Grant will help teach Algonquin College students repair, rehab aging buildings

Ontario Construction News staff writer

A $500,000 grant from the RBC Foundation will help Algonquin College students learn to repair, rehabilitate and preserve aging buildings.

Dozens of programs will benefit from the grant, including the new Honours Bachelor of Applied Science degree in building conservation at the Perth campus. Designed to build expertise in heritage building rehabilitation, the program will promote the skilled trades industry as it evolves to a green economy.

“This degree will teach students how to repair, rehab and preserve aging buildings, which is a crucial part of the construction industry’s efforts to be more environmentally sustainable,” said Chris Hahn, dean of the Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence and the Perth Campus Heritage Institute. “Sustaining existing buildings prevents the need to replace them, averting the carbon footprints of new builds and taking some of the pressure off of landfills.”

The BA program will start in September 2024, with a target of 20 students in the first term and an additional group of 20 pathway transfers (pathway transfers recognize prior post-secondary study and transfer credit or admission to upper levels of study) in the second year.

“This degree is unique in Canada, as it approaches conservation through both hands-on, practical building skills and an in-class, academic understanding of conservationist theory,” said Hahn. “This comprehensive combination means future graduates will be just as comfortable working a table saw as they would be developing plans to preserve a heritage building’s aging foundations.”

The grant will also play a supporting role in the funding of other Algonquin College initiatives, including community projects, field placements, applied research and the development of a new Computer Aided Design (CAD) Lab. This financial aid will help tackle the critical job shortage in the trades industry and prepare students for the environmentally sustainable jobs of the future.

The new CAD Lab is designed to increase enrolment by 100 students per year and provide students with specialized training on how to operate sophisticated digital diagnostic tools.

“The energy transition is also a skills transition,” said Andrea Barrack, senior vice president of corporate citizenship at RBC. “Our journey to net zero relies on the hands and minds of millions of Canadians and will take a concerted effort by those who train and hire the first generation of green collar workers.”