.

KIMBERLY MOWAT: I

wasn’t even sure what engineering is, let alone what a consultant is! My career in consulting engicontinued on page 28

©Ryan McVay/Digital Vision/Thinkstock

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continued from page 27

neering pretty much fell into place. While completing my Master's thesis, I was able to do some work on the side with my professor’s consulting company. One of their clients then offered me a job. I didn’t hesitate to take it, as I knew it was a good fit. I enjoyed helping clients to find solutions and I found that I thrive in a project-based working environment.

The thing I like the best about my experience is the entrepreneurial type spirit of the business. As a young professional, with today’s workplace demographics if you are self motivated, want more responsibility and want to progress in your career, there is nothing holding you back.

There is so much opportunity that it seems like it is a perfect time to be in the business.

KRISTEL UNTERSCHULTZ: I genuinely believe that every opportunity is what I make it so I don’t think I came into this industry with firm expectations.

In my mind, though, the greatest benefit is the flexibility.

I think that consulting, more than any other industry, allows me to drive my career. I get to choose how and where to develop my expertise and this extends beyond pure technical skills; it includes project management, leadership, and relationship building.

Having done my university in France and then England, being a consultant was always on the cards.

By the time I graduated I knew that I wanted to work for a consulting firm.

It is difficult to know what to expect when you start your career. You tend to have a black and white vision of your work and don’t yet know all the different aspects of the industry. For example, I would never have thought I would have to do as much finance, HR or PR.

ALEX EYQUEM:

Q. In your very first years in consulting engineering did you ever find yourself feeling a bit overwhelmed on a project, lacking in terms of skills, training or computer resources? Or perhaps it was the opposite — did you sometimes feel you were being held back and not given enough responsibility?

BRAD ROBINSON: I think I felt a bit of both. Being young sometimes meant that you did not know what you did not know. In other words I did not have the experience to know that perhaps sometimes my assumptions or answers were wrong. At other times I felt like I was being held back because I was young.

Part of what attracts me to engineering is the problem solving. It seems like every problem is one that you have

The Board of Directors of Peto MacCallum Ltd., Consulting Engineers, is pleased to announce the election of Mr. Turney Lee-Bun, P.Eng. as President. Mr. Lee-Bun obtained his Bachelor of Engineering degree from McMaster University in 1976, and is a Designated Consulting Engineer with over 30 years of professional experience. He joined the Hamilton office in 1979, after working for two other engineering firms. In 1987, he was transferred to the Barrie office where he became Branch Manager in 2000. He was appointed Director in 2002, and served as Secretary and Vice President, Branch Operations since 2007.

Turney Lee-Bun, P.Eng. President

Mr. John B. Dietrich, P.Eng. who was President from 2007 to 2010, has become Chairman of the parent company, Peto Associates Limited, and will continue to be active as a Principal Consultant in Peto MacCallum Ltd. Mr. Gerry Mitchell, MEng, P.Eng. has been appointed Secretary and will continue as Branch Manager, Kitchener office.

Mr. Andrew Injodey, MBA remains Treasurer and Vice President, Finance and Administration, and Mr. Alnoor (Al) Nathoo, P.Eng. will continue as Vice President, Greater Toronto Operations. Mr. Wayne Belcourt, C.E.T. and Mr. Carlos Nascimento, P.Eng. are Directors on the Board.

John B. Dietrich, P.Eng. Chairman

28

Gerry Mitchell, MEng, P.Eng. Secretary

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com

Peto MacCallum Ltd. has its head office in Toronto and operates offices and laboratories in Barrie, Hamilton and Kitchener. For over 54 years, the firm has provided a broad range of specialized technical expertise relating to Geotechnical Engineering, Geoenvironmental and Hydrogeological Services, Construction Materials Engineering, Quality Control Testing and Inspection, and Building Science Services.

December 2010

speaking out

THE PANELISTS JAMES KAY, P.ENG. James worked for several consulting firms before joining Aplin and Martin in 2005. He is now a principal and branch manager of the firm’s Kelowna office, specializing in land development and municipal engineering.

GEOFF SARAZIN, P.ENG. Geoff is a structural engineer in Associated Engineering’s Regina office and for the past six years has been involved in projects in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and B.C.

BRAD ROBINSON, P.ENG. Brad has worked in the consulting engineering industry for most of his career. In September this year, together with an associate, he started ARC Engineering, a mechanical engineering and energy services firm located in Grimsby, Ontario.

KIMBERLY MOWAT, P.ENG. Kimberly is at R.V. Anderson & Associates in Toronto and is a project manager with the firm’s water/wastewater group. She is this year’s winner of the ACEC-Canada Allen D. Williams Scholarship, a national award given to young professionals in consulting engineering.

KRISTEL UNTERSCHULTZ, P.ENG. Kristel is a water resources engineer with Urban Systems in Edmonton and has been engaged in consulting engineering since 2005, focusing on river engineering and municipal infrastructure planning and design. She won last year’s ACEC-Allen D. Williams Scholarship.

ALEX EYQUEM, CEng, MICE Alex is the engineering director for the rail division of AECOM in Montreal.

A Chartered Civil Engineer in the U.K.and a graduate from Université Montepellier II in France, he moved to Quebec a year ago.

never come across before. The downside to this is the length of time it takes to build up examples you can draw upon to solve new problems.

Mentorship, if available, plays a big role in helping in this area. It was not until I had been in the consulting business for a while that I came across somebody who was willing to share the “rules of thumb” and pass along their experiences.

It truly made a huge difference in helping me along. I only wish I had had this early on in my career.

ALEX EYQUEM: This is part of the rollercoaster ride of being in consulting engineering. I remember looking at a bridge assessment that I needed to do as my first assignment and asking myself how was I ever going to be able to do it on my own. Where should I start? I even wondered if I was in the right job.

You always feel that you are lacking the skills required at the start of your career, but this is normal. continued on page 30 December 2010

Canadian Consulting Engineer

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speaking out

continued from page 29

Things became easier once I realized that I wasn’t supposed to have learned everything at school and that I was expected to be on a learning curve, albeit quite a steep one.

As for mentorship and resources, I would be lying if I said that I never complained about the lack of one or another. But there again, this eased when I understood that it was my responsibility to get that mentorship rather than waiting for it to be given to me.

Once you get the experience, and you have all the skills required, you quickly start feeling that you are not being used at your full potential. That was certainly the case for me, so I went to ask for more challenge, more responsibilities. Then the cycle started again ...

KRISTEL UNTERSCHULTZ: I entered the consulting industry in 2005, just as the economy was really starting to boom, especially in Alberta. I vividly recall thinking that the volume of work coming through the door seemed nearly unmanageable. This, combined with a significant generation gap (there was a real lack of intermediate engineers with my previous employer during that period), meant that I was

taking on a lot of responsibility early on. It was overwhelming and it soon became obvious that it was up to me to seek out mentorship and find the guidance I needed. For a while I kept waiting for this grand “Aha� moment when I would suddenly consider myself experienced ... as if once I had earned my stamp and lost that “EIT� behind my name, I would know everything. My confidence has grown since then and my learning may not be quite as intense now as in those first few years, but I’ve accepted that my “aha� moment may not be coming.

KIMBERLY MOWAT: Like

any project based work, consulting is very up and down. You are either too busy or not busy enough. I was fortunate to get thrown into a number of projects right away in the typical sink or swim fashion.

I quickly found out that I did not learn very much in university, and there are many skills in consulting that formal training cannot provide. I definitely felt completely overwhelmed at times trying to learn the business, the technical, communication and management skills required of a consultant. And since every project is unique and my responsibilities grow every day, I haven’t stopped feeling overwhelmed in the five years I have been working!

I was fortunate to have a great mentor/boss who helped to guide me through the first few years. However, I was always pushed (by myself and by my managers) to learn as much as I could, as fast as I could. I can truly appreciate how much I have learned when I work with more junior engineers.

I find it challenging now, when the learning curve is starting to flatten out and it is more difficult to see that you are still improving. It can feel like a brick wall sometimes, but you just have to keep pushing through it.

GEOFF SARAZIN: I

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feel that I was given the right amount of responsibility in the first couple of years. I guess I would say that I was lucky enough to be in an office where the owners and engineers really invested their time in mentoring me and providing guidance, which benefited them down the road when I was able to handle more and more responsibility.

JAMES KAY: I think the group has really hit home on many

of the key ideas here: that school prepares you for problem solving and pressure situations, but that you need to learn much of the situation-specific knowledge in your career; that this learning is ongoing and part of the challenge of being a consulting engineer; that education and experience are actually two entirely different things, and one is no substitute for the other. And I especially like the recognition that just because you have earned your P.Eng. designation, you don’t know everything, but you know how to use what you know, and presumably how to ask when you don’t.

CCE

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Yes

Canadian Consulting Engineer

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the human edge

Interview

P

Straw and Earth

A

nthony Spick, P.Eng. of Blackwell Bowick structural engineers of Toronto has been involved with many “natural building” projects over the past decade.

They involved techniques such as straw bale walls, rammed earth bag foundations, and wood-peg joinery.

Q. WHAT KINDS OF “NATURAL BUILDING” PROJECTS HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED IN?

I’ve worked on six community buildings and some 40 houses. Two of the community buildings are environmental learning centres. Another was a shared food bank and thrift store in Haliburton, beside the old train station. Also I worked on a museum in Minden, and the Madoc Arts Centre.

The idea of natural building is to use local materials and materials that go through as few processes as possible. In that way we hope to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases produced in the course of creating a building and reduce any other negative effects of the building on the earth.

Most of the straw bale projects were built by hand, but I wouldn’t say that is something that has to define the building method. There are some prefabricated straw bale wall systems that are built off site and transported and craned into place. At the end of the day, I favour systems that have standardized their means and methods of construction. There are a few out there.

Q. HOW DID YOU GET INTO ALL THIS?

I started working for Blackwell Bowick right after graduation, just over eight years ago. I was always interested in work that had an environmental benefit, and one day Chris Magwood showed up with a couple of jobs looking for an engineer. Chris is a builder and one of the leaders in natural building in Canada. He had heard that as a company we are not afraid to try new things.

Currently Chris teaches the course in sustainable building and construction at Fleming College. He and the students in that program have built most of the community buildings that Blackwell Bowick has been involved in.

Q. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TECHNOLOGIES YOU USE?

The most unusual foundations, for example, would be a rammed earth bag, which is what we used at Madoc. On 34

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SOMA Architects/Ingrid Cryns

Anthony Spick’s natural building techniques

Left: Anthony Spick. Above: erecting straw bale columns for the Madoc Performing Arts Centre.

the site they take something like a rice bag — white polypropylene — and fill it with earth, usually from the site.

They close the end of the bag, lay it on the ground and basically ram it down with a weight. Often the weight is just a piece of concrete cast around the end of a broomstick.

On the Madoc Arts Centre another traditional technique we used was wood-peg joinery. Wood peg, or mortise and tenon, joinery was the way most timber in buildings was joined together until the early 19th century when nails started being commonly used.

A. DO YOU SEE NATURAL BUILDING AS A GROWING INDUSTRY?

Yes, I do. It’s limited to what kind of things it will be suitable for. We’re not talking about 150-metre high atriums here. I think any sustainable building needs to respond to the context in which it is built. Natural building techniques are well suited in my mind to a rural or semi-rural context.

If anyone is interested, the Natural Building Engineering Group (NBEG)(info.nbeg@gmail.com) is a peer group of Canadian engineers who help each other do this type of work.

CCE

D C H

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December 2010

26/11/10 7:47 AM

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