Chairholders
Profile
Mohamed Al-Hussein
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Alberta
Chair title
NSERC Industrial Research Chair in the Industrialization of Building Construction
Chair program
Industrial Research Chairs program
Role
Industrial Research Chairholder since 2011
Summary
The NSERC Industrial Research Chair (IRC) in the Industrialization of Building Construction is a key strategic initiative to advance construction automation based on the industrialization of the construction process. More specifically, this IRC aims to replace the traditional stick-built construction approach with a factory-based method to produce more economical and healthier buildings. As the Chairholder, Mohamed Al-Hussein has an extensive background and expertise in building industrialization. Recently, the activities supported by the Chairholder's Collaborative Research and Development Grant, entitled Precast Concrete Foundation for Residential Construction (2006–09), supported the initiative to industrialize processes in the residential construction of basements and driveways. An NSERC Discovery Grant held by Dr. Al-Hussein, entitled Automation and Modelling of Construction Operations (2007–12), further paved the way for industrial project applications by advancing research in the application of lean concepts and engineered productivity standards.
The key activities of the current IRC research program intend to improve existing technologies and manufacturing techniques by increasing the productivity and flexibility of the building manufacturing system, automating design and drafting for manufacturing (DDFM), developing mathematical algorithms to optimize materials and technologies to minimize waste, quantifying and minimizing the environmental carbon dioxide footprint of the construction process, assessing the ergonomic and physical demand of construction activities on workers and building occupants, and uniting the above research areas into a Building Information Model (BIM).
Due to the unique nature of this IRC program, this research has garnered the support of a diverse group of industrial partners: 1) manufacturers (two wood-based modular manufacturers and two panel-based manufacturers); 2) contractors (two building contractors who are committed to manufacturing building concepts); 3) institutions (municipal, provincial, school board); and 4) specialized building system companies (precast and doors and windows). Through his collaboration with these partners, Dr. Al-Hussein aims to contribute to the growth of Canada's construction industry by producing well-educated highly-qualified personnel (HQP), researching technical issues of strategic importance to Canada, and supporting the professional development of practicing engineers.
An innovative and advanced technology for a more efficient, productive and healthier construction process can be achieved through the success of this IRC program. As Chairholder, Dr. Al-Hussein supports the development of innovative construction materials and acts as a hub uniting the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industries in their aims of industrializing building construction.
Partners
- All Weather Windows
- Cormode & Dickson Construction
- Canada Green Building Council (Alberta Chapter)/Conseil du bâtiment durable du Canada (chapitre de l'Alberta)
- Igloo Prebuilt Homes
- Integrated Management & Realty
- Landmark Group of Builders
- Modular Building Institute
- Northern Crane Services
- P.Kruger Concrete Products
- The Urban Development Institute of Greater Edmonton
Contact information
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Alberta
9105 116th Street
40 University Campus N.O.
Edmonton, Alberta
T6G 2W2
Tel.: 780-492-0599
Fax: 780-492-0249
Email: malhussein@ualberta.ca
