Wednesday, October 2, 2024 
8 Top challenges and issues in the construction industry
Construction problems are all too common throughout a project’s life cycle. Project managers tasked with ensuring projects remain on schedule, within budget, compliant with safety regulations, and running smoothly know that it can be difficult with the amount of potential and unanticipated…
Feds must step in or renewable energy will have nowhere to go, says MIT report
Building wind and solar farms is an important part of building a new green grid, but a calm night stops their energy generation cold. It’s just as important to research and build green energy storage — and to that at scale requires federal…
Metro Vancouver files $500 million countersuit over North Shore sewage plant debacle
Metro Vancouver is countersuing the contractor it fired from the overschedule and over-budget North Shore sewage plant, arguing that the company’s breaches will cost the regional district $500 million, according to court documents filed at B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver. The…
Lowe’s Canada unveils its 2021 sustainability highlights
Following the release of the Lowe’s Companies, Inc. 2021 Corporate Responsibility report, Lowe’s Canada recently published the Canadian highlights to reveal the company’s major sustainability achievements in Canada. This annual exercise allows the organization to take stock of its sustainability approach and to measure…
The sustainable cities made from mud
Mud buildings are remarkably good at keeping us cool in summer and warm in winter, and withstanding extreme weather. In the search for more sustainable buildings, architects are returning to this overlooked, age-old construction material. In Yemen’s ancient walled city of Sana’a…
Afrimat, Hemporium build world’s tallest hemp-product building
In a global first, 84 Harrington Street is the world’s tallest building being constructed using hempcrete blocks and hemp building materials, says the partnership between two Cape Town-based companies, Hemporium and Afrimat Hemp. The joint venture believes the project is “setting the benchmark on how to build…
ACI Foundation now accepting Fellowship and Scholarship Applications
The ACI Foundation is now accepting applications from graduate and undergraduate students for the 2023-2024 academic year. Four new fellowships and three new scholarships have been added, growing the total annual awards available to 38. New awards include: JoAnne K. and…
AABC to Hold TAB Talk Webinar on Airflow Measurement & Control
The Associated Air Balance Council (AABC) has announced a new AIA-approved webinar in their TAB Talk series to take place on July 20, which will discuss a case study of a multi-floor university building project. The building has central AHUs serving…
Certified Rental Building Program Now National In Scope
The Certified Rental Building™️ Program (CRBP) is now a national brand, known as the Canadian Certified Rental Building™️ Program. Launched in 2008 by the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO), the Certified Rental Building Program is North America’s first quality assurance…
Major construction firms team up to get the carbon out of concrete
A consortium of construction firms, property developers and building engineers plans to use their collective heft to drive down the carbon emissions of one of the world’s most ubiquitous building materials. As part of the new ConcreteZero initiative, 17 companies have pledged to…
ASSE International Publishes New Edition of Backflow Prevention Field Test Procedures Booklet
ASSE International has published the seventh edition of its Field Test Procedures Using Three-Valve and Five-Valve Test Kits booklet. Available in both hardcopy and digital versions, this easy-to-use booklet provides guides for testing ASSE 1013, Reduced Pressure Principle Backflow Prevention Assemblies (RP); ASSE 1015, Double…
Brock’s MIWSFPA achieves Gold LEED certification
The Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) recently joined Brock University’s list of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified buildings. As a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership, LEED provides a framework for healthy, efficient, carbon-…
EU plans investment in world’s tallest dam in Tajikistan to dent Russia’s energy clout
Tajikistan began in 2016 the construction of the giant hydropower Rogun plant, which could deliver full energy independence to the landlocked former Soviet Union nation. The EU’s investment arm, the European Investment Bank (EIB), has so far not funded the project,…
This stone bridge in Ontario is reportedly the only of its kind in all of North America
Ontario is full of historic structures, hidden gems and fairytale locations if you know where to look for them. One such place is found in a small town you’ve probably never even heard of. The Pakenham Five Span Bridge is a dreamy stone…
Case Study: The Paramount – Complex construction projects are just that – complex
“The Paramount has been one of the highlights of my career,” states Mike Wurm, Senior Construction Manager with Keltic (Canada) Developments Ltd. “I cannot think of any other project in the Vancouver market that met its schedule this well during this…
