Chairholders

Profile

Pierre Blanchet

Department of Wood and Forest Sciences
Université Laval

Chair title

NSERC Industrial Research Chair on Ecoresponsible Wood Construction

Chair program

Industrial Research Chairs program

Role

Associate Chairholder since 2013

Summary

Wood is a plentiful material in Canada and, in the context of greenhouse (GHG) reduction, wood buildings can play an important role in climate change mitigation (2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC]). However, it is important to consider the construction industry as a key element for acceptance of new ways of doing things.

It is in this spirit that the NSERC Industrial Research Chair on Ecoresponsible Wood Construction was created. The Chair program is based on an approach that combines architecture and wood, civil, mechanical and industrial engineering, and that focuses on three research directions: designing the building, constructing the building and operating the building. The main objective of the proposed initiative (funded by an industrial research chair grant and a collaborative research and development grant from NSERC) is to position Canada as a world leader in ecoresponsible wood construction through the development of innovative practices and the establishment of a unique industrial consortium whose activities will have a major impact on GHG reduction and the economic development of the forest and construction industry sectors. Reaching this objective will depend on the use of multidisciplinary methodological approaches that reflect the construction industry cluster and that address building design, development of construction systems, development of materials, implementation logistics, the energy efficiency of buildings and processes, the sustainability of works and the environmental footprint.

In addition, integrated conceptual and modelling work and laboratory evaluations will be done to achieve the general Chair program objective, which is to study the construction industry as a whole. Interactions with partners will take place mainly in the context of a field laboratory and the industrial partners’ worksites, where the Chair’s research activities will be carried out. The research results will therefore stem from actual construction projects. Moreover, the Chairholder has extensive experience in industrial research in the areas of product development, ecodesign and protection of wood products.

The Chair partners, including architects, engineering firms, a major builder, suppliers of construction solutions and big developers, represent the construction industry as a whole. It is to be hoped that the partners will be the first users of the research results. In addition to this industrial outreach, collaborative efforts with a number of wood construction and sustainable construction research clusters will give the Chair’s activities international visibility.

Partners

• FPInnovations
• Ministère de l’Énergie et des Ressources naturelles du Québec
• Chantiers Chibougamau ltée
• Kruger inc.
• Groupe Distribution Toitures Mauriciennes
• Maibec
• Pomerleau
• Société d’habitation du Québec
• Coarchitecture
• Provencher Roy + Associés Architectes
• Cima+ Inc.
• WoodPlus Coatings Group Ltd.

Contact information

Department of Wood and Forest Sciences
Université Laval
Faculty of Forestry, Geography and Geomatics, 2425 De la Terrasse Street, Office 2342
Québec, Québec
G1V 0A6

Tel.: 418-656-7954
Fax: 418-656-2091
Email: pierre.blanchet@sbf.ulaval.ca

Website:
http://www.crb.ulaval.ca