Photo provided courtesy of Paterson Group Inc.
President (& Communications) – Steven Laviolette, P.Eng. After leaving his position as the Director of Building Sciences at Paterson Group, Steve is now the Senior Building Envelope Engineer with BPA (which Cleland Jardine recently joined to expand services). At BPA (formerly CJE), Steve continues to be a leader in a team of building professionals who provide a wide range of building envelope and structural services for commercial, institutional, residential and condominium clients. Services provided by BPA include many types of building assessments and investigations, design and inspection of building envelope and structural rehabilitation projects, and design and inspection of new construction. A particular specialty of Steve is the feasibility assessment and design of building envelope renewal, to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions of buildings.
While Steve focussed on structural engineering in university, he has specialized in building envelope engineering since graduating. Since Steve did not receive building envelope training in school, he learned the field “on the job”, like most ‘old timers’ in the building envelope industry. For Steve, attendance at BECOR sessions was an integral part of that training, with BECOR providing a low cost and time efficient approach to learning B.E. fundamentals, obtaining information about evolving technologies, developing professional contacts and exchanging ideas. Steve’s favourite part of BECOR is the wide variety of topics covered at the monthly sessions, with topics being very relevant to current and future B.E. design issues and the global environment. With BECOR providing so much value to Steve over the first 20 years of his career, Steve decided to give back and he joined the BECOR Board in 2007. Steve has been serving as BECOR’s President since 2018.
Program Director – Tony Colantonio, B. Arch, L3 ITC Thermographer. Currently retired, Tony has over 38 years of experience in the area of building science and infrared thermography. He has worked in multidisciplinary federal government groups for 34 years developing non-destructive techniques and programs to evaluate building performance in architectural disciplines in addition to acting as a departmental expert advisor on building envelope design and assessments of major capital projects. He has fostered the growth of the building science industry through federal R&D funded programs in product, knowledge and assessment methodology development. He was an active voting member in over a dozen CGSB and ASTM standards and continues to participate in ISO working groups to rewrite IRT standards for building applications.
Treasurer – Matthew Michaluk, P.Eng. Matt is professional engineer and Director of Engineering for Keller Engineering. He is a specialist in building exteriors with an in-depth understanding of windows, glass, curtain walls, skylights, panels, window films, sealants, masonry, siding, stucco, EIFS, coating roofing systems, and many others. Matt has over 17 years of experience in construction, consulting, lab/field testing, forensic investigations, and expert testimony.
Sessions Director – Brock Conley. Brock is a research engineer with CanmetENERGY-Ottawa. He joined after he graduated with his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Carleton University and the Centre for Advanced Building Envelope Research (CU-CABER). He is actively researching how to reduce the environmental impact of residential construction through Prefabricated Exterior Energy Retrofits (PEER) program. Research interests include hygrothermal and practical challenges of prefabricated retrofits, introducing low-carbon, BIPV and low U-value triple pane windows to residential enclosures. Brock is also a professor in the Building Science program at Algonquin College and an assistant coach for the Carleton Ravens Lacrosse team.
Vice President (& Liaison: Industry) – James Brazeau. James is the President of Bulldog Commercial Restoration & Waterproofing Inc. and has served as a director with BECOR since 2010. James has a passion for building science and has years of experience as a technical sales specialist in waterproofing, air barrier, structural glazing, and coatings technologies. James uses his network of contacts within the architectural, engineering, and contractor community in efforts to further grow the BECOR membership and find new and interesting topics for presentations.
Communications Director – Vacant – Presently covered by Steve Laviolette
Secretary (& Web Site Coordinator, plus Liaison for OBEC & BSS) – Ross Williams, P.Eng., BSS. Ross is a graduate of the Architectural Conservation and Sustainability Engineering Program at Carleton University. After obtaining his undergraduate degree in 2018, Ross joined the Building Science Department at Cleland Jardine Engineering. Ross has experience working on a variety of building envelope rehabilitation projects and provides design, contract administration and field review services. Ross also works on the assessment and evaluation of existing residential and commercial buildings.
Membership Coordinator – Matt McNeely. Matt has been a Territory Manager for Garland Canada Inc. for the past 11 years. His role with Garland has evolved, currently helping Architects and Engineers with Low Slope Roofing, Metal Roofing, Metal Wall Cladding and Caulking projects. He has been a member of BECOR since 2019 and believes continued education is key to staying current with constructions ever changing landscape. Matt looks forward to helping BECOR grow as an association and continue providing professional growth to its members.
Sessions Registrar – Adel Iskandar
Student Programs Coordinator (& Liaison: Algonquin Collage) – Mehdi Zahed. Mehdi Zahed is a registered architect with the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA), a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), a full-time professor in Architectural Technology programs, at Algonquin College Ottawa campus, with more than 25 years of architecture, academia and construction industry experience. Mehdi Zahed is elected as the faculty representative in the board of governor at the Algonquin College. He also a researcher in the field of sustainable development and building information modelling (BIM) in Canada and the United States. Mehdi Zahed is an active member of the Life Cycle Sustainability Lab (LCSL) at the University of Calgary as a Ph.D. candidate in the field of environmental design. Mehdi Zahed has worked as a Visiting Scholar in collaboration with the Pennsylvania State University (PSU), RE2-LAB, in 2022 – 2023. Mehdi Zahed won the award for excellence in teaching, in the field of architectural technology, from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton, Alberta, in 2020. The Algonquin College Studetnt’s Association also presented, the Excellence in Teaching Award to Mehdi Zahed in 2024. Professor Zahed has a passion for helping others, metoring and coaching the younger generation to excel in their educational and professional career goals. He served as the Chair for Skills Canada, Alberta (2011 – 2020) and Skills Ontario, as a Provential Technical Committee member. Mehdi Zahed played a key role as a co-founder of the Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) in Alberta (2019). Mehdi Zahed believes that quality education and professional coaching have an everlasting impact on people’s careers and lives.
Liaison: Carleton University – Brodie Hobson, MASc, EIT. Brodie is a PhD candidate and contract instructor for the Building Science course at Carleton University. He has been a member of the Carleton community since 2013, having completed his BEng and MASc at the same institution. Beyond building science, his current research focuses on data-driven building operations and maintenance for commercial building systems. He has been a member of BECOR since 2023 and actively promotes their activities to his building science students as a bridge between the classroom and practical, local industry expertise. Brodie is also an active member of the ASHRAE Ottawa Valley Chapter and IBPSA-Canada.
Liaison: University of Ottawa – Reza Foruzan. Dr. Reza Foruzanmehr received his PhD in Civil Engineering from Université de Sherbrooke in 2016. His doctoral research focused on enhancing the performance of natural fibres in polymeric and cementitious composites for building applications. After his role as a research coordinator at the Center for Innovation in Technological Ecodesign (CITÉ) in Granby, Canada, he joined the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Ottawa in 2018.
Dr. Foruzanmehr has recently been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor. He is dedicated to developing sustainable building envelope components using Canadian biomass. He emphasizes the importance of using materials with low embodied carbon to achieve sustainable construction. Natural fibres, being renewable, eco-friendly, and possessing high specific strength, are prime candidates for reinforcing bio-composites. However, their hydrophilic nature poses challenges, such as poor dispersion in hydrophobic polymers and accelerated degradation in cementitious composites.
To address these challenges, Dr. Foruzanmehr’s research focuses on modifying the hydrophilic characteristics of natural fibres to enhance their durability in various humidity conditions. This work aims to create durable bio-composites for both internal and external building envelope applications.
In addition to his research, Dr. Foruzanmehr is the co-founder of the Zero-carbon Building (ZCB) lab. The lab’s mission is to develop ultra-low carbon building materials for the construction of building envelope components through additive manufacturing. The lab also focuses on building and examining envelope assemblies through numerical modelling and large-scale testing, promoting innovation and sustainability in construction. Dr. Foruzanmehr is also pioneering the development of 3D printable, locally-sourced cementitious composites to replace conventional building envelope components. This innovative approach leverages locally available materials and advanced manufacturing technologies to promote sustainability in construction. Dr. Foruzanmehr is an active member of ASTM International, contributing to committees C01 (Cement), C07 (Lime and Limestone), and F42 (Additive Manufacturing Technologies), furthering the advancement of standards and practices in building materials and construction.
Liaison: OAA – Sanskriti Singh. Sanskriti Singh is a registered Architect with the Ontario Association of Architects and a Sr. Project Manager at for Department of National Defence. Prior to her current employment, Sanskriti worked as a Sr. Architect at Public Services and Procurement Canada on rehabilitation projects for federal heritage buildings. Sanskriti has over 20 experience in planning, design and implementation of projects and her interests include heritage conservation, sustainability and building science. Having benefited from BECOR seminars over the years Sanskriti is delighted to be part of the BECOR Board.
Liaison: OACETT & CSC – Jeremy Monette. Jeremy serves as the Senior Field Advisor for Tremco Construction Products Group, bringing his expertise to diagnostics, specification assistance, and field reviews to support engineers and architects with commercial roofing projects. His daily site inspections ensure that contractors adhere to design specifications. As a Level 1 Thermographer and certified Advanced Drone Operator, Jeremy excels in utilizing diagnostic tools to assess and enhance building performance. His role is crucial in promoting green and sustainable roofing practices, including restoration, green roofs and long-lasting roofing systems. Jeremy’s journey in building sciences began with hands-on experience, following the traditional on-the-job learning approach. His proficiency in thermal imaging, field review and drone technology enable him to conduct comprehensive building envelope assessments, identify energy inefficiencies, and advocate for sustainable restoration opportunities when feasible.
Director at Large – Laurie Reinhart M.B.Sc., C.E.T. Laurie has a passion for understanding how the building envelope is designed and constructed. She graduated from Algonquin College with an Architectural Technologist Diploma (2005), Ryerson University with a Bachelour of Architectural Sciences (2009), and Ryerson University with a Masters in Building Science (2010). She is a Certified Engineering Technologist with OACETT, obtained a LEED AP BD+C certification, and is a Level II Thermographer. Laurie has been involved with BECOR participating in lunch-and-learn sessions since 2015 and joined the Board in 2020.
Director at Large – Nick Gazo, B.Bldg. Sc. Nicholas Gazo has a background in Building Science, Green Architecture, and Architecture Technology. He worked as a Building Envelope Specialist for Paterson Consulting Engineers before his three-year tenure as Director of Regulatory and Technical Affairs at NAIMA Canada (North American Insulation Manufacturers’ Association). He now works for Codes Canada (NRC) as the lead Technical Advisor to the Standing Committee on Fire Protection, and in a supporting role to the Standing Committee on Housing and Small Buildings.
Director at Large – Elyse Rogers, B. Eng Elyse Rogers is a Building Science Consultant at Stantec Consulting Ltd. Elyse is a graduate of the Architectural Conservation and Sustainability Engineering program at Carleton University. Elyse initially joined Stantec (formerly Morrison Hershfield) as a co-op student in 2023 and transitioned to a full-time role in 2024. Since then, she has contributed to various projects, providing building envelope and structural services to clients, including high-rise new construction field reviews, building condition assessments, and rehabilitation design and tender services. Elyse is excited to contribute to the development of BECOR as an organization and looks forward to providing informative seminars to its members.
