Photo provided courtesy of Paterson Group Inc.
Ottawa, a leading centre for building research, is home to The National Research Council of Canada (NRCC), Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). So it was only natural that a Building Envelope Council would take root here. Since it’s inception in 1988, BECOR – Building Envelope Council Ottawa Region – has maintained a strong connection with the research authorities, building researchers and designers who saw the need to share their passion, knowledge and experience with others in the National Capital Region building community.
BECOR’s seminars and events are focused on better building practices, better detailing, failure analysis, investigative methodologies, advanced technologies and techniques in the design, construction and performance of building envelopes. We are a non-profit organization run by volunteers representative of the diverse stakeholders in the building community.
Our connections with NRCC in the early days attracted many researchers and building science scholars. BECOR has had presentations by some of the major pioneers in our industry.
BECOR’s goal is to promote the informal exchange of knowledge in a collegial atmosphere for the betterment of its members. We are committed to maintaining leadership in building envelope science and practice.
BECOR enjoys industry recognition, active cooperation and support of several important industries and professional associations nationally and internationally. These connections help us deliver our educational program. Many consultants, manufacturers, builders and contractors have been well represented at our sessions.
Memorable site visits have included tours of the Canada Brick and Ideal Roofing Plants, renovations to Museum of Nature, the West Block, the Peace Tower and Centre Block, the NRCC wind Tunnel, NRCC Energy Test Houses, ULC’s (formerly called Patenaude-Trempe) window test facility outside Montreal and others.
BECOR’s members come from all stakeholders in the building industry: designers, researchers, builders, owners, users, suppliers and authorities.
BECOR’s commitment to fostering education extends to local educational institutions. For years, both Algonquin College and Cite Collegiale have been recipients of annual BECOR bursaries. A scholarship fund was recently established by BECOR in support of the Bachelor of Building Sciences program at Algonquin College. To facilitate coordination with program schedules and the participation of students enrolled in the Bachelor of Building Sciences program, BECOR often hosts full-day technical seminar events at the Algonquin Construction Centre of Excellence, offering students the opportunity to network with architectural and engineering practitioners and participate in these industry events at no cost.