On Design and Innovation Day, the project titled “The Boston Bar Landfill Closure and Site Renewal” by Team 19 from CIVL 446 was selected as the winner of the project poster category among several amazing projects by civil engineering students.
This project, undertaken in collaboration with Dr. Iqbal Bhuiyan, P.Eng. of Sperling Hansen Associates (SHA), addresses the critical need to rehabilitate the Old Boston Bar Landfill, which has lacked a proper closure system since the 1980s, posing risks to public health, safety, and the environment
Team 19, consisting of Matthew Gunn, Jack Fraser, Arshad Delawar, Lisa Strang, Zoë Robertson, Issa Mikkawi, and Queenie Le, came up with an innovative approach involves applying a layered lift system inspired by dam design principles. This not only ensures effective closure of the landfill but also optimizes revenue generation to cover construction, operational, and maintenance costs while offsetting carbon impacts and generating community profits.
Challenges arose from the unique topology of the project site, including steep grades, geological hazards, and regulatory constraints. However, these obstacles spurred innovation and necessitated a multidisciplinary approach to engineering and environmental design.
The project’s scope excited the team, offering an opportunity to leverage a diverse range of engineering disciplines—from hydrotechnical and geotechnical to transportation, construction, structural, and environmental engineering. Collaborative efforts also involved expertise in community consultation, regulatory compliance, indigenous engagement, and professional practice.
Through the project, the team gained insights into the specialized field of landfill design, conducting extensive research into non-conventional sources and exploring new frontiers within their discipline.
Reflecting on the project’s complexities, the team shared, “The most interesting thing we learned was just how incredibly specialized and niche the field of landfill design truly is. Developing our engineered landfill systems required significant research into non-conventional sources, including undigitized records, web archives, and transferred knowledge from other engineering fields such as geotechnical and municipal design. It was very interesting to explore an entirely new topic within our studied discipline.”
The winning team’s idea does not cease at Design & Innovation Day. In alignment with Sperling Hansen Associates’ commitment to education, training, and research and development, the “Boston Bar Landfill Closure and Site Renewal” project will further enhance SHA’s initiative.
“The team members of this project will be able to contribute their ideas and knowledge gained from this milestone project to the industry in the future,” said Dr. Bhuiyan.