Jenn McArthur

Areas of Specialization
Building information modeling
Facility management
Occupant wellness and productivity
Existing building simulation
Smart building systems
Portfolio retrofit optimization
Sustainable building design
Agile project management in architecture & engineering practice
Education
Year | University | Degree |
---|---|---|
2003 | University of Waterloo | MASc |
2003 | University of Waterloo | Certificate in University Teaching |
2001 | University of Waterloo | BASc |
Spotlight
Jenn McArthur has had many memorable scuba dives, but few can top a trip she took to the Caribbean island of Bonaire. “I was 80 feet down, surrounded by reefs, and the water was crystal clear,” she says. “It felt like I was flying between mountain ranges.”
Diving helps McArthur reconnect to the natural world. It’s a connection that drives her every day in her research, which is helping to lower the environmental impact of buildings through data analytics. Diving also gives her a chance to entertain her inquisitive side. Every time she drops off the back of a boat into the waves, she experiences the sea in a new way. “The whole ocean feels ripe for discovery.”
Describing herself as endlessly curious, McArthur spent six years doing development work in India and Senegal, and even made it through several rounds of the Canadian Space Agency’s astronaut recruitment process. If McArthur can encourage her students to do anything, it’s to explore the unknown, to try and fail, and get back up and try again. “The students who take the risks are the students who thrive.”
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"I take developments from big data, cloud computing, machine learning and artificial intelligence to help us operate healthier and more sustainable buildings."
- Quinn, C., Shabestari, A.Z., Misic, T., Gilani, S., Litoiu, M. and McArthur, J.J., 2020. Building automation system-BIM integration using a linked data structure. Automation in Construction, 118, p.103257.
- Shohet, R., Kandil, M.S., Wang, Y. and McArthur, J.J., 2020. Fault detection for non-condensing boilers using simulated building automation system sensor data. Advanced Engineering Informatics, 46, p.101176.
- McArthur, J.J. and Powell, C., 2020. Health and wellness in commercial buildings: Systematic review of sustainable building rating systems and alignment with contemporary research. Building and Environment, 171, p.106635.
- Bortoluzzi, B., Efremov, I., Medina, C., Sobieraj, D. and McArthur, J.J., 2019. Automating the creation of building information models for existing buildings. Automation in Construction, 105, p.102838.
- McArthur, J.J., Shahbazi, N., Fok, R., Raghubar, C., Bortoluzzi, B. and An, A., 2018. Machine learning and BIM visualization for maintenance issue classification and enhanced data collection. Advanced Engineering Informatics, 38, pp.101-112.
- Smart Building Analytics Living Lab
- Building Information Research Group
- Director, Canada Green Building Council (GTA Chapter)
- Technology Director, Board, Subtle Technologies
- Editorial Board, Intelligent Buildings International
- Jennifer McArthur BIM and Existing Building Consulting (2016-present)
- Advancing the Smart City movement through big data (article) (external link, opens in new window)
- Schneider Electric donates to Toronto Met’s Smart Building Analytics Living Lab (article) (external link)
- Flipping the Classroom: Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence (article) (external link, opens in new window)