Project contact is Étienne Marceau at Université Laval
Summary
The objective of this project is to identify the risk factors taken into account in the pricing of an insurance contract for a construction site. This project aims to synthesize the quantitative approaches used in practice and presented in academic research for the pricing of home insurance and commercial insurance. Then, we aim to identify the preventive measures that can be taken to reduce the impact of different perils in the insurance of a construction site in wood or other.
Assessing the Environmental Impacts of the Canadian Building Sector through Dynamic Life Cycle Analysis: Developing a Forward-looking Model for Greater Use of Wood Products
Project contact is Pierre Blanchet at Université Laval
Summary
Several studies indicate that using wood from sustainable forest management in building construction both maintains or increases carbon sinks in the forest, temporarily captures carbon in buildings, and substitute more emitting materials or fuels. This strategy is interesting, but it is difficult to implement from a political point of view because its real benefits are complex to evaluate. There are several methods for evaluating the GHG impacts of a product over its entire life cycle, but there is no consensus on the method to be used to assess the impacts of GHGs from biogenic carbon - the carbon contained in living or dead biomass, such as wood. Many commonly used methods rely on simplifying assumptions that do not accurately assess the benefits that could accrue from increased use of wood products under construction. This PhD project will improve a promising method to evaluate the GHG impacts of biogenic carbon. Particular attention will be paid to the uncertainties of the method so that it provides all the information necessary for informed decision-making. The expected results could confirm that greater use of wood products reduces the environmental impacts of buildings, and that current methodologies are too simplified to inform policy making.
Project contact is André Potvin at Université Laval
Summary
The biomimetic approach in architecture explores the genius of organic natural forms resulting from a long process of environmental adaptation. These forms often have a high compactness and an optimal material / volume ratio in line with the importance of reducing the material in the building to limit its environmental impact in terms of energy and resources. What are the natural forms and processes of growth of the form most appropriate to the physical properties of wood? What design process promotes the integration of a biomimetic approach from the earliest stages of design? Based on a review of the main achievements claiming this approach, this project will develop a taxonomy of the different biomimetic typologies and identify the most promising in the context of a wood realization. A digital manufacturing process will be developed to reflect the complexity of natural shapes and flows in an organic architecture that optimizes environmental performance and aesthetics.
CIRCERB (Chaire industrielle de recherche sur la construction écoresponsable en bois) has in the past mapped decision-making in public construction projects in Quebec. Using the same mapping approach, the project will highlight the steps in carrying out a timber construction project to identify hot spots where risk is important to the proponent, taking into account all stakeholders (material suppliers, general contractors, specialized contractors, etc.). In addition to presenting a broad picture of the wood construction, the project will identify the elements of the value creation chain on which optimization of business practices would be beneficial for wood construction.
Project contact is Pierre Blanchet at Université Laval
Summary
Construction standards are governed by several factors. The National Building Code dictates the minimum to meet occupant safety issues. Energy issues are imposed by the energy efficiency standards of the Novoclimat programs of Transition Energie Québec. However, some developer-builders go further and enforce voluntary environmental standards such as LEED Version 4 or the WELL standard on occupant welfare. Many of these efforts are invisible to the occupier or the buyer because they are hidden in the building assembly, envelope or structure. Over the entire life cycle of buildings, these construction details will be important to the building operator, but their initial costs will also have an impact on the choices made during construction or acquisition. The project proposes to determine the added value of these quality approaches for the consumer. The project will consider key wood building systems by comparing minimum requirements, best practices and consumer perception.
Classifications of volatile products that may pose health and comfort risks to occupants tend to be restricted by current regulations. It seems important to sample air from concrete, wood and steel buildings to measure the compounds present. Ideally, measurements at different time intervals could be considered to qualify and quantify contaminant dispersion dynamics over time. The project aims to identify a possible advantage of wood construction in the face of air quality, to identify the main contaminants (quantity and toxicity) and to propose sampling and measurement techniques adapted to the building environment.
Structural engineered woods require the use of previously evaluated structural adhesives in accordance with a variety of standard methods (ASTM D2559, ASTM D7247, CSA O112.9, CSA O112.10, CSA O177, etc.). The basic assumption is that a bonded engineered wood product will have a performance equivalent to, or better than, the non-bonded product it replaces, regardless of the conditions of use (dry, wet, fire, etc.). Nevertheless, the results of cross-laminated wood (CLT) fire tests have shown that the requirements currently imposed on adhesives do not allow to limit lamellae detachment when CLT is exposed to fire. Traditionally, this behavior is not observed for glulam. It is essential to review the classification and performance criteria imposed on adhesives by submitting them to the various tests currently standardized. The analysis of the results may also be used to develop a new test method for adhesives exposed to high temperatures, depending on the anticipated use of the engineered wood product.
Project contact is Pierre Blanchet at Université Laval
Summary
The use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) models is not yet standardized. This situation limits the scope of the tool and this is particularly the case for systems not defined in the libraries of major BIM software. This results in a loss of productivity because each stakeholder will redefine materials and/or systems to a level of information corresponding to his own needs. This project aims, with the help of a research professional, to develop a BIM library that can contain the main information related to materials and systems to fully cover the needs of all users of the BIM model. This library will be made available to the public and will facilitate the use of wood systems by stakeholders.
Project contact is Pierre Blanchet at Université Laval
Summary
It is reasonable to believe that a second generation of structural products will appear, bringing new properties and promoting the use of biobased materials in the construction of tall buildings. Among the possible development options, Corruven's Vcore and H-core products could offer second-generation material developments. The proposed project will be a product design project. A specification will be established and it will identify possible properties in the CLT structural multilayer product. Prototypes will be produced and tested to characterize them. An environmental characterization under development of the products will also be realized by applying the streamlined LCA method as proposed by Heidari et al. (2017). The optimized product will be fully characterized according to the application potential in the building (mechanical, fire, acoustic).
Project contact is Luca Sorelli at Université Laval
Summary
Hybrid wood-concrete structures are emerging in the multi-storey wood building market, as they provide effective solutions in terms of lightness, rigidity, vibration and fire resistance (Yeoh et al., 2010, Dagenais et al., 2016). This project aims to reduce the cost of these hybrid floors by reducing the time of construction by prefabrication technology with emphasis on use. In addition, the goal is to explore the use of Ultra High Performance Fiber Composite Concrete (UHPC) to reduce the thickness of the wood slab, and also the use of ductile connections to increase the reliability of the floor (Habel and Gauvreau). 2008, Zhang and Gauvreau 2014, Auclair-Cuerrier et al 2016a). Finally, the concrete slab improves the diaphragm behavior of the floor to seismic actions.
