Canadian Consulting Engineer December 2014

For professional engineers in private practice

DECEMBER 2014

HISTORY MATTERS ADAPTIVE RE-USE AND RESTORATION

TWO SCIENCE BUILDINGS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS ELLIOT LAKE REPORT

www.canad ianco nsu lti n gen gi n eer.c om

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contents

December 2014 Volume 55, No. 7

features Gaolor’s Mews, Water Street, Vancouver.

Photograph by Martin Tessler, courtesy Acton Ostry Architects. See p. 10.

History Matters. Heritage conservation and adaptive re-use is flourishing and helping to revitalize Canada’s cities. Vancouver’s Water Street revitalization is a prime example.

By Jessica Krippendorf 10 OR/IMRIS Surgical Suite at Kleysen Institute, Winnipeg. HVAC and electrical equipment had to be shoehorned into an existing hospital space.

WSP 15 TRIUMF Advanced Rare IsototopE Laboratory, Vancouver. Engineering the mechanical systems for a new subatomic physics laboratory was a complex undertaking.

Stantec 17 Specialization — or Not? Two engineers in Toronto argue against creating a specialist designation for structural engineers.

By Angelo Mattacchione, P.Eng. & Livia Mattacchione, P.Eng., Prosum Engineering 20

Specialization — or Not? See p. 20

The Elliot Lake Report. The Commissioner of the Inquiry into the fatal collapse of the Algo Mall Roof in June 2012 had harsh words about the role of owners, officials — and engineers.

23 Dimming Protocols. Review of the advantages and disadvantages of this powerful lighting tool.

By Andrew Parker, P.Eng., LC, LEED AP, Salex 26

departments Comment

4

Up Front

6

Event 25 Products 32 Advertiser Index

33

Next issue: York University’s new engineering school; industrial buildings; professional development.

on topic

FINANCE Personal Tax Tips. Ways for partners and shareholders to reduce their 2014 tax burden.

By Kelly Kolke, Grant Thornton LLP 28

CONVERSATIONS The Quantity Surveyor. Matt Weber explains the mysteries of the profession and why some construction divisions are notoriously difficult to estimate.

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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

Editor

Elliot Lake: litany of neglect

J

ustice Paul R. Bélanger’s report on the travesty at the Algo Mall in Elliot Lake in 2012 makes for excellent — if unhappy — reading (see p. 23). Part I of the report describes the litany of bad decisions and neglect that led up to the roof collapse. Almost from the time the mall opened 33 years ago, salt-laden water leaked down into the structure from the parking deck roof. The steel structure rusted, losing 20% of its section in several places. Eventually a single welded connection that had only 13% of its original capacity gave way. The structure collapsed, a hollow core slab it supported fell, and two women below were crushed to death. One of the women may have suffered for at least a day in the rubble before she died.

The purpose of the Inquiry, Justice Belanger wrote, “is not to castigate or chastise; its only purpose in finding fault, if it must, is to seek to prevent recurrence.” And so he dissects the events that caused the collapse as a precursor to proposing new regulations in Ontario. Among other things, he recommends that existing buildings must be regularly inspected, and that professional engineers [like those in the other provinces] must undertake continuing education.

To read through the checkered history of this three-storey 1980s-era mall is to follow a trail of what one can only call ineptitude and complacency. Even at the time it was built, it was known in the construction literature that road salts cause serious corrosion problems in parking decks. At the Algo Mall the roof leaked so chronically that stores had permanent tarp “bladders” to funnel water into buckets. But no-one took decisive action.

As Judge Bélanger notes, “The mall never lacked from professional architectural and engineering oversight.” It had over 30 inspections and visits over its 33 year history, including some by reputable companies.

The Judge finds that the quality of some engineering reports was as patchy as the roof membrane. Some inspecting engineers didn’t bother referring back to previous reports (even those done by their own company). Some did only cursory one-day visual inspections. They visited on days when it wasn’t raining and didn’t bother to talk to the tenants. They didn’t remove ceiling tiles in trouble spots. Their reports were ambivalent and did not insist strongly enough on what was the best and safest remedy.

Tenants complained. Alarms were sounded. But a Notice of Violation sat dormant for three years. Then in 2009 the city issued an Order to Remedy.

The owner’s response was to hire de-licensed engineer Robert Wood to do an inspection, then several more in the coming years until the collapse in June 2012. Wood is now facing charges.

Justice Belanger speaks plainly. He points to owners who weren’t willing to spend money even though they had the resources. He points to city officials who let the situation continue because the mall was central to the cultural and economic life of the town. He also points to engineers.

From my own perspective, the history of this mall shows clearly the problems of being too accepting, too sanguine. One way or another clients’ economic interests trumped public safety. And too many people chose to take the easy route, to hope for the best and shunt the problem along to the future.

Bronwen Parsons 4

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up front

WASTEWATER

Report backs claims that Duffin Creek plant is causing Ajax algae The town of Ajax, east of Toronto on Lake Ontario, commissioned an independent report by a team from Michigan Technological University to study the problems of algae piling up on its beaches. In their report, “Phosphorus Provenance and Cladophora Growth in Lake Ontario,” the researchers found that discharge from the Duffin Creek Wastewater Treatment plant was responsible. It draws sewage from York and Durham Regions to the north.

Bloodvein River Bridge, northern Manitoba.

Bloodvein River Bridge makes history The first of several First Nations communities that lie east of Lake Winnipeg in northern Manitoba now has a permanent link to the provincial road system.

The opening of the Bloodvein River Bridge in November completes a new allseasons road between Provincial Route 304 and the Bloodvein First Nation of 1,600 residents. The bridge spans 66 metres across the Bloodvein River and was designed by Dillon Consulting and built

by Cyr Construction.

Work on the all-seasons road, known as the Manitoba East Side Transportation Initiative, continues. The road will eventually stretch 156 kilometres north along the lake from PR 304 to reach the Berens River First Nation.

ETHICS

Charbonneau Inquiry’s impact is profound After three years the Commission of Inquiry looking into corruption in the Quebec construction industry has ended. On November 14 Justice France Charbonneau thanked her fellow commissioner Renaud Lachance and gave concluding remarks. Their report is due next April. With 66,000 pages of transcript, and 2,800 documents in hand, the commissioners have their work cut out for them.

The 261 days of hearings at the Inquiry were broadcast on television, drawing a large audience who were riveted by

the colourful and sometimes dramatic witness testimonies. The evidence pointed to widespread collusion between contractors in the awarding of public projects, illegal political donations to win work, and the infiltration of the construction industry by organized crime.

There were stories of wads of cash being passed from hand to hand (so many bills stuffed into one safe that it couldn’t be closed), persuasive trips to the Caribbean, hockey tickets, and clandestine meetings in expensive restaurants. While most of the evidence involved municipal politicians and large construction company owners, engineering firms and engineers were also implicated.

Justice Charbonneau noted that the commission’s role was not to assign criminal liability to anyone, since “This task falls to the courts.” Rather her job now is to establish measures to keep corruption out of the industry in future.

Charbonneau cited the importance of whistleblowers and said they must be protected. And she saluted investigative journalists and said they are important watchdogs.

The impact of the findings on Que-

MINING

CCE/BP

TRANSPORTATION

B.C. extends its environmental reach over mining companies The B.C. Ministry of Energy and Mines has tabled amendments to the province’s Mines Act, extending the time it can take to pursue charges against companies that offend.

Currently the province has six months to one year to pursue charges under the Mines Act, but the amendments will increase the time to three years from when the chief inspector of mines first hears about an incident.

The changes come into effect retrospectively to August 1, 2014. They will apply to the investigation into the breached tailings dam at the Mount Polley mine.

Construction workers in Montreal. continued on page 8

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bec society has been profound, Charbonneau said. However, she also said that in taking on the enormous task to expose corruption and pursue integrity, Quebecers are being held as an international example, so they can hold their heads high.

Public confidence in Quebec’s institutions must be restored, she said, adding that corruption and collusion is a global phenomenon and is reflected in all spheres of society.

two additional floors hung from below.

The slab spans 27 metres in both directions and is only 1 metre thick, which Kokai said is “quite impressive.”

COMPANIES

STRUCTURES

Canada’s tallest wood building opens The recently opened Wood Innovations and Design Centre (WIDC) in downtown Prince George, B.C. is the tallest contemporary wood building in North America.

RJC

Tall Buildings Council meets in Toronto On November 5 the Canada Chapter of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) held a breakfast meeting at the University of Toronto with around 90 people attending.

During the panel discussion moderated by David Bannister of WSP, everyone agreed that Toronto had entered a “new paradigm” for residential building, moving from what were 30 or 40 storey buildings, to towers that are 70 and 80 storeys tall.

Despite the soaring profiles, the city’s construction industry tends to stick to its traditional ways of building.

Panelist Johann Schumacher, vice-president of development with Oxford Properties, said that if we are to “let architects out of the bag,” new technology needs to be involved. The challenge is that new technology will only be adopted if it makes financial sense.

The meeting heard three short presentations, including Tibor Kokai, P.Eng. of Read Jones Christoffersen who spoke on post-tensioning. In Toronto, the firm has designed Waterpark Place Phase III with a post-tensioned slab that supports

Post-tensioning a slab at Waterpark Place III, TO.

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naturally:wood

EVENTS

Wood Innovations and Design Centre, Prince George, B.C.

At six storeys plus a mechanical penthouse, the building stands 29.3 metres high. The University of Northern B.C. will occupy the first three floors, including graduate students enrolled in the new master’s programs in wood engineering and science.

The primary structure consists of heavy post and beam construction with built-up cross laminated timber floor panels. The concept is a “dry construction.” Glulam beams, for example, frame into glulam columns using aluminum dovetail connectors, which allow the columns to run continuously from the foundation to the roof.

Consultants include Michael Green Architect, Equilibrium Consulting (structural), B.R. Thorson (code), RDH (building envelope), MMM Group (mechanical, electrical, LEED), Aercoustics (acoustics), CHM (fire safety), Opus Dayton Knight (civil), Geopacific (geotechnical), Inland Technical (commissioning) and PCL Westcoast Constructors.

Amec Foster Wheeler is born AMEC of the U.K. completed its acquisition of Switzerland-based Foster Wheeler in November.

The combined company calls itself “a new force in global engineering, project delivery, asset support, power equipment and consultancy.”

“Amec Foster Wheeler,” has 40,000 people in 50 countries.

In Canada it has approximately 6,500 employees and 60 offices.

Over half the company’s revenues (56%) come from oil and gas, 19% from clean energy, and the rest from environment, infrastructure, mining, and power equipment.

Simon Naylor (above) is heading up the Americas division.

SNC-Lavalin “right sizes” by 4,000 On November 6, Canada’s largest engineering and construction company said it plans to reduce its global workforce by 4,000 people, or 9%. One thousand Canadian employees will be affected.

SQU

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Golder to lay off 500 worldwide Golder Associates announced on November 13 that it is “taking a series of actions to create a stronger organization.” It plans to reduce the company’s workforce by 500 people, or 6% globally.

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urban renewal

HISTORY MATTERS

Thanks to a friendly regulatory environment and the drive to adapt and reuse buildings, heritage conservation in Canada is flourishing.

Vancouver's Water Street revitalization is a prime example.

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December 2014

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urban renewal

By Jessica Krippendorf

Martin Tessles/Acton Ostry Architects

T

Living unit in the Cordage building addition..

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he built environment in Canada tells a story.

From the sturdy Baroque-style homes that created mini-fortresses across the country’s early landscape, to Canada’s distinct architectural variations — Château Style, Neo-Gothic — the country’s economic and political history can be read on the facades of its many heritage buildings.

Even later, when Art-Deco and Classic Modernism began to take hold, Canadian designers had their unique signatures, leaving an architectural legacy that spans nearly 400 years.

But when it comes to preserving these heritage treasures, the past three decades may have been the most important in the history of Canada’s built environment.

Donald Luxton, principal with Donald Luxton & Associates, a cultural and resource management firm based in Vancouver, says that thanks to a friendly regulatory environment, community emphasis on adaptive reuse, and a deeper understanding among building professionals, these are happening times for heritage conservation.

When Luxton started out in 1983 there were no heritage training opportunities in Canada — a person learned on the job or at American conferences. The 1980s were crucial to the industry, in fact, because the U.S. introduced Historical Preservation Tax Incentives and the Secretary of the Interior released Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Canadian designers used these until Canada released its own standards in 2003.

Although 20 per cent of Canada's heritage buildings have been demolished, since establishing guidelines and an ocean of tax credits, grants, and restoration initiatives, Canada has designated thousands of heritage buildings — 1,700 in the Ottawa area alone. The Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada are used across the country, ensuring the language, principles, and standards of practice are the same from coast to coast.

And heritage consultants make up a niche but essential component of successful restoration projects, working closely with engineers and code consultants to create flexible, appropriate solutions to complex problems.

“The projects have to be comprehensive and make sense,” Luxton says. “We come from a place of research at first, documenting and understanding the building and then making technical suggestions.”

Always a surprise Seismic requirements, building envelope, and energy performance are all important facets of restoration that often December 2014

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Nic Lehoux/Acton Ostry Architects

urban renewal

continued from page 11

call for individual and creative approaches. Sustainability is also a serious issue, along with building performance, longevity and human safety. These factors all have to work and function together.

Restorations can be messy — the team rarely understands the building before they open it up and really look at it. “You never know what you are going to find,” Luxton says. “The Woodward’s building in Vancouver is a good example; it must have had about 27 additions and different types of construction, and the materials had deteriorated."

“At the same time," he adds, "you can find solid brick and stone, first growth wood, and materials with inherent good performance to work with.”

Buildings are assessed on a case-by-case basis. In some projects the basic structure may be preserved, while in others only the facade is retained because there is no way to make the building work, for example to include new parking underneath.

Challenges often arise from a fire protection code perspective despite the existence of alternative compliance paths. “You can solve a lot with sprinklers,” says Luxton, “but these are highly technical and not easy projects.”

Water Street Revitalization Vancouver’s Water Street Revitalization project is a prime example of the complexity and creativity that comes with heritage restoration projects.

The three-phase project completed in 2009 breathed new life into five adjacent historic buildings and became a cornerstone of Vancouver’s Gastown neighbourhood. The revitalization increased the buildings’ density 100 per cent, and created a vibrant mixed-use quarter with space for living, working, socializing, and commerce.

Each of the five buildings brings its own architectural importance to the half city block. Mark Ostry, principal with Acton Ostry Architects who oversaw the entire revitalization, says the company spent 18 months working with the City of Vancouver’s director of planning and completed extensive 3D modelling to achieve the urban design goals. These included not wanting the block to appear homogeneous.

At the same time, the floor-to-floor heights were different between buildings and had to be aligned. There was enormous variation in the existing buildings’ construction systems, such as places where concrete, timber, and wood met and had to be connected, each with different fire-ratings and seismic considerations.

“Nothing was uniform,” Ostry says.

At the east end of the row, the AlhamAbove: Water Street, Vancouver. Five distinct heritage buildings were restored and have additions above and to the rear.

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bra, constructed in 1886, is one of the city’s oldest intact structures. It required extensive restoration of its storefronts, doors, granite thresholds, roof and windows. The adjacent Garage building of 1930 is one the earliest purposebuilt garage and service stations in Vancouver. Art-deco style stepped-profile brackets at the ground floor openings were among the facade elements that were preserved. The adaptive reuse took care with the building’s large-span ground floor concrete structure openings and duplicated its early board-formed reinforced concrete construction.

The adjacent Cordage, built in 1911, was an early mixeduse Classic Revival building. Next is the Grand Hotel erected in 1889, and at the end of the stretch is the Terminus Hotel, which burned in a fire in 2000 and afterwards was reduced to a free-standing facade.

Garage, Cordage, Terminus and Grand received upper level additions, which required a thoughtful approach to marrying contemporary features with the heritage aesthetic. Garage for example received a three-storey residential addition, and because it was designed to match the original board-formed concrete, the city allowed it to be constructed in the same plane as the existing building.

The additions at Cordage, Terminus and Grand were set back and heavily glazed, with bridge and exterior components made of glass and steel. “The city wanted to ensure the modern parts didn’t detract from the historical components,” says Ostry.

The complexity came down to the finest details — the existing buildings presented almost no tolerances, where a half inch could prevent the project from meeting the accessibility codes and requirements.

The buildings use high efficiency water and energy systems, and active and passive mechanical systems. A geother-

Left: Grand Hotel of 1889 with upper addition. Right: Terminus Hotel.

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mal heating system services the Terminus and Garage buildings. The units' floor plates and window placement were designed with an eye on efficiency. In Terminus, for instance, circulation is concentrated in the middle of the building to maximize daylight and natural ventilation.

Ostry speaks proudly of the revitalized stretch of Water Street, noting that the changes "bring vitality to an area rescued at an opportune and important time.”

The project recently won a 2014 Heritage Canada National Trust Award.

CCE Jessica Krippendorf is a freelance writer based in Vancouver.

Below: Gaolor's Mews marries original red brick with new glass and steel.

Martin Tessles/Acton Ostry Architects

Nic Lehoux/Acton Ostry Architects

urban renewal

Water Street Revitalization Design Team Architect: Acton Ostry Architects Structural engineer: Glotman Simpson Consulting Heritage: Donald Luxton & Associates Code consultant: Gage Babcock & Associates Mechanical engineer: Integral Group (Alhambra, Cordage, Garage); Rocky Point Engineering (Terminus, Grand) Electrical engineer: Nemetz & Assoc. (Cordage, Garage, Terminus, Grand); SML (Alhambra); Building envelope: BC Building Science (Cordage, Garage, Terminus, Grand).

December 2014

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science buildings

Surgical Suite at Kleysen Institute A complex of HVAC and electrical equipment had to be shoehorned into an existing space to service a special operating suite in Winnipeg.

Prime consultant: WSP

T

he OR/IMRIS surgical suite located in the Kleysen Institute for Advanced Medicine at HSC Winnipeg is the first of its kind in Canada and only one of seven in the world. It is built to house a moveable inter-operative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner which is developed by a company in Winnipeg and features some of the most advanced technology in the world.

Located on the second floor of the Institute's six-storey building, the suite consists of four rooms. At the centre is the MRI "garage," and in front is its control room. To each side are operating rooms, one for neurosurgery and the other for catheter angiography, a procedure used to treat strokes and brain aneurysms. The MRI is mounted on tracks built into the ceiling and can slide into either of the adjoining operating rooms during a procedure.

Top and above: Angio and neuro operating rooms; the moveable MRI scanner is located in a "garage" space between them..

In the traditional procedures, following an operation the patient undergoes an MRI as a separate procedure to verify that the surgery has been successful, such as to see if all the parts of a tumour have been removed. If not, the patient has to undergo another operation.

In this suite, however, the MRI machine can be moved into either of the operating rooms so that the doctors can see whether any malignant tissue remains as the surgery proceeds and the patient is still "open."

The dual accessibility to the MRI not only helps patients with improved

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science buildings

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Top: the heavy MRI scanner mounted on tracks in the ceiling. Above: an interstitial floor above the surgical suite carries some of the mechanical and other equipment.

diagnostics and healing times, but also enables hospitals to schedule MRIs more efficiently. The MRI can also be used for outpatient diagnoses by being accessed from a "clean" corridor.

Creating the infrastructure "It was a very complicated and demanding project because of all the equipment," explains Howard Procyshyn, P.Eng. of WSP, who were the prime consultants and the structural, mechanical and electrical engineers. WSP designed the building itself and then were called on two years later to create the 1,000-sq.ft. suite.

First the entire space had to be lined with a copper shield that is inde16

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pendent of the base building concrete construction. The shield is to protect the MRI from electro-magnetic interference. "It looked like the inside of a space ship before they put the drywall on," says Procyshyn.

The extremely heavy MRI magnet moves on a frame consisting of glulam timber beams and wood stud walls. It is unusual to use wood for structural purposes in hospitals, but steel would have interfered with the machine's calibration.

Extensive HVAC mechanical and electrical systems were needed to service the suites and these had to be "shoehorned" into the existing space.

There are six different electrical

rooms, above and below the suite, and in the basement. There are also three separate mechanical rooms located as nearby as possible. The designers took the floor above the suite between floors as an interstitial space to carry all the ducts and power.

Each operating room has to be sterile and so its indoor air must be rapidly purged before and after the MRI machine is used in order to restore a sterile environment. The HVAC systems incorporate HEPA filters and the rooms have individual temperature, pressure and humidity controls, operated by a user touch screen. There is also a heat recovery system.

Fire protection for the suite is critical and includes heat detectors in the interstitial space. These had to be individually located within the complex ductwork in order to be accessible for maintenance.

Any hospital project is complex because of their rigorous design standards, but this was also a pilot project and the OMRIS equipment and controls were being redesigned as the project progressed. WSP had to design and redesign the infrastructure "on the fly" in order to meet the changing demands. The installation took 36 months.

The result, however, is extremely beneficial. Today, the suite is operating almost 12 hours a day, better serving patients with neurological problems, and advancing medical training and research.---BP CCE

Client: Health Sciences Centre Prime consultant /structural/ mechanical-electrical: WSP (Howard Procyshyn, P.Eng., Peter Wertepney, P.Eng., Stan Diachun, P.Eng., Tim Bondarenko, Tech., Bruce Markham, Tech., Dan Ionescu, MRAIC) Architect: Architecture 49 Contractor: PCL Constructors Canada, Wescan Electrical Services, Derksen Mechanical Services Other key players: IMRIS Canada (MRI equipment)

December 2014

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science buildings

TRIUMF Advanced Rare IsototopE Laboratory Engineering the mechanical systems for a new laboratory building at the TRIUMF subatomic physics campus in Vancouver was a highly complex undertaking.

Mechanical engineer: Stantec

A

Photos: EllisDon

recently completed building on the TRIUMF campus near Point Grey in Vancouver houses the Advanced Rare IsotopE Laboratory (ARIEL). TRIUMF is Canada’s national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics. It has over 350 scientists, engineers and staff, besides 150 students, performing research on the campus.

The new ARIEL building, nestled between existing facilities, is completed, but the scientific equipment is still being assembled and won't be fully operational until 2018. ARIEL will house a made-in-Canada, high-power superconducting electron accelerator that will produce exotic isotopes for science, medicine and business. The Photo top: the ARIEL building is currently being fitted out with a superconducting electron accelerator. Above: the particle beam line being assembled.

building is integrated with facilities at TRIUMF so that it can use a future proton beam from the existing cyclotron. By adding the lighter electron particle beam, the range of isotopes that can be produced at the site will be greatly expanded.

The unique facility will house and service the following major scientific installations: • Electron linear accelerator (e-LINAC).

• Specialized proton beam line • High-power target stations • Front end and isotope separator • Ancillary laboratories, assembly laboratories for target handling, decay storage, laser technology lab, etc.

The building has six levels, including two levels below ground, and a shared mechanical and electrical room at the upper level. It is a registered Class 2 Nuclear Facility, designed according to Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission guidelines and safety

standards, as well as the NFPA 801 Standard for Fire Protection for Facilities Handling Radioactive Materials. It is also designed for LEED certification, which is an achievement given this is an energy-intensive building.

The design team collaborated extensively with the researchers and physicists who will use the facility.

Prime consultant Chernoff Thompson Architects coordinated the three branches of engineering. Structural engineering was by Bush, Bohlman & Partners, electrical engineering was

by AES, and mechanical engineering was by Stantec.

The depth of the construction adjacent to existing buildings, and the massive walls, which are a part of the radiation shielding strategy, created particular challenges. The ductwork, pipe and cable placement, for example, needed to be carefully worked into the design during the early stages. Three-dimensional models helped with this process.

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As well, the scientific equipment and services required precise construction with tight tolerances, and needed good coordination within the construction team.

Mechanical systems - controls and redundancies All the building services have multiple functions. They have to serve the equipment and the process, but also to provide safety to the occupants and the public under different operating conditions: normal, high radioactivity, fire mode, etc.

The operating parameters of the systems are set to complement each other and are coordinated through two purposely-separated control systems. The primary control system looks after all safety and life safety aspects of the operation and is continuously monitored from an operations room.

The secondary control system looks after comfort, temperature control and less critical aspects of operation.

Cooling strategies The electron beam is accelerated by a linear accelerator cooled to liquid helium temperatures (2K to 4K, or -271C to -269C). This specialized cooling is provided by a helium cooling loop, and helium system compressors located in an adjacent building. Portions of

this stainless steel helium system piping were part of the ARIEL building design team's project.

The mechanical cooling system uses water circulation loops which serve to cool the building, but also to cool the electrical equipment (“low active system”), and areas or equipment with radioactive activation potential (“high active system”).

Both process cooling loops use highly aggressive de-ionized, low conductivity water, which requires stainless steel piping. The process will use close to 2 MW of power, which requires cooling.

The process cooling is connected to the TRIUMF site's central cooling tower farm, using multistage pumps in ARIEL's basement. This strategy allows all condenser water from the ARIEL building, as well as heat rejected in other components of the TRIUMF site, to be available at a single point. From here it could provide a proportion of heat to a UBC-wide district heating network. The heat recovery system and associated plant is currently under consideration by UBC plant operations.

Heating and cooling for the building are provided by heat recovery chillers in a heat pump configuration. They Photos: EllisDon

Incremental pressurization Incremental pressurization is the backbone of safety in the facility.

The air exhaust system, classified as the “nuclear ventilation” system, operates continuously and serves all

areas. It ensures incremental pressurization for areas with higher hazard and potential for contamination. The exhaust system provides HEPA and, where necessary, carbon filtration of the exhausted air. The air is discharged using high plume dilution fans. Safety features include continuous monitoring and a shutdown in an emergency when the exhaust would be stopped and the building would be evacuated and sealed for assessment.

The building's supply air VAV system tracks the exhaust and complements the space pressurization strategies. The supply air-handling unit uses a dual air stream concept. Each stream includes a fan array (“fanwall” concept) and if one array is being maintained or repaired, the other can independently support the building operation. The two air streams work in parallel under normal conditions, reducing the total fan power consumption.

Left: Upper level mechanical room, with cooling pumps (blue), expansion tanks (red) behind, and a twin stream air handling unit in the background. Right: Nuclear exhaust system in the upper leval mechanical room; the horizontal branches on the vertical headers will include exhaust HEPA filtration.

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science buildings can recover heat within the HVAC system, and can also recover heat from the process cooling before the water is directed to the cooling towers. The chillers are of a modular concept, which enables a phased build-out, good control under partial load, and good redundancy characteristics. In the absence of the process load, the building heating is also supported by redundant condensing gas-fired boilers.

Varying demands for air flow and temperature The laboratories, which include radioactive (“hot”) and “cold” labs, have occupied and unoccupied set modes for air flow and room temperature. Some areas have very different minimum requirements under different modes of operation. In all cases, these modes are programmed for energy conservation. A good example is the target hall, which is a large volume area used to crane the spent radioactive targets into the hot cells for further handling, The hall has high air-flow requirements and higher pressurization requirements only during brief periods of the target transport. For the majority of the time more economical operating parameters satisfy the hall's needs.

tal hazard levels in the process cooling systems, or to hold the discharge of sprinklers in a fire. In each case, the water is assessed and only discharged when confirmed safe. The fire protection system includes a preaction system so staff can take action

on a false alarm and minimize the potential for leaks or water damage.

The building, which was completed in July 2013 on time and on budget, won an award of merit in the 2014 ACEC-BC Awards for Engineering Excellence.

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Drainage and fire protection The drainage system in the building incorporates “active” sumps in the basement, which are emptied manually after the water is assessed safe for discharge. Holding tanks are designed to include water from acciden-

Owner/client: TRIUMF, Vancouver Mechanical engineer: Stantec Consulting (Dejan Radoicic, P.Eng.,Graeme Terris, C.Eng., Jim Beveridge, P.Eng., Jimmy Ng, P.Eng.) Prime consultant & architect: Chernoff Thompson Architects Structural: Bush, Bohlman & Partners Electrical: Applied Engineering Solutions (AES) Contractor: EllisDon

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opinion

By Angelo Mattacchione, P.Eng. & Livia Mattacchione, P.Eng. Prosum Engineering

SPECIALIZATION — OR NOT?

Two engineers in Toronto argue against the wisdom of creating a specialist designation for structural engineers in Ontario. Šronstik/ThinkStock

P

rofessional Enginees of Ontario (PEO) is considering making regulatory changes to create a Structural Engineering Specialist designation to ensure "‌ that incidents like the Algo Centre Mall collapse are not repeated."1 PEO defines a Specialist certification as a designation granted to registrants demonstrating required competencies to practice in defined areas of practice.2 But are such specialist certifications required or desirable?

In our province, the idea of a specialist program is hardly new. In 1972, after much discussion, review and a member referendum, PEO instituted a Designated Specialist program. It ultimately covered 74 classes of specialty in nine fields of engineering. Citing a lack of interest, PEO terminated the program 14 years later. The idea of re-instituting a specialist program is likewise not new. In 2001, PEO's then-president Gordon Sterling supported such a program, arguing "the public is asking no more than that we demonstrate qualifications we claim to possess already."3 20

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Clients already know which engineers have experience Although reference is made often to how the public would benefit from specialist designations being introduced, it is a rare instance when a layperson requires or is exposed to a P.Eng. Individual homes are generally covered by Part 9 in the National Building Code/OBC and typically do not require the intervention of a professional engineer. For most industrial, commercial, institutional and larger residential buildings covered by Parts 3 and 4 of the code, architects usually engage engineering firms that they know are experienced and specialized, whether it be in soils, structural, electrical or mechanical engineering. Similarly, land developers hire firms that specialize in planning, surveying and site servicing. For large municipal projects, government agencies engage engineering firms who have knowledge and experience in the type of project in question.

Further, within broader categories of engineering, generally there is additional sub-specialization. For example, a

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opinion structural engineer experienced in bridges will not be hired for structural engineering. to carry out the design and analysis of tall buildings. Such Is such a program needed in Ontario? Since 2000, experience-based sub-specializations exist for most engi- there have been 38 buildings (four offices, seven residenneering fields. tial/hotels and 27 condominiums) over 100 metres tall In 2003 John Springfield — a built in Toronto alone,7 and Although reference is made often structural engineer for many currently almost 30 towers over major buildings and skyscrapers 100 metres tall are under conto how the public would benefit in Canada and the U.S. who had struction. In spite of the large from specialist designations being also served on PEO’s panel of numbers of tall and unique introduced, it is a rare instance examiners while it still had its structures being built, to our Specialist Designation program knowledge there have been no when a layperson requires or is — wrote: the “Specialist desigsystemic problems with the exposed to a P.Eng. nation might have an impact on practice of structural engineera panel of laypeople that is assigning a project to a very ing in Ontario that would warrant the APEGBC-style small practice, but in the greater engineering orbit, it would structural engineering specialist. count for little. Recent past accomplishments and a proposed method of tackling a project are likely to be the sig- What then is the problem? nificant criteria for a client selecting an engineer.”4 Our In 1999, we (the authors) carried out a demographic analyown experience has been that if potential clients do not sis of the PEO membership which revealed that only about know you or know of your services and expertise, they will 25% to 30% of the members actually performed or supernot hire you. vised engineering work.8 More recently, a spring 2014 study by the Ontario Society Doesn't the "consulting engineer" of Professional Engineers (OSPE) found that less than 30% designation suffice? of employed people who held a Bachelor's or higher degree Currently in Ontario, PEO licenses over 77,000 individuals in engineering were actually working as engineers or engiin 30 engineering disciplines. PEO's practice guideline neering managers.9 OSPE called the remaining 70% not says: "professional engineers generally have an unrestrict- working in engineering “Ontario’s Lost Engineers." Howed right to practise professional engineering," which ever, our own analysis showed this group works at all levels means that "professional engineers can practise in any in many other sectors, including education, finance, mararea of engineering, as long as they are competent to do keting and sales. As such these individuals are of great value so." As such "professional engineers are expected to self- to society. However, they badly skew the statistics that are police their activities and accept assignments only for work gathered from members and associated with professional for which they have the requisite knowledge and experi- engineers as a group. Since these people do not do profesence or can acquire the necessary knowledge in a reason- sional engineering work, they do not need to vote in the able amount of time."5 professional engineering body's elections, participate in Within the total membership, roughly 1,200 are desig- professional-related matters, or engage in professional denated by PEO as "Consulting Engineers." The requirements velopment.10 This 70% group not working in engineering for the Specialist designation program that PEO had in makes the profession appear complacent and out of touch. place from 1972 to 1986 are almost identical to the current Further to our demographic analysis, our own experirequirements for its Consulting Engineer designation pro- ence based on our interaction with classmates and associgram. Both required the member to be engaged in the ates is that the 30% of PEO members who work in engineerpractice of professional engineering, and both required five ing do vote in PEO elections and do participate in PEO reor more years of experience beyond membership. Are these lated matters. Further, this group is forced to maintain licence holders not already specialists in their respective competency, if nothing else, by virtue of market forces — fields of practice? In the structural engineering discipline, stay current and relevant, or be left behind and lose clients. for example, there are 1,446 licence-holders, of whom 59 We would argue that before going the route of re-estabare PEO-designated Consulting Engineers.6 lishing a Designated Specialist program, provincial professional engineering licensing associations should differentiNo specialist designations ate between those members who work in engineering, anywhere except B.C. from those who do not. To our minds, the public and the Except for British Columbia, none of the provincial engi- profession are not well served by having the majority of the neers associations have specialist designations. Only the As- currently licensed P.Eng.'s not working or practising as sociation of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of professional engineers without identifying and distinB.C. (APEGBC) offers a specialist designation, and it is only guishing them as such.

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opinion

continued from page 21

Client pressures Clients are increasingly applying pressure on “consulting engineers to assume legal responsibility for a growing number of risky areas in construction projects."11 One of our major clients presented a totally one-sided “take it as is or leave it” services agreement to its approved consultants. We walked away from the client. Others did not.

In addition to contractual matters, in more situations than we as a profession are willing to admit, clients exert enormous pressure on professional engineers to see things the clients' way. In a couple of interviews with potential clients interested in engaging us as experts, we informed them that the tenor and tone of our reports and opinions would be dictated by the facts as we saw them, irrespective of who would be engaging us. We were told that our services would not be needed.

We have been involved in projects where we determined parts of existing structures were in need of remedial work.

We have lost count of the number of times that clients have asked “Will it fall down tomorrow?” What is a professional engineer to do when faced with recalcitrant clients who would choose to ignore the professional's recommendations in a manner the member believes to be contrary to the public interest? Nothing that we know of — short of turning to their insurers for assistance, or threatening to whistle blow. Unfortunately history has shown that whistleblowers do so at their own peril.12 Such situations are untenable.

Instead of trying to reboot a specialist designation program that was of questionable value and was therefore abandoned almost three decades ago, we believe that professional engineering associations should grant licences to only those who work in engineering. Failing that, they should differentiate between those members who work in engineering from those who do not by establishing different categories of membership.

And in instances where clients attempt to modify or ignore a P.Eng.’s recommendations in a manner that is not in the best interest of the public, all associations should develop a process to assist the member and/or her/his firm, without the member or firm being subject to muzzling or fears of legal reprisals.

CCE Angelo Mattacchione, P.Eng. is the president, and Livia Mattacchione, P.Eng. is a senior engineer, at Prosum Engineering, structural and municipal engineers in Toronto.

1

News, Engineering Dimensions, Sep/Oct 2013

Public Identification of Engineering Expertise element of the Canadian Framework for Licensure, PEO, July 2013

2

3

President's Message, Engineering Dimension, Jul/Aug 2001

4

Letters, Counts for Little in Greater Orbit, Canadian Consulting Engineer, Jul 2003

Professional Engineering Practice Guideline, Professional Engineers Ontario, January 2012, http://peo.on.ca/index.php/ci_id/22127/la_id/1.htm

5

6

Directories of Practitioners, peo.on.ca/index.php?ci_id=1798&la_id=1

"Toronto is a Runner Up When it Comes to Super Tall Condos", www.torontobubble.com, 3 Feb 2014

7

Real solutions for consideration To our minds, the real problems that professional engineers need to deal with are two-fold: professional licensing bodies where in some cases large numbers of members do not work in engineering; and an economic landscape populated by more than a few self serving, uncooperative or even hostile clients.

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Appendix 4, Report of the Task Force on Admissions, Complaints, Discipline and Enforcement, presented to Council in Sep 1999

8

9

"Ontario’s Lost Engineers", The Voice of Ontario Engineers, Fall 2014, Vol 5, No 2

10

Letters, Meaningless Membership, Engineering Dimensions, Nov/Dec 2007

11

Business, Canadian Consulting Engineer, Dec 2013

"Whistleblowing, The Challenger disaster," NC State University, http://people.engr.ncsu.edu/efg/379/sum06/lectures/wk15/lecture.html

12

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Photo: Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail/CP

profession

At the scene a few days after the tragedy on June 23, 2012.

The Elliot Lake Report

O

n October 15 the Honourable Paul R. Bélanger, Commissioner of the Elliot Lake Inquiry, released his report on the fatal collapse of part of the parking deck roof of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, northern Ontario in June 2012. The Commissioner had harsh words for owners, officials and engineers.

Here are extracts from the Executive Summary of his report.1

Summary of Conclusions (pp. 4-5) Although it was rust that defeated the structure of the Algo Mall, the real story behind the collapse is one of human, not material, failure. Many of those whose calling or occupation touched the Mall displayed failings – its designers and builders, its owners, some architects and engineers, as well as the municipal and provincial officials charged with the duty of protecting the public. Some of these failings were minor; some were not. They ranged from apathy, neglect, and indifference through mediocrity, ineptitude, and incompetence to outright greed, obfuscation, and duplicity. Occasional voices of alarm blew by deaf and callous ears. Warning signs went unseen by eyes likely averted for fear of jeopardizing the continuing existence of the Mall – the social and economic hub in Elliot Lake.

Some engineers forgot the moral and ethical foundation of their vocation and profession – to hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public. They occasionally pandered more to their clients’ sensitivities than to their professional obligation to expose the logical and scientific consequences of their observations. Some of their inspecDecember 2014

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THE TRAGEDY From Part 2 of the report's Executive Summary, which looked at the Emergency Response: A portion of the rooftop collapsed on June 23, 2012 at 2.18 p.m. Video footage showed Doloris Perizzolo and Lucie-Aylwin at a lottery kiosk near the food court only a second or two before the roof crashed down on them. The collapse was abrupt, precipitous, and without any forewarning.

Doloris Perizzolo's death was nearly instantaneous after the collapse, but it is probable (though by no means certain) that Lucie Aylwin survived under the rubble for a period of up to 39 hours. ... There is a possibility she might have been rescued but we will never know for sure.

tions were so cursory and incomplete as to be essentially meaningless. Others were fundamentally flawed because they were based on false assumptions or calculations.

Some public officials simply lacked competence. Others preferred strict adherence to, and narrow interpretation of, practices, rules, and by-laws rather than conduct based on a meaningful interpretation of their spirit and intent. The institutional and legal relationship among organizations meant to advance the public good operated to disenfranchise the City’s electorate and may have led to tolerating unacceptable conditions at the Mall. Secrecy and confidentiality often trumped candour, transparency, and openness.

They pervaded contractual and professional relationships, and even the municipal administration sought to hide some of its activities from public view.

Based on any fair and objective analysis of the history of the Algo Mall as it unfolded during the Commission’s hearings, it is difficult to resist the conclusion that, if any one of the owners, engineers, or officials who were involved with the Mall over its 33 years of existence had insisted, “Enough – this building will fail if it isn’t fixed,” two lives would not have been senselessly and tragically lost. A few people did just that, but they were ignored.

Instead, faced with the clearest of warning signs, owners sold or attempted to sell the problem instead of fixing it.

They opted for the narrowest of interpretations of engineering reports – always the least expensive solution that merely repeated past feeble and ineffectual remedies. Many witnesses averred that they were unaware of one of the most basic and widely understood tenets of material science: a combination of water, air, and chlorides makes steel rust; and continuously rusting steel gets progressively weaker as time goes by.

Stated in the broadest of terms, my main conclusions are as follows: 24

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• Two people died and approximately 19 were injured after a portion of the Algo Mall collapsed on June 23, 2012.

• The collapse was due to the sudden failure at 2:18 p.m. of a connection between one beam and one column of the steel substructure below the parking deck of the Mall.

• The failure was the result of the continual and uninterrupted ingress of water and chlorides from the parking deck of the Mall ever since its construction in 1979, resulting in severe corrosion of the connection.

• The ingress was the result of a faulty initial design combined with inadequate and incompetent maintenance and repair of the surface of the parking deck.

• There were many complaints over the years about the leaking deck and falling pieces of the ceiling.

• Municipal authorities ignored repeated complaints and warnings about leaks and material failure.

• Municipal authorities did not enforce, or improperly enforced, their own property standards by-laws. Some public officials were apparently unaware of the contents of their own by-laws. The municipality’s predominant focus was non-interference with the Mall – because it was regarded as the social hub of the community and as a major source of tax revenue and employment.

• Despite the involvement of the Ministry of Labour with the Mall during most of its existence, its employees never treated the leakage situation with much interest and concern.

• Some structural engineers failed to inspect the Mall properly. Engineering reports were of uneven quality, often drafted more with an eye to pleasing clients than proposing effective solutions or warning of potential dangers.

• Owners chose cheap and ineffective repairs or opted to sell the Mall when faced with significant repair bills. They actively concealed their knowledge of the parking deck’s condition from the City and from subsequent purchasers.

• The last owner (Eastwood Mall Inc.) actively misrepresented the repair work it engaged in and resorted to subterfuge and falsehood to mislead authorities, tenants, and the public.

From Part 1 Recommendations: "The Regulation of the engineering and architecture professions (pp. 35-36) Recommendation 1.23. The Professional Engineers of Ontario should issue a clear direction to its members that the contents of an engineering report, or draft report, including a Structural Adequacy Report, should not be altered simply because the client requests that it be changed.

Rather, any alteration of an engineering report, or draft report, should be based on sound engineering principles or changed facts.

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profession

Recommendation 1.24. The Professional Engineers of Ontario should establish a system of mandatory continuing professional education for its members as soon as possible, and in any event no later than 18 months from the release of this Report.

PEO RESPONDS

Recommendation 1.27. For the construction of any buildings requiring the services of more than one professional consultant, either a professional engineer or an architect should be designated by the owner or the owner’s agent as the prime consultant to perform the roles and responsibilities of that position, as defined by one or the other or both of the Professional Engineers of Ontario and the Ontario Association of Architects.

CCE

as we work to implement these recommendations. As PEO's au-

Reproduced from the "Executive Summary of the Report of the Elliot Lake Commission of Inquiry," October 15, 2014. (c) Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2014. Reproduced with permission. The full Executive Summary is available at: http://www.elliotlakeinquiry.ca/report/ES/ELI_ES_E.pdf

1

From a press release issued by Professional Engineers Ontario, October 15, 2014 "Our Elliot Lake Advisory Committee will be reviewing the Commissioner's report in detail to provide advice to PEO Council thority to do so is limited, we will be looking to the Ministry of the Attorney General and the provincial government to receive the tools necessary to put these recommendations into practice, as well as to consider further our ideas for improvement that were not endorsed specifically by the Commissioner.

"In addition to its review of the Commissioner's report, PEO is continuing its investigations into whether work by PEO licence holders related to the Algo Centre mall was performed competently and in compliance with the regulations under the Professional Engineers Act, as well as other applicable statutes, regulations, standards, codes, bylaws and rules."

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- Energy Efficiency. Covers an array of considerations to help drive buildings toward net zero energy.

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lighting

By Andrew Parker, P.Eng., LC, LEED AP Salex

Dimming Protocols Dimming is a powerful lighting control strategy for energy savings and ambiance, but it's important to know the different protocols.

L

ighting controls are readily used in commercial, industrial and residential buildings to save energy. They are also mandated through their inclusion in government building codes and encouraged through energy standards such as ASHRAE 90.1 and LEED. But the origin of lighting controls is in the theatre. London's Savoy Theatre was the first in the world to install an electric lighting system in 1881; it used over 1,150 lights to illuminate the stage and auditorium. In 1903, the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City had a similar system featuring 96 resistance dimmers.

These first controllers were bulky and complicated; they provided little actual control -- dimming only -- and required manual operation.

We've come a long way and continue to realize advancements in dimming technology and its capabilities.

Dimming is an important tool in lighting control because it can significantly contribute to energy savings, while minimizing the impact on occupants. Daylight harvesting can be seamlessly achieved, for example, by gradually dimming lighting as ambient daylight increases. Simplification is achieved also by dimming one zone rather than by sequentially switching off multiple sub-zones.

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Above: a wireless dimming system for outdoor lighting provides significant energy savings while maintaining good lighting quality and security at this auto sales centre. Photo top shows system between sunset and 10 p.m. at 100%, 400W/fixture. Photo above shows system 10 p.m. to sunrise at 20%, 110W/fixture.

Dimming systems are becoming more affordable. LED technology, for example, is inherently dimmable and new generations of LED lighting and drivers provide dimming as a standard feature. Also, lower cost digital controllers allow for local devices to provide dimming functionality without the need for large, centralized dimming racks and panels.

However, while the use of digital equipment is on the rise, many of the familiar analogue line and low voltage dimming protocols are still commonplace, including two and three wire phase dimming and 0-10V.

Forward Phase Dimming Known as standard, forward or leading edge phase control, this protocol is typically known for its use with incandescent (resistive) loads and MLV transformers (inductive loads). To dim these light sources, the line voltage AC waveform is "delayed" at the beginning of the cycle; the longer the power is delayed, the greater the dimming of the light source. It is a cheap solution for single zone dimming and retrofits since it uses the existing line voltage wiring. While inefficient MLV and incandescent loads are being phased out, some “incandescent com-

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lighting

patible” LED lamps have been designed to work with most 2-wire forward phase dimmers. Typically found in residential and small scale commercial applications, forward phase has a restricted low-end dimming limit.

Reverse Phase Dimming Known as reverse or trailing-edge phase control, this protocol was developed to accommodate ELV transformers (capacitive loads). Similar to forward phase dimming, the line voltage AC wave form is "cut off" at the end of each half cycle. As more is cut off, less power is applied to the light source and dimming is increased. While it is more expensive than forward phase dimming, this protocol still provides a relatively cheap solution for single zone dimming since it uses the same line voltage wiring required to power the lighting. Reverse phase shares the same challenges around the low-end dimming limit as forward phase, but is typically compatible with commercial lighting, including LEDs, due to the use of electronic drivers.

dimming applications. Wide variations that exist in both the dimmer and LED source characteristics can lead to equally wide variations in dimming performance and compatibility.

This compatibility between the controller and the light source is difficult to predict, so mock-up testing is often the best course of action.

3-Wire Phase Dimming A variant of forward phase dimming developed to accommodate fluorescent ballast dimming, two line voltage wires (plus a neutral) are used. The first provides consistent voltage to the ballast for proper cathode heating, thus allowing for a broader dimming range. The second, or dimmed hot, provides the forward phase control signal. This protocol improves dimming performance over a 2-wire system, but loses the simplicity and ease of retrofit. It is typically used in small scale commercial applications.

0-10V Analogue Sometimes referred to as 4-wire dimming since the power and control signals are supplied over separate pairs of wires, 0-10V dimming has been commonly used in commercial dimming systems of all sizes for many years. It is emerging as the default dimming option with commercial LED fixtures. One reason for its rise to popularity was its documented open standards and consistent performance. The protocol uses two lowvoltage, polarity-sensitive conductors to provide a dimming signal, while power is supplied separately to ensure proper operation of the driver. Low end dimming limit and reliability are improved over other analogue protocols, and can be more easily calibrated to provide logarithmic light output to closely match the human eye's perception of changing light levels.

Examples of 0-10V protocol standards are: • NEMA ANSI C82.11 Standard for High Frequency Fluorescent Lamp Ballasts, Annex A, Low Voltage Control Interface for Controllable Ballasts Supplements; • IEC 60929 Annex E, 0-10V Sinking (lighting control); • ANSI E1.3 0-10V Sourcing (theatrical control).

Phase Dimming with LED Retrofit Lamps Dimmable LED retrofit lamps for commercial and residential applications are readily available, but should be carefully considered for critical

Digital Addressable Lighting Interface (DALI) While many digital dimming control protocols have been brought to the market requiring special and often proprietary equipment, DALI has

emerged as a leader through its use of an open, non-proprietary digital standard. Guided by international standard IEC 62386, DALI is similar to 0-10V in its use of separate line voltage and low voltage wiring and since components from different manufacturers are interchangeable. But the similarities end there. The digital protocol provides individually addressable dimming control and bi-directional communication for data feedback. For example, if a driver fails, the system can provide instant notification of required maintenance.

Looking forward As manufacturers continue to simplify, educate and perhaps even work together, reservations in the industry that surround dimming will gradually disappear. Not only are dimming systems becoming more affordable as LED technology permeates the lighting landscape, there are other positives too. For example, we have the ability to adjust correlated colour temperature (CCT) to match the familiar warming appearance of dimmed incandescent lighting or to support circadian rhythms to promote health and wellbeing. In addition, as building codes continue to require greater energy savings and as control system prices continue to drop, leveraging dimming technology to provide the solution will be an easy decision. CCE Andrew Parker, P.Eng., LC, LEED AP is a controls and lighting specialist at Salex in Toronto and a member of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES). Salex is a lighting agency in southern Ontario, distributing and facilitating commercial lighting systems for architects, engineers and designers.

This article is the second of two by the author about the evolution of building controls. Part I appeared in the AugustSeptember 2014 issue, p. 41.

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finance

Personal Tax Tips If you are a shareholder or partner in your consulting engineering company, here are some ways to reduce your tax burden for 2014.

C

anadian professionals pay a lot of tax, which is why individuals — including shareholders of professional corporations — and members of partnerships are always looking for ways to reduce their annual tax burden.

Luckily, there are a number of tax-saving measures that can help with just that. Now is the time to review your 2014 tax situation to see if any apply to you.

Maximize the tax benefits of your capital gains and losses If you have realized a capital gain in 2014 or in any of the last three years (2011–2014), consider if it makes good investment sense to sell capital property with accrued losses before the end of the year. There are rules that will deny the loss if you sell the property to certain related parties.

Salary, bonus or dividends?

If you’re the owner-manager of a closely-held Canadiancontrolled private corporation, you should consider the mix of salary, bonus and dividends in your compensation package. A bonus is often preferred over salary, since the payment can be deferred until after the company’s year-end.

You may also opt to receive part of your remuneration in the form of dividends. Certain dividends qualify as “eligible dividends,” which are subject to a lower tax rate than other (regular) dividends.

Structure your loans and deduct the interest Interest is deductible for income tax purposes provided that it is paid or payable in the year that there is a legal obligation to pay the interest, and that the interest was incurred on money borrowed to earn business or property income (other than capital gains). Therefore, borrow the maximum amount for business and investment purposes, and as little as possible for personal reasons. For example, if you’re a partner in a partnership and you require funds for personal use, consider withdrawing funds from the partnership and borrowing to reinstate your partnership capital account. The interest paid on the borrowed funds will then be deductible.

Where possible, income split with other family members If you have other family members employed in your business or as shareholders of your professional corporation, there may be significant opportunities to reduce your family’s tax bill. Most professionals in Canada are allowed to have family members as shareholders of a professional corporation, either directly or indirectly (through a family trust). This facilitates income splitting with family members, in the form of dividends. If your corporation can pay dividends to family members with lower incomes, excluding minor children, the tax savings can be considerable.

In addition, if your spouse and/or children work for you, paying them a reasonable salary or bonus will allow you to take advantage of their lower marginal tax rate, and give them earned income for CPP and RRSP purposes.

Acquiring and disposing of assets In general, if you are planning to purchase an asset to be used in your business you should acquire it before the end of your fiscal year. You will then need to make it “available for use” before year-end should you wish to benefit from the full tax reductions it affords. On the other hand, the disposal of assets that have appreciated in value can create significant income tax liabilities. As such, it is generally recommended that you dispose of an asset at the beginning of the next fiscal period.

28

A

By Kelly Kolke, Grant Thornton LLP

Check your instalment requirements If you’re self-employed or operate your business as a corporation, you may find that your income fluctuates from one year to the next. Instalments are required if the difference between your combined federal and provincial tax, and the amount of tax actually withheld at source, was greater than $3,000 in either 2012 or 2013 and will be greater than $3,000 in 2014. If you’re required to make quarterly tax instalments, you should review your expected 2014 tax liability before remitting your final instalment (which is due December 15, 2014).

Review your sales tax If you’ve expanded your business and have clients in other provinces, review your requirement to register for other provincial sales taxes. Registration may be required regardless of whether you have a permanent establishment in that province. If you are a GST/HST-registered business that supplies goods or services in more than one province, consult with a sales tax specialist to determine if your systems are correctly collecting the appropriate tax.

CCE Kelly Kolke, C.A. is a partner with Grant Thornton LLP. He is based in Nova Scotia. E-mail Kelly.kolke@ca.gt.com.

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com December 2014

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2014-12-01 11:18 AM

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Being worry With empl hards you a yours You d posse more abilit

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With out of denta If you pock have Priva Plus, of you

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†

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If your spouse doesn’t have coverage at work, your out-ofpocket medical expenses can get even bigger, especially if you have children.

Private health insurance can be more affordable than you think.

Plus, if you’re self-employed, you may be able to deduct the cost of your health insurance premiums from your business income.2

Disability insurance Disability insurance helps to replace a portion of your income if you become ill or injured and can’t work. These plans provide monthly benefit payments, based on a percentage of your monthly earnings, while you are disabled and unable to perform your occupation.

Unlike employee disability plans that end when you change jobs, some association-sponsored disability plans can provide continuation of coverage between jobs so you are not left without

of Canadian residents have supplementary health coverage3

31%

of Canadian residents have disability income protection3

Cost is a common reason offered by those who are not covered by any plans to explain the lack of coverage.

Affordable coverage is available for professional engineers through the Engineers Canada-sponsored plans. This allows you to enjoy many of the benefits of a group plan (e.g., lower cost) so you can focus on your recovery, not on the bills.

Average household annual spending (Source: Statistics Canada, 2010 Survey of Household Spending, April 2012).

2 Contact your financial advisor or the Canada Revenue Agency for details.

3 Percentages are based on persons covered at end of 2011 (Source: Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association, Facts & Figures, Life and Health Insurance, 2012 Edition) and 2011 provincial population figures (Source: Statistics Canada).

1

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2014-12-01 11:18 AM

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T

he CISC Solutions Centre’s Project Solutions services has carried out a comprehensive case study that evaluates the impacts of steel vs. concrete framing systems for typical commercial buildings in Canada.

The groundbreaking case study highlights the impacts of selecting different framing systems on the project’s entire construction cycle, including design, construction, costs and sustainability.

The case study was conducted in partnership with independent engineering consultants and general contractors. It demonstrates that for this type of commercial building steel clearly emerges as the superior choice, with greater design flexibility, lower construction and operating costs, a smaller environmental footprint and lower costs for renovation.

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Specifications: • NBC 2010 live loads in office areas, ground and parking floors; 4.8 kPa in service core and penthouse floor.

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• Curtain wall cladding.

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Structure

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b) Cost difference for individual structural elements: Structure: $66.75/s.m.($6.20/s.f.) in favour of Steel Foundations: $18.99/s.m.($1.77/s.f.) in favour of Steel Total structure: $85.74/s.m. ($7.97/s.f.) in favour of Steel • Core wall drywall cover: $4.85/s.m. ($0.45/s.f.) in favour of concrete • Building height (cladding etc.): no difference (same height) Net cost difference: $81/s.m. ($7.50/s.f.) in favour of Steel Scheme

30

structures

c) Additional savings with steel scheme: • Crane costs: lower for the steel option due to earlier project completion.

• Other site overhead expenses: lower for the steel option due to earlier project completion.

• Interim financing cost: lower for the steel option due to earlier project completion.

• Winter construction: better results with the steel option because CIP concrete construction incurs higher costs for heating, curing and ready-mix supply in the winter, resulting in lower productivity.

• Future changes: the steel structure’s inherent adaptability to changes reduces renovation costs and business disruption costs.

• Speed of construction: the steel option’s early completion reduces risks associated with real estate market uncertainties.

• Smaller columns: steel-framed buildings yield more usable space. d) Lifecycle Cost Analysis: Steel emerged as the clear winner from a “green” perspective in the whole building life cycle analysis (LCA) that was conducted for this project. The LCA Study (conducted

by Ryerson University) demonstrated that steel has a lower environmental footprint than concrete in most of the environmental impact categories that were measured.

This article was provided by the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC-ICCA), located in Markham, Ont. Tel. 905.946.0864, fax 905.946.8574, www.cisc-icca.ca

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com December 2014

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2014-12-01 2:04 PM

Specifier’s Literature Review 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-ca.com, or visit our website at www.densona.com SUPPLIER: DENSO NORTH AMERICA INC.

The CXB Series delivers up to 24,000 median lumens & up to 113 lumens per watt. With an exceptional rated lifetime, zero-restrike time & a compact lightweight construction, the CXB Series is a direct replacement for incumbent 250W & 400W HID & metal halide lowbay/high-bay light sources that provides additional benefits of energy savings, enhanced safety & significantly reduced re-lamp maintenance costs. The CXB Series offers familiar mounting options (junction box/pendant, hook and cord) allowing simple & quick installation for upgrade & new construction opportunities. Learn more about the CXB Series at http://www.creecanada.com/products/led-interior/high-low-bay/cxb-series SUPPLIER: CREE

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Atlas manufactures and supplies HSS in sizes from 1" to 22" square, including corresponding rectangular and round sections. All sections are available in grades CSA G40.21 (classes C and H), ASTM A500 and A1085. To learn more about Atlas Tube’s HSS sizes, call 800.265.6912 or visit atlastube.com SUPPLIER: JMC STEEL

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The world of pumps at your fingertips! KSB, one of the world’s largest pump manufacturers, has released a comprehensive product brochure listing KSB pumps, mixers and controls for a wide range of applications – from sludge and wastewater treatment to power generation and manufacturing processes.

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

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Engineered to exceed the specifications for a wide variety of Variable Air Volume (VAV) applications, the Reliable Controls® MACH-ProAir™ is a fully programmable BACnet Building Controller (B-BC) with numerous downloadable standard codes and flexible I/O options, all priced to meet a modest budget, as it continues the Reliable Controls® tradition of intrinsic simplicity, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. www.reliablecontrols.com/products/ controllers/MPA SUPPLIER: RELIABLE CONTROLS CORPORATION

2014-12-01 11:18 AM

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Taco system solutions offer a comprehensive, convenient, single-source to HVAC application challenges. Based on the highest industry standards and built with Taco's extensive experience, a Taco hydronic solution assures seamless integration and efficient operation. You can count on high quality and proven performance, whatever your HVAC application challenges. To learn more visit: www.commercial.taco-hvac.com or call 905-564-9422 www.taco-hvac.com SUPPLIER: TACO CANADA

VIC-FLEX™ STYLE AB6 ASSEMBLY FOR COLD STORAGE

The NEW VicFlex V36 Dry Sprinkler with Integral Style AB6 Assembly eliminates the need to measure and cut hard pipe, as well as wait for foam seals to dry, simplifying installation. The VicFlex bracket eliminates condensation making it a safer option for cold storage applications and combats differential movement between ceilings ensuring no compromise in the event of seismic activity or any settling of a building. With VicFlex, the sprinkler will move with the activity and adjust accordingly. For more information, see Victaulic publication PB-AB6, submittal 10.90 and online at: www.victaulic.com/vicflex SUPPLIER: VICTAULIC

CANADIAN CONSULTING ENGINEER 2015 MEDIA KIT

products HVAC&R

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Ten HVAC&R products have been selected as Innovation Award Winners for the 2015 AHR Expo to be held in Chicago on January 26-28, 2015.

Building Automation. AspectFT Web Enabled BAS by American Auto-Matrix. This is the first BAS platform to automatically build an HTML5 user interface. www.aamatrix.com Cooling. EZ-In Mini-Split Cable by Southwire. With protective coating, it can be used inside and outside. www.southwire.com Green Building. Turbocor VTT Series Compressors by Danfoss. Has oil-free, variable speed, magnetic bearing technology.

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Used for HVAC&R diagnostics. http://sporlanonline.com Ventilation. Coolerado ERV50 Energy Recovery Ventilator and Super Cooling System. Summer enthalpy recovery of 70-200%; winter heat recovery at 70%. www.coolerado.com For full details and 30 honourable mentions, see www.ahrexpo. com/newpress/newsitems/2015IAWinners.pdf 32

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 2015 media kit, please send along your request to Maureen Levy at (416) 510-5111, email: mlevy@ccemag.com or visit www.canadianconsultingengineer.com

professional directory Experts in Measurement, Analysis & Control

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

For information on placing an advertisement in the Canadian Consulting Engineer Professional Directory, contact Maureen Levy, Senior Publisher, 416-510-5111, email: mlevy@ccemag.com, or Vince Naccarato, Sales Manager, 416-510-5118, email: vnaccarato@ccemag.com

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com December 2014

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2014-12-01 11:18 AM

ad index

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Pg#

Email

December 2014

Telephone

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Manufacturer Case Study

Pg#

Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC-ICCA)

30

Title

Telephone

Steel vs Concrete Framing Systems

Website

905-946-0864

www.cisc-icca.ca

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December 2014

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2014-12-01 11:18 AM

conversations

Interview

Matt Weber explains the mysteries of quantity surveying and why some construction divisions are notoriously difficult to estimate.

The Quantity Surveyor

M

att Weber, AScT, PQS, is the current president of the Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors - British Columbia (CIQS-BC). He is also the vice president of Concosts Management and the general manager of Concosts Consultants in B.C., a company that has been in business since 1968.

the errors after owners have given the cost to the bank or to their investors. The key is to have a budget verified by a quantity surveyor before submitting it to a lender or owner or to whomever your client is.

Q. What materials and equipment are the most difficult to estimate, or "take off"?

One of our biggest problems is that owners don't know what quantity surveyors are. They just think that the contractor will give them a quote and then they'll have a piece of paper so that's all they need to worry about. The clients forget that the contractor has a vested interest in obtaining the work.

Site Work has always been the most difficult to estimate with certainty due to a great deal of unknowns. We don't know what is under the ground. The issues could be artesian wells, boulders, soft soils, environmental issues, and ultimately finding hard pan by over excavating.

A second area where I am seeing cost escalations is in Mechanical and Electrical Systems. Mechanical systems can be very complex, so they have their own discipline in quantity surveying. It's an extensive amount of work to count all the piping, equipment and material, and you have to take it down to that level.

The other area that always seems to be an issue is the General Conditions or General Requirements. These are timedependent costs involved in completing the project, so you need to have an outstanding working knowledge of a construction site and how to build something to be able to estimate how much labour is going to be required, how much supervision, the crane usage, the security, power consumption and the like.

Q. You would think that owners would ask for an independent costing. Why don't they?

Q. What about the impact of Building Information Modeling (BIM)?

Obviously it does take out a function of quantity surveying in that you can do nearly all of the take-offs within the program.

But I think that BIM will actually raise appreciation of the profession to another level because estimating is not just as simple as "count this many 2 x 4s, and price by this unit rate."

There are also elements to constructability to consider, such as cut-offs and wastage, movement to the site, etc. It is my belief that BIM will streamline estimating work allowing quantity surveyors to focus on the broader picture of a project.

Q. What kind of margin of variance do you see between cost estimates and the reality?

A lot of what we do at Concosts is verifying budgets by developers or contractors and I sometimes see budgets in the range of 25% to 50% below what they should be. Constantly we find 34

"I sometimes see budgets in the range of 25% to 50% below what they should be."

Q. It's odd that we still call it quantity surveying, the old English term. Maybe that's why people don't know what it is.

Constantly people say, Oh you're the ones who look through the surveying stations and measure roads. I say, "No, we don't do that... It's confusing I know."

In the early 2000s before I started in this company even I had no idea what a quantity survey was. We just called it "estimating."

CCE

www.canadianconsultingengineer.com December 2014

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2014-12-01 11:18 AM

N N

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Introducing the Navien NHB condensing boilers As the leader in condensing technology, Navien has already reinvented the water heating industry with the award-winning NPE tankless water heaters and the NCB combi-boilers. The new NHB boiler series is the next in line of innovations from Navien. All NHB boilers have Navien’s advanced burner system, an AFUE of 95% and turn down ratios up to 15:1. Now available in four sizes: NHB-55, NHB-80, NHB-110 and NHB-150.

Reinvent your thinking about boilers at BoilersMadeSmart.com or Navien.com.

T H E

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I N

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2014-12-01 11:18 AM

Smart Solutions for a Complex World Tetra Tech’s scientists and engineers are developing sustainable solutions for the world’s most complex projects. With 3,500 employees in Canada and 14,000 total employees worldwide, we have grown to become one of North America’s largest engineering firms—and that’s just the beginning. From water and transportation projects, to renewable energy and mining services, Tetra Tech provides clear solutions in consulting, engineering, program management, construction management, and technical services worldwide.

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2014-12-01 11:18 AM