Completed research
Laboratoire de collaboration assistée par ordinateur en conception (Coacoc)
This laboratory provides the necessary infrastructure to examine, develop and assess tools and innovative methodologies for collaborating among design professionals. As part of its partnership with Hugues Rivard, who, at the time, was Canada Research Chair in computer-aided engineering for designing sustainable buildings, the CSD team was the first to use these research infrastructures. Ph.D. student Karine Savaria studied one aspect of this experience. Design sessions were filmed in their entirety for the purpose of future research.
Control point framework for environmental audits
Clients must play a key role in planning and designing sustainable construction. However, they do not have the skills to fulfill this role. This research proposes to create a model to help clients manage their project teams. It also recommends the development of new professional expertise, the environmental auditor, to help clients with the environmental planning and monitoring of the project.
This project was carried out by Daniel Forgues, who was pursuing a Ph.D. in Building Design at Salford University, United Kingdom.
Improvement of integrated design practices
The training of construction professionals is based on a code of practice and a body of knowledge that do not correspond with new integrated design requirements. However, professionals have very few means to develop these new skills. This research aims to identify new integrated design knowledge and skill requirements and to develop and test innovative training methods on site.
Daniel Forgues’ doctoral study
The Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD) as a model for teaching and developing sustainable
construction knowledge and practices.
This research team examined several documents that were used or will be used to build the Centre for Sustainable Development (such as its plans and specifications, functional program and budget estimate data) in order to prepare the project’s BIM (Building Information Modeling), which will be used to test and teach a wide range of innovative computer programs.
Project carried out at the École de technologie supérieure by Daniel Forgues (Ph.D. Integrated Design) and Ivanka Iordanova (Ph.D. Environmental Design).
Research under way
Graduate students’ research projects:
Master’s
- Nathan Curry. Converting food waste into energy in an urban context. Electrical engineering, Concordia. Under the supervision of Pragasen Pillay, Ph.D.
- Geothermic systems using thermal banks with phase change materials. École polytechique. Under the supervision of Michel Bernier Ph.D.
Ph.D.
- Charles Thibodeau: Environmental and economic assessment of alternative management systems for organic matter and wastewater. Construction engineering, ÉTS. Under the supervision of Hugues Rivard, Ph.D.
- Arbi Gharakhani Siraki: Integrating renewable energy sources in an urban context. Electrical engineering, Concordia. Under the supervision of Pragasen Pillay, Ph.D.
Assessing the environmental impact of moving the business activities of eight organizations into
the Centre for Sustainable Development
This research, carried out by Équiterre’s sustainable development consulting service, aims to quantitatively assess the impact of the business activities of members of the Centre for Sustainable Development before and after moving into an ultra-ecological building. The hypothesis assumes that certain characteristics of the new building will significantly reduce the impact of work on humans and the environment. The following indicators will be evaluated: generation of ultimate wastes, energy consumption, transportation emissions and worker productivity.
Equipment and arrangements to facilitate research
Like most buildings that are highly energy efficient, the Centre for Sustainable Development will have a sophisticated tracking and control system. In addition, the project’s LEED certification will also require implementing additional equipment to obtain the "control and audit” point. Lastly, the setting up of an interpretation centre with real-time data on the building’s performance will require the addition of various measuring devices, which are very rarely found even in modern buildings. Together, these characteristics will make the Centre for Sustainable Development a truly futuristic building laboratory.
As it has done in the past, the Centre for Sustainable Development will continue in the future to "lend" its project for research and educational activities.
