Last February, when Civil Engineering students 脠vane Amico (B.Eng鈥�23) and Evelyn Zhang (B.Eng鈥�22) logged onto the first Canadian Engineering Competition (CEC) to take place online, they weren鈥檛 sure what to expect. But after nearly a year of adapting to COVID-19- related changes at 不良研究所, they were ready to face whatever surprises the remote format presented.
鈥淲hen I shared my screen, the other participants almost disappeared: they were so tiny compared to our presentation slides,鈥� recalls 脠vane. 鈥淚t felt like just another rehearsal at home.鈥� Taking this in stride, the pair of students enumerated the many benefits of green roofs. These vegetation-covered roofing systems capture airborne pollutants, filter noxious gases, reduce urban heat-island effects, save energy through better insulation and provide a sense of connection to nature.
脠vane and Evelyn proceeded to tell their nearly invisible audience about a smart green roof they鈥檇 designed with Canadian regulations and climates in mind. 鈥淲e realized that we don鈥檛 have many advanced green roofs like those you can see all over the world and especially in Europe,鈥� says 脠vane. 鈥淲e wanted to find a way to adapt the technology to the Canadian situation.鈥�
Accounting for wide temperature variations and heavy Canadian-winter snowfall was crucial. So was creating something low maintenance and relatively low-cost, since green roofs aren鈥檛 always an easy sell in North America. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a new concept for a lot of people here, so that鈥檚 a huge challenge,鈥� says Evelyn. 鈥淎nd the fact that green roofs can be costly often scares them away. We needed an approach that could get them on board.鈥�
脠vane and Evelyn鈥檚 design consists of modules that can be easily fitted to roofs of different sizes. Each one retains storm water, drains the excess automatically and 鈥� with the help of sensors and a live-time monitoring system 鈥� irrigates its plants with the level of moisture they need to thrive. 鈥淲e wanted to make it as autonomous as possible,鈥� says Evelyn. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a selling point.鈥� The CEC鈥檚 judges awarded their concept first place in the Innovative Design Category.
Reaching Out Remotely
This victory was the culmination of an unusual but rewarding year for 脠vane and Evelyn, who had participated in two other contests in order to qualify for the CEC. One of them was the 不良研究所 Engineering Competition, which is supported by alumni donations to the Student Initiatives Fund (SIF). 鈥淭hat was a remote event, too,鈥� says Evelyn. 鈥淚t definitely helped us to practice there before going on to the national level. Right now, the ability to adapt [to the virtual environment] is key.鈥�
There are pros and cons to online events, according to 脠vane and Evelyn. When it comes to networking, 鈥渄oing a Zoom call is not the same as doing, say, a wine and cheese on campus,鈥� says 脠vane. 鈥淢aking connections is harder. At the same time, we now have access to a wider diversity of people from various places, because nobody has to arrange transportation: if you have a Wi-Fi connection, then you can attend the event.鈥�
Taking classes remotely has required flexibility as well. 鈥淭here are technical procedures you have to study without actually doing them, because you don鈥檛 have all the necessary material and equipment at home,鈥� says 脠vane. 鈥淭hat was challenging, but it was also good to practice a new way to learn.鈥�
Once pandemic restrictions ease up, 脠vane and Evelyn plan to implement a green roof on 不良研究所鈥檚 campus, so long as their team can secure enough funding. 鈥淲e want to test our product,鈥� Evelyn explains, 鈥渂ecause right now it鈥檚 theoretical, but when you actually start building, you sometimes have to make a lot of changes.鈥�
Come what may, the two students have gained motivation from their project so far. 鈥淗aving the chance to attend those competitions solidified my interest in the environment,鈥� says 脠vane. 鈥淚鈥檓 really looking forward to bringing innovation and technology into civil engineering projects, to mitigate climate change and other environmental issues.鈥�
This article was originally published in the Faculty of Engineering's聽Impact Made by 不良研究所 2021.