Urban stormwater re-use is gaining acceptance in Canadian jurisdictions as a means to offset anticipated increases in potable water demand from urbanization and climate change. S2e Technologies has partnered with Queen’s University to determine if a net economic benefit can be achieved from potable water savings in large-scale stormwater re-use facilities in Canada. The new […]

The Dawson Group is a construction and transportation company that ranges between 600 to 700 employees seasonally – depending on the companies’ workload (awarded projects, seasonality with highway construction, winter snow plowing) and also normal turnover, we have many onboards and offboards in our organization each year. With many employees coming and going, it places […]

This research project will be focused on the development of a new software technology in order to model and map maximum solar energy potential on the rooftops and facades of buildings with high spatiotemporal resolution, with particular emphasis on optimal community design for smart net-zero energy solar communities. The goal of this project is to […]

Precast concrete is used in many types of structures including those serving commercial, multi-unit residential, and industrial uses. Hollow core prestressed slabs (or planks) are one type of precast concrete that is used primarily for flooring systems. These planks have advantages of being able to span long distances while being relatively thin and light when […]

A helical pile is a screw steel pile comprising a small diameter hollow shaft welded with one or multiple helices. It has been widely used to retrofit structures or provide foundation support for infrastructure. The current research and design practice of helical piles have heavily focused on the “capacity”. In contrast, little attention has been […]

Over the past several decades, the scope of decision-making in the public domain has changed from a focus on unilateral regulatory verdicts to a more comprehensive process that engages all stakeholders. Consequently, there has been a distinct increase in public participation in the environmental decision-making process. While the potential benefits of public engagement are substantial […]

Incorporating the Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) into Building Integrated Photovoltaic/Thermal (BIPV/T) system has the potential to reduce building heating and cooling costs and dependence on non-renewable heating fuels. ASHPs could boost the quality and quantity of heat output of a BIPV/T system by delivering a seasonal Coefficient of Performance (COP) of between 2.0 and […]

The proposed project will survey “best-in-class” decentralized water conservation technologies and approaches such as rainwater harvesting systems and greywater recycling systems for use in single family residential dwellings in Canada. The proposed project will also survey all tools and resources provided by water conservation authorities such as CMHC to homeowners, building designers and municipalities. The […]

Combining Building Integrated Photovoltaic / Thermal (BIPV/T) system and Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) with a thermal storage potentially can increase the efficiency of the heat pump and therefore reduce cost of heating and cooling for the building. In addition, this system potentially can reduce the GHG emission. A hollow core concrete floor can be […]

While electric vehicles (EVs) are generally viewed as non-polluting and environmentally friendly, EV utilization brings other concerns such as: range anxiety, battery charging issues, cost of electricity, and network overload. Furthermore even though EVs are better for the environment in comparison with the traditional vehicles powered with internal combustion engine, they are still vehicles on […]

This research will focus on direct-formed square and rectangular hollow sections (collectively referred to as RHS hereinafter) under combined compression and bending. The effects of the novel direct-forming approach on the beam-column behaviour of RHS will be quantified via experimental testing. The beam-column testing program will include RHS with material nominal yield strengths of 350 […]

Analysis of the best performing technologies will be conducted relative to the areas of buildingintegrated energy generation and storage of such energy at the building/community scale.Relevant product and other technological literature will be collected and various areas of performancewill be used for comparison. Such metrics of performance for generation/harvesting technology willinclude (but may not be […]