Lectures & Presentations
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Designing for Northern, Remote and Arctic Communities
Extreme cold and wind, sparse infrastructure, and an average population density of 0.05 people per square kilometer means that Canada’s northern territories face very unique challenges for building construction. In this presentation we will explore how climate, geography, logistics and culture all play a role in influencing the design of buildings in ways that are drastically different from southern urban areas
Bridging the Gap: Preventing conflict between engineers and contractors
It doesn’t have to be this way. We can do better! It seems so straight forward. Engineers and Contractors are teammates with the common goal of improving a property. It doesn’t matter if it’s a renovation, new build, or an addition, both parties are working towards the same end. So why is there so much friction? Why is there such animosity? In this presentation we will explore the causes of conflict between the engineering and contracting sides, as well as examples of common mistakes made by both parties that increase the likelihood of a project turning sour. At the end of the presentation you will be able to better understand the other persons position and rational as well as make small changes to your own processes that will make for smoother interactions and a smoother project. Nobody wants to leave a meeting upset, lose money on a project, or embarrass themselves in front of the client. When you establish common ground, and better understand the people you interact with daily, you are freer to focus on the bottom line.
The Art of System Selection
In this presentation we will explore the process and workflow for preparing different mechanical design options for a project and selecting the most suitable design. This presentation will walk attendees through the steps of defining the problem that needs to be solved, quantifying unknown variables, compiling possible solutions, and evaluating options. Often design choices are subjective, however this lecture will seek to distil each point to its most basic elements, and provide the attendees with a format they can use to apply their own knowledge and experiences in the pursuit of a design that fits the conditions as best as possible.
The World of Heat Pumps
“Welcome to the World of Heat Pumps” is an engaging technical session that explores the fundamentals and evolving landscape of heat pump technology. Designed for Residential HVAC professionals, the presentation covers air, water, and geothermal systems, highlights key performance metrics like COP, SEER2, and HSPF2, and emphasizes the importance of proper sizing and selection. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how to apply heat pump solutions in residential settings and communicate their benefits in support of energy efficiency and decarbonization goals.
Commercial Kitchen Ventilation - A Primer
​Welcome to an essential discussion on Commercial Kitchen Ventilation (CKV)—a topic that often goes unnoticed but is vital to ensuring the safety and comfort of any commercial kitchen environment. This presentation will explore why ventilation is not just a regulatory requirement but a life-saving necessity. We’ll dive into the science behind grease-laden vapors, dangerous effluents, and indoor air quality issues, and examine the latest standards and practices that keep kitchens safe from fire hazards while maintaining a healthy working environment. Whether you are a designer, installer, or building official, this session will empower you with the knowledge to better understand CKV systems, identify potential risks, and ensure compliance with codes that prevent costly fires and poor indoor air quality. Don't miss out on learning how effective ventilation can protect lives, enhance worker productivity, and contribute to a sustainable kitchen design.
Designing a Dog Daycare
This presentation explores the unique HVAC design considerations for indoor environments occupied by companion animals, with a focus on dogs. It addresses physiological differences between humans and animals that affect thermal comfort, including metabolic rates, thermal neutral zones, and heat rejection mechanisms. The session highlights the lack of published standards for non-veterinary animal spaces and outlines challenges encountered during the design of a real-world dog daycare facility. Topics include estimating heat loads for active animals, managing ammonia-related indoor air quality issues, and complying with ventilation standards under ASHRAE 62.1 and 90.1.
Design Rethink - Boosting Performance, Efficiency, and User Experience
Modern buildings deserve more than “code minimums.”
This presentation shows owners, architects, engineers and contractors how to re-think the mechanical design process so that the building performs better in the real world, not just on paper.
Instead of chasing equipment lists and generic “best practices,” we walk through a structured, proven design approach that aligns the entire project team early, quantifies the right variables, and ensures the systems selected will actually match operating reality. Using a real Canadian case study (a net-zero, off-grid residence in Mont Tremblant), we demonstrate how to:
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capture the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) with clarity
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use design charrettes to avoid conflict and misalignment
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quantify comfort, IAQ and loads using CSA F280 / F326 and CBE tools
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compare system options based on partial load performance (not just peak days)
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select equipment based on turndown, balance points, energy resilience
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write a Sequence of Operations that ensures the system works together
Audience members walk away with a replicable framework—not “tips and tricks.”
This is the process that protects the Owner, protects the design team, and delivers buildings that are more comfortable, more efficient, healthier, and actually controllable.
This is how you level up your practice, win better clients, and eliminate the “just do it like last time” design trap.
Residential HVAC Safety:
Addressing IAQ and Depressurization Risks
Homes are getting tighter. Exhaust systems are getting stronger. Kitchens are becoming quasi-commercial. And meanwhile—our codes haven’t
kept pace.
This 30-minute technical presentation is designed to equip building officials, inspectors, designers, and plan reviewers with the critical insight needed to recognize, and prevent IAQ risks and depressurization hazards in today’s housing.
We cut through the comfort-talk and go straight to safety.
Attendees will learn how common residential mechanical choices can unintentionally create serious health and life-safety risks, including radon intrusion, CO migration, wildfire particulate exposure, moisture-driven mold, and unbalanced kitchen exhausts that excessively depressurize the residence.
We’ll explore:
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what contaminants are actually harming occupants
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how pressure imbalances occur in real houses
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why large residential range hoods are a legitimate hazard
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where code minimums are blind to real-world risk
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what performance indicators must be validated (not assumed)
If you produce HVAC designs, review drawings, conduct inspections, or approve residential ventilation and exhaust systems—this session will change how you see “compliance,” and arm you with a deeper understanding of what safe and healthy actually looks like in the field.