In the 1990’s, thousands of British Columbians awoke to the reality of a billion dollars in damage to their newly constructed homes. Damage was caused by rainwater that had penetrated the building envelope, leading to increased health risks, energy use, and a waste of unrecyclable building materials. The Building Science Centre of Excellence (BSCE) at BCIT has been established to build a regional research facility in the area of building performance. A regional interest in rain penetration has combined with national and international partnerships to focus the initial infrastructure development and research activities on themes related to building envelopes and rain control.

For information, contact Dr. Fitsum Tariku.

Research in the Civil Engineering department varies from short-term applied research projects to multi-year funded grant programs. Following are examples of the most recent research projects currently ongoing or completed.

• Civil Engineering Research Projects [PDF]
  Note: This document is current as of Jan 2021.

For information, contact Sudip Talukdar.

Dr. Eric Saczuk, Geomatics instructor and Director of BCIT RPAS Hub, participated in Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS, or drones) research activities and student projects in collaboration with several Schools and departments at BCIT. Featured projects include climate change research in Antarctica, aircraft inspections using RPAS and AI, and more. Visit the RPAS Hub to learn more about these exciting research and projects, and read this featured story about how Eric uses drones to study climate change in Norway.

Applied research in the area of Geographic Information System Technology (GIS) is focused on the development of Open GIS solutions. Current work concentrates on Indoor GIS location and routing problems. Another initiative will examine a GIS ‘wiki-web’ concept that allows GIS data updates by the general internet community. One of the ongoing projects is developing a prototype wireless GIS service named GeoRanger that delivers location-based information to cell-phone or PDA mobile users whose exact indoor location is obtained using RFID.

The Centre for Energy Systems Applications (CESA) at BCIT has a mandate to develop, coordinate and support polytechnic training and education in integrated energy systems applications. This includes demand side management and renewable energy technologies. CESA will conduct applied research to transfer emerging technology in an integrated system approach and will consider conservation techniques, renewable (photovoltaics, micro-hydro, biomass, etc.), alternative and emerging energy systems (hydrogen, geoexchange, etc.) as they relate to integrated building design and construction, waste management, climate change, and overall global energy sustainability. Applied research at CESA will focus on applications to the built and natural environments, standards and best practices, efficiencies and conservation.

CESA’s interest and emerging areas of curriculum development and applied research is in energy systems that minimize impacts on the natural environment and consumption of non-renewable resources. Examples include demand side management, wind, micro-hydro, PV, passive solar, biomass, geo-exchange, waste-to-energy and alternative fuels such as hydrogen.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development has identified that a factor four to factor ten reduction in energy and materials throughput in the global economy is needed. This represents a 75 to 90% reduction from business as usual. The built environment accounts for 30% of global energy consumption and 40% of materials. How we design, build, and maintain our cities will have a profound effect on global sustainability.

The School of Construction and the Environment is leading the Factor Four Initiative in the buildings it occupies on BCIT Burnaby Campus (NE1 – NE8). The purpose is to explore whether a factor four reduction in energy and materials consumption can be achieved without compromising service levels. Our aim is to adaptively restructure the built environment to create an ecocity fractal.

“Green roofs” refer to specialized roofing systems that support vegetation growth on rooftops. This vegetative roof system provides many environmental and economic benefits characteristic of sustainable building principles. Green roofs help decrease the urban “heat island” effect, decrease energy use, and detain stormwater. With growing awareness of environmental preservation in the design and construction sector, and the Federal government’s commitment to the Kyoto Accord and addressing climate change, a green roof industry is emerging in Canada. The interest in green roof technology is particularly strong in British Columbia due to its favourable climate and regional government environmental commitments.

In 2003, the Centre for the Advancement of Green Roof Technology (CAGRT), now renamed the Centre for Architectural Ecology, was established at BCIT. The Centre’s principal functions are to develop the regional infrastructure network; to inventory performance of green roofs; develop a system performance evaluation module; provide a testing and verification facility for the local green roof industry; and improve public awareness of the technology through education and demonstration.

The BCIT Canadian Housing & Construction Centre works in cooperation with government and industry partners to assist in the development and demonstration of new technologies and/or the adaptation of existing technologies, and to provide support for the transfer of these technologies, expertise and capability both locally and internationally. As an example, AFRESH Home is a housing demonstration project located on BCIT’s Burnaby Campus that showcases some of the most innovative yet practical ideas in sustainable housing, including energy conservation, environmental impact management, occupant health, comfort and productivity, functionality, longevity and ability, quality assurance and commissioning, and life cycle analysis.