This article focuses on the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) B651-12, Accessible Design for the Built Environment, and the 2010 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards, which describe their respective national standards. Standards are not...

When acoustical coatings first came to the marketplace in the early 1980s, an untapped market was finally addressed. This market was represented in commercial spaces by ceiling tiles that no longer appeared new and...

Traffic topping systems for suspended concrete slabs found in parking garages come in two basic types: ‘thin’ and ‘thick.’ (While these are unofficial ‘categories,’ they are nonetheless fitting.) This article reviews both variations, outlining...


The design/construction industry’s efforts to save energy may have also inadvertently created a biological time-bomb. Leaps have been made in tightening buildings and making them more energy-efficient, but pollutants—such as moisture, volatile organic compounds...


The National Building Code of Canada (NBC) provides prescriptive guidance for fastening typical wood-frame construction. At the same time, the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) O86-09, Engineering Design in Wood, provides rational mechanics-based analysis methods...