ACEC-Ontario is thrilled to announce the upcoming second edition of its highly anticipated engineering forum, titled “Engineering Means Sustainability.” This dynamic full-day conference serves as a prime opportunity for professionals within the architecture, engineering, and construction (A/E/C) community to come together, connect, and gain valuable insights from industry experts on pressing contemporary issues.
The forum’s central theme revolves around the crucial intersection of engineering and sustainability. Diving deep into this topic, thought leaders will delve into the challenges, developments, and advancements concerning construction materials. With the increasingly frequent occurrence of extreme water events due to the climate crisis, there will be insightful discussions on the resulting damage, disruption, and loss faced by our communities.
Attendees will have the privilege of exploring the critical subject of catastrophic loss and its implications. We will wrap the day with an expert speaker from McMaster University, who will share their academic perspectives on what lies ahead for the circular economy—an area of paramount importance for achieving long-term sustainability.
Mark your calendars for September 22nd as the date of this exceptional event. Join us at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Toronto Airport West, conveniently located at 5444 Dixie Road, Mississauga, ON L4W 2L2, Canada.
Prepare to expand your knowledge, network with industry peers, and be part of the transformative dialogue that will shape the future of engineering and sustainability.
We look forward to welcoming you to the ACEC-Ontario Engineering Forum: “Engineering Means Sustainability.”
Ticket Price: TBD
Registration: Not yet open.
Agenda:
8:30 – 9:00 AM Registration and networking with light breakfast snack
9:00 – 9:30 AM Greetings
9:30 – 10:30 AM Catastrophic Loss and Tools
10:30 – 10:45 AM Break
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM “Water Risks in Canada and the Cost to Our Economy” – Panel
12:00 – 1:00 PM Networking Lunch
1:00 – 2:00 PM “Sustainability Through Materials” – Panel
2:00 – 3:00 PM Circular Economy & Climate Change
3:00 – 3:15 PM Closing
Session Details:
Sustainability Through Materials
Panelists: Bart Kanters, Concrete Ontario, Patrick Chouinard, Element5, and Gord Rados, Ontario Structural Steel Fabricators Association. Moderator: Bruce Matthews
This session will provide an engaging discussion on the sustainability impact of concrete, steel and mass timber as materials in construction of residential and commercial buildings, and other forms of infrastructure. Three industry experts and thought leaders will explore the issues, challenges and developments in relation to these construction materials.
We’ll take a “life cycle” approach and look at the issues of GHG/carbon emission and climate change resiliency associated with the production of the materials, their performance during the life of the asset, and issues related to decommissioning/demolition. The experts will also discuss the current hurdles within their industries regarding supply and demand, and how clients can balance the need for sustainability with product functionality and cost-effectiveness.
Water Risks in Canada and the Cost to Our Economy
Panelists: Don Holland, GHD, Peter Weltman, FAO, TBD Representative, FCM
The intensifying climate crisis is producing more extreme water events and increasing the damage, disruption, and loss, to our communities. Building water resilience is key if we are to avoid greater economic impacts.
In this session expert panelists (Don Holland, GHD, Peter Weltman, FAO, and FCM) will look at the current impacts of the climate crisis, the barriers, and opportunities to creating resiliency, and the roles that government and industry need to play in order to effectively address these challenges.
Circular Economy & Climate Change
Speaker: Greg Zilberbrant, P. Eng, Ph.D, M.CSCE
The circular economy is an emerging approach to design, manufacturing processes, and resource management – moreover, it is considered a valuable tool in tackling climate change. This presentation will focus on the benefits of applying circular economy principles along with successful examples, how to measure the benefits, and the knowledge that consultants may already have at their disposal to support this work.