Monday, October 18, 2021 
The Secret Ingredient in Paris’ Green Public Housing: Hemp
Winter in Paris is notoriously clammy, and this winter was no exception. But Gregory Ferembach didn’t need to turn on his heat much. One reason? The walls in his public housing building are lined with one of nature’s best insulation materials:…
Ancient architecture might be key to creating climate-resilient buildings
The United States has braved a year of multiple billion dollar weather disasters throughout 2021. There have been record-breaking heat waves, a winter storm that shut down cities across Texas, multiple hurricanes, record-breaking wildfires, tornadoes and hail storms. All of which have damaged public and private property and…
Metro Vancouver cuts ties with Acciona on North Shore sewage treatment plant construction
Two weeks after work ground to a halt on the problem-plagued sewage treatment plant construction in North Vancouver, Metro Vancouver has ended its contract with the company charged with building the $1-billion project. Metro Vancouver informed Acciona Wastewater Solutions it was…
The Revalie Ottawa opens its doors to a new benchmark in student living
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and River Ward Councillor Riley Brockington joined Campus Developments to celebrate the official opening of The Revalie Ottawa, a premier, purpose-built student accommodation development that marries contemporary student housing with state-of-the-art amenities to provide a first-class living experience for…
Canadian housing starts lower in September
The trend in housing starts was 271,068 units in September 2021, down from 284,757 units in August 2021, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). This trend measure is a six-month moving average of the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rates (SAAR) of housing…
Call for submissions to the 2022 RAIC Annual Awards
The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) invites submissions for its portfolio of annual awards for 2022. This year, the prospective awards include the Emerging Architectural Practice Award and the Architectural Practice Award. Additionally, the RAIC Gold Medal—which is the highest…
Dealing With Rising Insurance Costs in Construction
Increasing material costs, supply chain issues, manufacturing delays, and labour shortages are just some of the problems faced by contractors in the post pandemic world today. However, one cost in particular has been getting very little attention as of late; insurance.…
Great Gulf recognized as Home Builder of the Year for Mid/High-Rise at the 41st Annual Bild Awards
Great Gulf was recognized as Home Builder of the Year Mid/High-Rise at the 41st Annual Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) Awards held October 7th. This is a seventh win for Great Gulf as home builder of the year. This award recognizes the mid-rise or high-rise…
Eco-friendly construction: how one startup is building a recyclable future
The construction industry is one of the main sources of pollution on our planet, and efforts to reduce the strain of pollution on our atmosphere have been sparse and ineffective. The female-led Israeli startup, Criaterra Innovations, creates sustainable building materials to…
Canadian investment in home construction is officially in correction territory
Canadian home building is near record activity, but it appears it’s hard to keep finding new money. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows investment in building construction fell in August. The decline marked the fourth consecutive month, and it was due entirely to…
Soaring construction costs sees LeBreton Flats super library blow its budget by $141 million
Massive increases in construction prices mean the super library on LeBreton Flats will cost $141 million more to build compared to the original estimate. But Coun. Matthew Luloff, chair of the Ottawa Public Library board, said council has no choice but…
Vancouver construction firm turns to robotics to address housing challenges
Robots are not taking to B.C. construction sites to build the next generation of homes. At least not yet. But if one hears from a friend that robotic arms played a big part in the building of their humble abode, it…
Nearly 2,200 homes in six buildings proposed for Surrey City Centre
Another major redevelopment is proposed for Surrey City Centre, replacing ageing low-rise rental housing buildings with new towers containing thousands of homes. Bristol Estates is in the early stages of its rezoning application to the municipal government to redevelop its 6.3-acre…
‘Iconic’ Calgary building carefully moved to make way for Eau Claire revamp
A building that dates back to Calgary’s early history has been temporarily moved from its original location to make way for a major revamp of the Eau Claire Plaza in the city’s core. The Eau Claire and Bow River Lumber Company building,…
IAPMO publishes Standard for Quality of Heat Transfer Fluids Used in Hydronics Systems
The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO®) has published IAPMO/ANSI H1001.1 (Standard for Quality of Heat Transfer Fluids Used in Hydronics Systems) as an American National Standard. IAPMO/ANSI H1001.1 provides minimum requirements for maintaining quality of liquid aqueous-based heat…
