CIVIL ENGINEERING
BUCKET INC: INNOVATIVE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT IN THE CITY OF RICHMOND HILL, MILL POND
Although not formally designed for stormwater, Mill Pond, one of six destination parks in Richmond Hill, Ontario, acts as a pseudo-online stormwater pond providing stormwater management functions for a drainage area of over 600 ha. BuCKeT is proposing a design to rehabilitate and convert Mill Pond offline with low flow bypass to allow for fish passage, thermal mitigation, and low impact development measures. A sediment management plan for the 24,000 m3 of accumulated sediment will also be developed. (WEAO Student Design Competition 2020)
Team Members: Nathan Katerberg, Audrey Tam, Patrick Beaulieu, Peter Chen
TRILLION CONSULTING INC: TRAFFIC INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT OF UNIVERSITY PLAZA AND SURROUNDING AREA
University Plaza is currently suffering from unsafe conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles, and inefficient traffic operation along University Avenue. Trillion Consulting Inc. will provide a new plaza layout design includes new land arrangement, driveway design, pedestrian facilities, and landscape to obtain a safe, walkable, and efficient traffic environment in the plaza. Along University Avenue, a traffic signal coordination plan will be proposed to improve the level of service and solve traffic issues caused by frequent LRT road closures.
Team Members: Yibo Wang, Yitao Hou, Xianzhe Luo
C3 EAGLE INC: FLOOD MITIGATION FOR VILLE DE GATINEAU
District de Pointe-Gatineau, located at the junction of the Ottawa and Gatineau River, has incurred significant property and infrastructure damages from the 2017 and 2019 spring flood events. Eagle Inc. has been retained to prepare a comprehensive flood mitigation strategy for the City of Gatineau. The innovative design approach will combat flooding issues through a combination of both structural and policy strategies. The proposed plan aims to achieve four main objectives: public protection, minimizing damage to infrastructure, restoration of economic activities, and environmental sustainability.
Team Members: Nayan Maan, Tina Chen, Sehrish Ahmad, Haris Bhatti
ARTEMIS CROSSING: HIGHWAY 401 WILDLIFE OVERPASS
Due to the high cost of wildlife - vehicle collisions, Artemis Crossing is designing an overpass to mitigate the problem where Highway 401 intersects the Algonquin to Adirondacks wildlife corridor. The overpass will utilize a timber design and hyperbolic geometry to limit impact on the existing environment, be cost effective, aesthetically pleasing, attractive to wildlife, and create a safer highway. Constraints that influenced the design include the limited construction window and the need to keeping Highway 401 operational. It draws inspiration from existing wildlife crossings.
Team Members: Susan (Jiawen) Yu, Rica (Yu) Chen, Elizabeth Ho, Selena Ma
UNLIMITED DISRUPTION LTD. (UDL): HYPERLOOP HIGHWAY CROSSING
Based on a proposal from Transport Canada for a Hyperloop system in the Toronto to Montreal corridor, UDL identified the need for a highway crossing system to implement the Hyperloop with existing infrastructure. Due to the high levels of cyclic loading, specific attention was paid to the design of shear connectors, and the entire precast concrete structure was modelled dynamically after initial design was complete. Finally, a construction staging plan to limit infrastructure disruption as well as a smart structural monitoring system was developed.
Team Members: Hayden Wong, Patrick Aquino, Spencer Arbuckle, Max Midwinter
CLEARSTONE CONSULTANTS: SUSTAINABLE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT AND SITE DEVELOPMENT
Conventional developments use traditional stormwater management techniques, such as underground storage tanks or stormwater management ponds, when proposing quantity and quality control. These methods focus on retaining and releasing stormwater at the lowest cost without considering alternative approaches that help normalize hydrologic cycles. Clearstone Consultants’ goal is to implement low-impact development techniques to reduce the impact of peak flows on the municipal storm sewer system. The stormwater design and cost estimate will be completed using future-year rainfall data that considers the effects of climate change.
Team Members: Zoltan Mucsi, Jordan Dancer, Ben Frehner, Samuel Breen
POLARHÖM: EXTENDABLE HOUSING IN NORTHERN CANADA
In response to the ongoing housing crisis in Canada’s Northern Territories, PolarHöm has designed an extendable housing system that addresses several infrastructural issues through sound structural and building enclosure detailing. The extended housing concept entails the design of two separate “primary” and “secondary” housing units which can be easily connected to meet the occupancy needs of each individual family. Poor indoor air quality, moisture control, mould growth, lack of sufficient heating and overcrowding are among the problems this project aims to address.
Team Members: Jordan Armstrong, Jenny Pershina, Vinay Rao
BIG BALLER BRIDGES: WALTER BEAN GRAND RIVER TRAIL COMMUNITY CONNECTION
The City of Kitchener and the Walter Bean Community Trails Foundation have identified a need to provide a link across the Grand River to connect the Deer Ridge and Doon communities, and to improve trail network connectivity between the Walter Bean Grand River Trail and the Trans Canada Trail. In interest of the notable heritage surrounding the Grand River, Baller Bridges has been retained to design an aesthetically pleasing pedestrian bridge that enhances the Grand River experience. The proposed bridge features timber, steel and concrete elements.
Team Members: Braden Ongena, Sarah Freeman, Natalie Biesinger, Chad Kernighan
STATION: ANALYSIS AND DESIGN OF GRT’S LRT/BUS TRANSFER POINTS
With the introduction of the ION, Grand River Transit (GRT) modified its bus routes to redistribute services that were replaced by the ION. However, GRT saw an increase in ridership and a decrease in bus reliability. STATION was retained to analyze the transportation network around major transfers points, namely the University of Waterloo Station. Using automatic vehicle location data, STATION identified problem intersections and designed queue jump lanes in conjunction with transit signal priority to improve the service and reliability for busses.
Team Members: Kenny Sun, Kai (Henry) Yang, Chang (Daniel) Zhou, Benedict Ho
FLEX WAY CONSULTING: GEOMETRIC INTERSECTION OPTIMIZATION AT HESPELER RD. AND BISHOP ST.
Congestion is a serious and costly problem. The addition of Phase II ION LRT trains along Hespeler Rd. in Cambridge is anticipated to worsen already congested traffic conditions. Flex Way Consulting will investigate new intersection geometries that could be implemented during ION Phase II construction, to improve traffic conditions at Hespeler Rd. and Bishop St. Flex Way Consulting will recommend the best geometric layout for the intersection, and design a site plan layout, cross-section drawings, and signal timing plan for the recommended intersection.
Team Members: Chris Yung, Hannah Lee, Joshua Lee
TREEHOUSE CONSULTING INC: TIMBER LATERAL LOAD RESISTING SYSTEM FOR A TWELVE STOREY HOTEL
Downtown Vancouver space is getting scarcer and the demand for short-term accommodation is rising quickly. Multiple high-rise buildings in the city use traditional civil materials for construction. As such, Treehouse Consulting is set to design a sustainable, cost efficient, constructible, and seismic resilient hotel that not only tourists, but locals will appreciate as well. A twelve storey hotel that mimics a student apartment style will be designed using timber as the main material.
Team Members: Kim Tan, Alice Tran, Paris Zhang, Brandon Doak
UPCYCLE INCORPORATED: ADAPTIVE REUSE OF BICYCLE FRAMES AS MODULAR CONSTRUCTION UNITS
While cycling is typically accepted as a sustainable mode of transportation, the industry’s rapid growth has also brought about a higher volume of bicycle waste. To address the issue in a sustainable matter, upCYCLE proposed a modular construction unit design that reuses the frames of discarded bicycles as load-bearing elements. The inherent geometry and structural capacity of the frames are utilized to form structural trusses within the unit. The units can be deployed in the construction of small-scale structures, such as bus shelters.
Team Members: Hannah Bregman, Shuxian Nian, Tina Pham, Daeun Yoon
THE GREEN PEAS: GRAND RIVER HOSPITAL PARKING AND FRONT ENTRANCE AREA RE-DESIGN
The Grand River Hospital is experiencing issues regarding congestion in their front driveway and a lack of parking. The Green Peas (TGP) aim to find a solution to these problems while promoting patient mental health and well-being through a creative use of landscaping and greenspace features. Due to spatial constraints, TGP look to nearby surface lots as a potential area for development of a parking structure. The final deliverable will include details on the financing agreement required to make such a collaboration work.
Team Members: Gabriel Bustos, Sanduni Senarath, Tyler Bowie, Maxime Cléroux
STAX ON STACKS: PASSIVE HOUSE CERTIFIED STACKABLE MODULAR HOUSING
The process of replacing aging single-detached homes in suburban areas is time-consuming and lacks alternatives for sustainable construction. Replacements typically meet the minimum sustainability standards and do not satisfy long-term housing demands. To combat this, Stax on Stacks has designed a prefabricated, multi-unit housing solution that will minimize on-site construction time and can expand with growing suburban residential demands. The design also meets the requirements for Passive House certification; a higher standard in energy-efficient construction that addresses the demands of the future built environment.
Team Members: Robert Davis, Marlene Marzook, Aurora Moreno-Bautista, Zach von Massow
AIGO LTD: UNIVERSITY AVENUE WEST CORRIDOR COORDINATION
In recent years, the University Avenue West transit corridor in Waterloo, Ontario has undergone rapid redevelopment and signal upgrades. However, these developments have occurred independently, and as such, there exists little interconnection between the signalized intersections. AIGO Ltd. has been retained by the Municipality of Waterloo to create a coordinated traffic solution to enhance vehicular and pedestrian travelling conditions and reduce negative environmental effects from the intersection at University Avenue West at Seagram Drive to the intersection at King Street North.
Team Members: Evan Hong, Tori Kim, Sophia Hong, Luke Chang
BLUE HOUSE CONSULTING: J. R. COUTTS ENGINEERING LECTURE HALL 4TH FLOOR ADDITION
Blue House Consulting has identified the need to expand the available lecture and study facilities at the University of Waterloo in order to accommodate expected growth in admissions. J. R. Coutts Engineering Lecture Hall was selected as the preferred candidate for expansion and will be retrofitted with an additional floor. The planned construction aims to meet the needs of students, maintain the surrounding green space, and provide the University with an economic yet aesthetically pleasing structure.
Team Members: Yu Chen, Markiyan Kolesnyk, Wenlang Yang, Samuel Sherlock
PAVEMENT AGBW INC: INGRAHAM TRAIL DESIGN WITH PERMAFROST PROTECTION
Permafrost describes the ground that remains below 0°C for more than two consecutive years. The Northwest Territories is a typical region in Canada that is mostly covered by permafrost. For the past decades, global warming has caused severe permafrost disturbance on northern infrastructure. The permafrost within Ingraham Trail in Yellowknife is currently suffering from serious freeze-thaw problems. Pavement AGBW Inc. will propose innovative permafrost protection technologies for Ingraham Trail, along with a reliable pavement structure design and roadway design.
Team Members: Shuqing Liu, Danrong Wang, Jiahui Ke, Mingyue Wang
WICKEDLY WITTY DESIGN: ENERGY-EFFICIENT DECENTRALIZED WOOD-FRAME RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS IN MARINE CLIMATE ZONES IN NORTH AMERICA
Wickedly Witty Design is committed to developing a sustainable and affordable means of reducing the increasing demand on natural resources as well as decreasing quality of life in major urban centres. Starting with the Metro-Vancouver area, our solution involves constructing energy-efficient homes on otherwise unusable land, which will be accomplished through our unique partially cantilevered dwelling design. Through this, our aim is to provide the citizens of Vancouver with a sustainable and affordable housing option that will provide environmental security well into the future.
Team Members: Mason White, Aleksandra Kecman, Vienna Evans, Jared Bobor
ON TRACK TO GRADUATE: RUTHERFORD GO STATION GRADE SEPARATION
With a steadily increasing population throughout the past decade, York Region has planned to invest in the expansion of Rutherford Road and the Barrie GO rail corridor in support of projected future commuter volumes within the municipality. Due to the extensive upgrade, the existing at-grade crossing between the two transportation networks will no longer function adequately and efficiently. To mitigate traffic and safety issues, the team has proposed to implement a grade separation through the design of a rail bridge superstructure and its construction phasing.
Team Members: Eric Merchant, Linglin Xu, Anthony Curci, Angus Wan
BAKH SOLUTION: RENOVATION OF AN EXISTING INDUSTRIAL BUILDING
In order to renovate an existing industrial building into a profitable office space, BAKH Solutions has been being hired as a structural firm to determine the maximum number of floors that could be added to the existing building without the need of any reinforcements for new vertical loads. The scope of work involves an efficient framing design for the additional floors while still meeting our client`s economic and aesthetic needs, and a lateral system design to serve as an elevator core for improved serviceability.
Team Members: Kishlaye Rampul, Armin Sariri, Ben Saunders, Hannah To
NE+: ENGINEERING II BUILDING RENOVATION
Opening in 1962, Engineering II (E2) is one of the oldest building on the campus of the University of Waterloo. There has been no major renovation on record and the building is not considered to be energy efficient by modern building codes and standards, or by the sustainability initiatives set by Plant Operations. The purpose of this project is to reduce the net energy use of the office wing of E2 and achieve, or be close to, Net Zero Energy (NZE).
Team Members: Justin Joo, Ali Ali, Hillary Thorpe, Nudrad Bhuiyan, Steven Liu
TRANSRAD CONSULTING: ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN FOR UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
The Region of Waterloo is moving towards implementing infrastructure to improve the safety of active transportation users. The University of Waterloo is a major attraction and needs appropriate infrastructure to adhere to safety standards being set by the Region. TRANSRAD Consulting aims to achieve this by implementing an active transportation master plan that improves the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and other active transportation users while simultaneously increasing connectivity and efficiency throughout the campus.
Team Members: Simran Patel, Dan Lim, Rudi Rendel, Andy Han
ONE BY ONE CONSULTANTS: WASTE MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES AT THE CITY OF LONDON
The City of London’s only landfill is approaching its maximum capacity and is projected to reach that capacity within the next 8 years. Furthermore, the province of Ontario has set a goal to reach a 60% diversion rate. One By One Consultants’ objective is to design a solid waste management system that will meet these requirements utilizing a combination of emerging technologies. The solution will decrease greenhouse gas emissions and maximize the quantity of waste diverted from landfill.
Team Members: Drew Barlow, Austin Pay, Cedric Ramos, Raoof Al-Hadeethi
FUTURISTIC BUILDING INSULATORS: ADVANCED INSULATION FOR WINDOW WALLS
Futuristic Building Insulators was retained by the Condominium Authority of Ontario to investigate consumer-end solutions to remedy indoor thermal performance issues related to window wall installations. Project "Advanced Insulation for Window Walls" was thus started with the aim of improving the thermal insulation and solar radiation control capabilities of existing window walls. The project would result in an affordable and user-friendly device to complement existing window wall systems.
Team Members: Zhongshu Yan, Carmen Che, Rehan Javaid, Remy Popov
BUILD-ER: RESTORATION OF PERMANENT HOUSING IN SULAWESI AFTER 2018 EARTHQUAKE & FLOODING
Thousands of infrastructure on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi collapsed after the sinister collaboration of a 7.0-7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2018. In response to the emergency call for the reconstruction of the fallen homes, Build-ER Inc. initiated the "Restoration of Permanent Housing" project with the set goal of designing a quick-to-construct, earthquake resistant and improved housing solution targeted towards single family occupancy. In addition to the improved strengths, the design incorporates features suited to the culture and climate of the local island inhabitants.
Team Members: Tina (Yiwen) Wu, Suri (Huan) Zhu, Debbie Fan, Shelley Yang
H2NO: FLOOD-PROOF HOUSING FOR KASHECHEWAN FIRST NATIONS
H2NO Consulting’s goal is to eliminate the negative effects of ice jam induced flooding experienced by the Kashechewan community since 1976. Located in northern Ontario, the Kashechewan First Nations have been evacuated seven times in the last decade due to flood emergencies. H2NO Consulting aims to design a flood protection system that attaches to a prefabricated house. In the event of a flood the system will allow the house to become buoyant and ultimately protect it against damage.
Team Members: Rachel McMullan, Samantha Chum, Varun Panchal, Sharon Emmanuel
EXSPAN: DESIGN SOLUTIONS FOR THE ROYAL ALEXANDRA BRIDGE
As part of a structural rehabilitation program and heritage conservation assessment surrounding the Alexandra Bridge between Gatineau and Ottawa, ExSpan has been hired to design a secondary companion bridge alongside the Alexandra Bridge. The companion bridge is aimed to serve as a complement while alleviating traffic concerns, future maintenance costs, and holistic heritage and cultural values.
Team Members: Christophe Chan Sing, Kington Chu, An Su Hyun, Henny Duong
HARK CONSTRUCTION: TEMPORARY MODULAR HOUSE DEVELOPMENT FOR DHARAVI SLUMS
Dharavi, located in Mumbai, India, is one of the largest slum settlements in the world. Housing over 600,000 residents and containing roughly 50,000 homeless individuals, many structures in Dharavi are structurally inadequate due to severe monsoon and cyclonic wind attacks. HARK Construction is focused on providing a temporary, foldable yet structurally sound, 1-storey modular home that meet the structural requirements of Dharavi. The design will be such that the construction process does not require an experienced crew or heavy machinery.
Team Members: Khawaja Ramiz Siddiqi, Athmha Krishnasamy , Keyan Ahmadi, Hussein Matar
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
TEAM 2°C: REDUCING DIRECT GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM CEMENT MANUFACTURING
Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are a global environmental concern, with many studies tracing post-industrial increases in radiative forcing to human activities. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a primary GHG in the Earth’s atmosphere. Among the industrial sector, the cement industry accounts for nearly 5% of total CO2 emissions. Team 2°C aims to provide a GHG emission reduction strategy for Canadian cement manufacturing plants. This will be achieved by integrating alternative fuels into the calcination process, minimizing social and environmental disturbances at the lowest cost.
Team Members: Lindsay Chen, Vera Li, Nicholas Wong, Martin Yeung
ABERDEEN ASSOCIATES: BLACK CREEK FLOOD MANAGEMENT
Overland flooding has become a problem of great concern within urbanized areas over the past decade. With the increased high-volume precipitation events, due to climate change, this problem will continue to be of interest. A concrete-lined section of the Black Creek frequently causes major flooding issues for the residential and commercial properties during precipitation events. Aberdeen Associates aims to minimize the flooding by retrofitting the area with Low Impact Development technologies.
Team Members: Harjot Budwal, Rowan Kennedy, Melissa Haw, Daniela Uhlenbruck
ALBATROSS LTD: TIDAL POWER PLANT IN NOVA SCOTIA
For the past centuries, we have consumed an enormous amount of fossil fuels to boost our civilizations into a period of unparalleled prosperity. But the environmental cost was also significant. Albatross Ltd aims to reduce the dependency of fossil fuels and GHG emission in Nova Scotia by designing a power plant using other energy sources. Nova Scotia is endowed with unique advantage in tidal energy. We designed a tidal power plant to replace a traditional fossil fuel power plant to accomplish our goal.
Team Members: Serena Shen, Jiyuan Zheng, Jiayu Cheng, Daphne Chen
BALANCE LTD: SCHNEIDER CREEK FLOOD AND EROSION CONTROL AT WATERSHED SCALE
In Kitchener, Ontario, Schneider Creek has experienced severe channel degradation in recent years due to the urbanization process. The City of Kitchener has addressed concerns related to flood and erosion issues in the creek. Balance Ltd. proposed to identify the problem at a watershed scale and provide integrated solutions. A spatial analysis program was used to locate the sections that are most prone to erosion and flood. Innovative solutions such as in-stream sediment supply and stormwater management were developed and implemented.
Team Members: Jessica Deng, Vicky Huang, Max Li, Yolanda Fang
BASA: DUNDALK WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY UPGRADES
In this project, BASA provides a design for Dundalk ON's wastewater treatment facility that addresses its difficulty meeting regulated effluent quality parameters. The problem was identified in the underperformance of the aerobic lagoons and the tertiary filtration system during the annual hydraulic influx of spring meltwater. BASA reviewed environmental and social impacts, as well as future climate and population conditions for Dundalk. This design replaces the 4th lagoon cell with a constructed wetland and increases filter media depth, reducing effluent CBOD, ammonia, and TSS respectively.
Team Members: Abby Wright, Sophia Malatches, Awab Osman, Brigita Gubins
CANNAMETRIC SOLUTIONS: CANNABIS WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR A CANADIAN LICENSED PRODUCER
Since the 2018 recreational cannabis legalization in Canada, the cannabis industry has expanded substantially. The quantity of organic waste from cannabis cultivators will continue to increase with consumer demand. Currently, there are minimal on-site waste management options for cultivators due to strict regulations surrounding cannabis waste. Cannametric Solutions designed a waste management strategy utilizing anaerobic digestion, a method that recovers value through the production of methane for energy recovery and a solid and liquid stream for nutrient recovery.
Team Members: Lucas Chiarello, Melanie Hehn, Callum Heggart, Benjamin Beelen
ECOBUILD: SUSTAINABLE DESIGN OF AN URBAN MULTI-UNIT RESIDENTIAL BUILDING
Residential energy use in Canada makes up a third of all energy use, where most energy generation sources have harmful biproducts, such as contributing to greenhouse gases. Ecobuild is focused on creating a multi-unit residential design which reduces the amount of energy used in residences by using efficient technologies while generating energy to supplement the energy used for operation through renewable energy sources.
Team Members: Kevin Kim, Daniela Rodelo Sanchez, Jayesh Boily, Bryn Cummings
GLOBEX CORPORATION: ON-SITE LEACHATE TREATMENT AT THE TWIN CREEKS LANDFILL, WATFORD, ONTARIO
Project Description: The Twin Creeks Landfill in Watford, Ontario has attempted to mitigate the cost of exporting landfill leachate off-site for treatment by constructing an on-site leachate phytoremediation system through the irrigation of poplar trees. However, this system has never reached its designed annual leachate treatment capacity. Globex aims to implement an innovative design in a proposed expansion cell so that this maximum annual design capacity may be reached.
Team Members: Reaves Christie, Anthony Vanderheyden, Chris Koop, Max McDonald
HH CONSULTING : ADDRESSING SEDIMENT TRANSPORT THROUGH TOBIN LAKE, SASKATCHEWAN
The Saskatchewan River Delta is the largest inland river delta in North America, providing a wide variety of beneficial ecosystem services. The construction of E.B. Campbell Dam, François Finlay Dam and the artificial reservoir Tobin Lake has caused significant sediment trapping, leaving the delta starved of nutrient-rich sediment for decades. HH Consulting has designed an innovative solution involving a series of bypass channels with a preferential sediment collection zone to move a significant quantity of sediment past the dams to help rehabilitate the Delta’s ecosystem.
Team Members: Joëlle Dumouchel, Aleksandar Jakovljevic, Julie Taylor, Stella Kim
HYDRONEERS: PROJECT TITLE: MAXIMIZING ENERGY PRODUCTION AT A HYDROELECTRIC GENERATING STATION
Currently, a hydroelectric generation station does not have an optimal release strategy to produce electricity while maintaining water levels in the reservoir. The optimal release strategy will maximize energy production for a generation station by incorporating an inflow forecast model that will help the operator onsite to adjust the discharge rates for the control structures at various time periods. These two control structures include the spillway dam used to control overflow, and the headworks dam that leads to the power generating station.
Team Members: Xiaoke Yu, Hooshan Vani, Qi Chen, Harman Sandhu
HI POWER: DESIGN OF HYDROGEN APPLICATION FOR A WASTE-TO-ENERGY (WTE) TREATMENT FACILITY
A waste-to-energy facility in Ontario is investing in an electrolyzer for generating hydrogen from on-site renewable electricity. Alternatives were first evaluated and later analyzed for optimum hydrogen application. This application will significantly reduce emissions as well as improve the environment and human health while maximizing economic benefits. “Hi Power” is designing an on-site hydrogen fueling station for the facility’s retrofitted garbage trucks which will operate on hydrogen co-combustion mechanism. The scope of this project includes station configuration design, safety and financial analysis.
Team Members: Muhammad Fasahat Khan, Marijo Arias, Jasmine Zou, Dan Tan
MEGAWATTER RESILIENCY INC: DESIGNING HYDROLOGIC STRUCTURES TO INCREASE CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCY OF HYDROPOWER DAMS
Mattagami Lake Dam (MLD) is an Ontario Power Generation (OPG)-owned dam situated on the upper Mattagami River approximately 60 km upstream of Timmins, Ontario. To meet growing energy demands, MLD is being sized for hydropower generation in partnership with Mattagami First Nation. MegaWatter Resiliency Inc. (MWR) was retained by OPG to improve upon the climate change resiliency of the base retrofit design. MWR has designed a wetland system to provide upstream flood storage under climate change scenarios while offering ecological benefits.
Team Members: Darynne Hagen, Hannah Murphy, Gale Ho, Simon Lin
CIVIL ENGINEERING
SARJ CONSULTING: BAYFIELD SANITARY SEWER REHABILITATION
The Village of Bayfield has a high level of infiltration into its sanitary sewers. The infiltration is so extensive that it has caused their water treatment lagoon to consistently run at capacity for the past three years. SARJ Consulting has been hired to rehabilitate this system through the use of cured-in-place liners designed specifically for Bayfield.
Team Members: Arianna Franklin, Stephanie Ekesiani
SHEL INC: ENERGY EFFICIENT DESIGN FOR CLARKSON WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT
Current wastewater treatment facilities in Ontario use a great deal of energy to treat wastewater. As energy demands in Ontario continue to rely on fossil fuels, energy consumption will be responsible for a great volume of greenhouse gas emissions. SHEL Inc. have analyzed the processes at Clarkson Wastewater plant and are focused on reducing the energy consumption by providing an energy efficient alternative. This is done by designing a membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) that will fit into the secondary treatment process.
Team Members: Kevin Lee, Dana El-Shahry, Marinette Shenouda, Frankie Huang
SWMINGO CONSULTING INC: STORMWATER MANAGEMENT RETROFIT OF MILL POND
With continued urbanization, the suitable design of stormwater management (SWM) facilities to provide flood mitigation and reduce negative ecosystem impacts is critical as we move towards more sustainable infrastructure design. Mill Pond, located in Richmond Hill, currently acts as a pseudo-online SWM facility, despite not being properly designed for SWM, resulting in negative impacts to the surrounding ecosystem. SWMingo Consulting Inc. has been retained by the Town of Richmond Hill to retrofit Mill Pond by transitioning the SWM facility offline and incorporating a bypass channel.
Team Members: Mikayla Predy, Linea Miller, Emily Sirrs, Cassie Stea
TRANSWATT: A DECENTRALIZED MARKET FOR DISTRIBUTED ENERGY BASED ON BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY
Transwatt’s physical and digital infrastructure enables homeowners and others to freely and optimally leverage their capacity to produce or consume electricity and provide value to the grid in related ways. Through end-user-level peer-to-peer energy transactions, home optimization and autonomous control nodes market the ability to provide distributed electricity generation, energy storage, and demand response. Exchanges occur within a blockchain-based energy market that transparently integrates new participants alongside the incumbent system operator while assuring participants full market value and data security.
Team Members: Isaac Alexander-Cook, David Hah, Najmi Shamalisham, Charlotte (Yufei) Mei
TRI-C WATER GROUP: INCREASE SUSTAINABLE DOMESTIC WATER SUPPLY IN BENGALURU BY IMPLEMENTING RGS SYSTEM COMBINING RAINWATER HARVEST AND IN-HOUSE GREYWATER RECYCLING
The City of Bengaluru is facing severe water shortage due to the increasing needs of water supply, distinct wet and dry seasons, and scarcity of water resources. Tri-C Water Group aims to increase household water supply by designing a combined system of rainwater harvesting and in-house greywater recycling called RGS to solve Bengaluru’s water crisis in 2030. The solution will largely reduce household water demand on public/municipal utilities especially during the monsoon season.
Team Members: Charlotte Xie, Tracy Hu, Cherry Yao
GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
BOTTLENECK CONSULTING INC: INCREASING IRRIGATION EFFICIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY FOR FARMERS IN THE TOWN OF NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE
The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake is renowned for its wine, tender fruits and vegetables. The water used to irrigate these valuable crops is derived from an irrigation system that is not able to meet demands. Increased climate extremes leading to longer periods of drought have led to concern over the sustainability of crop production in the region. Bottleneck Consulting Inc. has created a cost-effective program to help farmers and the Town increase the efficiency of irrigation water use by creating a smart irrigation scheduling system.
Team Members: Gabrielle Klemt, Michael Cairns, Daniel Deacon, Benjamin Labrecque
DEREKKO: OFFSHORE WIND TURBINE FOUNDATION DESIGN
In 2015, Canada signed the Paris Agreement, committing to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% below 2005 levels. Currently, Nova Scotia is powered by approximately 70% non-renewable energy. To contribute to Canada’s goal, high capacity renewable energy generation is needed in Nova Scotia. Offshore wind farms have improved generation capacity due to less turbulence and stronger winds. They also use less land space. DereKkO has designed the monopile foundations for an offshore wind turbine farm off the west coast of Cape Breton.
Team Members: Danika Nunes, Olivia Scagnetto, Kelita Pratt, Kyle Psiuk
ELECTROMMAX: THE APPLICATION OF COMPRESSED AIR ENERGY STORAGE IN CONJUNCTION WITH RENEWABLE INFRASTRUCTURE
In recent years, the transition to renewable energy in response to climate change has greatly increased. However, renewables, such as wind, are often unpredictable making them an unreliable source for a constant supply of energy. Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) is a solution to store energy generated by renewables, where surplus energy can be stored and used when there is a need for it. ElectroMMAX’s objective is to provide different scenarios in which CAES can provide storage for excess generated power.
Team Members: Anastasia Pathy, Madisan Chiarotto, Xingze Lu, Michaella Marchetta
H.G. INC: DESIGNING A DEEP UNDERGROUND STORAGE FACILITY FOR CANADA’S USED NUCLEAR FUEL
Nuclear power generation has played a significant role in Canadian energy supply for the last 50 years. Over this period 2.6 million fuel bundles have been used, and this number grows daily. These fuel bundles are dangerous to humans and the environment for tens of thousands of years, requiring extremely long term and stable disposal. H.G. Inc. has developed a system for placing used fuel bundles within deep boreholes, drilled from the bottom level of an underground research facility in the Canadian Shield.
Team Members: Liam Kelly, Breanna Marks, Stephen Marshall, Naomi Jonker
HIGH IQ CONSULTING CONSULTANTS (HIQCC): GARDINER EXPRESSWAY REPLACEMENT TUNNEL PROJECT
The Gardiner Expressway is a major access route in downtown Toronto that connects users to other highways. The expressway was constructed in 1965 but has since reached the end of its useful lifespan. In recent years, costs have increased to the point where it is no longer practical to maintain the Gardiner. Additionally, it acts as an obstruction to the waterfront area, occupying valuable land. HIQCC proposes replacing the expressway with an underground tunnel to fulfill the new role as a major expressway for Toronto.
Team Members: Primo Noegroho, Francisco Miguel Pestana, Abirathan Rajmohan, Jan Scheele
MYTH ENGINEERING LTD: DEVELOPING A LONG-TERM TAILINGS CONTAINMENT SYSTEM CLOSURE DESIGN AT THE MOUNT POLLEY MINE
In 2014, Mount Polley Mine – an open pit copper and gold mine – experienced a massive tailings storage facility breach. This failure, as well as other recent tailings dam failures, has highlighted the need for stable tailings dams. Now, with the Mount Polley Mine ceasing operations, the timing is perfect to complete a detailed tailings dam closure design. MYTH Engineering Ltd. has adopted an innovative solution to ensure that the dam closure design is geomorphically resilient, easily constructible, and cost effective.
Team Members: Grant Mitchell, Beverly Yang, Andrew Tsai, Elton Huang
RE-SOURCE GROUP: SOLAR PANEL REHABILITATION IN RURAL UGANDA
In Uganda, energy access for majority of the population is a challenge. Organizations have been working to increase the availability of electricity to households. In unelectrified regions, access is highly dependent on affordability and as such the market has been flooded by lower quality, cheap industrial SHS products. These devices have an average lifespan of between 3 to 5 years. The short duration combined with the rapid growth and low-quality technology is projected to result in a substantial e-waste problem. The potential solution to both energy access and the looming e-waste problem is solar panel rehabilitation into mini grids.
Team Members: Vachana Gurkar, Kayleanna Giesinger, Sennett Kennaley, Steven Ekvall
SDH ENGINEERING: PETITCODIAC RIVER WATERMAIN RELOCATION
In the 1960s, a causeway connecting Moncton and Riverview was constructed, changing the Petitcodiac River’s regime dramatically and generating major ecological consequences. In order to remediate the environmental damages, the causeway must be replaced with a bridge. Currently, the watermain servicing these cities lies below the causeway and will be damaged due to scour when the causeway gates open; therefore, it must be relocated deeper below the riverbed. SDH has conceptualized a feasible design for the relocation of the watermain by utilizing horizontal directional drilling.
Team Members: Rachel Delaney, Tai Schruder, Jenny Hayes
INTERDISCIPLINARY
METAVASI MICRO COMMUNITIES: AFFORDABLE HIGH-PERFORMANCE MICRO COMMUNITIES FOR THE MISSING MIDDLE
Designing a high-performance housing community that is affordable to first-time home buyers. The design aims to promote community engagement, a sense of ownership, and connectivity to the environment. The design utilizes energy-efficient and sustainable building principles while focusing on the well-being of the occupant. These features are typically deemed as a luxury within the industry. Our project illustrates how they can be delivered in an accessible manner.
Team members: Emily Osborn, Galen Fernandes, Nicole Politis