AR&C researchers braved the heat Wednesday as work began on commissioning our parabolic solar trough energy generator at the Red River College (RRC) Notre Dame Campus.
In the coming days, the solar trough will be fully operational (yet, unlike the Death Star, not fully armed). The project, which will involve RRC faculty and students, is investigating the feasibility of using concentrated solar power in Manitoba’s harsh climate. RRC’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)-funded Sustainable Infrastructure Technology Research Group (SITRG) is supporting the project, which is a partnership between the College, Manitoba Hydro, The University of Manitoba, and NSERC.
Enjoy photos of the commissioning from wherever you may find air conditioning.

Post-retrofit airtightness testing has been completed on the 363 Broadway building in Winnipeg as part of the Red River College (RRC) Sustainable Infrastructure Technology Research Group’s (SITRG’s) goal to conduct applied research to enhance the energy performance of commercial buildings.
The 15-storey, 191,000 square foot office building has recently undergone a $4-million facelift with the goals of increasing its energy efficiency and updating its appearance.  The SITRG team, consisting RRC research staff and students and green building scientists and experts, is seeking to determine what impact the retrofit has had on the building’s airtightness.
Excessive air leakage in buildings can cause major problems, ranging from high-energy bills and poor comfort, to crumbling facades.
The issue of air leakage in commercial buildings has been gaining notoriety in recent years, but there has been very little large building airtightness testing completed anywhere.  While some research has been done at the international level, its relevance to Winnipeg is limited as it is has generally been conducted in regions that are very different from Manitoba’s unique climate zone.
With funding from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council Canada’s College and Community Innovation grant, SITRG is hoping to test more Manitoba buildings to gain a more thorough understanding of the impacts of air leakage.  This research is expected to provide valuable input on how to improve the design, construction, and operation of commercial buildings.

Red River College – and Manitoba’s food industry – are getting a big boost.
Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) announced Friday that the federal government is investing $2 million to expand research capabilities at the new Paterson GlobalFoods Institute at Red River College’s (RRC’s) Exchange District Campus. RRC representatives joined the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification to make the announcement inside the nearly complete building, which will soon be home to RRC’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality programs.
By giving RRC access to advanced equipment for testing new food products and processes, this funding will develop the opportunities for students and faculty, while growing the Manitoba food industry. Adding another branch to its Applied Research activities, RRC will work with local organizations in the food sector, offering College facilities and expertise to help spark innovation and create business opportunities.
When complete, the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute is anticipated to be one of Canada’s premier culinary institutes and a new standard for heritage-building restoration.
For more information on the funding, check out the WD news release.

No tailpipe and zero emissions, the scrawl display on the front said it all. Manitoba’s greenest bus has arrived.
Delegates from Red River College (RRC), the Province of Manitoba, New Flyer Industries, Manitoba Hydro and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries gathered at the legislature last Friday to unveil the All-Electric Bus, a $3 million, three-year project that is the first of its kind in Canada.
New Flyer has worked with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to develop the prototype bus, a process that included retrofitting it with Mitsubishi’s lithium batteries. RRC’s contribution to the project is the development of a charging station for the bus, assembling batteries, and analyzing performance data.
Friday’s event served as the starting point for phase two, which will include on-road testing. The 40-foot bus pulled up in grand, but quiet style to the legislature, serving as a backdrop for the presentation, which included speeches from Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger and RRC President Stephanie Forsyth. The speeches were followed by a tour of the bus and a ride to the Forks, Winnipeg’s historic intersection of transportation.
The All-Electric bus project is the catalyst for the creation of RRC’s Electric Vehicle Technology & Education Centre (EVTEC), a new learning and demonstration centre that the Province of Manitoba is supporting with a $100,000 contribution.
For more on Friday’s event, check out some of the coverage from Winnipeg media:
Selinger calls electric transit bus the future of public transport – Winnipeg Free Press
Who launched the electric bus? – Winnipeg Sun
Manitoba’s first electric bus unveiled – Metro Winnipeg

 

Applied Research & Commercialization (AR&C) recently completed the installation of a data-monitoring system at the Cornerstone Life Lease Estates building in northeast Winnipeg. The milestone marks the beginning of a yearlong project that will assess the building’s energy performance, in hopes of reducing the building’s operating costs and limiting its environmental footprint.
Opened in 2010, “the Cornerstone” is a four-storey residential development that features a number of sustainable design solutions, including above-average insulation levels and 100 per cent geothermal space heating. AR&C, in partnership with Southern Comfort Mechanical Inc. and The Cornerstone Housing Corporation, will test the effectiveness of these systems, compare the results to projections, and make suggest improvements for the future.
AR&C’s Sustainable Infrastructure Technology Research Group (SITRG), an initiative with funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), is supporting the project. For more information on how you can work with AR&C and SITRG to perform research in sustainable infrastructure, please visit the following link:
http://blogs.rrc.ca/ar/2011/11/new-funding-supports-student-research-in-sustainable-buildings/
Photos from the installation are below:
 

After months of applying knowledge, it was time to deliver the results.
Students in the Architectural Engineering/Technology program recently presented their applied research projects to fellow classmates, instructors, and industry professionals during a daylong seminar at the Red River College Notre Dame Campus.
The projects, which started in November, explored some of the architectural issues surrounding Manitoba buildings and the technologies available to help make them more sustainable in the future. Examples of projects include studies of how to build “net-zero” homes that use as little energy as possible and sustainable buildings solutions for First Nations communities.
Some students were even able to look to the College for their case studies, with one project exploring the transformation of the Union Bank Tower in Downtown Winnipeg to the College’s new Paterson GlobalFoods Institute, and another looking at the “green roof” on The Roblin Centre at the Exchange District Campus.
Applied Research & Commercialization research professionals worked with several students to develop their projects, which will now serve as starting points to future research and networking opportunities with industry and the College. RRC’s Sustainable Infrastructure Technology Research Group (SITRG) supported these select projects through funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
For more information on how RRC students can conduct applied research through SITRG, please visit the following link:
http://blogs.rrc.ca/ar/index.php/2011/11/09/
You can also learn more about the Architectural/Engineering Technology program here:
http://me.rrc.mb.ca/Catalogue/ProgramInfo.aspx?ProgCode=ARCEF-DP&RegionCode=WPG
Photos from the event are below.

A packed room of over 60 people – including stakeholders from all corners of the Manitoba transportation sector – was on hand this past Thursday, March 29 for the Heavy Vehicle Technology Workshop at the Victoria Inn in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Applied Research & Commercialization (AR&C), in collaboration with the National Research Council Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), WESTEST, and the Vehicle Technology Centre, created the daylong workshop, which shared the latest in heavy vehicle design and manufacturing available to industry.
From breakthrough GPS-guiding technology in snowplows to light-weighting vehicles with hybrid composite technology, our speakers treated attendees to a diverse set of informative and entertaining presentations. And the audience gave back too, with each presentation sparking discussions that showed a clear interest in the future of the heavy vehicle industry in Manitoba and beyond. These questions spilled over to some valuable networking time, where guests connected and shared ideas.
We’d like to thank all speakers, delegates, and official supporters for helping make the workshop a success. We’ll be making presentations from the workshop available online soon. In the meantime, please check out our event website for speaker bios and session descriptions.
Photos from the event are below:

You are invited to learn from, and network with our line-up of local, national, and international experts in the fields of Heavy Vehicle Manufacturing and Design.  This is also your opportunity to interact and network with current and prospective suppliers and partners in attendance, while learning about the latest techniques, projects, capabilities, and opportunities in your field.

Applied Research & Commercialization at Red River College (AR&C at RRC), the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), the Vehicle Technology Centre, and WESTEST have teamed up to create this comprehensive Manitoba Workshop.  The most critical and timely aspects of Heavy Vehicle Manufacturing and Design will be covered along with discussion of how Manitoba’s industry members can advance environmental sustainability, while raising the their competitiveness and productivity.
The Workshop is being designed to meet the needs of engineers, business developers, technicians, technologists, instructors and researchers working in the field of Heavy Vehicle Technology, with a focus on original equipment and component design and manufacturing.
When: March 29, 2012 from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Where: The Victoria Inn, Winnipeg, MB
Registration: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/222437
Cost: $125 + GST – Includes breakfast, lunch, snacks and beverages
Specific topics that the Workshop aims to cover include:

• 3D Modeling
• Automation and Robotics
• Advanced design
• Agri-machinery
• CAD software
• Environmental sustainability
• Large vehicle electrification

For more information, please contact:
Brent Wennekes, Technology Transfer and Communications Manager
Applied Research & Commercialization
Red River College
bwennekes@rrc.mb.ca   |  204.631.3323
Thanks to our Official Supporters!




 
 
 

 
 

It’s one of the largest industrial training facilities in Manitoba, and it’s also now officially one of the province’s most environmentally-friendly buildings.
Red River College is happy to announce its Heavy Equipment Transportation Centre (HETC) has become one of the first education centres in Manitoba to receive LEED® certification from the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).
Located on the College’s Notre Dame Campus, this 60,000 square foot complex combines academic and industrial functions, with nine classrooms available for theoretical instruction, and a large shop area that replicates a typical work environment in the transportation and trucking industry.
“HETC is a model for development of new learning facilities, “,” said Stephanie Forsyth, President of RRC. “It provides us with modern, flexible space for training programs and applied research, while simultaneously minimizing our impact on the environment.”
HETC includes several sustainable features that are uncommon for a large industrial building:

• Geothermal heating and cooling – A groundwater loop system provides partial heating and cooling of the facility.
• Natural heating – SolarWall systems collect the sun’s energy to preheat outdoor air before it ventilates classrooms.
• Daylight views – More than 90% of regularly occupied spaces have direct views of the outdoors.
• Native vegetation – Plants surrounding the building require little maintenance, are drought resistant, and help control stormwater runoff.
• Recycled and regional content – More than 25% of building materials have recycled content, and 35% of materials are from Manitoba, Saskatchewan or North Dakota.

Compared to a standard structure of the same size, HETC’S efficient heating and cooling systems produce a 50% reduction in energy use, a 72% reduction in space heating, and a 54% reduction in operating costs. It has been certified as LEED® Silver.
“The CaGBC is proud to award Red River College with a LEED Silver certification,” said Thomas Mueller, President and CEO of the Canada Green Building Council. “It is very exciting to see colleges demonstrating such a high level of environmental and social responsibility. Post-secondary institutions have a leadership role in their communities and for their students to educate and showcase “sustainability in action.”
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System® encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria.
For more information, or to book a tour of HETC, see www.rrc.ca/hetc.

On your mark, get set, assemble.
Red River College (RRC), alongside The Manitoba Building Envelope Council (MBEC), and the Manitoba Chapter of the Canada Green Building Council (MBCaGBC), is excited to be holding the 2nd Air Barrier Rodeo workshop.
The Centre for Applied Research in Sustainable Infrastructure (CARSI) at RRC’s Notre Dame Campus will once again play host to a day of competition and exploration of the latest in design, installation and performance of multiple air barrier assemblies.
The Rodeo will consist of amaximum of ten teams of four, tasked with the design and installation of their air barrier assembly onto a pre-assembled 8’x6’ wall panel that will include an expansion point, masonry ties, window, duct, HVAC (heating, venting, and air conditioning), and junction box penetrations. The assemblies will then be tested for air and water leakage. The winning teams will be issued a prize based on each type of air barrier material category.
Teams may consist of any number of combinations of professionals or students such as architects, engineers, technologists, contractors, sub-trades, or other industry members involved in the design, management, or installation of air barrier assemblies. Participants can register in teams of up to four people. Individuals or groups of two and three will be paired with other participants.
Technical representatives from leading North American manufacturers will be on-hand, working with each team to ensure the assembly is designed and installed correctly, and to ensure an air and watertight assembly. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with these professionals and gain valuable hands-on experience as they compete for the right to be crowned air barrier champions.
DATE
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012 – all day
LOCATION
Red River College Notre Dame Campus, 2055 Notre Dame Campus (CARSI Building)
COST
Individual Registration: $150.00
Team Registration (4 participants): $600.00
STUDENTS
Individual Student Registration: $100.00
Team Registration (4 participants): $450.00
The full-day workshop includes continental breakfast, lunch, and one event pass for each participant to the MBCaGBC follow-up lunch event at Manitoba Hydro on March 6, 2012.
To register, please email admin@mbcagbc.org.
The deadline for registration is February 1, 2012.
Video of last year’s competition is below: