George Brown College Green Building Centre at intersection of ICT and Construction
3 min read
Earlier this year I wrote a blog about the launch of a brand new Building Automation program at George Brown College in Toronto. The message was simple: if the construction and real estate industry is changing how it designs, builds, and operates our infrastructure (buildings, roads, bridges), then its future workforce must be trained to handle the more sustainable and intelligently built environments and processes. Demands for change within the industry and our partnership with George Brown College resulted in the Program, an exciting new three-year curriculum that will prepare builders and facility managers of the future to meet changing industry demands.
This week, the College made another exciting announcement based on the realization that the world is changing, and that education and research has to change accordingly. Together with Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Diane Finley, Nancy Sherman, Dean of the Center for Construction and Engineering Technologies, announced the creation of a first-in-class “Green Building Centre” at George Brown College.
News release: Canada Government supports Green Building Partnerships
The Green Building Centre is a full-scale technology development, applied research and industry service centre that will concentrate on green and sustainable building construction. The Centre will bring together students, faculty and industry professionals, providing a platform for innovation and productivity in the area of sustainable and intelligent infrastructure.
[ Left to right: Minister Diane Finley; Dean Nancy Sherman; Making IP Phones part of Building Controls ]
As Executive-in-Residence, I had the honour of speaking on behalf of the construction and technology industries which will both contribute to and benefit from the anticipated research and development initiatives in the Centre. Information and Technology Communications is the common denominator of any industry in transformation, and George Brown College has long understood that technology is a critical aspect of construction and engineering for the future. In fact they are already one of our largest Cisco Networking Academy partners in Canada.
With the new Building Automation program and the newly announced Green Building Centre, the College is maintaining its focus, embedding ICT in all aspects of its education curriculum and now also in its applied research and development.
I commend the Government of Canada, George Brown College and its partners for the foresight, vision and action to take a leadership role at the intersection of green construction, sustainability and ICT. The work that will be conducted and initiated in the Centre will provide the thought leadership, demonstrations and commercial applications that will help develop green and intelligent building practices for the construction industry in Canada, and around the world.
We are proud to be part of it!
Rick Huijbregts is Executive-in-Residence at George Brown College for the Center for Construction and Engineering Technologies, and serves as Chair of the Program Advisory Committee for the new Building Automation Program.
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