Team | Building Innovation Research Center

Dr. Brenda McCabe is a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Toronto, Canada. Her area of research is construction management as it relates to safety, mega-projects, and automated data collection. With over 65 journal and conference papers published to date, she continues to share research with her peers and the construction industry. As an instructor, she currently teaches construction management to second-year undergraduate civil engineering students, survey camp, and a graduate course in computer modeling techniques. She served in various leadership roles in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, including Associate Chair Undergraduate, Vice-Dean Graduate, Chair of Civil Engineering, and most recently, Acting Dean.

Arash Shahi, Ph.D., P.Eng., PMP

Dr. Arash Shahi was a co-founder of the Building Tall Research Center, now known as Building Innovation. Although he is no longer with the University, he continues to be involved as an industry advisor through his start-up company AECO Innovation Lab. AECO brings research and business development integration to the AEC and regulatory community to facilitate solutions to real-world problems. He is a registered professional civil engineer (P.Eng.), and a registered Project Manager Professional (PMP), with years of experience in managing research and construction projects in Canada.

HI_RICHARD_LYALL-(web) Richard Lyall, President, RESCON

Richard Lyall has represented the residential building industry in Ontario since 1991 in his capacity as the President of RESCON, the President of the Metropolitan Toronto Apartment Builders Association(MTABA), and as the Executive Director of the Toronto Residential Construction Labour Bureau. RESCON represents the majority of the constructors of new buildings in Ontario, and having Richard as the sponsor and the industry partner of this research brings many years of experience to the program. Richard also sits on a number of related advisory boards such as the Centre for Urban Research, Land Development, the Residential, and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario.

Paul De Berardis, Director of Building Science & Innovation, RESCON

Paul De Berardis, the director of building science and innovation at RESCON, has a diverse technical background, including experience in forensic engineering, building science, and asset management. His widespread yet complementary practical engineering knowledge has enabled him to tackle all types of building projects, ranging from ground related to high rise applications. Paul’s involvement is pivotal to the research activities of the center as he brings many years of applied technical building experience to the team.

Joe Francavilla, Senior Vice President, Highrise Residential, Menkes

Joe Francavilla, a graduate of the University of Waterloo, School of Urban and Regional Planning, joined Menkes in March of 1988. He brought the Company his experience in residential construction and project management through his past employment with other area builders through field and head office positions. Through the years at Menkes, Joe has been an integral part of the residential high-rise division. In his current capacity,Joe is responsible for overseeing the development, design, and construction for all Menkes residential and mixed-use projects. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Toronto Apartment Builders Association and a Director of the Residential Construction Association of Central Ontario.

Bruno Giancola, Vice President of Construction Management, TRIDEL

Bruno Giancola has over 27 years of experience in managing Residential and Commercial construction communities, including Marketing, Construction, and quantitative Surveying activities (including LEED buildings) in the Greater Toronto Area for the Tridel Group of Companies. Bruno’s responsibilities range from overseeing the project due-diligence prior to land purchase, presales, planning, and development of multiple-use highrise projects, including contract awarding, budgeting, tendering, site management, and staffing. With 28 years of experience, Bruno has advanced in successive positions of leadership and responsibility starting as a Project Coordinator/Project Manager to his current position of leading his team as Vice President of Project Management.

Pouya Zanganeh
PhD Candidate
(MSc, Structures and Solid Mechanics, University of Calgary)
Knowledge Representation and Artificial Intelligence in Management of Megaprojects

Kamellia Shahi
PhD Student
(MSc, Civil Engineering, University of Toronto)
BIM-Driven Spatial Planning and Permitting Efficiencies for Municipalities

Navid Kayhani
PhD Student
(MSc, Civil Engineering, University of Tehran)
Autonomous Navigation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Indoor Construction Environments

Navid Torkanfar
PhD Student
(MSc, Civil Engineering, Lakehead University )
Applications of Blockchain and Smart Contacts in Construction Industry (with Ehsan Rezazadeh Azar)

Dalia Dorrah
PhD Student
(MSc, Construction Engineering and Management, Cairo University)
Automated Progress Tracking of Construction Projects

Hossein NasrAzadani
MASc Candidate
(MSc, Civil Engineering, Sharif University of Technology)
BIM Adoption in Canada

Ruifang (Gloria) Yang
MASc Candidate
(BASc, Civil Engineering, University of British Columbia)
Reported Safety Incidents in Construction

Linzhuo(Mark) Wei
MASc Candidate
(BASc, Civil Engineering, Tongji University)
Safety Culture and Performance Benchmarking

Mark Whitell
MASc Candidate
(BASc, Civil Engineering, University of Toronto)
Municipal Permitting Systems and Processes

Yuan Cao
MASc Candidate
(BASc, National University of Singapore, Construction Management)
The Development of Automated Code Compliance Checking System in Ontario