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This article summarizes key changes to the 2010 National Model Construction Codes, with emphasis on the National Building Code., Aussi disponible en français: Publications des codes modèles nationaux de construction 2010

This article briefly reviews the publications page of the NRC-IRC Institute for Research in Construction., Aussi disponible en français: Le site Web de l'IRC-CNRC : une vaste source d'information sur la science du bâtiment

Aussi disponible en français: Avancées dans l'élaboration des codes de construction nationaux

This article briefly describes three types of sustainable roof systems and clarifies some of the terminology and misconceptions surrounding their use., Aussi disponible en français: Les Toits verts, les toits plancs et les toits haute performance: distinguer les faits de la fiction

This article outlines the features and benefits of the hygIRC software, which simulates the hygrothermal response of the building envelope to changing conditions on either side., Aussi disponible en français: Logiciel hygIRC d'optimisation de l'enveloppe du bâtiment

This article presents highlights from the NRC-IRC housing activities report prepared for the 2007 annual conference of the Canadian Home Builders' Association.

The NRC Institute for Research in Construction (NRC-IRC) presented its annual report of housing activities for 2005 to the recent CHBA annual conference. This article presents highlights from the report.

The recent publication of the 2005 National Building Code by the National Research Council signals a new era in construction in Canada. First published in 1941, the highly regarded instrument of regulation has been retooled and reorganized into what is called an objective-based format.

This article review some of the major changes in the 2005 National Building Code as they affect property managers.

This article introduces the three new National Construction Codes published in September 2005 and outlines some of the key code changes.

This article introduces the magazine's readers to the concept of objective-based codes and mentions the cross-Canada series of seminars on code changes being organized by the Institute for Research in Construction beginning in December 2005.

New earthquake engineering requirements will be introduced in the 2005 version of the National Building Code of Canada (NBC) to refine the way seismic design is done. The changes address the differing seismic behaviour on the eastern and western sides of the continent, incorporate new findings about the role the soil plays in a building's response to an earthquake, and for some cases, mandates a more precise design approach known as dynamic analysis where previously its use had only been recommended.

This is the third in a series of articles on the National Construction Codes, new versions of which will be published in September. This article is intended to inform readers about some of the important technical changes to the National Building Code.

This is the second in a series of articles intended to inform readers about important changes to the national model building codes, which will be released later this year.

It should come as no surprise that a great deal of organization, research, consultation and coordination goes into providing the quality that designers, builders and citizens have come to expect of the National Building Code (NBC) and other national model codes used in Canada. Throughout 2005, Heavy Construction News On-Site will examine these model codes from several standpoints. This issue provides background information about the code development process in Canada and the transition that will take place upon publication of the 2005 model codes this year, likely in late summer.

This article reports on some of IRC's recent research and technology activities conducted on behalf of the housing industry.

The Institute for Research in Construction (IRC), part of the National Research Council of Canada, serves Canada's construction industry with a diverse program of services in research, building code development, materials evaluation and technology transfer. Working with partners nationally and internationally, IRC addresses construction issues that have a significant economic impact. The accent is on promoting and developing innovative technologies that improve the performance and durability of built facilities, enhance occupant satisfaction and safety, increase industrial competitiveness, and protect the environment. There is an increased emphasis on life cycle costing. A hallmark of IRC's research is its multi-disciplinary strategy, enabling a holistic approach to the investigation of problems.

The National Building Code of Canada is sixty years old this year. In 1941, a group led by engineers and scientists at the National Research Council published the first edition. It quickly became a major foundation of the federal government's war-time construction effort. Afterwards, the National Research Council continued to provide engineering and research support for its development and today it is the basis for all of the provincial and territorial building codes in Canada. It has reached a level of maturity that gives it world-wide respect as a model for regulation.

Vibrations induced in buildings by road traffic are a common concern in cities in Canada and worldwide. Vehicle contact with irregularities in the road surface (e.g., potholes, cracks and uneven manhole covers) induces dynamic loads on the pavement. These loads generate stress waves, which propagate in the soil, eventually reaching the foundations of adjacent buildings and causing them to vibrate. Traffic vibrations are mainly caused by heavy vehicles such as buses and trucks. Passenger cars and light trucks rarely induceperceptible vibrations.

It's a problem seen all around Ottawa streets every winter and it's not a pretty sight. And it doesn't please drivers who must endure a bumpy ride because of it. The ugly sight is broken pavement around manholes, a costly problem caused by frost heave and one that frustrates city engineers and officials and leaves taxpayers coughing up for the extensive, disruptive repairs that must be carried out. Help may be on the way thanks to an innovation developed at the National Research Council's Institute for Research in Construction (IRC). The key to this innovation, the brainchild of researcher Dr. Otto Svec, is to channel the natural heat flowing through sewers to the area around manholes, thereby preventing the surrounding pavement from breaking up.

This article focuses on current NRC research and related activities associated with building envelope performance in housing and low-rise commercial construction governed by Part 9 of the National Building Code.

The following article is part of an occasional series appearing in TR News in which transportation research organizations are profiled. The activities of the Institute for Research in Construction of the National Research Council of Canada are discussed here.