The Steel Structures Education Foundation is a special initiative of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction. Its mandate is to develop and support Steel related education in Schools of Engineering and Architecture across Canada. The SSEF sponsors a bi-annual joint meeting of Engineering and Architectural Professors. The SSEF also funds related research by faculty in Schools of Engineering and Architecture across Canada. The Canadian Institute of Steel Construction as an early education initiative, has dedicated its efforts over the years to the construction of steel teaching aids at numerous schools of architecture and engineering across Canada.

An important SSEF initiative is the development of continuing education courses dealing with the design of steel buildings, bridges, and connections. These courses are developed by SSEF and presented by CISC, and are intended for practicing structural engineers.

In 2002 the SSEF launched the first Architectural Student Design Competition. This tradition continues each year, with increased involvement from the Schools of Architecture across Canada.

SSEF also funds faculty research. Some of this research has led to the development of a series of CD-ROMs that delve into the design, fabrication and construction of significant steel buildings from across Canada. Sneak peeks of the contents of the CD-ROMs may be viewed through our Project Gallery.

"Crossing the Divide"
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"Le Passage du Fossé"

The Award of Excellence goes to:
Paul Schaefer, Andrew Martin, Lee Blanchard of the University of Calgary;supervised by Gary Mundy.

An Award of Merit goes to:
Bi-Ying Miao and Jane Wong of the University of Waterloo; supervised by Terri Meyer Boake and Vincent Hui.

An Award of Merit goes to:
Jessica Thatcher, Jennifer Thorogood, Melissa Ouellet, Yunlu Shen of McGill University; supervised by Pieter Sijpkes.

One of the sustainable advantages of steel is its ability to be re-used from project to project.

A new website has been launched that looks more closely into this issue giving background information on reusing steel, examining various projects and helpful hints on how to source used steel.

For more information visit:

http://www.reuse-steel.org

With ever increasing concern about our fragile environment, the steel industry is interested in educating both students and pracitioners about the green value of using steel in buildiing projects. Different steel structural systems can help to make a building lighter and more material efficient. Steel can be recycled endlessly, assisting in "Cradle to Cradle" notions of limitless life cycles of material used in building. Steel never needs to be thrown away...

To find out more about case studies of sustainable steel buildings and a list of valuable references and articles, please check out these websites!

Canadian Institute of Steel Construction
Green Steel Resource Page

Case Studies in Sustainable Canadian Building

Advantage Steel Issue No. 20
Sustainable Steel - Summer 2004

Students interested in finding out more about innovation in steel buildings should visit our "Project Gallery" page, where you will see detailed images of steel buildings that are or will be the subject of our growing series of educational CD-ROMs.

link to gallery

Also, recently uploaded, please visit the site

"STEEL: FUN IS IN THE DETAILS"

a case study gallery of over 35 innovative steel buildings. Each building set includes at least 12 images that show various structural systems and connections, as designed by architects from Canada and the United States.

The site is hosted and maintained by Professor Terri Meyer Boake, School of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, University of Waterloo.

The winners of the "Tripping the Void" Student Design Competition have been decided.

The Award of Excellence goes to:
Anne Maisonneuve / Ralph Bleiwert / Phil Vandermey of the University of Calgary;supervised by Gary Mundy.
Their design was called Converge and Ice Bridge.

An Award of Merit goes to:
Ryan Ollson & Court Sin of the University of Waterloo; supervised by Terri Meyer Boake.

An Award of Merit goes to:
Andrey Dimitrov of McGill University; supervised by Pieter Sijpkes.

For complete information and images of the award winning work, please visit link.

The meeting of Architectural and Engineering Educators, sponsored by SSEF, took place in Montreal, Quebec early in March 2004.

The program started with some creative constructions by the participants, link

included some inspiring talks and

~tours of The National Circus School, link

~a tour of Tohu: Chapiteau des Arts, link

~and a walking tour of Montreal, link

This year's meeting is scheduled for March 2006 in Edmonton, Alberta! Stay tuned.

Lakehead’s Bridge Builders Take Fifth Place at U.S. National Competition
(Thunder Bay, May 28, 2003)

Lakehead University’s Civil Engineering bridge building team took fifth place this past weekend in the American Institute of Steel Construction/American Society for Civil Engineering U.S. National Student Steel Bridge Competition at San Diego State University.

This year’s eight-member team consists of Paul Turner, Brian Mashford, Charles Chataway, George McKay, Mark Rustan, James Neufeld, Tim Saunders and Darryl Robertson. Dr. Tony Gillies and Dr. Timo Tikka assisted as faculty advisors to the team.

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