Urban Infrastructure Program

NRC-IRC's Urban Infrastructure program develops innovative models and cost-effective technologies and tools for the performance prediction, design, rehabilitation, evaluation, and management of buried utilities and concrete structures (highway bridges).

Buried Utilities
The focus of this group is to develop a good understanding of the performance of transmission and distribution water mains, and small- and large-diameter sewers and drainage pipes; models and technologies to evaluate the condition of buried pipes; and decision-support tools.

Concrete Structures
This group develops models, technologies and decision support tools to predict the life cycle performance of new and rehabilitated concrete infrastructure systems (e.g., bridges). The goal is to assist owners, engineering consultants and manufacturers to optimize the life cycle design, construction and maintenance of concrete structures.

Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure Research

Research Facilities
The Urban Infrastructure program has excellent small- and full-scale laboratory facilities and sophisticated measuring and testing equipment for lab and field-testing, including a new facility for integrated testing of life cycle performance of concrete infrastructure systems. Multi-year experiments are often conducted on site on concrete structures and utilities across Canada.

Software

• D-WARP is a decision support tool for effective planning of water main renewal.
• SLAB-D develops analytical models and decision support software that will help bridge owners optimize the life cycle design.

Search publications

Creating Jobs: Delivering Results - e-newsletter from Infrastructure Canada

Contact:
Urban Infrastructure Program
Institute for Research in Construction
National Research Council of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6
Tel.: (613) 993-3782
Fax: (613) 954-5984
Email: UI-IU.IRC@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

Related Information

Urban Infrastructure - Project List

Institutes:

• NRC Institute for Research in Construction