Gary Dolch has been teaching construction technologies at Niagara College since 2000, although he has also added renewable technologies to his teaching roster. Dolch’s main research areas have been in sustainable construction, building codes and specs, and in building construction and heat loss.
Dolch brings with him many years of experience in the industry, most recently as a deputy chief building official. He has also been a building inspector and worked as a site supervisor in the commercial and residential sectors. He has been working with STEEP BUILDING SYSTEMS INC., a company that provides one of the most energy-efficient and environmentally friendly building materials available in the industry today.
STEEP joined forces with Research & Innovation on a project to construct and employ a structure that allows for effective R-value testing of building materials under an accepted industry standard (ASTM 1363). Built on the Welland Campus, the structure accommodates a removable wall panel that essentially divides it in half. Therefore, panels can be inserted, tested, and removed, allowing Niagara College and STEEP to test the R-values of STEEP’s existing wall panels against industry competitors.
This insight will inform future building designs, and the materials and testing will provide curriculum material for related construction and renewable energy classes at the college.
