Last month, the University of Calgary’s (U of C’s) Schulich School of Engineering launched the Centre for Project Management Excellence (CPME)—a program for education, training, and research.

“Projects have become more complex and the business climate more competitive,” explained Dr. Janaka Ruwanpura, director of the centre and Canada Research Chair in Project Management Systems.

A major hotel, river bridge, and a border crossing facility were among this year’s Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC) winning projects in the 21^st Ontario Steel Design Awards.

“The awards are to share and recognize steel design and innovation excellence—helping to keep the Ontario industry on the leading edge,” Suja John, CISC’s Ontario regional manager, told Construction Canada Online.

“Migrating Landscapes,” a project by Winnipeg firm, 5468796 Architecture, has been selected to represent Canada at the 2012 Venice Biennale in Architecture.

A representative of Migrating Landscapes Organizer (MLO) told Construction Canada Online the team is incredibly excited to realize the project at the famous event, which takes place from August to November, 2012.

Last month’s fire at the Remy housing project construction jobsite in Richmond, B.C., has led to the questioning of the safety of wood-framed buildings. The fire destroyed one of the first six-storey structures in the process of being constructed under the province’s revised building codes for mid-rise residential construction.

The B.C. Ready-Mixed Concrete Association said in a statement that balanced design is a vital requirement for multi-family structures to be capable of protecting people and property against the hazards of fire.

Earlier this month, downtown Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital opened its new Keenan Research Centre and Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre. They are among the first medical facilities in the world specifically designed to bring together researchers, educators, and clinicians to brainstorm ideas and quickly deliver best practices and research discoveries to patients.

Three Canadian projects have nabbed top “Restoration/Renovation” honours under the continent-wide Canadian Copper & Brass Development Association (CCBDA) and Copper Development Association (CDA) awards competition.

The 2011 North American Copper in Architecture (NACIA) program recognized a trio of domestic envelope cladding projects for their work in “showcasing the beauty, longevity, and workability that is offered by mankind’s oldest metal.”

If solar energy can be harnessed to both heat and power buildings, why is it not being specified more often in building design? That is the question two Canadian professors are now trying to answer.

Miljana Horvat (Toronto’s Ryerson University) and Marie-Claude Dubois (Québec City’s Université Laval) are leading an International Energy Agency’s Solar Heating and Cooling (IEA-SHC) research project—Task 41: Solar Energy and Architecture.

Cadillac Fairview has announced plans to build a $1-billion mixed-use development of housing and office towers that will surround Montréal’s Bell Centre area.

This $400-million phase will include a 27-storey office tower and three condominium towers comprising 710 units.

Vancouver-based Busby Perkins+Will Architect is one of this year’s top 50 greenest employers in Canada, according to Mediacorp Canada, a Toronto-based publishing firm.

The company designed the first multi-family residential building in Canada to be certified as “Platinum” under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

A new house, built by Heathwood Homes in Richmond Hill, Ont., is being billed as the first green home in Canada to be evaluated for the effectiveness of its energy and water conservation features.