The Minto Centre for advanced studies in Engineering,opened in 1992, houses most of the laboratories for the department.
The state of the art structures lab boasts a strong floor that measures 11m X 27 m with a clear height of 11 m and a strong pit of 3 m X 3.7 m X 6.6 m.
Funded by CFI and OIT infrastructure grant for Canada Research Chair program, the High Performance Computing Laboratory complements theoretical developments of uncertainty propagation and risk analysis methodologies with state-of-the-art computer hardware and software. The software tools comprise of suites of state-of-the-art commercial Finite Element and Computational Fluid Dynamics codes with multiphysics simulation capabilities.
High capacity testing machines, state of the art data acquisition systems, hydraulic actuators andframes enable structures as large as ship framesto be tested.
The shop facilities enable students to experiment with materials from wood, steel and concrete to advanced materials like carbon fiber reinforced structures.
The structures lab can also accommodate large scale experiments in geotechnical and environmental areas.
The Environmental Engineering laboratory in the Mackenzie building accommodates leading-edge research equipment.
Final year undergraduate students often undertake experimental work for their Engineering Project.
Fume-hoods ensure the safe handling of chemicals.
The Advanced Geotechnical Research Laboratory is one of the most comprehensively equipped geotechnical research laboratories in Canada. Recently added state-of-the-art Hollow Cylinder Torsional shear (HCT), and Triaxial (TRX) devices permit testing along prescribed stress or strain paths. In addition, an NGI type simple shear (SS), a Resonant Column device, and various routine geotechnical test devices are also available for fundamental experimental research.