Consulting engineering companies support new construction research at University of Toronto

Canada’s federal agency known as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) has granted $1 million to enable an associate professor at the University of Toronto to do research into construction for urban environments.
Dr. Paul Gauvreau, associate professor of civil engineering, will become the NSERC Chair in Design Engineering for the Urban Environment funded by NSERC. He will develop new structures and explore the uses of new materials. He is also to improve the design training of engineers at the university level.
Gauvreau will be working in partnership with a number of engineering companies, including Brown and Co., Delcan, Halsall Associates, Morrison Hershfield, Shaeffers & Associates and Stantec Consulting. The companies will each provide $180,000 in cash and $295,000 of in-kind support for the chair.
Dr. Suzanne Fortier, president of NSERC, praised Dr. Gauvreau when she made the announcement. “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,” Fortier said.