The benefits of using wood in tall and non-residential construction are undisputed, namely reducing the carbon footprint, shortening construction times, and enhancing seismic and building physics performance. The international market for wood as a structural material in tall and non-residential construction is still relatively untapped. Among the main reasons is the lack of guidelines for […]

Managing complex, fragmented, and high volume portfolios of data that are generated during the lifecycle of buildings poses major challenges for the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations (AECO) industry. Required information during the operation and maintenance phase of a building’s lifecycle is usually lost (or not transferred) at information handover stages, and extensive rework should […]

This project will complete a life cycle analysis of the pyrolysis of sewage sludge as an alternative to incineration. Pyrolysis is the thermal decomposition of organic material in the absence of oxygen into a solid called biochar, a liquid called, bio-oil, and uncondensable gases. The uncondensable gases and bio-oil product can be used as a […]

Canadian Vinyls Inc., based in Kelowna BC since 1994, has grown to become Canada’s largest distributor for vinyl skirting. CV represents an example of robust, local small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) in the region, poised for expansion. The company through MITCAS support and interaction with the university team desires to bring on R&D capability to take advantage […]

I-joists are composite timber beams mainly used in roof and flooring systems. They consist of oriented strand board (OSB) webs and timber flanges. For post-construction purposes, these beams are often drilled in the web or notched through the flange in order to pass the electrical/mechanical facilities through the openings. This can result in a significantly […]

Global population growth, urbanization and changing climate patterns have increased the demand for potable water, wastewater reuse and value recovery from wastewater, and treatment of industrial process water. Population growth also results in increased demand for the shipping of goods by ocean freight, with the associated risk of the transport of unwanted marine life from […]

Global population growth, urbanization and changing climate patterns have increased the demand for potable water, wastewater reuse and value recovery from wastewater, and treatment of industrial process water. Population growth also results in increased demand for the shipping of goods by ocean freight, with the associated risk of the transport of unwanted marine life from […]

Design of loadbearing, out-of-plane (OOP), tall masonry walls tends to have stringent limits related to their buckling stability and the scarcity of research on their structural reliability. This currently puts the masonry industry at a disadvantage as a construction alternative compared to other structural options. The dearth of masonry research and innovation in slender wall […]

Global population growth, urbanization and changing climate patterns have increased the demand for potable water, wastewater reuse and value recovery from wastewater, and treatment of industrial process water. Population growth also results in increased demand for the shipping of goods by ocean freight, with the associated risk of the transport of unwanted marine life from […]

The aspirations of aboriginal communities are a critical part of decision making regarding land and resource use, policy and community development, and strategic planning. To help achieve aboriginal aspirations, this project aims to develop, apply, and evaluate a novel approach to aid aboriginal community decision making and solution creation/implementation. This approach builds upon current research […]

The Aboriginal housing situation in Canada is in crisis with a lack of culturally and environmentally appropriate housing. To address this need, this Mitacs Elevate project involves a collaboration between the Heiltsuk Nation (in Bella Bella, BC), the University of British Columbia, and FPInnovations. Through this project, a Participatory Approach towards Holistic Solutions (PATHS) framework […]

Hydropower dams are significant investments and their integrity affects many stakeholders. Failure of a dam results in catastrophic events which cannot be mitigated. Seismic evaluation and prediction of dynamic response of dams need in depth assessment which has always been challenging with complex dam-water-foundation interaction. Impounded water considerably affects the response of a dam during […]