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Technical Note (National Research Council of Canada. Division of Building Research), 1966-11-01
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The Management of Building Research in Canada
Legget, R. F.
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476
PREPARED BY R. F. Legget CHECKED BY N. B. H. APPROVED BY
ｾ November 1966
PREPARED FOR Conseil International du Batiment
SUBJECT THE MANAGEMENT OF BUILDING RESEARCH IN CANADA
These notes have been prepared in response to the invitation of CIB to record the way in which the Division of Building Research of the National Research Council of Canada operates. Of necessity they have to be brief. Anyone of the items can be supplemented in due course if necessary.
PART I 1. 1 Or ganization
The Division of Building Research is one of ten main operating Divisions of the National Research Council of Canada. The Council is a public agency responsible to the Privy Council of Canada. It gets its funds by a special vote from the Parliament of Canada. The President of the Council is the chief executive officer. He is assisted by three Vice-Presidents, two for science
and one for administration. The Director of the Division of
Building Research is responsible to the President for the operation and program of the Division.
The organization of the Division is unusual but it has been dictated by a number of special factors which will not be of interest outside bf Canada. It works well because all senior members of the Division know one another so intimately that the organization chart has never to be mentioned or used officially.
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-There is, for example, no copy of the chart publicly displayed anywhere in the Division. A copy is, however, now attached since it does indicate the groups (Sections) into which the staff of the Division is divided at present.
Plans are now under dis cus sion for a rearrangement of the internal structure of the Division. It is anticipated that early in 1967 there will be a few group leaders reporting to the Director and Assistant Director - one to assist the Director with work on the National Building Code and the Codes Secretariat; one concerned with the administrative services for the Division; and two or three responsible for ｴｨｾ research and practice work of the Division.
1. 2 Powers of Director
The Director is responsible to the President of the National Research Council for all aspects of the operation of the Division. The Division is fortunate in having a top-level
Advisory Committee on Building Research. The Chairman of this is a member of the National Research Council. The members are senior selected members of the construction industry (architects, engineers, industrialists) with special members from a few
senior positions in the Federal Government. The Advisory Committee meets once a year and reviews generally the work of the Division, usually concentrating each year on one main
branch of its work. It advises the Director in a general way on the development of the Division and makes a general private report to the National Research Council. All these reports have fortunately been commendatory.
1.3 Finance
The entire cost of operating DBR!NRC is supplied from the main budget of the National Research Council whose funds are granted directly by Parliament. Total annual budget is now about $2, 300,000. The Division does earn an average annual income of about $200,000 from the special test work that it carries out, and for its service to Central Mortgage and
Housing Corporation. This money goes directly to the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Council and so does not become added income for the ｄｩｶｩｾｩ｢ｨＮ Mbney for capital expenditures is also provided directly from the budget of NRC. The Division- has to submit to
the Vice-President (Administration) its estimated budget for the fiscal year starting on 1 April at the start of the preceding September.
1.4 Objectives of the Division
The objectives of the Division can be stated very simply. They are {a} to provide a national research service to the construction industry of Canada, the country's largest industry; (b) to provide special research service to Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation, which is the federal agency responsible for all Federal Government interest in housing and for the operation of the National Housing Act; and (c) to provide the Secretariat and supporting technical services and to meet the research needs of the Associate Committee on the National Building Code of the National Research Council.
The Code is published as a voluntary model document under the authority of the As sodate Committee. By local legal adoption it is now in use from coast to coast by over 80 per cent of the urban population of the country. Through the Code,
Canada is therefore within sight of uniformity in building regulations from coast to coast, achieved by voluntary effort, and backed by the research work of DBR/NRC.
PART II 2. 1 Selection of Research Programs
All the research projects of DBR/NRC have come to it through demands, either direct or indirect, from the con-struction industry, from CMHC, or from the ACNBC. A
selection only of these demands can be accepted. The selection
is baeed upon certain balide policies, formed in the early yea.rs
of the Division, which are ｾｵｭｭ｡ｲｩｺ･､ in AppendiJ( A. Decision as to the selection of projects and the distribution of personnel is the responsibility of the Director, but he acts always in consultation with the Assistant Director and the senior officers of the Division.
2. 2 Recruitment of Staff
Recruitment of staff follows the normal practice of Canada. Applications come th::"ough personal contacts. through regular association with all the major universities of Canada and
4
-in response to public advertisements. The staff of the Division today numbers 220 but it should be at least 270, which is the figure already authorized for the Division's development. The difference between these two numbers is an indication of the current critical scientific manpower shortage in Canada. This lack of personnel in certain special parts of the Division is the only serious problem that DBR/NRC faces today.
2. 3 Guidance of Projects
The Heads of each Section (shown on the attached chart) are responsible to the Assistant Director and to the Director for the work in their own Sections. The Director and As sistant Director attempt to keep as closely in touch as pos sible with the main lines of all major projects through regular contact with the Section Heads and with individual research workers. Each Section makes a regular weekly report which is merely a "1ogll. Quarterly reports are made on major projects and annual reports are being deve loped in a suitable form for keeping the
CIB exchange of research programs up-to-date.
The Annual Report on all the work of the Division is prepared through the Sections, being finally assembled by the Editor, the Assistant Director) and the Director. The Reports are issued in separate printed pamphlet form. Copies of the report for 1965 will be a supplement to these notes. The Division has to make a brief annual report to the President which he
includes in his report to Parliament. The Division also provides an abridged version of its own Annual Report which appears in the NRC Annual Review.
PART III 3. 1 Use of Research Results
DBR/NRC is most fortunate in having the closest contacts with all parts of the construction industry of Canada) including major manufacturers of building materials. The results of its research work are distributed throughout Canada by means of its many publications and through public talks and private consultations by professional members of the staff. It is known that in this way much of the work of the Division is already in direct use in the offices of consulting architects and engineers) with respect to design; by contractors, with
respect to construction methods, especially involving the use of soil; and by manufacturers in the development of their own projects and in the direction of their development work.
When major manufacturers have important development, work to do and do not have their own laboratory facilities, they sometimes approach the Division and solicit its assistance. This is gladly given. There have been one or two notable cases in which the work of the Division has led to significant market
developments. Only in this special way does the Division engage in development work. The "free enterprise" economy of Canada does not encourage such work being carried out by government agencies on their own initiative. It is welcomed, however, when done in consultation with industry. This is the general practice of the Division.
The publication policy of the Division has been very carefully developed with the result that the Division has a primary mailing list of 12, 000 names receiving notice of all publications issued by the Division. An additional 18, 000 names are contained in distribution lists for the more popular publications of the
Division. All names on these lists are automatically advised of new publications once every month. Publications have to be bought, or requested in the case of those for which there is no charge. The Division maintains an overseas mailing list also
but this is secondary in size and significance to the prime Canadian list. Using these lists, the Division is now distributing each
year about 600, 000 copies of its publications, all by request or to sister research organizations that receive all its publications automatically on an exchange basis.
Possibly the most successful publication of the Division I
is the regular monthly series of Canadian Building Digests. These were modelled after those issued by the British Building Research Station. With the cooperation of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, the Canadian Construction Association and Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation, monthly copies of the Digests are sent automatically, at the request of these organizations, to each of their members.
The Division in addition is privileged to enjoy close personal contacts with the Canadian Construction Association, with the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, with the various
6
-engineering as sociations and with the many trade as sociations that serve individual parts of the construction industry such as, for example, the National Concrete Producers As sociation.
To the extent that is possible at least one member of the Division attends the annual meetings of all thes e bodies. In this way
two-way communication is greatly assisted.
Since these notes will be considered by those in Europe who may not be familiar with the North American practice of having annual meetings of bodies such as those mentioned, it may be helpful to explain that because of the great distances to be covered both in the United States and in Canada to attend meetings, organizations such as those mer..ｴｩｯｔ［ＮＰｾ concentrate their activities in annual meetings. These are held in different cities throughout both countries so as to serve the convenience of the different areas of the two countries. Although dictated by geography, this general system is convenient because the meetings bring together all the key people in their respective fields from all across the country. With this audience it is
possible to r.eview the work for a whole year. DBR/NRC has grown so accustomed to this system that it is only in the context of these notes that the special advantages of the system of large annual meetings become apparent.
3.2 Effective Results of Projects
It is really impossible to give any concise answer to the question - "How far (do) the expected use of the results of the research dictate the type of project undertaken. II The
Division does not generally become involved in experimental work that is narrowly directed to finding specific solutions to particular problems arising in isolated cases. Its contribution in such cases is rather to assist with advice and info·rmation as
far as possible, leaving the decisions as to the solution to the
consulting or to the operating agency involved. When priorities are being established for experimental work, it is usually
possible to select problems with due regard to the number of different agencies or interests that will be aided and the
extent of the benefits to be expected, keeping in mind long- as well as short-term returns. Despite this, it is still possible to say that all work is dictated by the needs of the industry, the decisions as to how the greatest benefits will be achieved from the commitment of staff and facilities being made largely within the Division.
3. 3 Relationship between DBR and Other Bodies
The preceding notes will have given some indication of the close and intimate contacts that DBR/NRC is privileged to enjoy with all parts of the construction industry throughout
Canada and with all levels of government. Not only are these contacts developed and maintained through official lines of communication but also through the travel that is carried out throughout ｴｨｾ country by members of the DBR staff.
In addition, the existence of the Division's own Regional Stations in Halifax, Saskatoon, and Vancouver is clear indication of the importance that the Division attaches to these personal contacts. The staff (of five) in Halifax have as their prime responsibility the maintenance of close liaison with the construction industry and with government in the four Atlantic provinces. The staff (of nine) in Saskatoon does the same impor-tant job for the three Prairie Provinces in addition, as at Halifax, to c'arrying out some important special laboratory research. The staff (of two) in Vancouver works within the building of the British Columbia Research Council and has as its function liaison with corresponding groups in the industry in British Columbia.
It has been a continuing policy of DBR/NRC to work in the closest association with other agencies of the Federal Government in order to ensure that there is absolutely no unneces sary duplication of effort. It is, therefore, fitting to complete these notes with a tribute to the way in which this liaison has developed and continued through the years between the Division and such bodies as the Forest Products Laboratories of Canada (in relation to the use of wood), the Mines Branch of the Department of Energy, Mines, and Resources (with regard to the use of natural building materials, etc), the Geological Survey of Canada (with reference to all geological problems), the Meteorological Branch of the Department of Transport (with regard to all climatic matters, this liaison even including the seconding of a climatologist by the Meteorological Branch to the staff of the Division), the Research Service of the Department of Agriculture (with regard to all farm building problems),
and many others. Similar close liaison is enjoyed with the seven provincial research organizations and with the engineering and architectural faculties of all the major universities of Canada from coast to coast.
APPENDIX A
DBR Policies
At the start of the work of the Division, in deciding which aspects of work were the most important, it was always remembered that there were factors in Canada that made building in this country different from that in other countries, of which the two main ones are Canada1s geology and climate.
Geology determines foundation conditions and the
availability of natural building materials; climate determines the conditions to which buildings are subjected and the conditions that must be overcome if the buildings are to be comfortable for use. Ir.. addition to the fundamental factors of climate and geology, which point the way for the research activity of the Division, there are some basic principles that are being followed.
Insofar as possible, the Division concentrates on problems that must be studied in this country. The Division has such close links with building res earch organizations in other countries that it is able to draw on their experience with
more general problems whenever necessary.
Another general principle is that the Divisionis work will not duplicate that being carried out elsewhere in Canada. This is ensured by close co-operation with Federal Government Departments such as the Department of Forestry and the
Department of Mines and Technical Surveys, with provincial research councils, univer sities. and organizations such as the Research Division of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario.
All the work of the Division is ultimately directed toward the improvement of building in the whole of Canada. To ensure nation-wide service the Division ha.s regiona.l stations in
•
N.R.C.
e
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D.B.R.
THE DIVISION OF BUILDING RESEARCH
ORGANIZATION CHART
+
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I I I I I - ; I I I I I _..1 I I I I I I _...1NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
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PRESIDENT -ADVISORY COMMITTEE r - - - ON BUILDING RESEARCH CENTRAL MORTGAGEr---
DIRECTOR I ａｓｾ 'NO HOUSING II
COl. ｾｏｒｐｏｒａ nONI
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ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERI
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I
I
DIVISIONAL SERVICES J CSECRETARIAL SERVICES
I
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I*-
PUBLICATIONS BUILDING SOILHOUSING MATERIALS
-
-
BUILDING 1-'SERVICES MECHANICS
- i LIBRARY ORGANIC
I
'*
RESEARCH BUILDING BUILDING NORTHERNCONSTRUCTION I--
-
ADVISER MATERIALS ...- ｾ ,....PHYSICS GROUP
ON CODES INORGANIC
CODES
'*
I-- ___________- J"- FIRE f - '-- BUILDING SNOWr-SECRETARIAT STRUCTURES AND ICE
I
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CLIMATOLOGISTI
ED BY THESE SECTIONS B.C. PRAIRIE ATLANTIC
ｄｅｐｾ OF TRANSPORT REGIONAL REGIONAL REGIONAL
STATION STATION STATION
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_
'*
ALL INQUIRIES HAND+
SECONDED FROM THEOTHER N.R.C. COMMITTEES WITH WHICH D.B.R./N.R.C. HAS CLOSE LIAISON
ARE:-ASSOCIATE COMMITTEE ON PAINT RESEARCH. C.N.C. ON EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING.
