Abstract

The Bernard N. Cain (Q) Building was built as an extension of the A.L MacDonald (D) Building, as a new timber structures engineering laboratory which would replace the older, unsatisfactory one on the Nova Scotia Technical College's campus and thus keep pace with the then-rapid growth of timber structure research. The building was designed by architect Robert J. Flinn, with planning by Dr. S.J. Mazur of Nova Scotia Technical College's Civil Engineering Department; the construction work was contracted to MacDonald Construction Co. Ltd. of Bedford, NS. The building was originally 5,520 square feet, two stories and designed for vertical expansion. The building's 30 ' by 10 ' floor is three feet thick and its two original loading systems and jacking devices could withstand up to 20 tons of force, up or down. The timber laboratory was also originally equipped with a 10-ton crane. Its construction cost $204,153, with its equipment valued at $90,000 and all but $7,335 of the funding coming from an Atlantic Development Board grant. The building's official opening was held during a brief ceremony held during the College's Annual Convocation in May 1967, with the building's completion occurring in 1968. The official opening was