There is a growing recognition of the need to establish performance targets for the airtightness of buildings either through regulations or voluntary programs. Before this occurs, further research is required to establish baseline air leakage rates and appropriate building airtightness targets (and, for specific building types/uses such as schools).

Our Research

Between 2012 and 2014, with the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and Manitoba Hydro, a total of 26 commercial buildings in Manitoba were tested.

Overall, they represented a fairly diverse sample of Manitoba’s commercial construction:

• 18 (69%) were situated in the City of Winnipeg
• They ranged in age from one to over 100 years
• Floor areas varied from 150 m²to 19,788 m² (1,615 ft² to 212,918 ft²)
• Building heights ranged from one to 16 stories

Five of the structures were owned by Manitoba Hydro who also provided financial and in-kind support for the project. The rest were occupied by a variety of private and public owners. An effort was also made to include a few buildings that were undergoing, or had recently completed, a major building envelope retrofit.

Results

• While RRC’s work in this area has greatly expanded the knowledge in this area, the number of large buildings tested is still quite small especially when compared to low-rise residential dwellings.
• The following three projects illustrate RRC’s ongoing efforts in this area through BETAC: See the final project report

Red River College’s research relationship with Manitoba Hydro has resulted in an award for innovation from Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan). The award celebrates the College’s dynamic applied research partnership with Manitoba Hydro, in which energy efficiency of buildings plays a large role.

Read more about the award

Red River College earned a bronze award for Innovation in Applied Research this week, during the closing gala of College and Institute Canada’s (CICan) annual conference in Winnipeg.
The award celebrates the College’s dynamic applied research partnership with Manitoba Hydro.
“We are pleased to be recognized for the work we have done with Manitoba Hydro, one of our most important research partners and graduate employers,” said David Rew, interim president and CEO of RRC. “What an excellent opportunity to celebrate our research achievements in sustainable technology and design.”
The College’s research collaboration with Manitoba Hydro has focused primarily on green building design and technology, and on the electrification of vehicles. Two of its most notable projects include Manitoba Hydro’s award-winning energy efficient downtown office tower and more recently, the all-electric transit bus.
“Our partnership with RRC has fostered an environment for creative integration on leading-edge technology that contributes to a more sustainable future,” said Scott Thomson, president and CEO of Manitoba Hydro. “We view our relationship with the College as an important driver for long-term change that will promote continued innovation and advancement of energy efficiency in Manitoba.”
Manitoba Hydro is now a leading proponent and private sector funder for RRC’s Centre for Building Envelop Performance, for which the College was recently awarded $1.75 million from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
Other notable projects the partnership has delivered include the parabolic solar trough project, air-leakage testing of over 20 commercial buildings in Manitoba, one of the largest plug-in hybrid electric vehicle fleet in Canada for demonstrations, testing and more.
Gold and Silver in the Innovation in Applied Research category went to colleges from Ontario: Centennial College for its Applied Research and Innovation Centre, and Algonquin College.
“Once again we were thrilled by the submissions we received for the CICan Awards of Excellence,” said Denise Amyot, CICan president and CEO. “Canada’s colleges and institutes never cease to amaze us with their innovative spirit and creativity and this year’s winners definitely embody the best that they have to offer.”
It’s the second time CICan has recognized RRC with a national award. In 2011, they honoured Ray Hoemsen, director of Applied Research & Commercialization, with their Gold Leadership Excellence award.
In the past year, Red River College’s applied research program has been recognized both nationally — with its second consecutive Top 10 research college ranking by Research Infosource — and internationally, with an International Award of Excellence for its commitment to social development from the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics.

Seated: Lloyd Schreyer, Chair, RRC Polytech Board of Governors; Gerri Charette; and Paul Charette, former CEO, Bird Construction. Standing: Christine Crowe, Interim Vice-President, Academic and Research, RRC Polytech; Freyja Arnason, Manager of Partnership Programs, Research Manitoba; David Rew, Interim RRC Polytech President; Nancy Wheatley, Dean, School of Construction and Engineering Technologies, RRC Polytech; and Ray Hoemsen, Director, Applied Research & Commercialization, RRC Polytech.

Red River College alum Paul Charette, former CEO of Bird Construction, and his wife Gerri have donated $1 million towards the establishment of a research chair for RRC’s School of Construction and Engineering Technology (SCET).
The province will provide matching funds to create the new chair position, which will be called the Paul Charette – Manitoba Applied Research Chair in Sustainable Construction.
“We are humbled by Paul and Gerri’s generous commitment and very pleased that the province has responded with matching funds,” said David Rew, interim president of RRC. “It’s an excellent show of confidence in SCET, and in our nationally recognized applied research program.”
The new position will support student learning while helping the construction industry develop innovative processes, technologies and applications to reduce costs, boost productivity and create more sustainable infrastructure. The Chair will also lead SCET’s research program.
“Being a 40-year veteran of the construction sector, it’s clear that research and innovation are lagging far behind other sectors,” said Charette. “I believe that sustainable infrastructure is what our industry really needs to move toward.”
Charette says applied research benefits not only the sector through new product innovations, but also students, by engaging them in the process and teaching them to be critical thinkers — an ability they’ll need to become advocates of change in the sector.
“We need students that will challenge their managers to do things in new ways,” he said.
Dr. Shokry Rashwan, previously the research manager with National Research Council Canada’s Centre for Computer-Assisted Construction Technologies, has been appointed to the new Chair position.
“Manitoba’s construction sector is heavily reliant upon the College for qualified – and increasingly, technology- and innovation-savvy – graduates,” said Rashwan. “I’m excited to be filling this critical role and look forward to working with both students and industry to meet the sector’s current and future needs.”
It’s an especially exciting time for construction innovation in Manitoba, with the College’s recent $1.75-million award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council to establish the Centre for Building Envelope Performance (CBEP), which is expected to significantly increase access to the College’s facilities, equipment and expertise for Manitoba’s building industry
Rashwan is now the third research chair at Red River College, joining Fred Doern (School of Transportation, Aviation and Manufacturing) and Janet Jamieson (School of Health Sciences and Community Services).
“After a decade of applied research at the College, we are pleased to be responding to the research needs of our communities with established research chairs that provide direction and leadership to their schools,” said Ray Hoemsen, Director of Applied Research & Commercialization.

Mike Myrowich initiated the CARD-funded bio-fuel project in 2010 for the purpose of reducing waste produced by the College. Since then, the project has produced approximately 1,000 litres of fuel for the College with existing equipment. In addition to the fuel it provides, the production equipment can be used as a teaching aid for students interested in the production and benefits of bio-fuel. The expected output of this project is to have as many college vehicles as possible operating on bio-fuels within the next few years.
Myrowich provides project background, information on how the fuel is produced, and how the project benefits the College, its students and the environment.
Check out the presentation!
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Claudius Soodeen | csoodeen@rrc.ca | 204.632.2147
 
 

For the testing of building construction materials, CARSI is perfectly situated in an extreme climate that provides a perfect outdoor working laboratory. Coupled with its internal laboratory capabilities, CARSI is being recognized as a leader in the testing of building materials.
Read more about the testing of building construction materials →

CARSI is a leader in the testing of building construction materials

By Joel Schlesinger
Originally published in a Special Report by Research Manitoba

Few places can compare to Winnipeg for dramatic changes in weather.

Over the course of a typical year, this city’s temperatures will swing from a frigid -30 C in winter to a blazing hot 30 C in summer.

Those wild swings from icy cold to sizzling heat combined with heavy rain and snow loads can take a toll, especially on the materials used in the construction of roads and buildings.

Which brings us to Ray Hoemsen and his colleagues at the Centre for Applied Research in Sustainable Development, also known as CARSI. The centre was conceived as a grass roots idea by the School of Construction and Engineering Technologies at Red River College.

Located on the Notre Dame Campus of Red River College, CARSI is one of places in Canada where builders can test materials for building envelopes – the outer walls of a building – to see how they hold up to the forces of Mother Nature.

To that end, the facility features a huge walk-in environmental testing chamber. Large enough for a car, the chamber has a barn-style door and is divided into two compartments, each of which can be independently controlled. On any given day, Hoemsen and his crew can turn the thermostat in either compartment down to – 40 C or up to 40 C; wall assemblies can be placed in a common wall opening and tested against temperature and humidity differentials.

Read More →

She’s devoted years to the development of a global online resource that links early childhood educators with the latest in research and knowledge.
So it’s no surprise that Red River College’s Janet Jamieson — Research Chair for the School of Health Sciences and Community Services, and the driving force behind the College’s world-renowned Science of Early Child Development (SECD) research project — has been nominated for a 2015 Women of Distinction Award.
Jamieson (shown above, at centre) was nominated in the category of Community Activism and Social Enterprise — a perfect match, given she’s been the principal researcher and lead developer on a series of projects for RRC that are grounded in the advancement of social equity, and have in turn led to the advancement of economic and environmental priorities.
The most notable of these is SECD, a knowledge mobilization initiative designed to make current research accessible to anyone interested in learning more about the profound impact of the early years on lifelong health and well-being.
First developed as a tool to help share the emerging science about early brain development and its implications for practice across sectors, SECD has grown and evolved into three online living textbooks, as well as other educational resources. Updated regularly, it brings research and concepts to life with hundreds of readings, videos, links and interactive activities. There have been many versions and modules developed to support its use with a variety of audiences throughout the world.
Colleges and universities (in Canada and elsewhere) use SECD in pre-entry, diploma, undergraduate and graduate programs as content for online and off-line courses, while government and community organizations use it for parent education workshops, staff training and professional development. Students, instructors and parent groups in 27 countries around the world use SECD.
Through a partnership with the Aga Khan Foundation, SECD is used extensively in East Africa and South Asia, reaching people in the most poverty-stricken parts of the world, and teaching them how to interact with their children to support healthy growth and development.
Jamieson herself has travelled extensively to isolated parts of Africa and Asia to deliver training modules and work with members of local communities to develop their skills at delivering SECD content. Her work has directly impacted hundreds of people in at least 22 countries, and has led to government advocacy that’s focused on investments in the early years as a way to improve economic, social and other outcomes.
And SECD represents only a fraction of Jamieson’s work. She has also led and overseen other projects in Bangladesh and Pakistan, has trained community-based workers in Sub-Saharan Africa to work with children impacted by HIV/AIDS, and has documented the leading-edge practices for health and early childhood education in Cuba, which have exceptionally high outcomes.
Jamieson has also contributed at the local level, serving on several advisory committees (among them Healthy Child Manitoba) related to early childhood development issues. She also led and managed an intervention known as the Abecedarian project, a structured, targeted approach that works with children in child care centres in Winnipeg’s lowest-income neighbourhoods, providing reading and other supports to support the successful entry of the children into the public school system.
Hosted by YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg, this year’s Women of Distinction Awards Gala takes place May 6, at the RBC Convention Centre.

WINNIPEG, MB – Red River College (RRC) has been awarded $1.75 million over 5 years from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to establish the Centre for Building Envelope Performance (CBEP) at their Notre Dame Campus in Winnipeg.
CBEP is expected to significantly increase access to the College’s facilities, equipment, and expertise for Manitoba’s building industry, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises whose products and services directly impact a building’s envelope.
The envelope can significantly impact a building’s overall construction and maintenance costs, durability, appearance, occupant comfort and health, and energy performance.
“This grant will provide a meaningful enhancement to our ability to serve Manitoba’s construction sector with advanced graduates and professional training, as well as fostering innovation in a critical component of building design and construction,” said David Rew, Interim President and CEO of Red River College.
Increased building complexity, new standards and code requirements, and increased pressure to reduce energy use are just a few of the challenges faced by Manitoba’s construction sector.
“Our partners are absolutely thrilled with the news,” said Rob Spewak, who is transitioning from senior research manager to take on management of the new Centre. “The industry is facing a seemingly perfect storm of challenges, and it consists almost entirely of small businesses which generally lack comprehensive resources to do research, testing, and training in-house.”

Check out this video! It tells the story of why CBEP is being established at Red River College.

Another significant driver for the Centre’s establishment is Manitoba’s extreme temperatures – especially its harsh winter weather; it has historically presented major challenges that have led to several notable – and costly – building failures.
“As a result, building envelope training and research was identified as the most important issue faced by our stakeholders, who along with Manitoba’s construction industry, include the Province of Manitoba and Manitoba Hydro,” said Spewak.
Manitoba Hydro is a leading industry proponent of the CBEP; its Power Smart conservation programs are currently targeting energy efficiency improvements in over 35,000 commercial enterprises in Manitoba.
“The knowledge gained from the work of the CBEP will have broad application to all sectors, including the building envelopes of residential, commercial and industrial facilities across Manitoba,” said Dale Friesen, Division Manager, Industrial and Commercial Solutions with Manitoba Hydro.

The Centre for Applied Research in Sustainable Infrastructure – established in 2007.

Liting Han, instructor and CARD-funded researcher with Electrical Engineering Technologies at Red River College highlights several of her research projects, focusing on how she included students in the process.
Check out her presentation!
Want to attend presentations like this in person? Interested in delivering a presentation yourself? Have any content suggestions? Please contact:
Claudius Soodeen | csoodeen@rrc.ca | 204.632.2147