Wave uprush and the potential for flooding are natural hazards that must be determined by the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority (CRCA) prior to the approval of a near-shore development. The purpose of calculating wave uprush is to recommend building sites that are outside of the wave uprush area (and floodplain in general) to land owners […]

Low impact development (LID) technologies are increasingly part of the urban landscape for Canadian municipalities. Bioretention planters, also known as rain gardens, are an LID technology that infiltrates and filters runoff at the source. Though design guidance exists, there is little data available on the long term performance of LID technologies, such as bioretention systems. […]

Modern roundabouts have become a subject of great interest and attention over the last few years. Compared to regular signalized intersections, roundabouts have the potential to reduce vehicular delay & emissions and increase safety. The objectives of this study is to conduct an in depth analysis to examine the short and long term benefits of […]

In order to understand the movement of water in all its three phases on, under, and above the ground, scientists known as hydrologists use computer models. These models simulate the volume of water that runs through river in response to the amount of rainfall that has reached the ground during a specific time period. Hydrologists […]

Many office and institutional buildings use concrete masonry walls as their loadbearing elements. They are required to withstand loads coming from their roof structures and also caused by wind and seismic events. This research project will determine the suitability of such masonry walls when subjected to these loads. Further, this project will research to improve […]

Foamed concrete is a low-density product, created by blending a cement paste with a foaming agent. The foam is stable during the set-up of the concrete, resulting in fine, evenly distributed voids within the concrete matrix. In addition to its low density, properties of foam concrete include pumpability as a fresh concrete mix; and sound […]

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 […]

Safe drinking water supply is a daily need but it can be seriously threatened by microbial hazards originating from fecal contamination of source water, especially following periods of intense rainfall. In order to assess drinking water intakes (DWIs) vulnerability to fecal pollution and to take cost-effective decisions in case of hazardous events, it is urgent […]

Canada possesses vast resources of heavy oil, which is oil that is too thick to flow through porous sandstone reservoirs and into production wells at economic rates when conventional operating practices are used. Since the mid 1980’s, heavy oil operators have demonstrated their ability to increase heavy oil production rates by encouraging the creation of […]

Several studies have shown that water levels of the Great Lakes would inevitably decline in a warmer climate. These studies were based on a modeling system that was not accounting for two-way exchanges of water and energy between the atmosphere and the earth surface, hence excluding key feedback mechanisms. The general objective of this project […]

Mitigating the corrosion of reinforcement in RC structures is a critical issue for Canada’s civil infrastructure, especially with the continual use of deicing salts during winter. This pilot study will provide crucial information on the functional range of resistivity of repair materials/concretes and anode spacing, which will optimize the efficiency of an economical technology (zinc […]

Onsite Domestic Wastewater Treatment and Reuse is emerging as a potential solution to the water shortages, eroding distribution infrastructure, and energy intensive treatment processes that are a fixture of the modern city. However, existing onsite treatment technologies fail to compactly treat water to a high enough quality for urban reuse without increasing per capita treatment […]