THE NEW COST OF CONSTRUCTION // CONSTRUCTION
THE NEW COST OF CONSTRUCTION Perfect storm of supply, labour and demand is re-levelling Calgary’s building industry
BY JAMIE ZACHARY
P
aul Heyens thought he had seen it all.
The CEO of Alberta Glass Company has had a front-row seat on the rollercoaster ride of booms and busts that our province has gone through over the past 20-plus years. And through it, his Calgary-based commercial glazing company for new construction and retrofit projects has thrived as it has worked on some of the most impactful projects along the downtown skyline, including The Bow, Eighth Avenue Place and Jamieson Tower. “Yet we haven’t ever seen anything quite this dramatic as far as challenges and moving targets with both supply chain costs and skilled labour,” he says. While the challenge of finding qualified workers is not new, it’s being compounded by soaring material costs. For example, in the last year, Heyens notes glass prices have increased by more than 50 per cent. Aluminum, meanwhile, has increased by more than 30 per cent.
ABOVE: PAUL HEYENS, CEO OF ALBERTA GLASS COMPANY.
BUSINESSINCALGARY.COM // BUSINESS IN CALGARY // FEBRUARY 2022
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