George Brown College launches green building training program
by Cleantech Canada Staff
Program at Toronto's George Brown aimed at encouraging adoption of Building Information Modeling technology
TORONTO—Toronto’s George Brown College has launched a green technology training program for the construction sector.
Launched with financial support through the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), the Building Information Modeling (BIM) Technology and Processes Adoption Support project to train those working in the construction sector in ways to design, build, manage and operate buildings using sustainable processes and technology.
BIM involves the generation and management of digital representations of physical and functional characteristics of buildings or physical infrastructure used to create efficiencies at every stage of the building life cycle, from concept through occupancy.
“In Canada, as well as globally, BIM is becoming a crucial asset as the construction sector looks for cost-effective ways to be sustainable on every job site,” Clint Kissoon, chair in the Centre for Construction and Engineering Technologies at George Brown, said in a statement released by the college.
“But the costs of BIM adoption, including sizable investments in hardware as well as software and training, are often out of reach for smaller companies. Facilities like our BIM Lab can help fill that gap, giving Canadian businesses access to training, expertise and technology.”
Run through the college’s BIM Lab, which received investments through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), the project encourages small and medium-sized construction firms to adopt BIM technology and processes by providing technical guidance in tools and approaches.
The project is expected to launch in late September and will offer training to as many as 15 industry representatives who will participate in a series of workshops and training sessions, with the option of then being admitted into George Brown’s Building Information Modeling Management graduate certificate program scheduled to launch in January 2015.
The NRC gave the college $100,000 through its Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) to support the project.
