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DECEMBER GAZETTE
| Our 95th year!
December, 2016 - Vol 64, Issue 3
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| Board of Governors |
President
Honeywell Building Solutions
President-Elect
Secretary
Past President
The HIDI Group
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| President's Message |
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With only two months into our ASHRAE Toronto year, I feel like we've accomplished so much. November was an exciting month for our Chapter. We had the opportunity to join forces with the Toronto Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association for our second annual trade show and dinner meeting. With over 30 exhibitors we doubled our attendance from last year, demonstrating incredible local engagement from the many suppliers and service providers of our local HVAC/R industry.
November was a month where we prioritized the 'R' in ASHRAE. Refrigeration was the focus of our first technical breakfast seminar of the year. Carlos Capetillo, a Toronto Chapter member from Daikin, provided an excellent overview of Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems while Jim Wolf, ASHRAE Society Past President (2000-01), travelled to Toronto to share his insights on the next generation of refrigerants. This seminar was well attended and has reinforced the need for our Chapter to organize more focused, technical events on current industry topics that impact our business.
Beyond ASHRAE, November has been an eventful month in local and international politics. Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton to become the next President of the United States of America. Justin Trudeau reinforced Canada's diplomatic relationship with Cuba, while Fidel Castro, Cuba's longest lasting leader, passed away. Kathleen Wynn reminded us about Ontario's new cap-and-trade program and Toronto Mayor John Tory announced his support of road tolls on the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway.
These latest news releases are consumed with mixed emotions and controversy, often resulting in us having to choose a side - Republican versus Democrat, environment versus economy, highways versus subways. Despite our conflicting opinions, the world around us is changing at an incredible pace and 2017 is bound to be exciting. We will be forced to challenge our traditional modes of thinking and to consider alternatives. Are you ready? Are your businesses ready? Is the HVAC/R industry ready?
If you want to further discuss these topics, maybe over a glass of fine wine, please join me and many other ASHRAE Toronto Chapter members at Decemberfest 2016. This year's Decemberfest event will be held on Monday December 5th, 2016, at the rotating 360 Restaurant in the CN Tower (see event details below).
As we enter the holiday season, I want to take a moment to thank all of our ASHRAE members and volunteers for contributing your time and resources to our organization. We could not have kick started our year with such incredible momentum without your efforts. Best wishes to you and your families over the holidays!
Looking forward to embracing the exciting changes of 2017 with you soon!
Sincerely,
Marco Ottavino,
P.Eng., MBA
ASHRAE Toronto President
416-771-3824
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| Notice of Meeting |
Decemberfest 2016
Dinner and Silent Auction
Monday, December 5th, 2015
CN Tower
Cocktails: 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM (Horizon's)
Dinner: 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM (360)
Join us as we end our series of ASHRAE Toronto 2016 Dinner Meetings in style - soaring high above Toronto in the CN Tower - our local Canadian landmark! Come celebrate as the ASHRAE Toronto Chapter hosts its event at this elegant, world-renowned location. As the nature of this meeting is non-technical, it is an ideal venue for our members and affiliated guests to bring along their spouses, significant others, family and friends. This will remain an unforgettable experience and we'd love for you to join us in closing off 2016.
To start off our evening, we will be holding a cocktail session in the Horizon's Banquet Room - directly below the rotating 360 Restaurant. This will give everyone the opportunity to unwind, relax and become acquainted with one another as dinner is being prepared.
After the cocktail and socializing session in Horizons, members and guests will make their way up the spiraling staircase into the world-renowned 360 Restaurant.
360 is one of Toronto's finest restaurants, featuring unforgettable food combined with a magnificent revolving view of Toronto more than 351 metres (1,151 ft) below. 360 offers market-fresh cuisine, featuring regional ingredients to ensure an incomparable culinary experience.
All attendees must pre-register on-line to attend.
No walk-in registrations will be permitted.
Need Assistance?
Feel free to contact the following members for further details:
Abhishek Khurana
ASHRAE Toronto Chapter Technology Transfer Committee Chair
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| CTTC Sneak Peak |
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Upcoming 3 Chapter Events
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Event
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Topic & Guest Speaker
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Location
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January Dinner Meeting
January 9th 2017
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Water Place/Cisco Innovation Center
The HIDI Group
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RBC Waterpark Place |
February Dinner Meeting
February 6th 2017
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Peel Memorial Hospital
Smith + Andersen |
William Osler Hospital, Brampton |
Career Fair
February 23rd 2017
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Career Fair |
TBD |
Please
click here
to see ASHRAE Toronto's full 2016/2017 Program Schedule. Please note that the schedule can change.
Members will be prompted via email to register for upcoming events at
TorontoASHRAE.com
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| Gazette Sponsors |
ASHRAE Toronto Chapter thanks the following
companies for their support of the Gazette
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your business card here!
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| November Meeting Summary |
November 2016 Dinner Meeting Summary
Don't let your BIM go "BOOM"!
Dealing with the potential liability issues of BIM
November's dinner meeting was a joint tradeshow and dinner meeting with SMACNA, held at the Sheraton Hotel in Richmond Hill. The dinner meeting was highlighted by a presentation provided by E. Mitchell Swann, P.E., a partner at MDC Systems.
Mr. Swann has over 30 years of experience on both domestic and international projects in the areas of consulting, design engineering, construction, project management, forensic engineering and claims analysis. His career includes the engineering and design of mechanical and control systems across a wide range of commercial, industrial and institutional projects and building types including central utility plants, laboratories and research facilities, microelectronic facilities, pharmaceutical facilities, broadcasting, computer centers, correctional facilities and shipboard systems. Mr. Swann has served as Chair on several ASHRAE Technical Committees and co-authored design guidelines for ASHRAE and ISPE. He also served as Vice-Chair of the ABA's Committee on ADR in Construction and currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for The Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation. He is frequently a national and international speaker and lecturer for professional organizations and is a member of ASHRAE's Distinguished Lecturer roster since 2005.
Mitchell's work is heavily based on Forensic Engineering, which is a branch of Project Management used to evaluate projects which have not gone as planned, and help them get back on track. Being heavily involved in project Management, he puts a lot of emphasis on organization and proper planning. So it is no surprise that the topic he discussed was the pros and cons of BIM software.
Mr. Swann began his presentation by discussing the major benefits BIM has to offer the construction industry in comparison to the conventional CAD system, including the ability to create 3D visualizations, which creates an enhanced ability to evaluate design options before they are built. Using BIM also allows for improved coordination between design and construction which can result in reduced work in the field. Additionally, when a building is designed with BIM, it can improve the facility management and operations since the documentation is so information rich and provides so much detail for those using it.
One of the major benefits to a design team is that the BIM environment provides a single collaborative workspace for all the various teams (mechanical, architect, structural) to work within. This reduces the chance for errors in communications and a lack of understanding between teams by providing a common visual representation for all to use. This can lead to reduced change orders in a construction project, leading to an overall, more efficient construction process.
Figure 1: Single collaborative platform provides easy communication
Mr. Swann went on to share a few interesting facts regarding BIM utilization. Of all the various fields that have projects where BIM could be applied, the three most frequent uses are for architecture (58%), structural systems (49%), and mechanical system projects (38%), while transportation systems (10%), energy management systems (13%) and in-ground utilities (18%) use BIM the least. He also discussed utilization by country, and where BIMs reported positive return on investment was the highest. Based on a 2013 study, Japan, Germany and France had the highest positive use of BIM. Canada was fourth.
Figure 2: Contractors reporting a positive ROI for BIM utilization
Mr. Swann went on to explain that in countries such as Japan and Germany put a lot of emphasis on the design stage of their projects, with much higher initial costs during the design stage. This is a part of the reason that BIM has been so successful in these nations. Modelling a new building in BIM is very time intensive, partially due to the complexity of 3D modelling. So, in North America, it can be less profitable since the industry standard design fees are lower.
While there are many positive aspects that promote the use of BIM on construction projects, there are some issues that come with the use of the software. One of the major issues that can develop is that the content in a drawing can be compromised due to a lack of depth perception. This can cause components, which are interfering with each other in the model to go undetected until the plans have been finalized, resulting in errors in the construction field.
Figure 3: Example of piping clash BIM model
BIM can also create challenges by giving a false sense of precision which results in the designers putting too much trust in the model. This can lead to challenges such as a late change or addition to the model creating a compromise in the building that doesn't get caught during review. Another limit of the model is that the final design cannot model all the realities of the installation. For example, two pipes may show up as interfering with each other within the model. However, this could be due to the insulation around a pipe, which can be squished and manipulated in reality. In this case, the field run of the installation is not a model-able condition.
Finally, some components can be too fine and detailed to be modelled in BIM. For example, modelling the entire electrical conduit layout would be far too extensive and detailed to be considered cost effective for BIM. So, it becomes necessary to have "standard practices" descriptions for some details that cannot be modelled.
Another great feature of BIM is the ability to move past 3D into areas of 4D modelling. This allows components of a BIM model to be connected to a project schedule for management and sequencing. Beyond that, a model can also become 5D (cost estimating, tracking and control) or even 6D (LEED modelling, etc.).
In Canada, there are several associations which are involved in developing the use of BIM in the nation including Canada BIM Council (CANBIM), Institute for BIM Canada (IBC), buildingSMART, and several others.
Wrapping up the presentation, Mr. Swann discussed where the opportunities are for BIM software to be applied and which users have the fastest uptake. He found that building owners have the most opportunity to get use out of the BIM software, but are the slowest on uptake. Conversely, consultants and designers have the quickest uptake of BIM and the least opportunity for its use.
Figure 4: Frequency of BIM utilization by function
Mr. Swann delivered some great knowledge based on his extensive experience with BIM use and project management. It is clear that BIM is a powerful tool that can lead to better organization, more precise projects and reduce the chance of costly errors in the construction industry. However, it is important that while we use this software to our advantage, we remember to remain diligent, and not become overly trusting or dependent on the technology. Maintaining a diligent level of scrutiny and peer review will allow for many successful projects and allow any designer to make the most out of this software.
Written by,
Michael Peterson, B.Eng.
Project Associate
WSP Canada Inc.
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| November Meeting & Trade Show Photos |
Featured presenter, E. Mitchell Swann
Mr Swann delivering the dinner presentation "Don't let you BIM go 'BOOM'!"
CTTC Chair, Abhishek Khurana (right), thanking Mr Swann (left)
Attendees of the dinner and presentation
Trade show attendee Mohamed Fouda of Flo Fab
Trade show attendee Greg Woods (right) of Smith Energy
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| Refrigerant Breakfast Seminar |
Members had the opportunity to attend a Refrigeration Breakfast Seminar this month at the Hazelton Manor on November 21st. Featured presentations were Carlos Capetillo on VRF Systems and Jim Wolf on Next Generation Refrigerants. A hot breakfast was served and members get to obtain the 2014 ASHRAE Refrigerants Handbook.
Carlos Capetillo presenting on VRF Systems
Jim Wolf working the crowd during his presentation "Next Generation Refrigerants"
Attendees of the Refrigeration Breakfast Seminar
Table tops at the Breakfast Seminar
Attendees receiving the ASHRAE Handbook Refrigeration 2014
Table tops at the Breakfast Seminar
CTTC Chair Abhishek Khurana thanks Jim Wolf (left) and Carlos Capetillo (right)
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| Viewpoint |
"You need to be in that room"
When was the last time you had this feeling? A project meeting is happening for a new building or renovation that is going to be built in the near future. The meeting could be with the owners, architect, engineer or bidding contractors. You have questions about the project, you want to bid on that project or need information and contacts. Regardless of whether you are supplier, consulting engineer or contractor, there are people that you need to be talking to get more business. Our current ASHRAE Society President Tim Wentz summarized it best during his Presidential Address by saying "You need to be in that room". Our Toronto ASHRAE Chapter monthly dinner meetings happen in a room on the first Monday of the month from October to May. You need to be in that room.
I had the fortune of hearing Tim Wentz's presidential address at the recent ASHRAE Region II Regional Conference in Moncton, New Brunswick. It is important to note that Tim's address was presented by Sheila Hayter (current ASHRAE Society Treasurer) in his absence. Tim wasn't physically in the room, but he was still in the room! What really drilled a hole in my head was Tim recounting his first ASHRAE meeting. Tim was a recent mechanical engineering graduate and his family owned a mechanical contracting business. His dad told him to drive 60 miles to the ASHRAE meeting. His father simply said:
"When you go to an ASHRAE meeting you will find the building owners we serve, the engineers we work for, the suppliers we buy from, and our competitors, all in the same room. You need to be in that room."
Never have I heard the reasons to go to our monthly chapter meetings so perfectly and succinctly said. Well done Tim, thank you. It is just that simple. Maybe at a joint meeting with BOMA you will find yourself at a table of owners or building operators, the next meeting you are with engineers, students or suppliers. The beauty of our monthly meetings is that with different speakers, topics, locations and joint meetings with other associations, you never really know what table or who you will be sitting with. I can guarantee this: people and future people in our industry will be there that can help you.
To my fellow members, I look forward to seeing you next month "in that room".
Peter Turk
Toronto Chapter President-Elect 2016-2017
(416) 949-3554
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| ASHRAE YEA Perspective |
YEA Leadership Weekend
Charlotte, NC - Nov 4th 2-6th016
Recommended by my manager, not sure what to expect, all I was looking forward for was to get out of some cold weather of Toronto to warm and sunny Charlotte. I am always open to visiting and exploring new places so I was obviously really excited to go south of the border for the weekend; it made no difference to me that it was the last weekend before the Presidential Election in the US.
I made it to Hilton Downtown Charlotte where the Leadership Weekend was held just in time for a team building exercise. The exercise was all about communicating and passing instructions to complete a Lego model in a chain of 6 people, the only person who knew what the model looked like was the first person in the link. The exercise was much more difficult than it sounds; most groups came close but only one group was able to complete it.
As I looked around, I started seeing some familiar faces back from Toronto. As I introduced myself to people in our first break, I realized that Canada was well represented with Young Engineers coming from Toronto, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, and Regina. There were at least 30% percent of us. However, being there I quickly realized that it was our profession rather than our nationalities that seemed to bring us together.
After quick introductory presentation by the organizers, we were assigned random groups to go on a scavenger hunt around the downtown to find Charlotte landmarks and picture ourselves in creative ways giving us great opportunity to explore a rather peaceful looking downtown core of Charlotte.
Everyone then headed to Strike City, a bowling alley with bar and restaurant in Charlotte Epicenter where I was able to quickly meet and befriend other young engineers. Everybody seemed to be polite and friendly and willing to know about the other. After dinner in Strike City everybody headed their own ways; some went to the rooftop bar, some to complete their scavenger hunts, and some back to their hotel rooms.
Next morning, after a nice breakfast buffet, everybody made their ways to their seats for day 2. Before we flew in, all of us were required to complete a personal profile and bring a printout of the results with us. The goal was to go over the results and find ways to be leaders based on those profiles. Initially, looking at all the random line on my result I wasn't sure what to expect but looking at other people's similar random results made me more confident that I might not be a sociopath.
Ralph Kison, another Canadian, flew all the way from Vancouver for the Leadership Weekend to be the guest speaker. He quickly became everybody's favorite person in the room with his humour and knowledge on this subject matter. He divided everybody's profiles into two groups; red and green. Red being more assertive and likely to be leaders and green being less assertive but more careful and methodical. The goal was how both group need to work together like a well-oiled machine for their business to be successful.
Ralph went over his presentation, followed by what each dots and lines on our results meant and how we can all become leaders in our own ways. I usually find PowerPoints very dry and boring but Ralph kept it fresh with open questions and debates. All day, we had attendees arguing, debating and questioning which made the whole day flew really quickly. Before we knew it, it was the time to end the day and get ready for dinner.
Before we left to get ready for dinner, the organizers announced the winners for the scavenger hunt. My group had submitted ours just before the 2pm deadline. The organizers showed everyone's picture. Some of the picture were really creative, while some we outright funny. Naturally, the group with funny pictures won the hunt and the promised free shots at the dinner.
Around 6pm all of us made our way to a nice restaurant down the road. With the selection of salad or soup, several entrees and handful of dessert choices, we had to choose one of each. I had soup, fish and chips and funnel fries. You may ask, what are funnel fries? They are funnel cake in the shape of French fries with three dipping sauces (chocolate, caramel, and raspberry), had to say that was the highlight of my dinner.
After dinner, we all went to the bar upstairs and basically had an amazing time socializing and getting to know more about each other since next day we were all be heading back right after a half-day session on Sunday.
Sunday morning started just like Saturday morning with a great breakfast buffet. After breakfast, we continued where we left off with more presentation and debate. Every attendee had a say or two throughout the weekend, some were just more vocal. Most of the concerns came from greens who said reds need to be more understanding of the green's situation not pushing for unrealistic goals; they needed to be more pragmatic in their approach. Greens, on the other hand, needed to be more vocal and assertive to have things their way rather than burdening themselves with loads of work and setting themselves up for failure.
The day three ended just as quick as the other two and now was the time to head to the airport. Leadership Weekend organizers had set lunch boxes for everyone so they can grab and go if they have a flight right after. My flight was 4 hours after so I stayed back and had my lunch with my new friends. After lunch, five of use, whose flight were around same time decided to share a cab to the airport after that we all parted our separate ways.
Even though, I wasn't sure what to expect from the YEA Leadership Weekend, I am glad I was a part of it and not only had a great time but also learned a lot about myself and what I needed to do to take leadership at my workplace. I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in being a leader. The guest speaker and the organizers were simply great. They kept the whole weekend fun and interesting. I am already looking forward to YEA Leadership Weekend 2.0 in Tiburon, California which will be more personalized.
Obaid Owais
SPX Cooling Technologies
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| PAOE |
PAOE or Presidents Award Of Excellence, provides the chapters in Region II with a means of measuring success across a wide range of chapter operations. It is meant as a tool to guide the Board of Directors and Committee Chairs towards their goals. Below is a summary of PAOE Points for all of the Chapters in Region II so far this year.
Toronto Chapter President 2016-2017
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| Social Media |
We have grown our base of followers since we started our incursion in social media. We have been in Twitter and Facebook since 2011 and just last year launched our official LinkedIn page (check it out!).
Do you want to know about what is happening with our chapter? Join the conversation!
communications@torontoashrae.com
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Statements made in this publication are not expressions of the Society or of the chapter and may not be reproduced without special permission of the chapter.
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