News

As the new year gets underway, it is an absolute must to ensure that the contents of the fire safety plan (FSP) are up to date. Each FSP is required by code to be reviewed at intervals of no greater than…

This book makes the convincing case that we have to change the way we build, that it is no longer enough just to save energy. French mathematician and theologian Blaise Pascal once wrote “Je n’ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que…

Buying an air compressor, for the first time, can be challenging in many ways. There’s lots that goes behind this power tool which offers faster and more efficient performance. But before we get to know about the details of an air…

The City of Ottawa will have a 15-member planning advisory committee, significantly expanding the membership from a previous proposal that overwhelmingly favoured city hall’s inner circle. Politicians will be joined by development experts and regular citizens on the new committee, which…

When a high-rise building in Singapore needs to be demolished, contractors don’t come in with a wrecking ball. “Last time, they used a concrete ball,” Ginlee Construction managing director Tommy Lim told Channel NewsAsia. “But of course, last time, the HDB…

A group of schoolkids asked the City of Surrey for permission to build gingerbread houses — and were surprised when officials responded by granting them a building permit. A Grade 1 class at Bayridge Elementary was planning to a build a community…

Yukon homeowners are being advised of potential fire danger from an installation technique that goes against the manufacturer’s instruction for EXCEL chimneys for woodstoves. The risk is a result of the improper installation method, not the product, the City of Whitehorse…

Insurance nightmares, unexpected delays and fears of inflated building prices have dominated headlines during the Fort McMurray wildfire rebuild. One company has been trying to focus on the positives by honouring companies that have helped with the massive effort. In December, CertainTeed Gypsum Canada honoured five builders…

The world got a little closer to the first floating city when the Seasteading Institute signed a memorandum of understanding with the French Polynesian government earlier this year. Not only could floating cities offer a sustainable place to live, but they could also potentially help coral reefsrecover and…

“Bamboo is too close to an ideal structural material.” This statement by Neil Thomas during his talk at Bamboo U, which took place in November 2017 in Bali, really caught my attention. Neil is the director of atelier one, a London office of structural engineering, whose outstanding…

The year 2017 may be remembered for many things in technology, such as Amazon’s big push into offline retail, milestone moments in autonomous vehicles, or major breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI). But for every jaw-dropping story that hits the tech press, there are broader microtrends that…

It’s almost 2018 and we are still building our homes like it’s 1918. It’s time to fix this. It’s hard, finding a good contractor. The Washington Post describes a certain Daniel W. Jamison, who ran out on a $41,000 renovation and was sued…

Shelaigh Garson lost thousands after being conned by a local contractor earlier this year, and she and her husband have had to go to extreme lengths just to keep their heads above water after this. “We’ve managed but really we’re barely…

New digs are coming for those arrested by Calgary police. Shovels are poised to break ground on construction of a new arrest processing unit (APU), the final chapter in ongoing efforts to replace the current facility and a challenging project Calgary…

More condo developers in Toronto now focusing more on catering for families, but the price is still a headache. With the number of three-bedroom apartments increasing in the last few years, the latest units tend to be very expensive. The average…