The Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC) and Engineers and Geoscientists BC regulate and govern the professions of architecture, engineering, and geoscience under the Architects Act and the Professional Governance Act. Engineers and Geoscientists BC and AIBC each have a regulatory mandate to protect the public interest, which is met in part by setting and maintaining appropriate academic, experience, and professional practice standards.
The Engineers and Geoscientists BC and AIBC Joint Professional Practice Guidelines - Encapsulated Mass Timber Construction up to 12 Storeys were developed in response to BC Government changes to the BC Building Code and the BC Fire Code to permit construction of mass timber buildings up to 12 storeys based on the new classifications of building size and construction relative to occupancy: Article 3.2.2.48EMTC. Group C, up to 12 storeys, Sprinklered, and Article 3.2.2.57EMTC. Group D, up to 12 storeys, Sprinklered. Sentence 1.1.1.1.(7), Division A, lists the local authorities within which the EMTC provisions apply. Currently, 19 BC Building Code jurisdictions, as well as the City of Vancouver, have adopted the EMTC provisions.
The guidelines cover minimum qualifications, professional practice, roles and responsibilities, and quality assurance for encapsulated mass timber construction (EMTC) projects. They also identify issues to be taken into consideration, provide sources of information, and, in some instances, design options when providing architectural, building enclosure, fire protection, acoustical, structural, mechanical, and electrical design services for EMTC buildings up to 12 storeys, or parts of such buildings.
Director, Professional Practice, Standards & Development, Engineers and Geoscientists BC
Peter Mitchell is responsible for overseeing Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s proactive quality assurance programs that support registrants in meeting their professional practice requirements under the Professional Governance Act. These include the development of professional practice guidelines and standards, the audit and practice review program, the regulation of firms program, the practice advice program, and the continuing education program.
In addition, Peter provides staff support to numerous advisory groups, task forces, and panels dealing with a wide range of professional practice issues and directs the organization’s response to various government legislation impacting the practice of professional engineering and geoscience in BC.
Practice Advisor, Professional Practice, Standards & Development, Engineers and Geoscientists BC
As a Practice Advisor with Engineers and Geoscientists BC, Allison is responsible for managing the development of professional practice guidelines and practice advisories for a variety of different areas of practice, providing practice advice services, as well as liaising with industry stakeholders and supporting a number of advisory and working groups for the development of professional practice guidance.
Allison is a registered professional engineer with experience in the structural design of buildings. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in civil engineering from McGill University. Prior to joining Engineers and Geoscientists BC, Allison worked as a project engineer designing a variety of buildings from high-end custom homes to recreation centres to mid-rise concrete towers. The majority of her experience is on the design and project management of custom high-end homes and estates.
Certified Professional Program Manager, Engineers and Geoscientists BC
Teresa Coady is a Canadian architect and the former president and founding partner of the Vancouver, British Columbia-based architecture firm B+H BuntingCoady (now part of B+H Architects). She is a member of the Canadian Chapter of the International Initiative for a Sustainable Built Environment and a member of the United Nations Environment Programme Advisory Board. She is the author of Rebuilding Earth: Designing Ecoconscious Habitats for Humans.
Teresa Coady received her degree in architecture in 1983 from the University of British Columbia. She is best known for her architectural work in the area of sustainability and energy-efficient design. Coady completed 2 years of engineering and received a bachelor of fine arts prior to pursuing a master's degree in architecture.
Lead Practice Advisor and Regulatory Liaison, Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC)
Maura is an Architect AIBC, Certified Professional, and Lead Practice Advisor and Regulatory Liaison for the AIBC.
