In Metro Vancouver, waste from construction, demolition and the renovation sectors, constitutes about one third of this region’s waste. However, CityStudio is taking strides towards decreasing those statistics significantly. CityStudio is a company searching for ways to advance sustainability initiatives regarding many diverse issues in Vancouver. Furthermore, CityStudio provides opportunities for students to work on challenging urban sustainability projects that the city is currently facing. This allows students to acquire practical experience in their areas of study and gain a broader understanding for a wide range of perspectives affecting the decisions we face as a society moving towards a more sustainable world.
Figure 1: Distribution of Waste in Metro Vancouver
Source: DLC Waste Management ToolKit, Retrieved from www.metrovanncouver.org
CityStudio has proposed a solution to the current waste water concerns by the creation of a Deconstruction Hub facility that will be able to divert construction and demolition waste from disposal in landfills. In turn, doing this can decrease the footprint of some of our most prominent and energy-intensive industries. The deconstruction Hub facility will offer many services. These include the collection, sorting, warehousing, remanufacturing and retailing of used building materials. Currently, the project is in its conceptualization phase and further research and analysis will be conducted to determine the cost benefits and methodology of the project. Furthermore, through educational platforms and presentations, CityStudio hopes to provide municipalities with valuable knowledge concerning sustainable practices regarding the waste from these sectors. Citystudio will deliver the engineering design work as well as intellectual incentive that will result in the ability of these municipalities to address large scale waste diversion and materials reuse while creating the opportunity to invest in green jobs for their local communities.
Through collaboration our group believes that no problem is too complex and that together, many minds can accomplish great things. Each member is extremely passionate about the opportunity to be a part of this project. Our group offers a diverse collection of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives that will translate into the group’s ability to accompany CityStudio in addressing and completing its aims.
[David Grant]
David Grant was born in Vancouver and has spent his entire life in the Lower Mainland. He is currently completing his second year at UBC while majoring in Civil Engineering. In his spare time, David thoroughly enjoys playing competitive sports such as volleyball, soccer, and baseball. He is also a hockey junkie and a diehard Canucks fan; words cannot describe how excited he that the lockout is over! In the future he hopes to become Project Manager for industrial developments while specializing in environmentally friendly projects.
David has worked previously in construction and is quite familiar with the astounding amount of waste that occurs. As such, he believes his interest in environmental projects will transfer to the CBEL City Studio in the aim to reduce the amount of waste. With the project he hopes to be able to apply the practical knowledge of the construction process he has gained in the field and apply it in a scenario where he can make a positive difference in the community.
[Jae Yong Rhee]
Jae Yong Rhee was born in Seoul, Korea, but has been living in Burnaby, B.C ever since he was a first grader. He is enrolled in the Civil Engineering program at UBC and is currently completing his second year there. He hopes to become either a structural engineer or architect, and is always keen to get practical experience related to those fields. That is why he loves opportunities such as co-op work programs and projects such as the CBEL City Studio project in where he can apply his academic knowledge to real life situations. He looks forward to working as a team with his group members and successfully completing this project.
Jae Yong is interested in a wide variety of activities such as snow boarding, long boarding, playing the electric guitar and cooking. He enjoys balancing his school life, work and hobbies, and one of his favourite quotes is “work hard, play hard!”
[Laura Herrera]
Laura Herrera came from South America with her family around six years ago. She comes from the capital of Colombia, Bogota. Currently, she is pursuing a dual degree at UBC in visual arts and civil engineering. In her spare time, Laura loves to paint, draw, and create things. She is also a hair stylist at her own Vancouver home. In the future, she would like to work in diverse environments around the globe working on urban planning related projects.
Laura likes to introduce change in her life constantly and try new things which is why she is excited to be part of this CBEL project. With this project, she hopes to obtain a deeper understanding of project planning and development. She is looking forward to collaborating in this project and having the opportunity to make a difference in the community. She hopes to get to know the team and the community and that together we’ll enjoy our journey and grow collectively as the project comes to completion.
[Nathaniel Stuart]
Nathaniel Stuart is a Vancouver boy, born and raised; However, he has lived in several different cities all over British Columbia due to school and work obligations. He has attended SFU and completed a minor in the business program and is now currently pursuing a Civil Engineering Degree at UBC and is in his second year. Eventually he would like to complete a Masters degree in either Structural Engineering or Architecture and would love to continue to work in environments that allow him to give back to the global community, whatever way that may be.
Nathaniel is extremely passionate about striving to change our current wasteful habits as a society to that of a more sustainable and responsible one. He is also continually looking for ways to expand his foundational knowledge regarding sustainable engineering practices and believes this CBEL project will be an excellent opportunity to gain practical experience. Furthermore, he is excited to have the opportunity to make a contribution to a project that can make a tangible difference in the way we treat our waste. He looks forward to working and collaborating with the community and professionals at CityStudio that are involved and have already made a difference on our perspectives on waste management.
[Curtis Flack]
Curtis Flack is currently a second year Civil student at UBC. He was born in Trail BC, and he enjoys doing lots of outdoor activities and sports. Curtis is highly interested in group work which is a main reason why he is excited about this project because like CIVIL 201 last semester it is a project based course which he feels like we gain more knowledge from that than just regular class work. He recently worked with a restoration company, which has to deal with construction material waste on a day-to-day basis so this project appeals to him.
Curtis wishes to eventually become either a transportation engineer or structural but is still undecided at the moment.
[Kyle Gallagher]
Kyle was born in Hamilton, ON, but spent his formative years in North Vancouver. His interest in real estate development lead him to buy and renovate three investment properties, as well as acquire two rental buildings in Eastern Canada. One of his passions is the reinvention of materials that would otherwise be disposed of. Working with the CityStudio project is a perfect fit, allowing him the opportunity of helping decrease landfills, while utilizing previously used materials for future projects. He hopes to encourage the community to consider waste objectively, while helping them saving money through purchasing salvaged materials.
Kyle’s interests include furniture design, architecture, cooking, exercise and bicycling. He is currently enrolled in his 2nd year of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia. Upon completion he hopes to work for a structural engineering firm who focuses on forward-thinking environmental and aesthetic design.
Team Photo
Wow! Great start to this fascinating project. There are lots of great things planned. I hope you are in contact with Lena, so that you can starting working on the details of the project’s objectives, constraints, and the deliverable to the client.
Keep up this … well… AWESOME work!!
–SN
Thanks Susan! now that we have our deliverables and project proposal sorted out we are super excited to dive in and get our hands a little dirty!