Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Rapid population growth, increasing pressures of development at urban centres, climate change, and natural and human-made disasters have all contributed to a significant demand for sustainable and low-cost construction. In Canada, housing and community development needs have become further complex with the rising housing costs, homelessness, incoming new immigrants, and the political drive to reduce environmental impacts. The Government of Canada has subscribed to an ambitious emissions reduction target to battle the climate change, which aims to cut-down the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% compared to 2005 levels by 2050. According to International Energy Agency statistics, buildings consume 36% of the global energy and emit nearly 40% of the GHG emissions. Low-impact micro-community development has emerged as a potential solution to minimize GHG emissions and improve socio-economic wellbeing. Micro communities are defined as homogenised small-scale communities with a population less than 30,000 that share a common governance structure and characteristics. My research program aims to investigate and propose strategies for developing economically viable micro-communities with minimal environmental impacts, while also serving the occupants' needs. The main objective is to develop life cycle thinking based construction, operation, and management strategies and technology integrations, to enhance the sustainability of the Canadian micro-communities. Life cycle thinking principles will be applied to ensure the proposed solutions are truly sustainable, instead of merely moving impacts from one life cycle phase to another. This is a natural evolution of my research program with the knowledge generated in the past decade. Following are the sub-objectives. 1. Identify and evaluate low-impact technologies and strategies for construction, operation, and management of small and micro-communities 2. Develop and analyze passive and modular construction-based building solutions for resource efficient micro-communities 3. Develop construction standards, benchmarks, and a life cycle thinking based planning and operation framework for low-impact infrastructure development in micro-communities 4. Develop project delivery methods and contract strategies for low-impact micro-community infrastructure development in different climatic regions of Canada 5. Propose governmental policies and best management practices for advancing sustainable micro-community development in Canada, especially in the Northern climatic regions The outcomes of my research program including decision support tools and best practices will be beneficial to community developers, construction industry, and policymakers, in resolving challenges related to housing affordability, homelessness, climate change, and sustainable resource use. The policies proposed on micro-community development will assist local, provincial, and federal level governments in promoting low-impact construction.