Alberta Construction Magazine Spring 2012

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PAGE 76

Envision a world that doesn’t just turn. It flies.

Whether you build, produce, manufacture, run or generate, one fact is clear: better lubricants and better lubricant suppliers lead to increased productivity. That’s why Imperial Oil is proud to offer Mobil Industrial Lubricants – recognized worldwide by more than 5000 equipment builders. With the combination of Mobil Industrial Lubricants and Imperial Oil expertise, we don’t just elevate productivity – we help unleash it.

Visit www.imperialoil.ca for more information.

Imperial Oil is a trademark of Imperial Oil Limited, Imperial Oil, licensee. Mobil and the Pegasus design are trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries, Imperial Oil Licensee.

COMPANIES THAT RESPOND NEED COMPANIES THAT RESPOND

Like the PCL family of companies, more and more of Alberta’s top companies want ATB as their financial partner. ATBresponds.com

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Energy and infrastructure – the great global opportunity In our latest 2012 Global Construction Survey, senior executives from around the world have shared their opinions on the key issues, and how the industry is adapting.

The one constant is the insatiable demand for energy and infrastructure in all forms which is causing a fundamental shift in focus.

To join the conversation and request your copy, please contact your local Construction Leader:

Randy Kraft Partner, Calgary 403 691 8039 rkraft@kpmg.ca

Craig Sneddon Partner, Edmonton 780 429 6523 csneddon@kpmg.ca

kpmg.ca/realestate

KPMG App for iPad Get immediate access to views on complex business challenges from KPMG’s professionals

© 2012 KPMG LLP, a Canadian limited liability partnership and a member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity. All rights reserved.

Chaz Osburn

editor’s note

cosburn@junewarren-nickles.com

I don’t refer to it as my bucket list, but I do have a list of things I have always wanted to try. The thing about this list, however, is that it doesn’t seem to get any shorter. I’ll check one thing off and replace it with another.

Admittedly, I may never get to do some of the things on the list. Go to the moon, for example.

For years I had always wanted to try curling, ever since I first viewed the sport as a child.

One day about 18 months ago I saw an ad offering the opportunity to take lessons and be in a beginner’s curling league. I made a call, wrote a cheque and spent the next five months of Wednesdays at the local curling club. And you know what? Curling is ­definitely not as easy as it looks on TV. There’s a fair amount of physical activity involved.

And when you come down to it, it’s really about the strategy.

This year I’m trying another sport on my list: fencing. My coach is a former Olympian—a gold-medal winner—and while I like to think of myself as in reasonably good shape (I run, I work out at the gym a few times a week, etc.), I never sleep as soundly as I do the nights after I train with her.

I’m learning. Learning that fencing is a sport of strategy too, both in terms of attacking and defending. Yes, it is highly physical. But you can expend a lot of energy and still lose without a sound strategy.

The point of this?

You can’t win at anything without a strategy. Especially in business. Especially in times like these. It sounds so simple, yet look around. So many companies are struggling because they have either forgotten the strategy that got them there in the first place or did not have a strategy to meet change. And if there is one thing that never changes, it’s the fact there’s going to be change.

In this issue, we devote quite a number of pages to Business Information Modelling (BIM). While we’re sure you’re no stranger to the topic, BIM’s place in the world of construction—the promise it holds of driving out costs and saving time especially— couldn’t be timelier. You will be seeing more about BIM in the pages of this magazine throughout the year as organizations like the Alberta Centre of Excellence in Building Information Modelling work with the construction industry to help them be competitive and productive.

BIM is more than a software tool. Some companies are realizing that using BIM gives them a strategic advantage. Is yours one of them?

Drop me an email if it is and we may share your story in our next issue on best practices.

Coming next issue: Our first-ever Best Practices Issue

Alberta Construction Magazine | 3

editorial EditOr

chaz Osburn • cosburn@junewarren-nickles.com AssistAnt EditOr

Joseph caouette • jcaouette@junewarren-nickles.com COntributing writErs

candice g. Ball, godfrey Budd, Joseph caouette, diane l.m. cook, Brian freemark, randy Kraft, tim mavko, tricia radison, dave Smith EditOriAl AssistAnCE MAnAgEr

features

Samantha Kapler • skapler@junewarren-nickles.com EditOriAl AssistAnCE

SPecIal feature

Kate austin, tracey comeau

Creative Print, PrEPrEss & PrOduCtiOn MAnAgEr

michael gaffney • mgaffney@junewarren-nickles.com

CrEAtiVE sErViCEs MAnAgEr

tamara Polloway-Webb • tpwebb@junewarren-nickles.com

CrEAtiVE lEAd

cathlene Ozubko

grAPhiC dEsignEr

angie castaldi

CrEAtiVE sErViCEs

christina Borowiecki, Janelle Johnson

COntributing PhOtOgrAPhEr

aaron Parker

sales Manager—Advertising

maurya Sokolon • msokolon@junewarren-nickles.com

senior Account Executive

della gray • dgray@junewarren-nickles.com

42

One Alberta builder is using BIM and automation to cut material— and delays

By Godfrey Budd

SaleS

for advertising inquiries please contact adrequests@junewarren-nickles.com Ad trAFFiC COOrdinAtOr—MAgAzinEs denise macKay • atc@junewarren-nickles.com

46

direCtorS PrEsidEnt & CEO

Cut waste, cut costs

Not too hot to handle

BIM is starting to streamline the energy-modelling process and reduce its costs

By Godfrey Budd

Bill Whitelaw • bwhitelaw@junewarren-nickles.com

ViCE-PrEsidEnt & dirECtOr OF sAlEs rob Pentney • rpentney@junewarren-nickles.com dirECtOr OF EVEnts & COnFErEnCEs Ian macgillivray • imacgillivray@junewarren-nickles.com dirECtOr OF thE dAily Oil bullEtin

Stephen marsters • smarsters@junewarren-nickles.com

dirECtOr OF digitAl strAtEgiEs

gord lindenberg • glindenberg@junewarren-nickles.com

dirECtOr OF COntEnt

chaz Osburn • cosburn@junewarren-nickles.com

dirECtOr OF PrOduCtiOn

audrey Sprinkle • asprinkle@junewarren-nickles.com

dirECtOr OF MArkEting

Kim Walker • kwalker@junewarren-nickles.com

dirECtOr OF FinAnCE

Ken Zacharias, cma • kzacharias@junewarren-nickles.com

oFFiCeS

cOmmercIal

21

CAlgAry

Waste not

New state-of-the-art ECCO Recycling and Energy Center offers industry another choice for discarded material

By Diane L.M. Cook

2nd floor, 816 – 55 avenue n.e. | calgary, alberta t2e 6Y4 tel: 403.209.3500 | fax: 403.245.8666 | toll-free: 1.800.387.2446 EdMOntOn

InduStrIal

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Single copies $8 plus gSt.

31

Bumper crop

Alberta may have a new homegrown energy industry soon with a spate of biodiesel projects in the works

By Joseph Caouette

subsCriPtiOn inquiriEs:

tel: 1.866.543.7888 email: circulation@junewarren-nickles.com Alberta Construction Magazine is owned by JuneWarren-nickle’s energy group and is published bimonthly. ©2012 JuneWarren-nickle’s energy group all rights reserved. the contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher. the opinions expressed by contributors to Alberta Construction Magazine may not represent the official views of the magazine. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, the publisher does not assume any responsibility or liability for errors or omissions.

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4 | spring 2012

InfraStructure

25

First-class effort

Edmonton’s airport expansion project gives project team and passengers plenty of reasons to smile

By Tricia Radison

fInIShIng tOucheS

81

If these trees could talk Technology tracks history of landscape assets

By Tricia Radison

contents

Volume 32, Number 1 Published Spring 2012

21 Cover StOrY

37

CLICK TO GREEN learn how companies are using biM to cut waste and drive down costs

By Godfrey Budd

dePartmentS

25

31

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editor’s note 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . nuts & bolts 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Around Canada 51 . . . . People, Products & Projects 59 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ACA report 65 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CCA report 74 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ECA report 78 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . business of building 84 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . legal Edge 86 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . time Capsule Alberta Construction Magazine | 5

contributors

aarON ParKer is an alum of JuneWarrennickle’s energy group, which publishes Alberta Construction Magazine. formerly of edmonton but now living and working in calgary, Parker is a graphic designer/ photographer. he’s the eye behind the photos of eccO Waste Systems lP’s new eccO recycling and energy center in calgary.

CaNDICe G. BaLL was the previous editor of Alberta Construction Magazine who left her adopted home of calgary for Winnipeg in 2007. Ball’s articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Avenue magazine and IMPACT Magazine. She wrote this issue’s “time capsule.”

trICIa raDIsON, who writes about all the changes at edmonton International airport in this issue, is a frequent contributor to this magazine. She has been published in numerous magazines, including HOLMES magazine and Business Edge News Magazine.

If you want to know about business information modelling, look to calgary-based freelancer GODfreY BuDD, who authors three building information modelling– related stories for this issue. Budd is a veteran writer, contributing many articles for industry magazines and business periodicals on western canada’s energy industry and alberta’s construction sector.

DIaNe L.M. COOK frequently writes for JuneWarren-nickle’s energy group trade publications, including Oilweek, Oilsands Review and Alberta Construction Magazine. a freelance writer, she lives in calgary.

THOUSANDS OF POSSIBILITIES

6 | spring 2012

KNOW WHAT’S COOL

www.coolnet.ab.ca

THE WAY RADHE WORKS:

BE A THINKER. BE A CREATOR. ENJOY IT.

RADHE GUPTA President and CEO, Rohit Group of Companies

BUSINESS BANKING IS ABOUT A SHARED PERSPECTIVE. At Canadian Western Bank, we see the world the same way as our customers.

As a result, we take the time to understand your business and provide banking solutions suited to your business needs. Discover insights and learn more at theworkingbank.ca.

nuts & bolts nEws briEFs FOr thE busy COnstruCtiOn PrOFEssiOnAl

ImageS: IcOn

these artist renderings of the proposed downtown arena show a facility that iCOn Venue group says will be “designed to accommodate all manner of sports and cultural events and to quickly transition from one to another.”

EDMONTON’S PROPOSED NHL ARENA GETS CLOSER TO REALITY sometimes it’s worth taking time to count your blessings. After all, not many other provinces can boast having Alberta’s robust economic activity. Or its bountiful natural resources, which are the envy of the world. Or the fact that we have two nhl hockey teams. by now you’ve heard that the City of Edmonton and Edmonton Oilers owner, the katz group of Companies, have selected iCOn Venue group as the project manager for that city’s proposed downtown arena. And you probably also know that Colorado-based iCOn has been project manager for nine new arenas, including in Pittsburgh, Pa.; new Jersey; Phoenix, Ariz.; and denver, Colo. but what do you know about the company—or the people behind it?

A september 1997 article in the Denver Business Journal sheds some light on iCOn’s president and chief executive officer, tim romani, who is serving as principal-in-charge of the Edmonton project. romani’s experience with sports arenas goes back a ways. For example, as a 25-year-old in 1987, he was a key figure in getting Chicago’s Comiskey Park baseball stadium—the first of the new generation of ballparks at the time—built. the $137-million Comiskey opened in 1991, $2.1 million under budget and a month ahead of schedule, according to the Denver Business Journal.

the article described romani as “smart and focused but easygoing, a detail guy who also understands the big picture, nononsense but flexible, youthfully energetic but a seasoned sports business professional, caring but tenacious.” it also quoted tim leiweke, who runs the los Angeles kings hockey team, as saying that romani “is without a doubt the brightest person i’ve met from the stadium/arena construction business.” in Edmonton, iCOn will be responsible for overseeing work to get the project design to 60 per cent completion. should Edmonton’s city council choose to advance the project further, iCOn would play a role in overseeing the design team and construction manager to maintain budget and schedule. the city and katz group are eyeing an arena with 18,400 seats. the design will integrate the arena with an adjacent light rail transit station and an outdoor pedway that provides event space and pedestrian connection with adjacent development.

A consultation plan for additional public input on the design of the new arena will be outlined sometime in the spring, according to the city. “this is about more than just hockey,” says bob black, executive vice-president

of katz group. “this is about creating a state-of-the-art entertainment venue that will be home to all manner of athletic and cultural events, provide unparalleled patron experiences, and bring new energy and vibrancy to our downtown core.”

tAblE OF CONteNts ten things to know about the bow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

10

niagara tunnel progresses:

10 long-haul solution . . . . . . . . . . . 11 it’s water under the bridge . . .

Cenovus outgrowing expanded fabrication yard . . .

12

retail centre encourages customers to leave the car and walk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

13

Calgary company behind

14 A camp first . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 $100-million frac sand project. .

Alberta Construction Magazine | 9

nuts & bolts PhOtO: JaY Im

the bow, shown under construction about 15 months ago.

TEN THINGS TO KNOW ABOuT THE BOW the bow, Canada’s tallest building west of toronto, has a number of interesting features. here are 10 of them: 1. its height is 236 metres (775 feet) 2. Complete washrooms were constructed off-site and lifted into place inside the structure, where all plumbing was connected 3. there’s enough parking below ground to accommodate 1,390 vehicles and 320 bicycles 4. the building has 1.9 million square feet of rentable space 5. A typical office floor has about 32,000 square feet 6. the sky garden floors are designed as an indoor, park-like environment with trees, vegetation and seating 7. the building’s southwest-facing orientation not only provides views west to the mountains, but also captures much of the daily sunshine, contributing to its sustainable aspects 8. the building is believed to be the first trussed-tube structure in Canada 9. About 1,300 truckloads of concrete totalling 13,778 cubic metres were used to pour the foundation in 2008—the biggest continuous concrete pour in Canada at the time 10. the building was designed by Foster + Partners SOurceS: mattheWS deVelOPmentS (alBerta) Inc., ledcOr cOnStructIOn lImIted

NIAGARA TuNNEL PROGRESSES: IT’S WATER uNDER THE BRIDGE PhOtO: PhOtOS.cOm

One of the largest renewable energy projects of its kind reached a milestone in January. More than half of the niagara tunnel project in Ontario is now fully lined with concrete. when finished, the concrete lining will allow for the uninterrupted flow of niagara river water through the 10.2-kilometre tunnel to the sir Adam beck generating stations for the next 100 years. tunnel excavation, using the world’s largest hard-rock tunnel-boring machine, was completed in the spring of 2011. when finished in 2013, the niagara tunnel will supply enough electricity to power 160,000 homes. the project currently employs more than 400 people and has brought about $1 billion in economic benefits to the region, according to the Ontario government.

the niagara tunnel harnesses the power of the niagara river.

Unleash your full design potential

Vicwest Architectural Metal Panels: let your imagination soar.

Our metal fabrications,flashings and coast-to-coast custom facilities await your most challenging designs. Talk to the Vicwest design team or visit us online.

10 | spring 2012

vicwest.com

nuts & bolts

LONG-HAuL SOLuTION the tiny village of Chipman, Alta., is marketing itself as a housing solution for Alberta’s oil and gas workers. last October, the average price for a single-family home in Fort McMurray, Alta., was $778,160, according to the Fort McMurray real Estate board. Compare that to $139,900–$249,900, the cost of a similar-sized dwelling in Coyote Commons, a new housing development in Chipman.

but those working in the oilsands best be prepared for a bit of a commute. Chipman is nearly four hours south of Fort McMurray. located 40 minutes east of Edmonton, Chipman wants to become a home for oil and gas workers from the nearby industrial heartland region. but the village is also aiming its pitch at oilsands workers eager to move their families closer, but unable to afford the housing prices in Fort McMurray.

the development’s first phase will include 40 homes. the second phase will focus on an industrial park geared towards oil and gas service and construction companies.

Chipman development Corporation, the company responsible for the project, has purchased roughly 1,600 acres of land around the village and hopes to see the local population grow to over 6,000 in the next two decades. the current population of Chipman, according to the most recent census, is 238.

1.800.661.7673

Alberta Construction Magazine | 11

PhOtO: chIPman deVelOPment cOrPOratIOn

homes in the new Coyote Commons development in Chipman, Alta.

PhOtO: PhOtOS.cOm

nuts & bolts

CENOvuS OuTGROWING ExPANDED FABRICATION YARD Cenovus Energy inc. has so many in situ oilsands projects in the works it may have to increase its recently expanded module fabrication capacity again. the company has applications for three in situ oilsands projects in regulators’ hands. it recently expanded its module fabrication yard at nisku, Alta., by 50 per cent, according to the Daily Oil Bulletin, a sister publication of Alberta Construction Magazine. with another project, narrows lake, potentially set for construction to start this year, the nisku yard will be full, so Cenovus is on the hunt for more space, harbir Chhina, executive vice-president of oilsands, told bMO Capital Markets Corp.’s ninth annual unconventional resource conference in new york City recently.

12 | spring 2012

that module yard and its “manufacturing approach” are critical to the company’s operations, Chhina said. “we’re making widgets,” he said. “yes, we make mistakes, but we correct them. you make them on the first [phase and then] get the other three to five phases right. that’s the key to success.”

Applications for the narrows lake project, jointly owned with ConocoPhillips Company, and the 100 per cent Cenovus-owned telephone lake and Pelican lake grand rapids projects are before regulators. narrows lake is expected to start producing in 2016, grand rapids is targeting to start producing in 2017 and the first phase of telephone lake is aimed at start-up as early as 2018.

growth in the next decade will occur outside its core area, at such areas as borealis, winefred lake and kirby East, and the company will start a pilot project at Clearwater this year, Chhina said.

Cenovus has 56 billion barrels of discovered bitumen initially in place, 5.4 billion barrels of best-estimate contingent resource and plans to drill more than 450 wells this year to help assess the new oilsands resources.

Cenovus is seeking a joint-venture partner for telephone lake that would provide something other than capital. “do we need other refineries?” Chhina asked. “Potentially, yes. but we also need to diversify into different markets.”

nuts & bolts

RETAIL CENTRE ENCOuRAGES CuSTOMERS TO LEAvE THE CAR AND WALK

ImageS: Wam

these conceptual drawings of Emerald hills show a pedestrian-friendly setting.

the initial phase of construction of the 600,000-square-foot Emerald hills shopping centre in northern sherwood Park, Alta., should be finished by this summer, with stores open for business in september. that’s according to wAM development group, which is spearheading the project. the lineup of international, national and regional box tenants joining current anchor tenant walmart is indicative of the strength of the area’s retail sector. new tenants include winners, bed bath & beyond, Visions Electronics and golf town.

As well, wAM development group says several more well-recognized brands are in negotiations to join the “pedestrian-friendly, contemporary urban-village” project, which has been designed specifically to encourage walking and window shopping.

Also planned for the centre is a medical professional office building. the centre is located adjacent to the new hospital and immediately next to a major drug store, as well as adjacent to highway 16 between the sherwood drive and Cloverbar road interchanges.

Alberta Construction Magazine | 13

nuts & bolts

Where do I find a

Professional Electrical Contractor?

Since 1993 the ECAA received professional status under the Professional and Occupational Associations Registration Act as Professional Electrical Contractors (PEC), making them the first trade Association in North America to grant professional status to electrical contractors.

Professional Electrical Contractors, PECs are Educated in all Aspects of Business • • • • • •

Project Management Estimating Accounting Safety Principles Legal Issues Affecting Contracting Business & Public Relations PECs are accountable for their work and business practices and strive for excellence in the Electrical Industry.

For more information on PECs Call the

Electrical Contractors Association of Alberta Ph. 780 451-2412 Email: ecaa@ecaa.ab.ca 14 | spring 2012

Toll Free 1-800-252-9375 Web: www.ecaa.ab.ca

CALGARY COMPANY BEHIND $100-MILLION FRAC SAND PROjECT A Calgary-based company could be the first to build a plant to supply the sand used in hydraulic fracturing to producers and service companies in the resource-rich horn river basin. silica north resources ltd. has permits in place for the $100-million project on 2,479 acres of federal Crown land approximately 47 kilometres northwest of Fort liard, n.w.t. subject to financing, it expects to start construction this year, with anticipated production in 2013. silica north has five letters of intent for frac sand from three producers and two service companies, totalling about 300,000 tonnes, according to david brough, president and chief executive officer. the company is in negotiations with one producer for about 100,000 tonnes of sand per year for its frac needs. based on current plans, the operation has the potential capacity to produce 800,000 tonnes of frac sand per annum, with initial plans for 400,000 tonnes a year. silica north has completed independent industrial-scale testing to develop its plant process design. the project has an advantage with its location and the pre-existing infrastructure including roads, potential power sources and water for processing, brough says. located 100 kilometres north of the northwestern corner of the horn river basin and approximately 630 kilometres north of the Montney play, silica north will be able to reduce transportation and logistical costs compared to existing frac sand suppliers, who are located significantly further away from the plays. the company’s planned budgeted capital expenditure for the project is also considerably less when compared to other frac sand projects being publicly proposed to supply proppant into the horn river basin. brough says his company intends to expedite the opening of the project, increasing the barriers of entry for future potential competitors in the horn river

nuts & bolts basin, based on current market demand. with the recent addition of Jim sadowski and the construction expertise of AiC Canada, the company says it believes it has the key ingredients to execute on its business plan.

A CAMP FIRST AtCO structures & logistics’ contract to build a 112-person permanentworkforce housing lodge and provide camp catering and services for the husky sunrise Energy Project marks a first for the company.

AtCO structures & logistics is the camp’s sole supplier, meaning accommodations, camp catering and other services have been bundled. “this complete-service concept will provide value-added benefits to customers, and create aboriginal and local employment and business opportunities,” the company said in a news release. the lodge will feature large private bedrooms with ensuite washrooms and a range of amenities, including a games room and a fitness centre. AtCO will also provide modular site offices and other structures to support the delivery of services at the project site northeast of Fort McMurray.

Financial terms of the contract were not revealed. the contract is the second awarded to AtCO at the sunrise Energy Project. in May 2011, AtCO won a contract to provide common site services, including fire protection, medical services, security, ground transportation and gravel pit management.

Warm and Dry. On-Site Portable Climate Control Turn up the heat and get your projects done no matter what the weather.

At ICS Group, we set the standard for portable climate control solutions that are safe, reliable, efficient and easy to set up. We’re Canada’s leading independent provider of on-site services for the construction industry, including multi-story structure heating, permanent system tieins, frost prevention, humidification and cooling. We also offer top-tier professional project analysis, gas fitting, streamlined hose management and remote monitoring services to keep your job running smoothly.

Hungry for more info? How about lunch?

Book a Free Onsite Lunch & Learn seminar and we’ll look after both!

Schedule your presentation today at

WWW.ICSGROUP.CA/ONSITE

FOR THE RECORD Canadian dewatering l.P.’s thin fine tailings barges have the capacity to pump 140,000 gallons per minute (total). that information was incorrect in an article on pages 52 and 53 of the winter 2011 issue in a feature on the 2011 top Projects winner, in the industrial category.

CALGARY EDMONTON FORT MCMURRAY WINNIPEG

WWW.ICSGROUP.CA 1-866-247-4460

Alberta Construction Magazine | 15

With a Sprinter you’ll save up to $6,400 over 5 years. That’s a lot of lumber.

Sure, you’d expect a Mercedes-Benz to be an expensive acquisition. But the truth is with its amazing fuel efficiency – via our BlueTEC diesel engine – and longest maintenance intervals in its class, the Sprinter will cost you less to own over 5 years compared to the competition. In fact, up to $6,4001 less – which is money better spent on your business. How’s that for a Mercedes?

The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. Starting from $42,900.* thesprinter.ca ©2012 Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. *Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 144" WB base national MSRP $42,900, all-in pricing up to $46,516.25 dependent on region. National MSRP pricing is shown for informational purposes only. Price does not include taxes, levies, fees, and delivery charges. Price does not apply in provinces with total pricing requirements. Please contact your local dealership directly for total price applicable in those provinces. Price subject to change. Dealer may sell for less. 1Based on analysis of Canadian market for 2500 and 3500 series vans performed in March 2011 by Vincentric LLC. $6,400 savings claim based on comparison of 2011 GMC Savana Cargo 2500 and 2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 144" WB. Average savings across all models analyzed is $6,900. Visit thesprinter.ca for more details.

| arOund CANADA Even though we’re nearly a quarter of the way through 2012, you’re probably like a lot of the rest of us—still wondering what construction activity will be like for the year. diversification and continued strong investment in the transportation, energy, mining and health care sectors will help keep construction workloads steady with low escalation in 2012, according to bty group inc.’s annual Market intelligence report on construction costs across Canada.

“Even with lower-than-expected growth in the u.s., worries over European bailouts and slower growth in residential construction in most of the country, we expect reasonably healthy levels of activity across Canada,” predicts Joe rekab, managing Cost estimate for ryerson university’s new student learning Centre, slated to be completed by winter 2014. the partner at bty group.

155,463-square-foot, eight-storey building at the corner of “the story for 2012 is that strong energy, resource and toronto’s yonge and gould streets will feature an impressive infrastructure investment should balance a cooling housing market in almost every province, with the exception of b.C. and glass façade, elevated plaza and a bridge that will connect to Alberta, both of which will see gains in the housing market over the existing library. zeidler Partnership Architects of toronto the previous year.” highlights of bty group’s forecast: and snøhetta of Oslo, norway, designed the building. Ellisdon in Ontario, an ambitious infrastructure program will lead, Corporation is the construction manager. but concerns over deficit spending could put some projects SOurce: rYerSOn unIVerSItY on hold. new multi-billion dollar mining projects and ongoing energy, health care and transportation projects will keep quebec busy.

More than $10 billion in new potash Amount of money the federal govhow much Ontario’s gross domestic ernment will spend through Veterans produc t would rise each year if projects will boost construction in Ontario’s building together plan were saskatchewan.

Affairs Canada’s Community Engagement british Columbia will see both strong Partnership Fund to support helmets to to continue over 50 years. the building residential activity and increased hardhats, a program to help military vettogether document proposes a more private-sector investment in nonerans, Canadian Forces members and strategic, long-term approach to capital residential construction. reservists find careers within the construcspending, including infrastructure asset tion industry—including apprenticeships management.

A full copy of the report can be accessed in various building trades.

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Image: rYerSOn unIVerSItY

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Alberta Construction Magazine | 17

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commercial

waste New State-oF-the-art eCCo reCyCliNg aNd eNergy CeNter oFFerS iNdUStry aNother ChoiCe For diSCarded material

By Diane L.M. Cook Photos by Aaron Parker

Calgary’s only private dry-waste landfill facility will soon open a $25-million recycling and energy centre, giving the construction industry another option to recycle construction, demolition and other dry-waste materials.

ECCO Waste Systems LP’s new ECCO Recycling and Energy Center will be able to process up to 300,000 tonnes per year of material that is now delivered to the landfill. The centre will divert as much as 85 per cent of materials like steel, plastic, cardboard, non-ferrous metals, wood and paper from landfills.

While the centre will use modern equipment and proven technologies, a significant point of the project is that the facility will process a diverse waste stream that will result in the production of a number of products and extract commodities for resale. The energy component of the centre will make a process-engineered fuel from the residual stream to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

Alec McDougall, president of ECCO Waste Systems, says the centre is probably the most advanced integrated dry-waste processing facility in North America: “Although the technology used in the facility is not new, the building was custom built to suit the equipment suppliers’ specifications and preferred layout, which will maximize the throughput.”

Alberta Construction Magazine | 21

commercial Alec Mcdougall says ECCO waste systems is considering adding several remote recycling facilities to receive more waste material for delivery to the new centre for processing.

McDougall says the facility’s development was an evolving plan for some years that became economically feasible as the City of Calgary and the province of Alberta introduced more stringent regulations and provided financial incentives designed to encourage recycling.

Behind the numbers The city’s recycling initiatives are reflected by its slogan, 80/20 by 2020, which refers to the city’s goal to reduce the amount of waste that enters Calgary landfills by 80 per cent by the year 2020.

“As of 2007, only 20 per cent of drywaste material was being diverted from Calgary landfills to other uses,” McDougall says. “The goal of the city is to increase that figure to 80 per cent by the year 2020.”

The new facility is Alberta’s newest and most highly mechanized dry-waste disposal facility. It was built by IMC Construction Group, a Red Deer, Alta.based construction company with experience in industrial facilities.

Built at the same location as ECCO’s 24th street dry-waste disposal facility, 22 | spring 2012

the centre’s footprint is approximately 55,000 square feet, which includes the tipping and process f loors, with a second-storey picking floor and thirdstorey offices, bringing the total area of the facility to approximately 65,000 square feet. The tipping f loor alone is almost an acre.

The facility will accept all major components of construction, demolition and dry-waste materials, including concrete, bricks, blocks, mortar, wood, drywall, cardboard, plastics, metals and shingles. The materials are sorted by size and density into “fines,” “lights,” “mediums” and “heavies” before being further separated by material type.

After the materials enter the facility and are pre-sorted, the materials are then loaded into a slow-speed shredder that reduces the material to a 12-inch size or less before further processing.

A vibratory screen will remove the two-inch-minus-sized fines, which are conveyed outside.

Next, the waste stream enters two parallel air classifiers. The heavies are rejected and conveyed to an outdoor

bunker, rejoining the fines for producing aggregates or alternate daily cover.

The balance of the stream is processed by the air classifiers to separate lights, which are comprised of paper, cardboard and film plastic from a residual “mediums” stream, which includes nonferrous metals, wood and miscellaneous other materials.

Lights are sorted by hand with a vacuum assist to separate plastics and cardboard, with a residual stream that is mainly paper and other light materials, such as insulation.

The mediums are conveyed along a 60-inch-wide rubber belt, where they are hand sorted to separate clean wood, recyclable metals and rejected materials that are not suitable for fuel or comprised of salvageable material. There are five cross-belt magnetic separators along the process line to remove ferrous metals from the stream for resale and to prevent equipment damage.

Since ECCO opened its 24th street drywaste disposal facility in 1994, the company has developed recycled products including ECCO Chips—a high-quality,

commercial PhOtO: WaSte management

ECCO waste systems’ new facility in Calgary is at the same location as the company’s 24th street dry-waste disposal facility. the $25-million recycling centre was built by iMC Construction group.

non-toxic wood mulch product made from ground and coloured waste wood—and co-founded ECCOpave Inc., a company that makes asphalt crumb from tear-off asphalt shingles for use in new asphalt pavement, reducing the requirement for virgin bitumen.

Clean wood is ground in a high-speed grinder to make a number of saleable products, including coloured mulch, made on site and bagged, animal bedding, and absorptive material for the oil and gas industry. Salvaged metals and drywall will either be sold off-site or processed further before sale.

Fuelling the need In addition to recovering commodities for reuse and feedstock for a variety of products, the new facility will also incorporate additional elements to make a process-engineered fuel from the residual stream for supplementing the use of fossil fuels in thermal plants.

This stage of the facility is forecast to increase the total resource recovery by the facility upwards of 85 per cent of the facility input.

The layout and design of the centre will make delivering waste to this facility simpler and faster for haulers, compared to current operations and competing sites. “[The centre] includes new features designed specifically with haulers in mind,” McDougall says. “The facility has both attended and automated weighing that allows for extended hours of operation, indoor tipping and eliminates exposure to landfill hazards.”

Once the facility is operational, ECCO will pursue other recycling endeavours. “Our next recycling ventures include a possible contract with the City of Calgary to mine the adjacent, closed Ogden landfill to salvage buried asphalt and concrete, and to recover any useable metals and wood by processing them through [the new centre],” McDougall says.

“We’re also thinking about adding several remote recycling facilities to receive more waste material for delivery to [the centre] for processing. And in the future, we might construct similar facilities in other locations throughout Alberta.”

a worker on a waste recycling sort line.

neW Plant targetS WaSte In canada’S BIggeSt cItY waste Management, inc. is spending $16 million to upgrade what it says will be the most technologically advanced facility in toronto dedicated to processing waste materials from construction sites. scheduled to be in operation this fall, waste Management says the plant will process an estimated 87,000 tonnes of material in its first full year. As the facility will be equipped to sort waste materials, contractors and developers will no longer have to separate it at the source. waste Management has also launched an online tool for those wanting to measure their construction and demolition recycling, tabulate total diversion rates and provide documentation to support certification on leadership in Energy and Environmental design projects. Called dArt, the tool is being targeted towards building planners, contractors, architects and owners.

Alberta Construction Magazine | 23

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infrastructure

first-class Edmonton’s airport expansion project gives project team and passengers plenty of reasons to smile

By Tricia Radison Photos by Stantec

After just four years, the Edmonton International Airport terminal-expansion project is virtually complete, coming in ahead of schedule and under budget. Fast-tracked in order to reduce the impact on passengers, it led to some challenges that PCL Construction Management Inc. doesn’t face every day.

“Our primary role is to not interfere with the passenger experience,” says Paul Hobern, project manager, PCL. “We should almost be doing our work without being seen or heard so we don’t interrupt anything.”

Hiding a construction crew of up to 500 isn’t easy. Establishing complete phasing plans for changes to passenger flow, suspending work on higher-risk scopes during heavy-traffic periods such as Christmas and spring break, and working closely with the airport to coordinate construction needs with the needs of airport operations helped to ensure that passengers were affected as little as possible. Signage and information on the expansion was also used throughout the airport.

Security was another major issue. Everyone on site had to go through a safety and security orientation before starting work on the project. Because of stricter requirements for work done “airside”—where there are passengers or operations—some areas were made “groundside” by fencing them off from the Alberta Construction Magazine | 25

infrastructure airside operations. This allowed work to continue without security passes or the need for a guard. Airside work was sometimes conducted during off hours so that additional security clearances were not required.

The new terminal is about 50 per cent or 463,000 square feet (43,000 square metres) bigger than the old one and includes nine new aircraft bridges (the enclosed connectors that take you from gate to plane), bringing the total number of bridges to 26. It will be able to accommodate around 10 million passengers, giving the Edmonton International Airport, which currently serves around 6.5 million passengers, room to grow.

Passenger experience important The facility is designed to give passengers a better travel experience and includes moving walkways, 34 new stores and places to eat, and a large art program that features local, national and international artisans. The new U.S. Customs and Border Protection area is almost four times as large as the old one.

Interestingly, the airport took a bit of a backwards approach to designing the facility.

“Traditionally, airport terminals are designed around airplanes in mind first and then you figure out where you can put concession space and consider the passenger amenities after,” says Myron Keehn, vice-president, commercial development for Edmonton Regional Airports Authority (Edmonton Airports). “We designed the commercial amenity opportunities first and designed the gate around that, keeping the passengers in mind throughout the process.”

The goal was to give passengers plenty to do while waiting for flights.

The terminal was built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design– certified standards and includes a number of sustainability features. One of the most noticeable is a two-storey “living wall” that can be seen by passengers on both the arrival and departure levels of the expanded terminal. Said to be the first living wall in an airport in North America, it contributes to air quality and has other benefits as well.

“That area is an ode to the river valley,” Keehn says. “The wall takes your 26 | spring 2012

the new terminal is about 50 per cent larger than the previous one and includes nine new aircraft bridges.

infrastructure

And thAt’s A FACt

the new u.S. departures area is three times the size of the previous area, according to the airport authority.

Passengers using the airport are being treated to 34 new stores and places to eat.

experience to and from Edmonton from OK to quite dramatic.”

Less noticeable sustainability features are two solar farms for preheating water and a 1.65-million-litre grey-water cistern under the building.

The project earned an innovation credit for 95 per cent waste diversion, largely because the demolished apron was crushed up and reused in other apron work and to build roads. Regional materials were chosen as were durable materials, and half of the wood used was supplied by a source that promotes responsible forestry practices. A bike shed for employees earned the project an alternate transportation credit.

Tenants are also contributing to the sustainability of the building. Starbucks Corporation, for example, is using furniture made of recycled material, countertops from another business and reclaimed wood.

Because the project was fast-tracked, PCL worked closely with the owner and

the design team to provide value engineering throughout the entire project.

“We opened it up to all of the design team, the client and the trades to come back with alternatives so we were able to offer the same intent with a lesser price,” Hobern says.

Saving money The economic downturn presented some significant opportunities to save money.

For instance, the original concrete superstructure was replaced with a metal superstructure to take advantage of dropping metal prices.

As a result of such substitutions, the project price, forecasted to be about $1.1 billion, ended up totalling around $670 million.

This project includes groundwork for future expansions. The master plan outlines what will be done as passenger levels increase, up to 25 million passengers. With the plan in hand, Edmonton Airports was able to put things in place that will

the Edmonton international Airport terminal-expansion project includes: • 629 piles • 11,800 cubic metres of concrete • 1,70 0, 0 0 0 k il o gr ams of s te e l reinforcement • 3,600 tons of structural steel in 7,868 pieces and 74,000 bolts • 950 square metres of exterior precast panels • 17,900 square metres of metal panels and siding • 24,000 square metres of roof • 900 metal doors and frames • 4,800 square metres of curtain wall • 28,000 square metres of drywall • 22,700 square metres of architectural ceiling • 12,500 square metres of ceramic tile/ terrazzo flooring • 800 metres of new baggage conveyer • 340 metres of moving walk • Five elevators • two escalators Alberta Construction Magazine | 27

infrastructure

sAFEty truly CAME First As of the end of January, the team working on the Edmonton international Airport terminal-expansion project put in over 1.8 million man-hours with no lost-time incidents—an impressive achievement that was the result of a strong safety culture. “we had a knowledgeable and interested client that raised everybody’s safety expectations,” says Paul hobern, project manager, PCl. “Everyone involved in the project had input into safety, leading to a cross-fertilization of information and ideas.

A concerted effort was also made to more fully prepare people regarding the scope of their work before they came on site so everyone knew exactly what to do. “we got to a stage where we, as the construction managers, weren’t seen as the police. Everybody was involved and everyone was proactively trying to make sure that everybody went home safely.” safety is one of the three pillars used by Edmonton Airports to measure the success of projects, the others being schedule and budget. says Paul garbiar, vice-president, infrastructure and technology for Edmonton Airports: “it’s great to be on time and under budget, but that wouldn’t mean much if people were getting hurt in the process. we are proud of our safety record. Overall, this project went really well.”

28 | spring 2012

the expansion at edmonton International airport included prework for future expansions.

infrastructure

allow it to avoid issues that cropped up in this project and cost-effectively prepare for the future.

For instance, in the terminal expansion, a temporary structure had to be built to divert passengers away from the construction area so that five bridges on the south end of the original facility could be removed to make way for the new.

Says Paul Garbiar, vice-president, infrastructure and technology, Edmonton Airports: “At one end of the new facility, where we know we’ll eventually

expand for U.S. travel, we’ve left two bridges off and graded the apron. This pre-work is done to ensure that when we are ready to further expand, we are ready. We won’t have to go back and rip up all the apron that we laid with this expansion.”

Work has also been done that will allow the airport to create new flow paths, like taking passengers off international flights and straight into U.S. departures, should those opportunities receive regulatory approval in the future.

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Alberta Construction Magazine | 29

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industrial

bumper

By Joseph Caouette

CROP

PhOtO: kyOtO FuEls

AlbErtA MAy hAVE A NEW HOMEGROWN ENERGY INDuSTRY sOOn with A sPAtE OF BIODIESEL PROjECTS in thE wOrks

the kyoto Fuels biodiesel plant near lethbridge is one of a number of biodiesel projects currently under construction or planned for Alberta.

Anyone who has ever spent more than a few hours driving Highway 2 has likely seen an image like this before: a pumpjack sprouting up amid the nodding yellow canola blossoms, all set against a bright blue prairie sky.

It’s a lovely pastoral scene, but also the perfect representation of Alberta’s growing energy industry. Of course, we’re talking about the canola.

“Everyone thinks of Alberta as just petroleum, but in fact it’s been really visionary in playing a real leadership role in developing renewable energy,” says Tim Haig, chair and interim president of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association.

The oilsands still dominate the discussions (and headlines), but biodiesel may be the next big homegrown energy industry for the province, with several major projects coming down the pipe and others already well into the development and construction phases. Among the projects already announced:

American agribusiness giant Archer Da niels Mid la nd Compa ny has announced it will be building a 265-million-litre-per-year biodiesel plant in Lloydminster on the AlbertaSaskatchewan border. Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2012 for start-up late in 2013.

Another U.S. company, The Power Alternative, is teaming up with a consortium of Canadian backers to build two $30-million biodiesel plants in the province, each capable of producing 66 million litres per year. One will be built in the High Prairie region and the other in Smoky Lake County. The first should be running by early 2013, according to the company.

Biostreet Canada Inc. is working on financing its own biodiesel plant for Vegreville, Alta. The $221-million project would produce 237 million litres per year. A timeline for construction is not yet known.

Alberta Construction Magazine | 31

industrial

PhOtO: KYOtO fuelS

after construction is completed in march, Kyoto fuels’ biodiesel plant will have a capacity of 66 million litres per year.

“Oilberta” no more?

Given this sudden flurry of biodiesel activity, one might wonder if “Oilberta” had grown weary of its reputation as the petroleum province. But in fact, Alberta’s biodiesel industry is poised to take off precisely because of the province’s unique economic makeup, which includes a robust mixture of cattle and grain farming, as well as strong petroleum and refining industries.

In short, the province’s biodiesel industry is the offspring of “the marriage between agriculture and energy,” as Haig describes it.

The combination of those two industries certainly encouraged Kyoto Fuels Corporation to build its own biodiesel project in Alberta.

After almost four years of construction, the company is nearing completion on a $34-million biodiesel plant in Lethbridge, Alta. When finished this March, the plant will have a capacity of 66 million litres per year and will produce biodiesel from either tallow or canola.

When asked what drew Kyoto Fuels to build in Lethbridge, company president

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32 | spring 2012

industrial content in fuel], a lot of other things fall into place, including the demand and the pricing structures.”

alberta produced over a third of canada’s canola in 2011.

PhOtO: StOcK.xchng.cOm

and chief executive officer Kelsey Prenevost says the company didn’t even consider any locations other than Alberta.

There were simply too many logistical and regulatory advantages to ignore.

“Alberta—and Lethbridge—represented the jewel in the crown,” he says.

The first facet of this jewel is a renewable fuel standard. In April 2011, the Alberta government’s standard came into effect, requiring all diesel in the province contain two per cent biodiesel content. A federal mandate requiring the same level of renewable fuel content across the entire country followed in July of the same year.

For Haig, it’s impossible to underestimate the importance of these standards to the growth of the biodiesel industry: “If there’s a mandatory inclusion in the fuel pool, which allows [biodiesel producers] to create a market that creates a margin, then they have the opportunity to go forward.”

Prenevost has seen the positive effects of the standards on his own plant. “That definitely put the wheels under the bus on the project here,” he explains. “As soon as you’re required [to include renewable

The exact level of that demand is debatable, but it’s undoubtedly considerable. Prenevost believes his 66-millionlitre plant can supply roughly half of

Alberta’s biodiesel needs, while he pegs the country’s total demand at around 600 million litres annually. Haig favours a more conservative estimate of between 450 million and 550 million litres per year for all of Canada.

Feedstock to fill this demand will undoubtedly come from the province’s own abundant supply of canola. According to the Alberta government, the province grew 5.3 million tonnes of the oilseed in 2011, more than a third of Canada’s 14.2-million-tonne crop that year.

But even though plant-based biodiesel will likely be the major product, animal fats can still be used to create the fuel. And with 5.5 million head of cattle in the province in 2010—roughly 40 per cent of the country’s total cattle herd, by the reckoning of the Alberta Beef Producers—there’s a lot of potential feedstock available.

Access important Another key factor is the proximity to refinery access. While Lethbridge may be more than five hours south of Edmonton, it offers an effective link to the refineries

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PhotoS: Kyoto FUelS

industrial

outside of the capital city—all of which will be looking for a supply of biodiesel to blend into their own fuel products.

Kyoto’s decision to build in Lethbridge is particularly strategic. Numerous 50,000-litre trucks bring diesel into the area for distribution across southern Alberta, but then return to Edmonton empty. That will change once the plant is operating.

“The only thing they can ship back is diesel or a diesel-like material, which is biodiesel,” Prenevost explains. “We’re

taking care of quite a few deadhead trips to distribute this material to Edmonton.”

Finally, Haig notes that a couple of crucial policies have made the Alberta market a tempting proposition for biodiesel producers.

“This is being driven by the fact that the Alberta government is one of the first jurisdictions [in North America] to put some price on carbon and to put in some very supportive producer incentives for moving the industry forward,” he says.

The incentive he’s referring to is the Bioenergy Producer Credit Program,

and it offers a per-litre rate on biodiesel and other renewable fuels produced in the province up until 2016, when the program expires.

Equally important is the province’s greenhouse gas emission reduction program. When a company goes over the targeted emissions level, it is required to either pay a fee of $15 per excess tonne of emissions or else purchase carbon offsets.

And these offsets, according to Prenevost, can be a valuable sideline for green industries like biodiesel plants,

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34 | spring 2012

The Core. Calgary, Alberta.

Foothills Medical Centre, McCaig Tower.

Calgary, Alberta.

industrial

the lethbridge biodiesel plant will rely on a mixture of canola and tallow for feedstock.

which can sell their carbon savings to large emitters on the open market.

“We haven’t produced anything, but we have pre-deals already laid out,” he says.

“It’s quite an active part of our business, the carbon side of it.”

None of which is to say the process hasn’t had its fair share of hiccups along the way. As one of the early pioneers in Alberta’s biodiesel industry, Kyoto Fuels discovered the regulatory system was still sometimes playing catch-up with a new industry.

“Kyoto Fuels was one of the first biodiesel operations to start in construction early,” Prenevost says. “We were at the time considered a heavy oil upgrader, since they didn’t have a biodiesel category.

“It was an educational process for both sides. Kyoto Fuels was educating Alberta Environment [and Water,] and they were educating us.”

Wit h t he reg u lator y w r i n k les smoothed out, the industry is preparing to ramp up to meet the challenge of fulfilling the country’s new biodiesel

mandate. While much of Canada’s biodiesel supply currently comes from the United States, domestic production is increasing to meet the new surge in demand.

The Kyoto Fuels executive already has plans for a 70-million-litre-per-year expansion for the Lethbridge plant if the initial phase proves successful. Combined with all the other plans on the table, it’s one more sign of the bright outlook for the province’s biodiesel industry.

“I see Alberta being the primary location for biodiesel operations,” Prenevost says.

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Alberta Construction Magazine | 35

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cover feature

CLICK TO

GREEN

WHETHER FOR ENERGY MODELLING OR CuTTING WASTE, BIM IS MAKING INROADS You’ve been hearing about Building Information Modelling, or BIM, for years now, but do you really have a good idea of the potential for the problems it could solve?

If you run or work for a smaller firm, the answer may be no. Or maybe you have a vague notion that BIM is simply a 3-D modelling and visualization technology.

Truth is, BIM is much, much more. It is primarily an information tool, one that can offer a comprehensive picture of a construction project at any given time, as well as information about materials, costs and sequencing.

For example, BIM is triggering rapid change on the energy-modelling side of the design-build equation, an important

consideration in an age where the term “lessening the carbon footprint” is all too common.

It is also useful in pinpointing clash detection problems. Think about the time and money you can shave off a project with, say, the precise placement of electrical conduit or piping before your crew even begins work— something BIM makes possible.

In the pages ahead, you’ll learn about why the Alberta Centre of Excellence in Building Information Modelling was created and what it hopes to achieve.

You’ll also learn about how BIM-based manufacturing is helping at least one Alberta builder reduce waste. And you’ll also hear from BIM users and the challenges they face.

Alberta Construction Magazine | 37

cover feature

AT THE

CENTRE

OF IT ALL

nEw biM CEntrE OF ExCEllEnCE AiMs tO bOOst industry PrOduCtiVity And COMPEtitiVEnEss

By Godfrey Budd

38 | spring 2012

The tremendous potential of Building Information Modelling (BIM) for improving productivity in the construction sector recently spurred a group of industry stakeholders to provide some seed money to set up a BIM centre of excellence in the province.

The money, $250,000, provided by Productivity Alberta, the Government of Alberta and Western Economic Diversification Canada, came in the wake of studies that examined ways to improve Alberta’s competitiveness. And, it seems, some prodding by experts.

Clearly, the province sees room for improvement. A recent advertising supplement from Alberta Finance published in an Alberta-based magazine notes that productivity in Canada has been declining since the early 1990s and that “Alberta is Canada’s third-largest manufacturing province, but has the lowest productivity growth rate in the country.”

Targeting the province’s construction sector makes sense. It is typically a major driver of growth in Alberta’s economy, often

accounting for about 35 per cent of capital investment. This is significantly higher than provincial and state averages across the continent, which are around 22 per cent.

The rationale behind the Alberta Centre of Excellence in Building Information Modelling—ACE-BIM for short—appears all the stronger in light of the fact that many in the design and construction sectors are unfamiliar with the full range of technologies and software programs that support BIM systems. This is often the case not just in Alberta, but also across North America.

“The centre is virtual right now and likely to remain so,” explains Klaas Rodenburg, chief executive officer of ACEBIM. “We hope to have a couple hundred members within the next few years. The centre will operate on moving technology forward, building capacity and sharing best practices. Building capacity will involve training and education via institutes and the workplace, and sharing information between companies and institutes.”

Rodenburg, certified engineering technicia n at Sta ntec Inc., a nd

ESS

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PR

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TIME OP

TRADITIONAL PROCESS

PD :: PRE-DESIGN SD :: SCHEMATIC DESIGN DD :: DESIGN DEVELOPMENT CD :: CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS PR :: PROCUREMENT CA :: CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION OP :: OPERATION ABILITY TO IMPACT COST + FUNCTION

TRADITIONAL

ABILITY TO IMPACT COST OF + FUNCTION COST DESIGN CHANGES

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TRADITIONAL The U.S. National Institute of Building DESIGN PROCESS Sciences defines BIM as “a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility. As such, it serves as a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility, forming a reliable basis for decisions during its life cycle from inception onward.” and the National PD SD DD CD PR CA As Rodenburg OP Lagging behind Institute of Building Sciences point out, TIME Over the last 40 years, they note, produc- BIM is not only a technology using 3-D DD CD PR CA tivity has improved in mostPD sectors,SD but modelling and visualization.

Although not in construction, in part because of those aspectsTIME are important, BIM is prithe growing complexity of construction. marily about information—a long-term If anything, Leurdyke says, productivity shared resource for a building from the in the construction sector has declined. earliest design conception, through conEMERGING PROCESS BIM can help turn this around. struction, during the years it is operated “BIM has shown it can improve produc- and maintained, altered or added onto, by 30–50 per and throughout its entire life cycle.

CD tivityPR CAcent,” Leurdyke OPsays.

Instead of treating design, documenAccording to a paper by Doug Bevill, TIME tation, construction and building main- ABILITY president and founder of American busiTO IMPACT COST OF + FUNCTION tenance as separate steps, BIM systems COST ness consultancy Bevill & Associates, and DESIGN support a more integrated approach and Peter J. Arsenault, a Stantec architect, CHANGES provide a central tool that brings together “The integration of both graphic and TRADITIONAL owners, architects, engineers, consultants, non-graphic information in one place DESIGN PROCESS IMPROVED manufacturers and fabricators. gives the model much more value as a PROCESS +

EFFORT | EFFECT

DESIGN PROCESS JohnIMPROVED Leurdyke, director of building products PROCESS + in the Advanced Industries Development MORE INFO CT UnitINofEARLIER the Alberta government who is on the N PHASES COST OF board of directors DESIGNof ACE-BIM, are among a growingCHANGES body of expert opinion that believes that BIM is about to revolutionize RADITIONAL design and construction globally, largely DESIGN PROCESS because of the potential productivity gains.

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PD :: PRE-DESIGN SD :: SCHEMATIC DESIGN DD :: DESIGN DEVELOPMENT CD :: CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS PD SD PR :: PROCUREMENT CA :: CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION OP :: OPERATION

resource that can be accessed by many people instead of wasting time and money to duplicate.”

The two believe the “wastefulness and redundancy in building design and construction work is estimated at nearly US$400 billion annually plus notably more when operating processes are taken into account.”

The use of BIM appears to be increasing rapidly across the continent.

OP Pointing to a joint study by McGraw-Hill Construction and the National Institute of Building Sciences that was based on information from surveys across North America “from all parts of the architecture, engineering and construction spectrum,” the authors of the paper note that 49 per cent of the sector was using BIM in 2009, up from 28 per cent in 2007. Also, current users expect to increase their use of BIM, according to the joint study’s findings in McGraw-Hill’s SmartMarket Report series called The Business Value of BIM: Getting Building Information Modelling to the Bottom Line.

VS.

Alberta Construction Magazine | 39

cover feature PhOtO: Stantec

aBOut

a designer uses a software interface like the one on the screen to develop a design model in 3-d.

aCe-Bim ACE-biM is short for Alberta Centre of Excellence for building information Modelling. here is some information about it: • the founding board of ACE-biM includes people from government, the universities of Alberta and Calgary, sAit Polytechnic and the northern Alberta institute of technology, and the design and construction sector.

• ACE-biM is not-for-profit; it is expected to be member-driven and funded within a couple of years.

• the model planned for ACE-biM is similar to that of the Canada green building Council.

BIM’s roots T he use of BIM systems was pioneered in t he automobile and aircraft manufacturing industries.

Users of BIM in the construction sector are finding that construction projects that use BIM can achieve about the same levels of accuracy and precision found in the automobile and aircraft industries. The higher levels of precision and accuracy apply across the BIM environment, says Leurdyke, who points to three bids on a multimillion dollar building for the University of Alberta, all of which used BIM. The three bids came within $1,000 or $2,000 of each other.

In Alberta, BIM is being used by the architecture and engineering community on about 30 per cent of projects. “ T he nex t log ic a l step is for contractors to get on board,” Rodenburg says. He adds, “BIM-based design is contractor-ready.”

But one of the challenges, he says, is that smaller consulting firms and builders don’t yet take an advantage in BIM: “They can make money doing what they do. But in a downturn, those using BIM could have a competitive advantage.”

Some Chinese builders are using BIM. A recent project in China involved an office tower whose 30 storeys were built in 15 days, Rodenburg says.

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cover feature

CUT WASTE,

CUT CO TS

OnE AlbErtA buildEr is using biM And AutOMAtiOn tO Cut MAtEriAl—And dElAys

By Godfrey Budd

42 | spring 2012

Proponents of Building Information Modelling (BIM) see reduction of waste as being among the key benefits from using BIM systems. Waste reduction, they say, can occur throughout the life cycle of a building—from initial design conception to decommissioning and demolition.

BIM can cut waste significantly in the design and construction phases and thus lower the biggest single hurdle for many construction projects: capital cost. Design typically accounts for around 10 per cent and construction for around 90 per cent of the capital cost of a project.

“So even a two to three per cent improvement in productivity on the construction side is very significant in real dollars,” points out Klaas Rodenburg, chief executive officer of the new Alberta Centre of Excellence in Building Information Modelling (ACE-BIM).

“Some buildings are costing $200 [million] to $300 million.”

The shared knowledge base that BIM systems support is one of the ways

that BIM can help in eliminating many errors. Traditionally, Rodenburg says, “Most construction is done by small outfits who mostly do a thing once and don’t often have an opportunity to learn from the experience. There’s no transparency through shared knowledge as builders don’t share what costs are or how well things work.”

Providing value Underlining that BIM is focused on information, he says the use of BIM addresses such issues, potentially providing useful data for how best to do comparable projects in the future. “One of the values of BIM is that it enables the sharing of information to boost productivity,” he says.

“BIM allows you to do things on the basis of a factory routine, not one pipe, one part at a time. Instead, it brings information out of the silos, with all players working off a single model of a building and being able to make the decisions before a single sod of soil is turned.”

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TEAM TEAMSTRUCTURE STRUCTURE TRADITIONAL TRADITIONALSTRUCTURE STRUCTURE

VS. VS.

EMERGING EMERGINGSTRUCTURE STRUCTURE

TEAM STR

CLIENT CLIENT CLIENT CLIENT

MECHANICAL MECHANICAL TRADITIONAL ENGINEER ENGINEERSTRUCTURE

CLIENT

PROJECT PROJECT MANAGER MANAGER

PROJECT PROJECT MANAGER MANAGER

STRUCTURAL STRUCTURAL ENGINEER ENGINEER PROJECT MANAGER

PRIME PRIME CONSULTANT CONSULTANT STRUCTURAL STRUCTURAL ENGINEER ENGINEER

ARCHITECT ARCHITECT

MECHANICAL MECHANICAL ENGINEER ENGINEER

ELECTRICAL ELECTRICAL ENGINEER ENGINEER OTHER OTHER SPECIALISTS SPECIALISTS

ARCHITECT ARCHITECT

PRIME CONSULTANT

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

ARCHITECT

ELECTRICAL ELECTRICAL ENGINEER ENGINEER

PRIME PRIME CONSULTANT CONSULTANT

OTHER OTHER SPECIALISTS SPECIALISTS OTHER

MECHANICAL ENGINEER

ELECTRICAL ENGINEER

SPECIALISTS

EMERGING TEAM STRUCTURE PROMOTES TRANSPARENCY, ENABLING COST SAVINGS AND IMPROVED PROJECT EFFICIENCY.

EMERGING EMERGING TEAM TEAM STRUCTURE STRUCTURE PROMOTES PROMOTES TRANSPARENCY, TRANSPARENCY, ENABLING ENABLING COST COST SAVINGS SAVINGS AND AND IMPROVED IMPROVED PROJECT PROJECT EFFICIENCY. EFFICIENCY.

The use of BIM software like Autodesk Revit Architecture, sometimes referred to as a 3-D version of AutoCAD but often known simply as Revit, enables building components to be treated as fully 3-D objects at the design and drafting stage. It therefore provides superior clash detection—for where two things fit together on paper but not at the site—thus eliminating one of the most common sources of logjams in the design-construction continuum.

This and other technologies and software that support BIM can tell a design team—and everyone else on the project— everything from, say, whether a type of pipe is the best choice and how it behaves under certain stresses, to the precise siting of a proposed building, along with utilities and other infrastructure, based on 3-D and global positioning system information, Rodenburg says.

BIM is used in Alberta to prefabricate components and, indeed, whole complex sections of structures, via off-site manufacturing.

For example, the washroom facilities for The Bow in Calgary were largely prefabricated before being installed with the help of a crane, says John Leurdyke, director of building products at the Alberta government’s Advanced Industries Development Unit.

BIM systems are being used to streamline processes and eliminate waste on all kinds of building, from industrial and institutional structures to high-rises and single-family homes, according to Leurdyke. As an example, Landmark Group of Builders last summer launched a manufacturing facility to build homes under climate-controlled conditions with the use of BIM, CNC machines (machines that use programs to execute a series of machining operations automatically) and other automated equipment.

Under these conditions, the levels of accuracy achieved are within less than one-sixteenth of an inch, Leurdyke notes. “ To opt i m i z e t he benef it s of BIM, the design must be done more

comprehensively,” he says. “But with BIM, digital technologies, automation and CNC, these can do for the building sector what repeatability did for the auto sector.”

In many residential construction projects, almost all the work is done by trades and sub-trades. But, with the Landmark manufacturing process, much of this work is done at the new Edmonton plant. (A Calgary plant is expected soon.)

A BIM believer Reza Nasseri, founder and chief executive officer of Landmark, points to some of the ways that BIM-based manufacturing can help reduce waste: “OSB [oriented strand board] is precut. Because of BIM, the machine is able to cut the OSB for three or four homes. Suppose there is a small piece [of OSB] remaining. The software guiding the CNC machine will locate a section from another home that the piece could fit. Each machine Alberta Construction Magazine | 43

VS.

Image: Pcl

cover feature

an illustration like this of a three dimensional model generated by BIm software provides information like the thickness and dimension of concrete, for example, that allows a builder to calculate material quantity requirements easily.

has a bucket for waste, but the amount of waste is almost nothing. BIM identifies all the pieces and components from the frame to the insulation, drywall, flooring. It can calculate how much insulation is to be used.”

Materials waste at the plant is sharply down from industry norms. “On average, in conventional construction, you see about 20 per cent waste in framing materials,” Nasseri says. “We’re down to under five per cent.”

BIM, he says, enables the company to use lean methods, which he describes as an “established methodology” in the manufacturing sector. As well as reducing materials waste, BIM is also helping Landmark reduce time wasted as a result of delays. A half-built home where work has stopped to wait for materials can cost a builder from $150 to $400 a day.

“In manufacturing, BIM saves time and materials, but it also helps create an even, continuous work flow,” Nasseri says. “With BIM, it’s possible to calculate all the materials ahead, so you get the exact amount of materials that are needed. Without BIM, you have to add extra materials [to have on hand to avoid delays].”

On-site time is sharply reduced with this method of home building.

Once the basement is dug and footings installed, everything from the basement, which comes in concrete panels, to the roof can be installed within about five days or even less, with the help of laser levellers and a crane.

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44 | spring 2012

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cover feature

NOT TOO NOT TOO

HOT HOT HOT TO HANDLE HANDLE TO HANDLE NOT TOO

biM is stArting tO strEAMlinE thE EnErgy-MOdElling PrOCEss And rEduCE its COsts

By Godfrey Budd

46 | spring 2012

In many modern industrialized countries, when all types of buildings are included, they account for 35–40 per cent of the total energy consumption pie—even more than transportation. As concerns around energy efficiency, costs and one’s carbon footprint continue to grow, so too does the importance of building design principles and methods that address these issues.

Energy modelling is widely regarded as a critical tool for optimizing building design and performance when it comes to boosting operational efficiency and cutting fuel requirements. An energy model is a representation of a building for the purposes of an energy simulation, which, in effect, takes a design through a series of what ifs and scenarios related to the building’s possible energy use and profile. Ideally, it factors in all the design and operating parameters associated with energy consumption.

Although energy modelling to augment efficiencies has been applied to projects on an occasional basis for many years,

it has often been seen as a cumbersome and costly process. Energy modelling was typically done at a late stage of design, once detailed information on design and building components was available to the energy specialist.

What’s the point?

The result, all too often, though, was that relevant building features could not be altered, even if the energy analysis indicated that they should be, according to a paper by experts at the Engineer and Research Development Center (ERDC) of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. So one might wonder what was the point of an exercise to uncover a best decision that was impractical to implement.

But today, the energy-modelling side of the design-build equation is undergoing rapid change for the better.

A key to consistent and successful energy modelling—and effectively implementing its conclusions on a project—is to include energy-modelling analysis at the early stages of design. It makes selection

cover feature

and implementation of the best options easier, say the authors of the ERDC paper.

Recent innovations in softwaresuppor ted Bu i ld ing Informat ion Modelling (BIM) systems and energy modelling software are now enabling designers to assess energy strategies and systems in the earliest phases of design.

“New and emerging tools allow a user to submit data from project BIMs to test energy-saving ideas and see results quickly. This will help teams make energyconscious decisions early in design, when those decisions have greatest impact on the building’s life cycle,” the authors of the ERDC paper write. They note that such BIM tools are also applicable to retrofits.

Thanks to today’s BIM technologies, recreating the building model for energy analysis, and using simulation tools to ask “what-if ” questions and to develop scenarios, are ceasing to be costly, labourintensive processes for making energyrelated decisions.

BIM sof tware (Autodesk Revit Architecture is perhaps the most widely

PhOtO: Stantec

Thanks to today’s BIM technologies, recreating the building model for energy analysis, and using simulation tools to ask “what-if” questions and develop scenarios, are ceasing to be costly, labour-intensive processes for making energy-related decisions.

here, an industrial computing tablet device is used to input info from the site (while on site) on both specs and performance metrics. With no need to make clipboard notes that must be subsequently copied onto spreadsheets, Wifi-supported devices like this can digitally handle information that can be used later on a project.

used) has been touted for its compatibility with energy-modelling software, but there are challenges, says James Furlong, a principal with Stantec Inc. “You have to clean up Revit drawings for energy modelling in IES Virtual Environment [an energy modelling software suite],” he says. “If, say, a wall is not very well-defined in Revit because it is a preliminary design, IES might crash or misinterpret the data.”

A recent instance of misinterpretation occurred, he says, when the IES energy-modelling software mistook what was in fact a design for an atrium for a mini-tower.

But glitches of this sort can often be avoided, says Furlong, who also emphasizes that energy modelling is most effective when used early in the design process. The key right now, he says, in the absence of software solutions for some of the data-flow challenges, is good communication between the Revit user and the energy analyst doing the modelling.

Cross training can also help, he says, as designers and drafters can learn what types of data they need to give the energy analyst.

Plug-in tools exist, but they have limitations. “They’re not always the best for fine detail, but they’re OK for high-level or broad issues like how should we orient a building,” Furlong says.

Alberta Construction Magazine | 47

cover feature

“Clients are expecting an energy model result in as little as three days.”

— James Furlong, principal, Stantec Inc. Better communication at the softwaredevelopment level could also assist in streamlining data flows between software programs, in the view of one energymodelling specialist.

Disconnected Says Ali Syed, the senior energ y management project advisor at Hemisphere Engineering Inc.: “There’s a big disconnect between BIM and energy-modelling software. Software used in Canada is pegged to Canadian [building] codes, but BIM software developers need to talk to energy-modelling software developers.”

Besides plug-ins, there are some data transfer protocols like gbXML, which is

another tool for moving data between d i f ferent net work s a nd sof t wa re programs. But they too have their limitations. Many energy-modelling software programs cannot fully read gbXML and, Syed says, “Some of the top energy-modelling software cannot read gbXML at all.”

These, clearly, are drawbacks, but Syed expects the issues will be resolved within a few years. Software vendors and standards organizations like the International Alliance for Interoperability and the National Building Information Modelling Standard are working to accomplish this.

As Syed points out, one of the big advantages of BIM for energy

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48 | spring 2012

modelling and other applications is its one-stop-shop aspect.

Energy modellers and others can all work from the BIM-supported design on a whole range of simulations and analyses. Without BIM, each consultant or contractor would mostly work from different sets of drawings and manually input the data, instead of importing it electronically.

W he n t he BI M a nd e ne r g y modelling systems work well together, “[They] enable very quick decisions,” Furlong says.

“Clients are expecting an energymodel result in as little as three days. One person, using Revit, creates one design model that can be used for multiple simulations for sizing HVAC [heating, ventilation, and air conditioning], predicting energy consumption, daylight access, airf low and ventilation, and computational f luid dynamics, for example, predicting precisely where, how and at what temperature air will flow. It saves [designers] from having to do multiple models—one for each simulation.”

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Finishing the job in a snap ................................... 52 these colours are hot ............................................. 52 Melt away problems with ice dams .................. 53 sterling Elevator services acquired .................. 53 red deer designer is new treasurer................... 53 A bit out of the ordinary......................................... 54 brizo goes bronze ..................................................... 55 graham project recognized ................................. 55 PCl commits to $600,000 donation .................. 56 Oilsands work awarded .......................................... 57 Award winner ............................................................. 57

& projects

gather data along the way One of the more interesting technologies unveiled at Construct Canada in toronto late last year was the Motion Cl900 slateMate—a tablet from Motion Computing, inc. that includes a magnetic stripe reader and barcode scanner for mobile data acquisition and processing. the magnetic stripe reader can easily document identification cards with a

PhOtO: mOtIOn cOmPutIng

GATHER DATA ALONG THE WAY

the cl900 tablet Pc allows for real-time access to information. the magnetic stripe reader option (photo at left) is now available as well.

single swipe, Motion Computing says. the commercial-grade barcode scanner can read virtually any barcode, vital when scanning building components or mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment to access essential information, such as commissioning and installation

data, maintenance schedules and startup procedures. the Motion Cl900 tablet PC provides up to eight hours of battery life. For more information, check out www.motioncomputing.ca/products/tablet_pc_Cl900_ stalemate.asp.

hOw tO suBMIt IteMs PhOtO: lafarge

does your company have news about personnel changes or new products?

Or did it just land a new project in Alberta? we want to know about it. here’s how to get your news to us. lafarge’s exshaw plant workers mark a milestone.

200,000 HOuRS WITHOuT AN ACCIDENT lafarge north America inc.’s Exshaw cement plant in Exshaw, Alta., recently celebrated a milestone: more than 200,000 hours of safe operation.

Even so-called minor injuries at the plant west of Calgary were avoided through safe work, good decision making, a focus on risk assessments and a common

goal to build a work culture that puts value on the safety of workers, the company said in an statement. to mark the milestone, lafarge’s president of the western business unit, cement division, bob Cooper, hosted a special luncheon and recognition ceremony at Exshaw’s legion hall.

email itemS to: cosburn@junewarren-nickles.com or SeNd it to: Editor, Alberta Construction Magazine, 6111-91 st. nw, Edmonton, Ab t6E 6V6 or Fax to: (780) 944-9500 Please include the full name and location of the company.

Alberta Construction Magazine | 51

THESE COLOuRS ARE

FINISHING THE jOB IN A SNAP

BELOvED BuRGANDY, which is “darkened, mysterious and sensual,” and can be used in entryways and vestibules for the most impact.

PRETTY IN PINK, which “casts a warm, cheerful glow to interior spaces that need to balance colour and light transmission with a touch of privacy.”

EMERALD GREEN, which can be used “when seeking to eco the landscape.”

TuMERIC, a natural spiceinspired colour that “brings depth and nuance to interior schemes.”

CHIC RASPBERRY, said to be greatly influenced by consumer trends in fashion and cosmetics that “transcends to interiors, bringing a chic energy and vitality to interior spaces.”

SuN KISSED CORAL, said to be perfect for health care and assisted living environments.

ELEGANT INDIGO, which is suggested in wall cladding, stair and flooring applications.

SEASTRuCK, a rich turquoise blue that can bring depth to exteriors.

OCEAN GREY, a blue-based grey that can be used alone or layered with itself to create a more intense, cooling effect.

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A California company has come up with a device to prevent ice dams and relieve snow loads on gutters.

Produced by manufacturer gutterglove inc., icebreaker incorpor- the IceBreaker uses only one heat cable. ates a self-regulating icebreaker uses only one heat cable. heat cable that installs in a built-in channel gutterglove says the support frame for in the gutter guard itself. when turned on, icebreaker is aluminum and supports a it radiates heat for melting ice in the gutter and on itself, and prevents icicles and snow fine type-316 stainless-steel micromesh for filtering organic leaves and pine needles loads from forming on the gutter. from the gutter. gutterglove says it has received a u.s. patMore information can be found at www. ent for the technology and is seeking distribugutterglove.com. tion of the product throughout Canada.

STERLING ELEvATOR SERvICES ACquIRED thyssenkrupp Elevator Americas acquired the business operations of sterling Elevator services Corporation, based in Edmonton, for an undisclosed amount. sterling Elevator services has provided new installation, maintenance, repair and modernization services throughout Alberta since 1992. “the acquisition of sterling Elevator services further strengthens our position in north America,” Olaf berlien, executive board chairman of the technologies division of

“The solid presence of Sterling Elevator in the Canadian market is a true asset for our growth strategy in the region.” thyssenkrupp Elevator Ag, said in a statement. “the solid presence of sterling Elevator in the Canadian market is a true asset for our growth strategy in the region.”

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MELT AWAY PROBLEMS WITH ICE DAMS

carolyn cheetham Carolyn Cheetham, a certified master kitchen and bath designer in red deer, Alta., has been named to the national kitchen & bath Association’s executive committee as its 2012 national treasurer. the organization represents nearly 40,000 kitchen and bath professionals, and is a leading source of industry information for both professionals and consumers.

Cheetham is one of six members of the executive committee, which works with the board of directors to determine policies and to influence the decisions of north America’s only association dedicated exclusively to the kitchen and bath industry. As the 2012 treasurer, she will work with more than 70 association chapters across Canada and the united states and serve as an ambassador to companies, associations and other organizations in the building and design fields.

Cheetham became an architectural technologist in 1984, a certified kitchen designer in 1995, a certified bathroom designer in 1996, and a certified master kitchen and bath designer in 2006. her business is called design works by Cheetham.

INSURANCE BONDING RISK MANAGEMENT Garth Lane: 780.930.3812 Mark McKinley: 780.930.3828

We Listen. We Think. We Deliver. www.lloydsadd.com Alberta Construction Magazine | 53

people, products, projects PhOtO: IrWIn tOOlS

the Speedhammer Power SdS-plus bit at work.

A BIT OuT OF THE ORDINARY The new D65-17 increases productivity and operator comfort while lowering operating costs. All designed to improve your bottom line.

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Ever have a need to drill through concrete reinforced with rebar? if so, you might want to check out irwin tools’ speedhammer Power sds-plus masonry bit. the company says they have twice the life of traditional masonry bits.

The flute on each bit is designed for faster, more efficient dust removal, and they have a specially engineered groove design that minimizes friction, resulting in increased speed and longer life. the bits’ tips are manufactured with two times more carbide than traditional masonry bits, meaning they are optimized for cutting through rebar at high speeds. the flute on each bit is designed for faster, more efficient dust removal, and they have a specially engineered groove design that minimizes friction, resulting in increased speed and longer life.

More information can be obtained at www.irwin.com.

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this faucet is part of the charlotte collection.

BRIzO GOES BRONzE brizo has introduced a new bathroom collection that it says bridges the gap between traditional and modern design. the inspiration for brizo’s Charlotte bath collection lies in the art deco movement. the Charlotte collection serves as the platform for the launch of the company’s new “Cocoa bronze” finish, which features dark bronze tones.

For more information, check out www.brizo.com.

GRAHAM PROjECT RECOGNIzED graham group ltd. and its masonry business, gracom, won Masonry Construction magazine’s institutional Project of the year Award for their work on the Academic health sciences building’s d wing at the university of saskatchewan. gracom was the masonry contractor for the project while graham was the general contractor. the project had some high expectations, according to graham. the team’s biggest challenge was matching new stone with the original random ashlar-pattern split-faced dolomite limestone to the original A wing from 1948. the quality expectations for all of the building components with specific reference to size, pattern, colour and pitching techniques required gracom to match up exactly with the adjoining original structure, the company says.

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Alberta Construction Magazine | 55

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PCL COMMITS TO $600,000 DONATION the PCl family of companies is partnering with the Canadian and American red Cross to provide $600,000 for disaster relief services in Canada and the united states over the next three years. “we have all seen first-hand how disasters can impact communities,” said Peter beaupré, president and chief operating officer of PCl Construction Enterprises, inc., in a news release. the donation will be split into three annual gifts of $100,000 to each of the red Cross societies. A donation of $100,000 enables the red Cross to shelter, feed and care for 150 families for four to five days.”

“At PCl, we want to proactively help the red Cross in their efforts to assist whenever and wherever a disaster strikes. we are excited about our growing relationship with the red Cross across north America.”

Added gino greco, chief executive officer of the American red Cross Mile high region: “Many generous donors recognize the need to give once a community has been devastated by disaster—but this is one of the first large donations of its kind to recognize the importance of supporting the red Cross in all that it must to do before disaster strikes, so that we can be fully ready to respond at a moment’s notice when we are needed most. “this sort of proactive support enables us to meet disaster-affected communities’ needs more quickly, more efficiently and at a lower cost.”

people, products, projects Will loughran of the american red cross (left) and Peter BeauprĂŠ of Pcl at the announcement of the donation for disaster relief services in canada and the united States.

OILSANDS WORK AWARDED Calgary-based Churchill services group and the industrial division of stuart Olson dominion Construction ltd. have won approximately $196 million of contract awards by private sector clients in western Canada in the fourth quarter of 2011 and January of this year. stuart Olson dominion industrial has secured two major new contract awards in January valued at $27 million. the contracts are for two industrial buildings, one located at a potash mine in saskatchewan, and another located at an oilsands mine in Alberta. the work is expected to be complete by year-end. in the fourth quarter of 2011, the group secured approximately $169 million of new contract awards and scope increases, including an $80 million turnaround maintenance contract awarded to laird Electric inc. and Fuller Austin inc. for an oilsands client in the Fort McMurray area and a $29 million contract increase awarded to laird Constructors inc. for electrical and mechanical work at a mine in Ontario.

AWARD WINNER Alpha better landscaping ltd. of Calgary has been recognized by the Canadian nursery landscape Association with the Caterpillar Award of Excellence for Commercial landscape Construction/ installation for its work on the Calgary Central Memorial Park redevelopment project. the national Awards of landscape Excellence is a collection of awards honouring the best commercial and residential landscaping projects and designs by companies nationwide.

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aca report

rECAPPing 2011 And lOOking intO 2012

By Brian Freemark Chairman, ACA

The Alberta Construction Association (ACA) was active in each of its core services throughout 2011.

Government advocacy With the transition to a new premier in 2011 and with a provincial election expected this year, ACA completed a comprehensive review of: Committee terms of reference.

Existing and proposed public policies.

Key messages for media training.

Numerous policies and messages were updated, created and approved by the board. The public policies now mirror similar policies of the Canadian Construction Association, with policies encompassed in the following headings: general statements, free trade, infrastructure, industry practices and human resources.

ACA began promoting the revised statements with partner associations and with members, owners and designers throughout the chairman’s tour.

The Government Action Committee also reviewed ACA’s public private partnership recommendations concerning bundling of projects and the following recommendation was presented to government: “ACA recommends that AI [Alberta Infrastructure] award points to Concessionaires (including their design, construction, and maintenance team members) during the RFQ [request for quotes] process for having and articulating a plan to engage and secure competitive bids and participation from the widest possible array of subcontractors, suppliers, designers and facility maintenance providers in the execution of the project.”

Adoption of this recommendation may enable more firms to be viable partners in the delivery of these projects. Dialogue and

subsequent redrafting of this clause met with AI support, but was ultimately rejected by Alberta Justice as potentially violating the Agreement on Internal Trade.

ACA played a leadership role in organizing the Infrastructure Partners Conference in November 2011 to discuss issues of common interest across public owners, the design community and contractors. ACA’s advocacy at the conference focused on three issues: Urging government to adopt policies to maximize the opportunity for local firms to bid on opportunities and grow.

Obtaining the commitment of AI to promote procurement best practices with other public owners, such as Alberta Health Services (AHS).

Obtaining the minister’s commitment to jointly undertake research to examine situations when, especially in times of market weakness, selection on the basis of lowest-bid price does not necessarily mean the best value for taxpayers.

In December 2011, ACA submitted to the provincial minister of finance recommendations regarding the 2012-15 capital budget as follows: ACA recommends that the 2012-15 capital budget be maintained at $6 billion to $7 billion per year. This amount reflects per capita investment averaged over the business cycle and is adjusted to remove the effects of inflation and to address current levels of population.

ACA urges the government to commit to long-term planning for community infrastructure, full life-cycle costing and a separate capital account, all of which contribute to sustainable, predictable and consistent levels of investment.

ACA recommends that construction procurement for government-funded infrastructure be consolidated within AI.

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Alberta Construction Magazine | 59

aca report

Workforce ACA was also active in advocacy to support a skilled workforce. In February 2011, ACA wrote to all government MLAs to oppose the use of private delivery of apprenticeship training.

This issue arose when then advanced education minister, now deputy premier, Doug Horner supported the use of union trustfund training centres, which ACA believed would enter labour relations issues into apprenticeship training. The campaign was successful and the government abandoned this plan.

The ACA board endorsed proceeding with an Alberta employer-based coalition for action on labour shortages. The coalition began advocacy activities in January 2012.

ACA’s coalition with the British Columbia Construction Association and the Saskatchewan Construction Association Inc. also bore fruit as two of the three associations met with federal ministers Jason Kenney and Diane Finlay to discuss recommendations to improve immigration across the New West Partnership region.

Advocacy priorities for 2012 are: Achieve sustained and predictable public and private investment in infrastructure.

Ensure our future skilled workforce, with emphasis on immigration.

Enhance industry competitiveness to ensure long-term capacity and fair opportunity for profit.

Safety/WCB ACA met with Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) at various times over the year concerning Employer Reviews, focused inspections and the publication of employer safety statistics. ACA and the Alberta Construction Safety Association proposed that: OHS determine if its systems could generate a quarterly report on what officers are noticing on the work sites that are of concern to the safety of workers.

Based on the reports, industry and government would work together to identify what needs to be done, and to prepare industry bulletins for distribution and articles for publication, place them on the websites, etc.

Work together with industry and government on developing best practice(s) if it is determined one should be developed.

ACA also developed a coalition of employers to share issues and recommendations as a means to collectively influence safety policy and legislation. ACA authored a discussion paper endorsed by other coalition members and presented this to the new minister in January 2012.

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LEADERSHIP We always come to the table with ideas.

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INNOVATION Innovation adds value. It’s no coincidence our entire organization is driven by possibilities. We are consistently innovative and innovatively consistent.

RELATIONSHIPS We demonstrate integrity. We build on trust. We earn respect.

PROFITABILITY Our success is your success.

We believe in sharing it.

aca report

ACA continued to utilize its membership in the Industry Task Force (ITF) on Alberta’s Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) as a means of advancing construction industry concerns about workers’ compensation. The focus in 2011 was advocacy to support appeals advisors for employers and to educate and level the playing field given the existence of worker advocates. The committee also supported the ITF position that support for WCB’s proposed “return-to-work” incentive was premature. ACA requested the WCB undertake analyses to demonstrate the distribution of benefits and costs in order to determine the impact of the proposed incentive program.

Safety advocacy priorities for 2012 are: Parties should recognize that a culture of safety requires a partnership of shared responsibility. To be successful, this culture requires an ongoing shared commitment to safety by three partners—employers, individual personnel on jobsites and the provincial government for regulatory enforcement.

ACA has strong misgivings about using disability-claims management data collected by the WCB in Alberta to measure safety performance. Aggregate trends over time are perhaps the most meaningful use of this data. Over the last decade, the data suggest Alberta worksites have become significantly safer.

Adoption of best practices should extend to regulatory compliance and enforcement. Measures used elsewhere should be evaluated for their impact on improvements to workplace safety before being adopted in Alberta. New tools contemplated for Alberta should identify the failure of existing tools before proceeding to an evaluation of the impacts of the new tools.

ACA believes that ongoing dialogue and consultation amongst employers and government is essential to moving forward together. Employers believe they can strengthen the initiatives of government through proactive consultation, rather than reacting after an initiative is in place. The worksafe consultations in previous years were a good model, and we urge government to return to that approach.

Standard practices ACA drafted its recommendations for changes to Alberta’s Builders’ Lien Act, and is working with the Construction Owners Association of Alberta and the Alberta Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association to bring these forward to government in 2012. ACA is undertaking work to: Update the supplementary general conditions (SGC) for CCDC 2 (2008) for use in Alberta to align with the Alberta

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Alberta Construction Magazine | 61

aca report Beautiful Appearance, Exceptional Drainage!

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Builders’ Lien Act, and to create SGC for CCDC contracts 3, 4, 5b, 17 and 18.

Align Form A with the insurance and hold harmless provisions of CCDC 2 (2008).

Develop a sub-subcontract to align with Form A. As AI adopts CCDC documents, both ACA and the Canadian Construction Association have recommendations concerning the appropriate percentage markup that general contractors can charge on the work of subcontractors for change orders. ACA has initiated a discussion with AI about what the appropriate percentage markup should be.

With the success of the AI committee in developing a best-practices guide and supporting documents for the procurement and management of construction management projects, a second committee has been established for design-build.

At members’ request, ACA contacted a number of tender authorities to express concerns and promote industry-accepted standard practices. ACA expressed opposition to non-refundable deposits to a number of owners and consultants. ACA thanks Stantec Inc. (Lethbridge, Alta.) for dropping the use of a non-refundable deposit after being contacted by ACA. ACA also continues to advocate for a review of AHS tendering and contracting practices and alignment with best practice. AHS committed to reviewing their practices to respond to industry concerns, but this was not apparent as 2011 came to a close. ACA continues to pursue this into 2012, emphasizing in a February meeting with AHS that: ACA appreciates the start of direct dialogue. Industry doesn’t understand why AHS uses non-standard documents when AI uses CCDC 2 and CCDC 5b with SGC on much larger projects than AHS projects.

Industry supports public-tender openings and opposes private-tender openings.

ACA supports the use of prequalification where specialized skills are required.

ACA urges all owners to adopt industry-standard practices. As the market heats up, contractors will choose to bid on work where risks are best understood (i.e., standard documents and practices). ACA doesn’t want to see any owner faced with few to no bidders.

aca report

The ACA board endorsed proceeding with an Alberta employer-based coalition for action on labour shortages.

The coalition began advocacy activities in January 2012.

Research and technology A new research and technology committee was established in 2011 with the mandate to: Assist ACA to champion research and technology adoption to improve Alberta’s construction industry performance.

Assist ACA to become a construction research and technology information resource for member companies.

Foster stakeholder collaboration in support of research and technology adoption in Alberta’s construction industry.

Key areas of focus included development of ACA web blogs on research topics, written by ACA staff, and a partnership with Productivity Alberta for improved adoption of information and communication technology. The partnership culminated with a pilot approach with the Calgary Construction Association launched in December 2011.

Dia log ue w it h t he E d monton Construction Association consumed considerable time of ACA’s management committee and board of directors.

Unfortunately, the two associations concluded that their different philosophies regarding the structure of the board of directors precluded an agreement.

ACA’s effectiveness in serving industry has always relied on the generous contributions of expertise from its volunteers, drawn from its membership. Many members have graciously agreed to augment our standing committees by providing advice and policy input through the less time-consuming means of email. ACA continues to work at improving connections with the grassroots to better understand your needs and to work to your benefit. With your continued support, we will share continued success and meet the uncertainties of tomorrow.

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Alberta Construction Magazine | 63

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cca report PhOtOS: cca

While Walmart and other multi-brand retailers were hoping to break into India’s marketplace, it will not come to be as millions of street vendors protested any such economic reform. It appears that the competitive economy will not be decided in any supermarket aisles.

iNCrediBle

IndIa After 19 hours of f lying, the Canadian group arrived at the swanky new Indira Gandhi International Airport in the nation’s capital of Delhi.

The group of contractors and their significant others representing the Calgary Constr uct ion Associat ion (CCA) and Southern Interior Construction Association (SICA) of British Columbia were joined by newcomers Laurence and Inta London of Edmonton, and Dave and Darcy Robertson, along with Theresa Saunders of Calgary. Twenty-four Canadians in all were about to make the journey of a lifetime. The frenzied airport activity at 1 a.m. was only the beginning of our tour of the world’s second mostpopulous country with 1.2 billion citizens, and was a prelude of what we could expect during the tour of some of northern India’s most fascinating cities.

the construction of the Qutub minar tower began in 1209 and took 21 years to complete.

group views some of the world’s more unique attractions

By Dave Smith CCA executive vice-president

It was 1911 when King George V, who was celebrating his coronation, toured the country as the emperor of India.

King George declared Delhi once again to be India’s capital, as it had been under the Mughal rulers, relegating Calcutta to a mere trading post. This celebration and fanfare of the British ruler touring Delhi was dubbed by the British press as the “Greatest Show on Earth.” Here I had thought those four words, which is the slogan for the Calgary Stampede’s grandstand show, originated in the Stampede City. That aside, who would have ever imagined that in less than four decades the British rule would be over and that in 1947 the British Empire would be partitioned into two sovereign dominion states, the Union of India (later the Republic of India) and the Dominion of Pakistan (later the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, with

the eastern half, still later, becoming the People’s Republic of Bangladesh)?

Delhi is one of the largest urban areas on the planet and is growing fast, swollen early on by Punjab refugees, and more recently by a steady gush of migrants from all over India. The population is now 16.7 million, up from 410,000 in 1911. Delhi, a city lived in over two millennia, has a status near to that of a state akin to Washington, D.C. Delhi’s US$167-billion gross domestic product economy is growing by over 10 per cent a year. While this all sounds good, you have to witness first-hand the dreadful pollution, a lack of clean water and vast sprawling slums where young men will stitch curtains on old peddle sewing machines under shade trees alongside the dirty and dusty streets.

While in the nation’s capital, we toured the Red Fort Complex in Old Delhi, Alberta Construction Magazine | 65

cca report where India’s prime minister addresses the general public annually since the country’s independence in 1947. The Red Fort was constructed by Shah Jahan in the 17th century (1638-48), and served as the residence for the Mughal emperors. Shah Jahan applied his ambitious building schemes and interests in northern India, as he was also the builder of the Taj Mahal.

The Red Fort, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007, has massive 33-metre-high fortress walls of red sandstone. Once inside the main Lahore Gate, we walked through the “Chhatta Chowk,” a covered bazaar that was extremely unusual back in the 1600s.

These shops once catered to the luxury trade of the imperial household as they specialized in silks, gold and silverware, jewelry and gems. From the bazaar we walked on to the Naqqar Khana (Drum House) where musicians would announce the arrival of the emperor or other dignitaries. Here they would dismount from their elephants and proceed to Diwan-i-Khas, where the emperor would meet dignitaries while seated on the oncefamous Peacock Throne. The throne, with the world’s largest diamonds, was taken

by Nader Shah, the Persian who invaded and plundered Delhi in 1739. The fabled throne was then carried off to Persia (now Iran) by Nader and was then gradually dismantled to pay off the expenses of the royal personages. As we walked up the open courtyard to the Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience) with its nine massive red-sandstone arches, one could not help to think of the common people attempting to air their complaint to the king as he sat on his throne with a marbled canopy inlaid with thousands of precious stones.

the cca/SIca group at the taj mahal in agra, India. the taj mahal took 22 years and 22,000 labourers and craftsmen from India, asia and europe to build. Shah Jahan built the mausoleum for his queen, mumtaz mahal, who gave her husband 14 children in 18 years.

Welcome to paradise Through the centre of the various structures in the Red Fort flowed the Nahri-Bihisht (Stream of Paradise) with the famous verse inscribed on the corner of the emperor’s palace: “If there be a paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this.”

The Red Fort was a magnificent symbol of the Mughal dynasty, which reigned from 1526 to 1858.

Our guide Raj noted the next stop would be India’s largest mosque. We climbed into our private chariots of the lower and middle class, a cycle rickshaw, and drove through the heart of Old Delhi. We experienced the continuous rush-hour crush of every imaginable form of transportation, which is unfathomable until you actually experience your cycle rickshaw driver zigzagging amongst the sacred cows, young and old, and three-wheel tuk-tuks, which the municipal government is claiming they need an additional 45,000 of in Delhi alone to service the public properly, as most publictransit buses should be in a steel scrapyard.

The rickshaw ride is unforgettable!

W hen we f ina l ly reached our destination of the Jama Masjid mosque, we climbed a broad flight of steps leading up to one of three imposing gateways.

The Canadian women in our group had to cover their skin with rented robes in the 28-degree-Celsius heat as we entered the open court, where every Friday 25,000 Muslims gather to pray. This great mosque in Old Delhi was the final architectural extravagance of Shah Jahan, built from 1644-58. Entering the courtyard, your eyes were quickly drawn to the two minarets standing 40 metres high and constructed of alternating vertical strips of red sandstone and white marble. Inside the mosque, Muslims prayed and read the Qur’an, sitting cross-legged on the whitemarble floors.

While in Delhi, another great architectural wonder and UNESCO World Heritage Site was the Qutub Minar and the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, which is the first mosque ever built in India, and is the oldest-surviving Islamic architecture in the subcontinent. This complex dates back to the beginning of the Muslim rule in India that lasted until the 19th century. The Qutub Minar is the highest stone tower in India at 73 metres and tapers from a 15-metre-diameter base to just 2.5 metres at the top. The stairs to the top of the minaret have been closed to the general public, as touring youth from years past were trampled to death in their excitement to be the first to reach the top.

Smile I got separated from the group during the tour of this massive mosque complex, as a wedding party wanted me in their pictures, so patiently I took in the festivity,

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cca report realizing that our lighter skin must look unusual amongst all the local Indians.

Photo ops with the Canadians happened throughout our journey, as the Indians found us uniquely willing to be photographed with young and old. You felt that you had just arrived from Bollywood!

Before departing Delhi, we visited the Raj Ghat, Mahatma Gandhi’s serene and evocative cremation site. Mahatma (Great Soul) Gandhi was a scholar from the Brahmin class (high priests) and was known as the father of the Indian nation. Ghandi dressed in the traditional dhoti and sandals like the peasants of India and thus identified himself with the untouchables. Mahatma Gandhi, much like Nelson Mandela in South Africa, is an icon. While Mandela served 27 years in prison, Gandhi was in and out of prison; both men encountered horrific discrimination and both were imprisoned for their revolutionary tactics to strike against hatred and discrimination with non-violence.

Ghandi was eventually assassinated in 1948 by a Hindu who felt Gandhi was preaching too much of the Muslim faith. (A statue in remembrance of Ghandi can be found on the campus of Carleton University in Ottawa.)

The Akshardham Temple in New Delhi, which we also toured, cannot be described in words—it must be seen to be appreciated.

It took 7,000 artisans and 3,000 volunteers 300 million man-hours to build. Constructed in 2005, the temple consists of 234 ornately carved pillars, nine domes, and 20,000 effigies and statues of Hindu sadhus, devotees and acharyas. The whole monument rests on 148 scaled-sized elephants and is the largest Hindu temple complex in the world.

While it is not a historical UNESCO site, I would have to say, without a doubt, this is the most magnificent structure that the

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CCA/SICA group had seen. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed, so many of us paid 125 rupees ($2.50) to have our picture taken with the magnificent Akshardham Temple in the background.

An experience in India that not one of us will ever forget was our visit to the City of Varanasi. It is one of the seven sacred cities of the Hindus and among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world along with Cusco in Peru, which the CCA/SICA group toured in 2010. Varanasi has lived through the ages of great civilizations that have flourished on the banks of the Ganges River.

We rose at 5:30 a.m. to watch a city rise and begin the day, and joined Hindu pilgrims who come from all over India to bathe in the waters of the Ganges, which absolves one of all sins. Strangely enough, not one Canadian tested the water, which flows for 2,525 kilometres from the Himalayas, through vast plains of India before entering the sea in the Bay of Bengal. We boarded a small boat with a young oarsman with the morning sun rising over the eastern shoreline, and as the early-morning mist evaporated, we witnessed innumerable Ghats and temples, along with Sadhus who were in spiritual prayer and meditation. So intrigued by the Ganges, we came back at night and took in the Aarti prayer ritual and viewed 14 cremations that were taking place. Two hundred to 300 cremations take place daily in Varanasi along the Ganges River, and while some of the individuals in the group were taken aback by this, I found that the young children and adults who were crawling on all fours, with their deformed arms and legs due to paralysis caused by polio, tore at my heart, more so than the cremations we witnessed.

India was once considered polio’s epicentre; however, in January 2011, 2.3

million vaccinators travelled across India delivering 900 million doses. With no new cases of polio reported in India during 2011, it gives the world hope that this dreadful disease can be eradicated.

Making progress India is taking another positive step forward for the impoverished by implementing a huge identity scheme that should help 40 per cent of the children in the country that are underfed. Poverty has many causes with no simple cure. One massive problem is that few people in India can prove who they are.

They have no birth certificate, no passport, no driver’s licence, along with no proof of address and thus cannot open a bank account or receive their social assistance due to corruption. The new unique identity scheme, where 200 million Indians have already had their fingerprints taken and irises scanned, means that their government cheques can now be deposited directly into their account. The “ghost labours” will soon disappear, as the middlemen who steal billions of dollars will be more easily caught. This is good news for the small market-stall owners who have to pay off government officials to keep their businesses from being shut down. Hard to believe the country has 20 million government employees, with graft a common practice among so many of them.

While we flew most everywhere between the major centres that we visited, we did manage to hit the road by bus one day. It took six hours to travel 175 kilometres. The lengthy trip was not due to traffic volumes that we experience daily on Deerfoot Trail in Calgary, or that we passed camels, elephants, bullock carts and, of course, the occasional “holy cow.”

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Offices in Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray Alberta Construction Magazine | 67

cca report The time was mostly spent dodging potholes on wretched roads.

Being a boy from Moose Jaw, Sask., I must say I never even experienced roads like that, even in Saskatchewan back in the 1950s and 1960s. No use ever dreaming of owning a Mustang Shelby Cobra in this country, as you can only drive at rickshaw speed! During this road trip, we stopped to visit a four-room school. The young children with huge smiles were left with school supplies and candy, and the teachers were very appreciative of our visit.

In addition, we stopped along a small village to give the local children T-shirts with the slogan “Work Construction in Calgary.” What a joy it was to see all the smiling faces as these children come from families whose fathers’ incomes would be 27 rupees (50 cents) a day. Hard to fathom that 180 million Indians—five times Canada’s population—live on that meagre sum. While there is such poverty in India, the government provides free education for any child under 14; no child in India is denied an education, no matter how poor the family is. For those that can afford private school, it is relatively inexpensive at

2,200 rupees ($40) per month for boys and 2,800 rupees ($52) for girls.

It is impossible to write about all our experiences of our fascinating trip to India; however, should you go, you will certainly want to see the magnificent temples of Khajuraho, built between the 9th and 10th centuries by the Chandela dynasty. Abandoned in the 13th century, this site was hidden in a dense forest for 700 years until it was rediscovered in 1838. The UNESCO World Heritage Site consists of several temples, the most impressive being the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple with its main spire soaring 30 metres, while 84 small spires rise in crescendo towards it, to create the impression of a mountain range— more specifically Mount Kailash, the abode of Shiva. Over 800 sculptures cover the temple, depicting gods and goddesses, beasts and warriors, sensuous maidens, dancers, musicians and, of course, the erotic scenes for which the Khajuraho temples are famous for.

When we had the chance to talk to local business people throughout our trip in India, you sensed the capitalist boom of this emerging nation that has been growing by nine per cent annually was hidden somewhere, as we saw very little that would indicate that

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Its messy democracy with leaders too old to make change and rampant corruption causes one to wonder when India will join the western world in the 21st century.

While we may have missed seeing the Royal Bengal tiger during our game drive in Ranthambore National Park, and our flight over Mount Everest was cancelled due to Mother Nature, the trip to India and Nepal was incredible. We returned to Canada with diamonds and rubies, gold ritual objects, carvings, carpets made of silk, white-marble serving trays inlaid with 42 of India’s precious stones, silk saris and fine miniature paintings that were fostered by Akbar the Great, who was possibly one of the wisest and most cultured of all Indian kings.

National Geographic’s statement that “India—home to ancient philosophies, a rich tapestry of history, phenomenal food and spectacular mix of landscapes—fires the imagination and stirs the soul like no other place on earth” could not be more accurate. If India is not on your bucket list, it should be! I can assure you that should you venture there, you will never regret touring incredible India.

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cca report PhOtOS: cca

NATIONAL CHAIRPERSON’S TOuR

PrOVIdeS ImPOrtant uPdateS By the Calgary Construction Association The annual chairperson’s tour breakfast hosted by the Calgary Construction Association (CCA) draws one of the largest audiences, and 2011 was no exception as Calgary saw 330 delegates attend to hear about the latest initiatives of their local and national association.

Dee Miller is only the second woman to chair the national body in its 94-year history.

It was most informative to hear the chair’s perspective on industry issues and what the priorities are for the Canadian Construction Assocation to address in the new year.

Miller noted that the challenges identified at the national Non-Residential Construction Industry Summit held in 2010 included six themes: changing workforce/labour supply and training, poststimulus investment, environmental issues, public private partnerships (P3s), increased competition from foreign and large firms, and new technology. “All of these themes continue as top priorities for the Canadian construction industry,” stated Miller.

According to the Construction Sector Council, the industry nationally will need to find some 320,000 new workers by 2019 to replace those expected to retire and to keep pace with demand. For Alberta, this means 65,000 new construction workers in the next seven years. Given Canada’s low birth rate, it is evident that the industry will not be able to recruit enough new workers solely from within Canada, which means it needs to draw from foreign sources. The Canadian Construction Association is working on immigration reform and lobbying a number of changes in this regard.

T h e C a n a d i a n C on s t r u c t i on Association is also working with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, t he C a nad ia n Societ y for Civ i l Engineering and the Canadian Public Works Association to develop a Canadian Infrastructure Report Card for the national status. More than 400 municipalities have participated and the inaugural report is expected to be released this year.

On the environmental front, the Canadian Construction Association is

waiting for a Parliamentary review of the Canadian Environment Assessment Act scheduled for 2012. Environmental assessment in Canada is an extremely lengthy and inefficient system, due primarily to the overlapping of federal and provincial jurisdictions. The Canadian Construction Association is proposing one project: one assessment to eliminate duplications, and to establish processes and procedures to increase timeline certainty for proponents.

In addition, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and thirdparty green-building certification systems are being reviewed to reduce cost and timing issues associated with attaining certification, and the growing practice of owners to make contractors liable for obtaining the third-party certification by withholding funds. It can take upwards of two years from substantial performance to obtain LEED certification in Canada, and the Canadian Construction Association has met with the Canada Green Building Council to air these concerns and enhance the understanding of business impacts.

The use of P3s is on the rise in Canada, and the challenge identified at the summit is to find the means by which Canadian construction firms have the ability and capacity to participate successfully on P3 projects in Canada.

For members looking for more information on the different contractual, operational and risk-allocation measures that accompany the typical P3 project in Canada, there is a guide on P3s directed at small- to medium-sized firms. This guide is available free for members on the Canadian Construction Association website (www.cca-acc.com).

According to Global Construction 2020, Canada is to become the fifth-largest construction market in the world by 2020, behind only China, the United States, India and Japan. Miller indicated that “there is no doubt that the prognosis for the nonresidential construction industry in Canada is positive.” Global construction activity over the next decade is to average 5.2 per cent growth per year. It also projects that Europe’s construction market will experience

canadian construction association chair dee miller addresses calgary construction association members at the BmO centre.

Partners of the SaIt Polytechnic trades and technology complex designated gold Seal Project with their signed memorandum of understanding. from left: larry rosia of SaIt Polytechnic; rob Otway of Pcl construction management Inc.; Jim clement, cca president; and dee miller of the canadian construction association.

SaIt’s trades and technology complex.

cca champions of education are recognized. from left: dave Smith, cca; malcolm holbrook, Pockar masonry ltd.; gary Bardell, retired; dean Slater, tonko realty advisors ltd.; les larocque, Botting & associates alberta ltd.; al miller, canem Systems ltd.; david hamilton, hamilton & rosenthal chartered accountants; Barry Young, BurncO rock Products ltd.; grant Symon, graham construction & engineering Inc.; Bob hildenbrandt, ledcor construction limited; fred dyck, retired; Bill arnott, Skyline roofing ltd. missing from photo: Kees cusveller, graham construction & engineering Inc.; and dave Kinley, concept electric ltd.

Alberta Construction Magazine | 71

cca report stagnant growth of just 1.7 per cent, causing its construction firms to look elsewhere for work. The Canadian Construction Association has adopted a position that supports equal opportunities and access to government procurement, or governmentfunded infrastructure development and/or construction opportunities for foreign firms operating in Canada, provided reciprocal access is granted to Canadian firms in the respective foreign country.

The sixth and final priority highlighted was that of new technology, as the industry must stay current with new technologies and methodologies, especially those that have the potential to change traditional relationships and practices. Building Information Modelling is an example of this and the efficiencies it can bring.

CCA president Jim Clement of Graham Construction & Engineering Inc. also gave a brief overview highlighting Calgary’s initiatives and accomplishments. At the top of the list was the introduction of the new Advanced Weather Forecasting System (AWFS). The AWFS is a promising venture initiated by the joint CCA–City of Calgary On-Site Construction Safety

Committee with industry leader Bob Robinson co-chairing the committee with Kevin Griffiths, chief building official with the City of Calgary. Their team has worked with wind experts and RWDI consultants to provide advanced weather warnings, which proved to be effective during the Nov. 29, 2011, windstorm, and again in early January when winds in Calgary reached speeds of up to 149 kilometres an hour. The committee continues to work on the AWFS system, which is only available for major projects in the downtown core and Beltline district.

The chair’s tour also posed as a platform for awards and recognitions. Clement was proud to note that the CCA was the recipient of the national Gold Seal Award, with over 600 individuals in Calgary and the surrounding area having received their Gold Seal certification. Congratulations to the industry for their commitment to the program and raising the professional bar in construction excellence.

There are currently two designated Gold Seal Projects in Alberta and that includes the $1.4-billion South Health Campus in southeastern Calgary and SAIT Polytechnic’s Trades and Technology Complex. Clement

was proud to note that EllisDon Construction Services Inc. won the national Excellence in Innovation Award for its formwork system on the south hospital that increased productivity by 50 per cent and reduced costs that were in the millions of dollars. SAIT’s Trades and Technology Complex, built by PCL Construction Management Inc., will be the trades and tech mecca of western Canada, positioning people for success in the construction industry through collaboration with industry and innovation in education.

A special presentation was made to Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training as the CCA presented apprenticeship officials with a cheque in the amount of $100,000, which led to 10 new Champions of Education being named. With overall CCA donations to the Alberta Apprenticeship program totalling $250,000, the association has a total of 25 Champions of Education, and each year a $1,000 scholarship is presented to an individual studying one of the trades. These 25 construction trade scholarships are presented annually in perpetuity through the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training program on behalf of the CCA and the respective champion.

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Edmonton Construction Association

Darlene La Trace, C.A.E., executive vice-president, on behalf of the board of directors of the edmonton Construction association, is pleased to announce the following appointments for the year 2012:

D.K. (Darlene) La Trace, C.A.E. exeCutive viCe-president Paul Verhesen to chairman of the board: paul verhesen, president and chief executive officer of Clark builders, has served the industry and the association as a director for six years.

P.J. (Paul) Verhesen Chairman of the board Scott Emerson to president: scott emerson, general manager of inland Concrete Limited, has served the industry and the association as a director for seven years.

incorporated in 1931, the edmonton Construction association represents 1,118 member firms including general contractors, trade contractors, manufacturers, and suppliers of goods and services to the commercial, institutional, industrial and road-building construction industry.

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top projects

an eventful day scenes from Alberta Construction Magazine’s first-ever Top Projects Awards gala luncheon

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1. guests at the awards event are ready for lunch. | 2. the guest speaker was Vivian manasc of manasc Isaac architects.

3. Winners pose for a group photo. | 4. the gala luncheon marked the 10th anniversary of the top Projects awards.

More than 200 people attended Alberta Construction Magazine’s inaugural Top Projects Awards gala luncheon at the TELUS Spark in Calgary last December 1.

Created a decade ago, the Top Projects Awards recognize the creativity and inventiveness of Alberta’s construction community. A panel of four judges carefully reviewed nominations in four categories— 76 | spring 2012

commercial, industrial, institutional and civil. Judges then chose 19 finalists from which 13 awards were presented.

The premier sponsor of the event was KPMG LLP (Canada). Other sponsors were ATB Financial, SAIT Polytechnic and Unicom Graphics.

Planning is already underway for an even bigger and better 2012 event, to be held in Edmonton on November 30.

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Corporate responsibility reporting hits all-time high, but lacks financial reporting rigour

By Randy Kraft Today, climate-change and sustainability issues are rising to the top of corporate agendas.

Business is engaged; global trends and stakeholder demands have seen to that.

Energy pricing and security, natural resource pressures, population growth, lifestyle changes and consumer preferences are compelling companies to act.

Even those who follow the global climatechange debate from afar understand that their key stakeholders are already focused on these issues and the need to capitalize on them. As a result, there is a new clarion call for executives: leverage sustainability as a strategic lens on business operations— to enhance processes, grow revenue, manage risk, strengthen reporting, optimize costs and spur innovation.

Nearly every Global Fortune 250 (G250) company now reports its corporate responsibility activity, while reporting by pharmaceuticals, consumer markets and construction industries has more than doubled since KPMG International Cooperative last conducted its global survey in 2008.

In what we believe to be the most comprehensive survey of corporate responsibility reporting ever published, the KPMG International Survey of Corporate Responsibility Reporting 2011 reviewed 78 | spring 2012

trends of each of the G250, as well as of 3,400 companies worldwide, representing the national leaders in 34 countries and 15 industry sectors.

The survey found that corporate responsibility reporting is now undertaken by 95 per cent of the G250, while the largest 100 companies (N100) in each country surveyed increased reporting by 11 per cent since 2008 to 64 per cent overall, with developing nations showing fast uptake.

Almost half of the G250 companies report gaining financial value from their corporate responsibility initiatives.

In the absence of a regulatory global sustainability-reporting standard, the drive for consistency and accessibility to quality data was highlighted in the findings. The Global Reporting Initiative sustainability reporting guidelines are used by 80 per cent of the G250 and 69 per cent of N100 companies and are gaining widespread adoption as the de facto reporting standard.

Countries leading reporting in the survey in 2008 continue to dominate today with the United Kingdom and Japan at 100 per cent and 99 per cent, respectively, of companies reporting.

South Africa’s King Committee on Corporate Governance commission code is attributed to the sharp increase in

corporate responsibility reporting, rising to third place with 97 per cent of companies reporting. That is up from 45 per cent in 2008.

The Americas are at 69 per cent overall (with the United States at 83 per cent and Canada at 79 per cent), and the Middle East and Africa region (61 per cent) are quickly gaining ground. And China—new to the survey this year—demonstrates rapid uptake with 60 per cent of its largest companies reporting on corporate responsibility.

Lowest ranked were New Zealand and Chile (27 per cent), India (20 per cent) and Israel (18 per cent).

Australia passed the midpoint on corporate responsibility reporting, increasing from 45 to 57 per cent. Nordic countries saw a sharp rise in corporate responsibility reporting with the change attributed to heightened public interest in corporate responsibility issues, as well as government regulation.

Worldwide, 65.4 per cent of building construction and materials companies report on their data.

The global momentum in corporate responsibility demands both higher-quality corporate responsibility information and greater use of assurance to maintain standards and stakeholder confidence.

business of building Unlike financial reporting, the disclosure of sustainability metrics to the market is largely unregulated.

Restatements are four times higher compared to financial reporting and demonstrate that corporate responsibility reporting has some way to go.

Reporters that engaged formal assurance professionals were twice as likely to restate their reports as those without, demonstrating that assurance providers are demanding higher-quality data, also signifying the need for increased focus on internal processes.

This survey shows almost half of the G250 companies report gaining financial value from their corporate responsibility initiatives. Corporate responsibility has moved from being a moral imperative to a critical business imperative. The time has now come to enhance corporate responsibility reporting information systems to bring them up to the level that is equal to financial reporting, including a comparable quality of governance controls and management.

Other figures with respect to assurance are: 51 per cent of mining and 46 per cent of utility companies conduct assurance with numbers dwindling across other sectors.

46 per cent of G250 and 38 per cent of N100 companies use assurance as a strategy for verifying corporate responsibility reporting, which for the G250 is higher than in 2008, but still isn’t a majority.

India (80 per cent) and South Korea (75 per cent) lead the way in assurance.

When it comes to corporate responsibility reporting uptake, size matters.

The findings show that bigger companies are twice as likely to report as those with revenues under US$1 billion. This also presents an opportunity for smaller companies to leverage the benefits of corporate responsibility reporting as a financial and reputational differentiator.

Editor’s note: Randy Kraft is the building, construction and real estate leader at KPMG in Calgary. He may be contacted through

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Alberta Construction Magazine | 79

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What does one billion litres of used oil look like?

Imagine the drive from Calgary to Edmonton and back.

You join the Deerfoot Trail northbound near Calgary’s international airport. A line of tanker trucks, bumper to bumper, is in the right-hand lane heading for Edmonton.

But the line is not moving. You look to your left and there is another line of tankers bumper to bumper in the southbound lane.

To cover the distance between the two Alberta cities and back again— about 600 kilometres— would take over 29,400 tanker trucks bumper to bumper.

And if they were all carrying full loads of used oil, that’s what one billion litres of used oil looks like.

Now here’s a real fact about used oil—just one litre of used oil can contaminate one million litres of fresh water.

Imagine the environmental damage those one billion litres in 29,400 tankers could do to water and land quality in Alberta over time. The impact on the provincial ecosystem and economy would be irreparable.

However, this nightmare scenario doesn’t exist because Alberta has a successful, industry-led used oil materials recycling program. Established in 1997, the express purpose of the program is to expedite the recovery, recycling and reuse

of used oil, used oil filters and plastic used oil containers.

Last June, Alberta’s Environment Minister announced the provincial used oil recycling program had achieved a very important milestone. It surpassed the one-billion-litre mark for diverting used lubricating oil from landfills, sewers and road oiling.

The Minister commended the Alberta Used Oil Management Association and its partners for creating a world-class program, both in terms of quantity and the breadth of materials collected and recycled.

Alberta’s program is seen as a leader in used oil management in Canada and throughout the world. An independent Environment Canada study of the Alberta program model concluded it works environmentally and economically. As well, it works socio-economically, creating secondary recycling industries and employment.

In addition to used oil, almost 85 million used oil filters and more than 20 million kilograms of used plastic oil containers have been recycled since 1997.

Used oil is turned into fuel for industrial burners, re-refined into reusable lubricating oil or used as base stock for re-refined oil feedstock and other industrial applications. Asphalt plants are the largest consumer of used oil for burner fuel.

Filters are crushed and the residual oil drained off. The crushed steel filters are processed at steel

Alberta Used Oil Management Association

recycling mills and turned into other metal products such as construction rebar, angle iron and pipe.

The plastic containers are cleaned and pelletized into feedstock for new plastic products, or oily plastic flake for nonleachate fence posts and landscape ties.

Currently in Alberta, 87 per cent of used oil, 89 per cent of used oil filters and 87 per cent of used oil plastic containers available for recycling are recovered.

There are over 370 public collection points in Alberta where small business operators, farmers and do-it-yourself mechanics can take used oil materials. For businesses generating large volumes, a registered collector will pick up on site.

Information on collection points, collectors and the used oil recycling program is available at www.usedoilrecycling.com/en/ab or by calling toll free 1-888-922-2298.

And if you still have difficulty imagining one billion litres of used oil, try envisioning 336,300 standard hot tubs. It would take one billion litres to fill them.

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If theSe TREES COuLD TALK teChNology tracks history of landscape assets

By Tricia Radison

There isn’t much Chris Enders can’t find out about the trees under his care.

With a few keystrokes, Enders, superintendent of parks and facilities management for the City of Fort Saskatchewan, knows a tree’s species, age, size, condition and maintenance schedule, information he can then use for decision making and to ensure accountability.

That’s because the city uses HisTREE.net, a traceability and asset management system originally designed specifically for trees. A tag is attached to each tree and information is entered into a database. When maintenance is conducted, the tag is scanned with a hand-held device and the new information is added to the system, providing a running history of what has happened to the tree.

Other asset management technology exists, but the HisTREE.net system is different because of the technology it uses. Rather than using what is known as a geographic information system (GIS) interface, which

is complicated and requires users to have some training, HisTREE.net uses radio identification frequency (RFID).

“We can give our RFID reader to someone without any training, whether that be a horticultural worker, an inspector or a maintenance worker, and all they have to do is scan the tag to record and capture the work event or inspection information that was that performed on that asset,” says Art Maat, president, HisTREE.net. “We provide robust and simple functionality for identification and repeat identification of a single asset.”

The data reader also takes a global positioning system reading when the tag is scanned.

“Since the GIS mapping interface is included, we can authenticate that the maintenance work was actually completed, as our system requires you to be at the location of the asset to scan that tag,” Maat says.

HisTREE.net could change the world of landscape asset management; the company’s vision is to have everyone in the supply Alberta Construction Magazine | 81

finishing touches

“When I come to do a final inspection, I’ll know right away if that tree was watered properly or not.”

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— Chris Enders, superintendent of parks and facilities management, City of Fort Saskatchewan chain—from nurseries to end users like municipalities—recording data. The tree would be tagged at the nursery and the data collection system passed to the wholesaler when the tree is purchased. The wholesaler would pass it on to the contractor who can eventually pass it all on to the owner.

“By the time the tree lands in the municipality, there could be six or seven years’ worth of data that travels with it in the database,” Maat says. “The only thing that changes is the rights as to who can append or query that data.”

That’s an idea with great appeal to Enders, who says that he’d prefer to know the entire histories of city trees and would be more likely to choose trees that come with data. Eventually, he’d like to see developers, who have to provide two years of maintenance for trees before turning them over to the city, using this type of system.

“When I come to do a final inspection, I’ll know right away if that tree was watered properly or not,” he says. “If it wasn’t, I’m not accepting the tree.”

Collecting data can also benefit the contractor caring for trees on client land, providing an easy way to prove that maintenance has taken place.

Maat’s company works with clients to customize the database, which is accessible from anywhere. After that, clients simply log in to view and analyze the information.

In Fort Saskatchewan, the ease of using the system is leading to tags being placed on everything from playground equipment to garbage cans.

Says Enders: “It’s going to take a few years to tag everything that I want tagged.”

the legal edge

OwnErs’ dutiEs tO subCOntrACtOrs hAVE liMits

By Tim Mavko Reynolds Mirth Richards & Farmer LLP

The law says we have to be careful. We are supposed to think of the people we might harm—by either the things we do or the things we fail to do—and then act reasonably to keep those people safe. In legal terms, we have a general duty of care to act reasonably so we don’t inflict foreseeable harm. To fail this duty is to be negligent.

But this duty is not limitless. We can’t protect all people from all things. That is unrealistic and unworkable, for it would lead to everyone suing everyone for everything. Instead, the law draws a line, limiting those we must protect and what we must protect them from.

Recently, our courts grappled with whether owners of construction projects owe a duty of care to subcontractors and, in particular, whether owners must protect subcontractors from economic harm.

This is an interesting but difficult question because, by definition, subcontractors do not have contracts with owners that might otherwise create rights or limit obligations.

(If subcontractors did, they would be contractors and not subcontractors.)

The first case, Air-Tite Sheet Metal Ltd. v. N.D. Dobbin Ltd., was recently decided in Newfoundland. The owner (Government of Canada) hired a contractor to build an aircraft hangar. The contractor in turn subcontracted the heating system to a subcontractor. But when things turned sour, the contractor fired the subcontractor before the job was done. The subcontractor sued, claiming that the contractor had wrongfully terminated, and therefore breached, the subcontract. The subcontractor won and got judgment against the contractor.

84 | spring 2012

But the subcontractor also sued the owner. The claim against the owner, however, was for negligence (rather than breach of contract) and an economic loss (rather than physical harm). The allegation was that the owner was negligent in the way it administered the prime contract; in particular, it was argued that the owner owed the subcontractor a duty of care to administer the prime contract fairly and carefully, and the owner breached that duty when it failed to stop the contractor from wrongfully firing the subcontractor.

The subcontractor did not succeed. The Newfoundland Court of Appeal said that Canadian law does not recognize such a duty of care between owners and subcontractors. When it came to economic loss, the relationship between them was not sufficiently close (in legal terms, “proximate”) to warrant such a duty here. Simply put, the line did not extend that far.

In coming to this decision, the court relied heavily on another case decided by the Supreme Court of Canada in 2008: Design Services Ltd. v. Canada. That was a tendering case, where the owner (also the Government of Canada) tendered a construction project. A general contractor had submitted a bid and in doing so carried a key subcontractor as part of the bid.

But the owner awarded the contract to a different contractor, someone whose bid did not comply with the terms of the tender. The general contractor sued the owner for breach of contract (on the basis that the owner broke the tender’s rules), but the two settled out of court.

The subcontractor also sued the owner. The subcontractor’s claim, however, was for negligence rather than breach of contract (since there was no agreement between the subcontractor and owner about following the rules).

The allegation here was that, by awarding the contract to a non-compliant bidder, the owner was negligent in the way it handled the tendering process.

In other words, the owner breached the duty of care it owed to the subcontractor, harming the subcontractor economically.

The case went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. The Supreme Court held that Canadian law has not yet recognized a duty of care between owners and subcontractors for economic loss. Nor should such a new duty be recognized in this case. Here, the subcontractor chose the contractual relationship it did (i.e., as a subcontractor).

It could have arranged a direct contract with the owner or avoided the project altogether, and so it could have foreseen and protected itself from economic loss by its choice of contract. To allow the subcontractor to sue for negligence would allow an unjustified encroachment of one area of law (negligence) into the realm of another (contract).

These decisions don’t tell us anything about the duties owners have to protect subcontractors from physical harm. But with these two cases, our courts have refused to recognize that owners have a duty to protect subcontractors from economic loss.

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time capsule

TIME CAPSULE

King edward hotel Hailed the “Home of the Blues”

Cantos Music Foundation was selected through a competitive process to work with the Calgary Municipal land Corporation on the king Eddy rejuvenation project. the king Eddy will live on as the national Music Centre, with the first phase opening in 2013.

Even though the king Eddy will be reclaimed and restored, the architectural vision is to retain the gritty, soulful character the Eddy has always had. the national Music Centre and the Friends of the king Eddy society and others that have a vested interest in the hotel’s history will strive to create collections and programming around the hotel’s history, specifically in honouring its role as a venue for the blues. this includes the blue Mondays All Ages blues Jam already held on the last Monday of every month as homage to the famous saturday Afternoon blues Jam at the Eddy.

PhOtOS: glenBOW muSeum

since the early 1980s, the king Edward hotel, known more commonly by its nickname “king Eddy,” is the second-oldest building in Calgary. Constructed in phases between 1905 and 1910, the king Eddy was built on ninth Avenue’s “whisky row” and attracted travellers, working men and ranchers. during the prohibition era, the hotel earned notoriety for its bootlegging operation and violating liquor laws. the hotel is also known for being the first desegregated bar in Calgary. in the early 1980s, the king Eddy became one of Canada’s first blues bars, attracting the likes of legendary blues musicians such as Otis rush, b.b. king, John hammond and Pinetop Perkins. the king Eddy rocked hard as an internationally renowned blues bar until it closed in 2004 when it was condemned. the mould-infested hotel averted the wrecking ball when Calgarians got behind their beloved king Eddy. in 2008, the

Calgary’s king Edward hotel was a popular gathering place in the early 20th century.

86 | spring 2012

time capsule

KeY factS SCHOOL OF CONSTRUCTION

BuILDER: louis d. Charlebois CONSTRuCTION DATES: the first three-storey section of the hotel was built in 1905. the five-storey section of the hotel was constructed in phases in 1907, 1909 and 1910.

ARCHITECTuRAL STYLE: Edwardian commercial-style brick building with sandstone detailing.

SOURCE: Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, National Music Centre

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Alberta Construction Magazine | 87

advertisers’ index

ADTHE Index AT

CENTRE OF IT ALL

4CastPlus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 ACO systems ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 Alberta Construction safety Association . . . . . .12 Alberta Finance & Enterprise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Alberta roofing Contractors Association . . . . . .63 Alberta used Oil Management Association (AuOMA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 Armour Equipment sales & rentals ltd. . . . . . . .40 Astec inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 & 19 Atb Financial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 bantrel Co.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 bauer Foundations Canada inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 beaver Plastics ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 bobcat Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 brandt Positioning technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 brandt tractor ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 brock white Canada Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Calgary Construction Association . . . . . . . . . 7 & 49 Canadian western bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Canessco services inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Carmacks Enterprises ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 davidson Enman lumber ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 delcan Products ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 ECCO waste systems lP . . . . . . outside back cover

Electrical Contractors Association of Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 & 28 Ellisdon Construction services inc. . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Faculty of Extension, university of Alberta . . . .35 grant Metal Products ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 hertz Equipment rental Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 iCs group inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 iMAginit technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 imperial Oil ltd.. . . . . . . . . . .36 & inside back cover integral Containment systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 iVis inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Joint utilities safety team. . . . . inside front cover ketek group inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 kPMg MslP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 kubota Canada ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 levelton Consultants ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 lloyd sadd insurance ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 MAPEi inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Mercedes-benz Canada inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Merchandise Mart Properties inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Mount royal university . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 nAit Corporate and international training . . . 44 new west Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 northland Construction supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Pheonix Fence inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 Proform Concrete services inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Proform Precast Products inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 renfrew insurance ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 reynolds Mirth richards & Farmer llP . . . . . . . . 11 roxul inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 sAit Polytechnic, school of Construction . . . . .87 sEAl it waterproofing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 scona Cycle honda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 sherwood nissan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 sMs Equipment inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 spatial technologies Partnership group . . . . . .77 steels industrial Products inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 stuart Olson dominion Construction ltd. . . . . .60 supreme steel ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 the truck Outfitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 toole Peet insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Vertigo theatre society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 Vet’s sheet Metal ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Vicwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 western One rentals & sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 williams scotsman of Canada, inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 xylem inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: BREAKFAST AND EXPERT PANEL DISCUSSION ON:

Building Blocks Lessons From the Modular Oilsands Construction Age WITH PANELLISTS:

Ryan Chase

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Ross Krill

Director, Facilities, Oilsands Operations, cenovus Energy inc.

ExclUsivE EvEnT spOnsOR:

Oilsands production and upgrading projects provide a perfect storm of construction challenges—large, complex facilities located in a remote, coldweather region with limited labour available. In order to maximize returns on investment, control project schedules and optimize worker safety and comfort, oilsands builders have turned to a module-based construction approach. But not all strategies are the same or produce the same results.

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