CIC Blog

We would like to thank everyone from Enbridge who recently visited the CIC and toured some of the University’s labs and research facilities. Enbridge visitors from Texas, Wisconsin, and across Canada were introduced to the CIC’s projects on applications for biosensors, robotics, simulation, and virtual reality in construction, showcasing the work of Dr. Samer Adeeb, Dr. Farook Hamzeh, Dr. Vicente Gonzalez-Moret, and Dr. Qipei Mei. The group also joined Dr. Ahmed Qureshi at the Additive Design and Manufacturing Systems (ADaMS) lab to learn more about robotic industrial polymer and polymer composite additive manufacturing, robotic wire arc digital twin processes, and [...]

The University of Alberta's Office of Government and Community Relations hosted a tour of the CIC's labs for Member of Parliament Matt Jeneroux on March 1st, 2024. M.P Jeneroux was shown the CIC's work on exoskeletons for construction workers, virtual reality environments and digital twins, construction robotics applications, the CIC's environmental chamber for material testing, and research involving construction applications for aerial drones. The CIC would like to thank M.P. Jeneroux for his participation in the lab tour, and for expressing his interest in the cutting-edge innovations being carried out by University of Alberta researchers! Subscribe to the CIC's newsletter [...]

The CIC would like to extend its thanks to the visitors and researchers who participated in the tour of the CIC labs on February 2, 2024. The CIC welcomed the Construction Team from the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) to take an in-depth look at some of the CIC’s current research projects during the tour. Researchers presented their work on exoskeletons for construction workers, biosensors used to improve safety and productivity on construction sites, virtual reality environments and digital twins, an environmental chamber for material testing, and construction applications for aerial drones. [...]

Architects, engineers, and other professionals have been using computers to visualize construction projects for decades. From the first digital drafting programs of the 1960s to modern Building Information Modeling (BIM) technologies, digitization is rapidly becoming indispensable to the construction industry. Researchers at the CIC are now using this technology to create digital twins for construction projects—an application that is relatively new to construction, and one that presents opportunities to improve efficiency and decision making at all stages of a building’s lifecycle. The CIC sat down with two industry professionals with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of [...]

The CIC would like to extend its thanks to the visitors and researchers who participated in the tour of the CIC labs on October 16, 2023. The University of Alberta’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Bill Flanagan, was joined by the Vice-President of Research and Innovation, Dr. Aminah Robinson Fayek, and the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Simaan AbouRizk, for an in-depth look at some of the CIC’s ongoing projects. During the tours of the CIC lab, the Nasseri School of Building Science Lab, and the I. F. Morrison Structures Lab, researchers presented their work on exoskeletons for construction workers, [...]

We would like to thank all of the attendees and researchers that participated in the April 28th CIC Open House event for making it a success! We were very happy to see so many interested and engaged members of our community participating in tours of labs run by researchers at the CIC's Biosensors, Exoskeletons and Robotic Arms lab; the Canadian Centre for Welding and Joining; the Masonry Centre; the Networked Optimization, Diagnosis, and Estimation (NODE) Laboratory; the Smart & Sustainable Manufacturing Systems LABoratory; and the Steel Centre! We look forward to hosting more and better events with even more network [...]

Whether dealing with the harsh cold of winter or the blazing summer heat, all year round we rely on our homes and workplaces to keep us safe and comfortable. Not only does the ability of a building to maintain a comfortable internal temperature important for its occupants’ health, but it’s an important consideration in terms of environmental impact and operating costs! A well-insulated building uses less gas and electricity than one that constantly needs to be warmed up or cooled down. Heat is transferred via conduction, convection, and radiation, and thermal energy will always move from warm areas into cold ones. [...]

“The knowledge of the past becomes the wisdom of the future.”  - John Leder, co-founder of Supreme Steel Supreme Steel began as a small western Canadian steel erector business launched in 1972 by John and Sally Leder. The company grew into the biggest privately held steel fabricator in the 1980s, and has since participated in projects like Seattle’s Ranier Tower, Vancouver’s Port Mann Bridge and Evergreen Line Rapid Transit Stations, Edmonton’s Rogers Arena and the combined office and control tower at the Edmonton International Airport, and the Diavik diamond mine in the Northwest Territories, among others. In 2020, Supreme Steel refined [...]

The question of how to create more efficient, practical, and structurally sound buildings is one that architects and engineers have sought to answer throughout history. Today, with the aid of automation, Doctors Yuxiang Chen and Carlos Cruz-Noguez at the Construction Innovation Centre are working to find a solution. Although technologies such as automation and innovative materials have begun to be incorporated into building design and construction processes, these advancements often target a single performance aspect, such as energy efficiency or productivity. This project seeks to develop an innovative, lightweight, robot-friendly building block with integrated features that will allow for better movement [...]