$1M for research into construction design for urban environments

Ottawa, ON – The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is providing $1 million in funding to Dr Paul Gauvreau, associate professor of civil engineering at the University of Toronto. The funding is to support development of new structures and for exploring the uses of new materials for urban construction and improving the design training of engineers at the university level.

A new NSERC chair in design engineering for the urban environment will also be created. The Toronto area will serve as a source of design opportunities for Dr Gauvreau, the chairholder, who will work in partnership with a number of local construction companies. The industrial partners include Brown and Co Engineering, Delcan, Halsall Associates, Invar Building, Morrison Hershfield, Schaeffers & Associates Consulting Engineering, Stantec Consulting, and Rand Worldwide.

“Dr Gauvreau is particularly recognized for his development of new structural systems for bridges that make effective use of new materials such as high-performance concrete,” says Dr Suzanne Fortier, president of NSERC. “His many years of experience in the construction industry as well as in academia make him an ideal candidate to meet the design, engineering and training demands of this chair.”