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Vanbots Construction ready to begin construction on General Motors of Canada automotive centre of excellence

Patricia Williams
Vanbots Construction ready to begin construction on General Motors of Canada automotive centre of excellence
Integrating a four-storey wind tunnel was a challenge for the designers of the General Motors automotive centre at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology campus in Oshawa.

Construction is scheduled to get under way in March on the $120 million General Motors of Canada automotive centre of excellence at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology campus (UOIT) in Oshawa.

$120 million facility will be built at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology campus (UOIT) in Oshawa

Construction is scheduled to get under way in March on the $120 million General Motors of Canada automotive centre of excellence at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology campus (UOIT) in Oshawa.

Designed by Diamond + Schmitt Architects Inc. (DSAI), the centre is the hub of a broader automotive innovation network linking automotive engineers, auto suppliers and Canadian universities. It will house state-of-the-art research and development tools in the areas of vehicle dynamics, noise and vibration, a thermal climatic wind tunnel, structural durability testing and the ability to accommodate future automotive fuels such as hydrogen.

Construction manager is Vanbots Construction Corp.

Project architect and DSAI principal Michael Szabo said the key design challenge is integration of the four-storey-high wind tunnel into the design of a campus research facility.

“Another challenge is balancing the need for research confidentiality and academic connectivity,” said Szabo, whose firm designed the UOIT campus.

The design team includes structural engineers Halcrow Yolles, mechanical and electrical engineers Crossey Engineering Ltd. and wind tunnel engineers Aiolos Engineering.

Construction is scheduled for completion in 2009.

General Motors of Canada and the Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE) consortium, the Ontario government and the federal government are all providing funding. GM is a partner in PACE.

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