JULY 2018
Put your fear of trying something new to (hotel) bed
DIRTT’S SPEED, QUALITY & ASSURANCE GAVE HOTEL ARTS CONFIDENCE
A champion DIRTTbag OVERCOMING CHALLENGE & RISING TO THE TOP
The chosen few QUALITY OVER QUANTITY AT CONNEXT 2018
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Connext 2018 sets a new standard for designing and building
For the visionaries We had 2,400 fewer people come through the doors of the Chicago Green Learning Center (GLC) for this year’s Connext. But Connext 2018 wasn’t about quantity – it was about the quality of our clients’ experience. The event was by invitation only. It was exclusive. Not for looky-loos or tire kickers. That meant we got to celebrate our beloved clients! The visionaries willing to embrace DIRTT and build in a different way. With enough elbow room to enjoy some Leopold’s Ice Cream. Tours got right to the good stuff. DIRTT ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS | Diggin’ It | July 2018
Starting with an existing knowledge of DIRTT – or even experience working with us – meant we could dive deeper and show clients what was new and exciting. Then we got to see the genuine excitement on their faces when they experienced the incredible innovations to come out of DIRTT this past year.
“I am taking the job we are planning to do conventionally and making it DIRTT as soon as I get back” – Client mid tour, proceeded by high fives
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Read the blog post: Technology changing how the world designs and builds
“Imagine if we had this when we were doing that building last year” – Visitor learning about ICE technology, followed by a tear running down his cheek
This technology is a game-changer This year, we cleared out a huge area of the GLC. Instead of filling it with new editions of physical DIRTT, we made a virtual GLC – that visitors could actively change on the spot. 408 visitors got to experience a new way to connect and talk about their projects in virtual reality. The Ice Edge
“My mind is blown, I don’t want to see anything else today” – Designer after experiencing ICEreality
team, once again, brought a mind-blowing experience to Connext with their latest innovation for communicating about a space.
DIRTT ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS | Diggin’ It | July 2018
Visitors in Chicago got a safety intro then donned VR headsets and handcontrollers. They ventured into the VR space where they were greeted by an avatar tour guide. But here’s the kicker – the tour guides were joining them from Calgary and Salt Lake City. They talked about the space. Experienced it together. Even changed it in real time.
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Read the blog post: The acoustics you’ve been dreaming of
in the loft, the feel of residential for any kind of space was winning hearts. A cozy sitting area highlighted by timber. A truly unique workspace in DIRTT millwork. The Connext VR experience demonstrated the incredible power of ICE. How you can connect with your project team from different cities – even different countries.
New at the GLC Updates to the Chicago GLC this year meant a lot of “oohs” and “aahs”, not to mention all the camera snaps. Upstairs DIRTT ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS | Diggin’ It | July 2018
It was impossible not to see the quality of acoustics DIRTT can give our clients with a new space called “me time”. The small room demonstrated our holistic approach to acoustics. When visitors stepped in the room and closed the door behind them, the buzz of the GLC suddenly fell away. It was a fantastic demonstration of the new acoustical barn door with acoustic seals along all four sides. 4
JULY 2018 Diggin’ It
The hit of last year’s GLC was the Leaf™ wall upstairs. And the new Leaf this year did not disappoint. It embraced an array of different finishes, mixing powdercoats, graphics, glass and custom finishes. It even mixed solid walls and center mount walls with evil twin. Yes, Leaf can balance them both together.
Read the blog post: So much more than walls
DIRTT ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS | Diggin’ It | July 2018
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High five for DIRTT hospitality from these DIRTTbags
“What an amazing culture” – Visiting client upon departure
It’s always the people Mogens wrapped up the three-day show with a special thankyou to our incredible team. Their hospitality is core to our client’s experience. They’re an integral part of our culture and what we do. Mogens left us with a reminder that it’s the energy of our people that really resonates with everyone who walked through the doors of our Chicago GLC.
DIRTT ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS | Diggin’ It | July 2018
Thanks to the incredible staff who made Connext a success
Couldn’t experience the amazing power of ICEreality at Connext? Fear not. Whenever you bring your clients to Calgary, you’ll now be able to experience the same kind of VR file. Clients will be able to interact with the file in the same way from our Calgary VR lab using hand controllers. Get the recap on Connext from DIRTT Partner RJE Business Interiors 6
JULY 2018 Diggin’ It
CONNEXT 2018 BY THE NUMBERS
540+
PEOPLE EXPERIENCED THE LATEST IN DIRTT’S TECHNOLOGY WITH AN ICEREALITY EXPERIENCE
408 1,077
EVERY VISITOR WAS AN INVITED GUEST EAGER TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DIRTT.
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HOURS DEDICATED TO LEARNING ABOUT DIRTT
VISITORS TO DIRTT’S CHICAGO GREEN LEARNING CENTER
THE EXPERIENCE INCLUDED A TOUR FROM A DIRTTBAG IN EITHER CALGARY OR SALT LAKE CITY WHILE GUESTS EXPLORED THE SPACE FROM CHICAGO.
DIRTT ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS | Diggin’ It | July 2018
EVERY VISITOR TO DIRTT CHICAGO RECEIVED A TOUR OF THE GREEN LEARNING CENTER, TAILORED TO THEIR INTERESTS AND INDUSTRY. PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT DIRTT CONNEXT ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
WITHOUT A CONTEST, THIS WAS ALL ORGANIC – PEOPLE WERE LOVING CONNEXT! #BUILDBETTER
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Maker culture thriving at DIRTT
Welcoming summer with some ice-cold brews ICEcubes welcomed everyone to the lounge night they hosted on June 21ST. Building on our wildly successful Makers Market in May, we brought that maker spirit back again. This time, it was all about the DIY beverage brewers around DIRTT and Ice Edge. With plenty of notice to get brews into tip-top shape, competitors could enter anything they could brew at home, from cider to DIRTT ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS | Diggin’ It | July 2018
rootbeer. Surprisingly, more vintners entered the competition than brewers. But all were competing for top votes. Congratulations to Adam Stosky who was crowned the brew-off champion for his Cascading Ale. The fun was capped off with some (rather challenging) trivia – congrats to “Nunya Business” team for taking the win on trivia.
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Conquering Challenges One DIRTTbag’s promise to himself to continue doing everything he loves Zak Madell is one of our student-DIRTTbags here this summer. But this isn’t his first interaction with DIRTT. In 2015, he came in as a motivational speaker to talk to our DIRTTbags and ICEcubes about conquering challenges and living with a positive attitude. When Zak was ten years old, he was at his family’s cabin when he noticed something wasn’t quite right. He was rushed to the emergency where he was then told he had contracted a septic staph infection and would lose his legs and fingers. Despite the drastic life changes he was about to endure, he made a promise to himself in the hospital that he would adjust his life accordingly and still do everything he loved. DIRTT ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS | Diggin’ It | July 2018
Prior to losing his legs and fingers, he was involved in all sorts of sports. Being in a wheelchair, he tried out sports such as sledge hockey and wheelchair basketball, but it wasn’t until he tried rugby that he realized he had met his match. continued on next 9
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Despite only playing for a short time, he secured a spot on the team for the London 2012 Paralympic Games. His performance was the wild card that lifted Canada to victory in its semi-final upset of the number one-ranked American team. Zak has been named one of the best wheelchair rugby players in the world. He was named MVP of the 2014 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships in Odense, Denmark, the 2014 Canada Cup International Wheelchair Rugby Tournament and the 2015 World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge. To top off his career, he was named Team Canada’s flagbearer at the Closing Ceremony of the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games after taking his team to its first gold medal in 13 years.
DIRTT ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS | Diggin’ It | July 2018
Zak has put sports on the back burner to focus on school, where he just completed his first year of architectural technologies at SAIT. He’s now spending his summer working at DIRTT Calgary in Millwork. He hopes this is just the beginning of his DIRTT career and is looking forward to more involvement in sports in his future. We are excited to have Zak around DIRTT, so if you see him around be sure to introduce yourself!
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DIRTT for hospitality: new hotel rooms wow guests Speed and quality made Hotel Arts think they could try something new Hotel Arts is a style-driven, boutique property in the heart of Calgary. Ready to keep up with evolving tastes, the hotel needed an innovative partner to help refresh their 1950s building. Enter DIRTT. Watch the full case study video:
The hotel’s priority was getting rooms ready for guests quickly. Their busiest season was just around the corner. And they wanted to achieve a modern look and feel. They explored the economics of opening rooms sooner. Adding the ability to tailor DIRTT to their exact standards meant a perfect fit for the renovation. Downstream savings for maintenance and future renovations were icing on the cake. Share the story with your network
DIRTT ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS | Diggin’ It | July 2018
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In the news Calgary Herald: DIRTT leads the way with technology. A special feature in the Calgary Herald highlighting the leadership of Mogens Smed.
Colorado Real Estate Journal: Venture Architecture delivers tailored design for OpenTable … Using DIRTT! http://bit.ly/2ttCr8d
http://bit.ly/2Ke8mnH
Green Home Builder: Interior Prefab Gives Homes New Life High five to DIRTTbag Carol Bullied for penning this piece on DIRTT for Life. http://bit.ly/2I3TLoQ
DIRTT ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS | Diggin’ It | July 2018
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Savannah Morning News: Savannah rescue center here to help with orphaned or hurt wildlife DIRTT provided this wildlife rescue center with their first corporate donation. http://bit.ly/2yQwUOb
Douglas Magazine: How to Redesign and Reinvigorate Your Office DIRTT Partner Monk Office Supply is highlighted in this story on the minimal disruption and waste that comes with a DIRTT project. http://bit.ly/2JPTTdt
Stockhouse: Major Expansion Finalized for Premium Cannabis Cultivator This article calls DIRTT the “interior designer of the cannabis industry”. That’s a first. http://bit.ly/2tIdntq
DIRTT ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS | Diggin’ It | July 2018
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DIRTT for commercial: top national accounting firm reflects their culture From virtual to reality These accountants used ICEreality to explore and modify their new offices. Their space was designed to attract the best and brightest of their industry. And at the same time, it needed to be ready to adapt to their growing millennial workforce. They moved into the exact design they envisioned for the price they were given – exceedingly fast.
DIRTT ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS | Diggin’ It | July 2018
You may have seen an earlier edition of this case study, but the full story is now released. Share the story with your network
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HAVE A STORY THAT SHOULD BE FEATURED IN DIGGIN’ IT? MarComm@DIRTT.net
DIRTT ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS | Diggin’ It | July 2018
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