Sheet Metal Journal Winter 2015

WINTER 2015

sheetmetaljournal.com

Construction Outlook Architectural Sheet Metal Explored Embracing Change at Southland Industries

Publications Mail Agreement # 40719512

Official Journal of Record for SMACNA-BC

PROMOTING

GROWTH AND STABILITY IN OUR INDUSTRY

Formed in 1969, the British Columbia Sheet Metal Association (SMACNA-BC) was the first international chapter of the Sheet Metal & Air-conditioning Contractors National Association (SMACNA). Founded in 1934, SMACNA traces its history to the National Association of Sheet Metal Contractors established in 1910, and has 2,300 members worldwide.

SMACNA-BC is a member-driven association representing unionized sheet metal contractors in the Mainland of BC, and suppliers to our industry. It promotes the growth and stability of the members and industry.

OUR MANDATE • To improve the financial stability and business conditions of the sheet metal industry, and to develop and promote methods to improve managerial proficiency • To improve quality, efficiency and productivity of this industry, and to implement high standards of work • To establish and maintain high ethical standards of conduct between members of the Association, and between members and owners, architects, engineers, other contractors, and the public • To study and help in the development and enforcement of governmental codes and regulations, and such legislation as may be necessary for the best interest of the public and the sheet metal industry • To promote harmony in labour relations • To exchange technical, professional, and educational information with other contractor associations in the sheet metal industry and its allied trades in Canada and other countries • To affiliate as a Chapter with the Sheet Metal & Air-conditioning Contractors National Association, Inc.

BC Sheet Metal Association (SMACNA-BC) Executive Director: Bruce Sychuk 315-15225 104th Ave. Surrey, BC. V3R 6Y8 Phone: (604) 585-4641 • Fax: (604) 584-9304 E-mail: smacnabc@smacna-bc.org • www.smacna-bc.org

in this issue... www.sheetmetaljournal.com GROUP PUBLISHER

Winter 2015

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Lara Perraton lperraton@pointonemedia.com

EDITOR

Jessica Kirby jessica.kirby@pointonemedia.com

CONTRIBUTORS Mark Breslin Susan Bryant Amelia Cline Ted Garrison Norm Grusnick Ian Moes

Construction Outlook 2015

BC’s construction industry is heading into one of the most growth-oriented, demanding times in its history.

COVER PHOTO Courtesy of UBC Faculty of Law

ADVERTISING SALES

Christina Tranberg 877.755.2762 ctranberg@pointonemedia.com

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GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Lara Perraton 877.755.2762 lperraton@pointonemedia.com PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY Point One Media Inc.

Architectural Sheet Metal Explored

Sheet Metal Journal P.O. Box 11, Station A Nanaimo, BC V9R 5K4 Toll-free: 877.755.2762 www.sheetmetaljournal.com While information contained in this publication has been compiled from sources deemed to be reliable, the publisher may not be held liable for omissions or errors.

Architectural sheet metal offers creativity, ingenuity, and a taste of technicality for interested tradespeople.

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Contents ©2015 by Point One Media Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or duplicated without prior written permission from the publisher.

Printed in Canada.

Postage paid at Simcoe, ON. Return postage guaranteed. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement #40719512.

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Department Sheet Metal Journal P.O. Box 11, Station A Nanaimo, BC V9R 5K4 email: circulations@pointonemedia.com

Official Journal of Record for SMACNA - BC Find Sheet Metal Journal on Twitter and Facebook

Embracing Change at Southland Industries

When it comes to change implementation, learning to engage and relate with workers is key.

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS

04 • 06 • 07 • 17 • 18 •

Guest Editorial Industry News Blast from the Past Technical Updates Building Science

19 • Global Metal 20 • Engineer's Desk 21 • Contractor Advice 22 • It's the Law 23 • Advertiser Index

In the Next Issue: Materials Market Report • Inspections and Codes • HVAC Industrial

www.sheetmetaljournal.com • Winter 2015

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GUEST EDITORIAL 10 THINGS YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOUR FOREMEN I bet you think you know your foremen pretty well. You don’t.

Really.

They’ve been working for you forever, right? But you haven’t really been paying attention.

Your foremen are the backbone of your company. And they are holding back on you. You’re missing a lot by making assumptions about who they are and what they think. And those assumptions are costing you hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars in lost profits over the course of their, and your, careers.

I’ve spent the last several years talking with and training several thousand foremen and superintendents all over the US and Canada, so I know what I’m saying when I tell you, honestly, you don’t have a clue what’s going on inside their heads. Let’s start by examining a list I put together of 10 very important things you probably don’t understand about your foremen.

1. Your foremen don’t see themselves as professionals.

They don’t describe themselves that way. They don’t see

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Sheet Metal Journal

by /Mark Breslin

it as a professional position—in fact, they barely see it as a management position. If guys who are going to manage $100,000,000 to $1 billion in projects over the course of their careers aren’t professionals, then what are they?

Maybe you should ask them.

2. On average, your foremen have received zero formal professional leadership and management training to prepare them for this high level responsibility, role, and identity.

3. Your foremen don’t know what they do for a living.

When I ask them, a full 90% respond, “I’m a [pipefitter, ironworker, boilermaker… fill in the craft].” This is the wrong answer. It reflects a craft-worker mindset, not a supervisory one. The correct answer is, “I am a professional construction foreman/superintendent.” It’s very difficult for them to make that jump and not feel embarrassed, but how they see themselves determines how they act and lead on the job. They are no longer just “one of the guys.”

4. Your foremen rarely solicit input from their crews. They a) think they will look weak, b) worry that someone else will get credit for a good idea and take their job, c) would never think to ask, or d) don’t even know that it’s part of their job.

5. Your foremen run their crews almost 100% of the time using authority, not influence. Which approach do you think is more effective, productive, and profitable?

6. Your foremen are often stuck between the roles of “boss” and friend. This kills the ability to discipline and hold others accountable for their actions.

7.

Your foremen do not effectively delegate. They are get-it-done people and therefore over-participate in the action at the jobsite. They are excellent at directing tasks.

They generally do not empower people and wouldn’t know how to anyway. Wonder whose fault that is?

8. Your foremen often have confused loyalties between

GUEST EDITORIAL their roles as multi-million dollar company managers and union members, if applicable. The peer pressure of being a “good union guy” is leveraged regularly by their peers, reducing their effectiveness and authority.

9. Your foremen do not admit mistakes or failures. Failure is not a learning experience in their eyes; failure is simply failure.

10. Your foremen do not know how to effectively motivate their crews. The most effective and well-documented tools of praise and positive reinforcement are generally entirely absent. What was not given to them will not be given to others.

Now let’s review. I’m willing to guess a few of the items on this list didn’t come as a surprise to you. So the obvious question is, what are you doing to fix these attitudes among your foremen? By refusing to act or address the problems, you own them—they’re all on you.

How about the attitudes and actions on the list that you didn’t know about? Now that you do, what’s your next move? Are you going to discuss them and provide your guys with the tools to address them, or just rationalize them away and take the path of least resistance?

Several hundred thousand foremen are waiting for help.

They’re doing the best they can with what they’ve got, but they need their employers to help them understand how important and vital they are to their company and the industry. They need serious professional support to become high-quality leaders and managers. But really, I think they’re waiting for you to acknowledge the challenges.  Mark is noted as the number one speaker in the US on construction leadership, strategy, and labour-management relations. He is also the author of five bestselling books that have created profound and positive change across the industry. He has spoken to and inspired more than 300,000 people during his career. Please view his latest book, "The Five Minute Foreman," or his collection of five at www.breslin.biz .

REMINDER SMACNA-BC'S 46TH AGM & CONVENTION April 30-May 2, 2015 Delta Grand Okanagan Resort and Conference Centre, Kelowna, BC

British Columbia Sheet Metal Association (SMACNA-BC) Providing products and information related to the Sheet Metal Industry, including technical manuals and guidelines.

The unmatched technical and managerial expertise of SMACNA-BC Contractors is enhanced by the talent and skills of the workforce they employ. SMACNA-BC Contractors employ only Red Seal Certified Sheet Metal Journeymen and Registered Apprentices.

CONTRACTOR MEMBERS 101 Industries Ltd. Admiral Roofing Ltd. Agvale Industries Ltd. Airtek Pneumatics Ltd. All Valley Metals Ltd. Alliance Metal Fabricators Ltd. Allied Blower & Sheet Metal Ltd. Ames Metal Fabricators 82 Ltd. Apollo Sheet Metal Ltd. Austin Metal Fabricators L.P. Bry-Mac Mechanical Ltd. CC Industries Ltd. Cascade Metal Design Ltd. Century Plumbing & Heating Ltd. City Sheet Metal Ltd. Crosstown Metal Industries Ltd. Downtown Custom Metal Works Ltd. Duncan’s Ltd. ECCO Supply Equity Plumbing & Heating Ltd. Harbourview Sheet Metal Ltd.

Horizon Cladding Ltd. Horizon Metal Systems Inc. KD Engineering Co. Keith Plumbing & Heating Co. Ltd. M&T Air Conditioning Ltd. Main Sheet Metal Works Ltd. Northwest Sheet Metal Ltd. Pacific Rim Industrial Insulation Ltd. Paramount Sheet Metal Ltd. Piedmont Sheet Metal (1997) Ltd. Quest Metal Works Ltd. R.H. Jones & Son Mechanical Ltd. Ridge Sheet Metal C.P. Smith Sheet Metal Works Ltd. Spectrum Sheet Metal Ltd. Summit Sheet Metal Ltd. Tri-Metal Fabricators Viaduct Sheet Metal Ltd. Vicwest Delta Western Mechanical Services (1977) Ltd. York Sheet Metal Ltd.

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Access Metal Products Ltd. Air System Supplies Bailey West Processing Inc. BGE Service & Supply Ltd. Control Solutions Ltd. Crossroads C&I Distributors DDK Ventilation Products Ltd. E.H. Price Sales Ltd. Engineered Air Envirotech Air Inc. ETP Energy Technology Products Ltd. (a div. of IPC, Inc.) Frost Insulation Supplies Inc. Gripple Inc.

Intercon Insurance Services Ltd. Jardine, Lloyd, Thompson Canada Inc. Manson Insulation Maxam Metal Products Modern Tool (BC) Ltd. Multicam Western Canada Nu-West Construction Products Pacaire HVAC Supplies Ltd. Progressive Air Products Ltd. Raven Hydronic Supply Ltd. Samuel, Son & Co., Ltd. Winroc-SPI Wm. P. Somerville 1996 Ltd.

BC Sheet Metal Association (SMACNA-BC) Executive Director: Bruce Sychuk 315-15225 104th Ave. Surrey, BC V3R 6Y8 Phone: (604) 585-4641 Fax: (604) 584-9304 E-mail: smacnabc@smacna-bc.org

www.sheetmetaljournal.com • Winter 2015

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INDUSTRY NEWS ECCO Manufacturing Announces Expansion in Kent, Washington

ECCO Manufacturing, a leading manufacturer and supplier of sheet metal and related HVAC products, announces the expansion of its Kent, Washington facility.

“We are adding to our manufacturing and distribution capacities to enhance our product and service offering,” said Shaine Nobert, vice-president of manufacturing. “This new space supports current and planned capacity growth in manufacturing, distribution, and customer service. This expansion represents a commitment to growth, to the future of our company, and to our distributor partners.”

The additional space will include commercial sheet metal manufacturing as well as increased room for storage of raw materials and finished products.  About ECCO Manufacturing Founded in 1960, ECCO Manufacturing is a leading manufacturer of sheet metal, heating, ventilation, and roofing products for the construction industry. Our products are specified whenever and wherever quality and value are the foremost consideration. Visit ECCO Manufacturing online at www.eccomfg.com to learn more.

Obituary: Julian Popowich

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Julian Henry Popowich of Crosstown Metal Industries Ltd. There were many years of good times spent with Julian during his years with the SMACNA-BC association. He attended many of the SMACNA-BC conventions where we all could take a moment to sit and visit with him. He will always be remembered as a kind and friendly person.

SMACNA-BC sends its sincere condolences to his loving family.

POPOWICH, Julian Henry June 30, 1932 – Rembrandt, Manitoba January 5, 2015 – Calgary, Alberta Julian passed away January 5, 2015, in the company of family, following a short time of illness in hospital. Jules, as he was known, was born June 30, 1932 on a farm near Rembrandt, MB, the eighth of 10 children of pioneering parents Nicolas and Katherine.

Heading out as a young man, Julian went north and west, from the DEW Line to Peace River, Saskatoon, Leduc, Calgary, Vancouver, and again to Calgary. For the most part he engaged in his life's work, his cherished occupation, in the HVAC business of his brother and family, Crosstown Heating.

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Sheet Metal Journal

Willingness and ability to work being a fair measure of anyone, it can only be said that Julian was a tremendous success in that regard. A man of some talent and renown as an estimator in the business, he continued at that to the age of 79, and wished not to stop. Husband twice, to Marge and Donna (now deceased); father to Christian, Bradford, Justin, and Jocelyn; father in-law to Lisa and Helen; grandfather to Karsten, Aleksandra, Cassandra, Rebecca, Brendan, Skylar, and baby Nikaela; and great-grandfather to Kezea. Nikaela, with a joyful call, was his last sight, with a tear, and we hope, a smile.

Julian was a reader, intelligent, interested, generous, and kind. A dear man. His family and friends will cherish many "J.H." moments. He showed his children how to work and to follow that with leisure, to take pleasure from friends. He took life as it came to him. A Visitation to celebrate the life of Julian Henry Popowich was held at the residence of Christian Popowich, the afternoon of Saturday, January 17, 2015. See more at http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/calgaryherald/ obituary.aspx?n=julian-popowich&pid=173819888&fhid=17 383#sthash.sCchy5q8.dpuf

2014 Green Building Standard Now Available From ASHRAE/USGBC/IES New requirements to further reduce the energy and environmental impacts of buildings are contained in the 2014 version of the green building standard from ASHRAE, the U.S. Green Building Council, and the Illuminating Engineering Society.

ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1-2014, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, addresses the areas of site sustainability; water-use efficiency; energy efficiency; indoor environmental quality; and, the building’s impact on the atmosphere, materials, and resources.

The 2014 standard incorporates 67 addenda, reflecting changes made through the public review process since the standard was last published in 2011. Appendix H gives brief descriptions and approval dates of the addenda included in this new edition.

Major changes in the 2014 edition include: • Energy: Significant updates are included to reflect the publication of Standard 90.1-2013, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, including revised building envelope provisions.

Fenestration orientation requirements were updated based on new research, as well as changes and updates made to

Continued on page 23

BLAST FROM THE PAST SHUTDOWN PROJECT, CIRCA 1980 Location: Kaiser’s Harmer Ridge Coal Mine at Sparwood, BC Project scope: Re & re dust collection systems at the truck dump / crusher building / raise intakes on conveyors Company: United Metal Fabricators (UMF) Hours of work: Three-day shut-down, two crews, 16 hours a day, plus two hours travel by bus, two crews overlapping shifts. 16 hours work + 2 hours travel = 18 hours / leaves four hours a day for clean-up, dinner, and sleep. Managed to squeeze a beer in also. Get up after some sleep and do it again! 

Sheet Metal Worker Crew [Can you, dear reader, help fill in the blanks?]

Bottom left to right: Danny Defend, Ross Smith, Dave Deeming, Tom Totland, Larry Myton Second row: Peter Zimmerman, behind Pete, John Speck, Don Berestow, Roy Beally, Dennis Nelson, Rob Youds Third row: Jeff Lowe, Rolf ?, Jerry Gnam?, Cliff Denier, Bob Johnson, Guy in back (?), Bruce Sychuk, Murray Langford (?),Wilf (?), Mike Cade, (?), Harry Balke

LEARNING THE HARD WAY Lessoned learned: it takes three showers to get “some” of the coal dust off of you. When an apprentice says he knows how to work an oxy/acetylene torch, don’t believe him. Poor guy found out the hard way how to get rid of eyelashes in a split second.

Document Your Story!

Have you got interesting photos and memories you'd like to share? Contact our editor, Jessica Kirby, to find out how to submit your materials for inclusion in a future issue of Sheet Metal Journal. jessica.kirby@pointonemedia.com tel: 250.816.3671 www.sheetmetaljournal.com • Winter 2015

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Construction Outlook

By Susan Bryant

© Can Stock Photo Inc. / Rigucci

2015

It’s boom times ahead for the BC construction industry, Manley also dismisses concerns that future activity will only says Manley McLachlan, president of the BC Construction Association. “BC’s construction industry is heading into one of the most growth-oriented, demanding times in its history,” he says. “The construction sector’s contribution to BC’s total GDP is expected to increase by 31 per cent over the next three or four years, and we’re looking at an estimated $206 billion.”

be around LNG investment and future pipeline activities in the north. “It’s important to note there’s construction activity all across the province, not just in the North,” he says. “Although LNG investment will certainly add to the activity, we have plenty going on already.”

That’s in line with record growth rates across the country, notes Michael Atkinson of the Canadian Construction Association.

“ICI has been going on a tremendous pace for some time now,” he explains. “According to Stats Canada, in 2014 both ICI and residential construction combined were $293 billion. Just 10 years ago, that was only $150 billion—in the space of 10 years, it’s almost doubled.”

“

}

Canada publishes the top 100 public projects every year ... Something like 43 of them this year are valued at about a billion dollars or more.

Atkinson credits an active resource sector, particularly in Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, and parts of New Brunswick and Newfoundland, for the activity. But public infrastructure and transportation projects have also been instrumental in keeping the industry busy—projects that get larger each year. “ReNew Canada publishes the top 100 public projects every year, and the volume of those 100 projects goes up every year,” he explains.

“Something like 43 of them this year are valued at about a billion dollars or more.”

In the big picture, according to BuildForce Canada, British Columbia’s overall economic growth is expected to average 2.7 percent to 2018, stronger than the Canadian average of 2.4 percent over the same period. In its Preliminary Investment

”

Trends report for BC from 2015 to 2024, it notes that while the last few years have been weaker in the commercial and institutional construction sector, ICI building investment is expected to rise in the coming years thanks to major resource projects (including those predicted LNG terminals). Industrial building construction is expected to peak by 2018, but stay steady after that—and well above historic levels in the early 2000s. In the residential sector, according to the same report, new housing investment isn’t expected to change significantly, but should see a boost from growth in renovation work.

On the more local level, Vancouver Island has seen a fairly healthy multi-family residential sector in the Victoria region, along with independent living facilities built in Comox, www.sheetmetaljournal.com • Winter 2015

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construction outlook

Courtenay, and Victoria, and multiple Defence Construction Canada projects at CFB Esquimalt.

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There has been strong investment in the commercial sector across the island (including several mall upgrades and Target renovations), but overall, says Greg Baynton, CEO of the Vancouver Island Construction association, 2015 is going to be a transition year toward more positive growth in the industry. “It’s been six years of a depressed economy in the ICI,” he explains. “The bottom line is the Vancouver Islandbased industry is looking forward to significant increase in construction investment across all sectors of the residential and non-residential construction markets in 2015, and be sustained to 2020.”

However, busy times aren’t necessarily translating into healthy bottom lines, as the Vancouver Regional Construction Association’s president, Fiona Famulak, points out.

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“The market is tough, materials and people costs are high, and margins are very thin,” she says. “In addition to driving people costs skywards, BC’s skill shortage is preventing some from either bidding on work or from implementing growth plans.”

Everyone remains concerned about both labour shortages and just as importantly, an aging population. “The perfect storm of labour market demographics in a rapidly expanding economy across most of Canada will generate a significant skills shortage in trades and management,” says Baynton. “And despite this predictable perfect storm, government has been closing shop classes in our high schools, thereby eliminating the exposure to trades and career options other than a purely academic path.”

The BCCA’s McLachlan echoes Baynton’s concerns. “We have a lot of work to do to get BC’s work force skilled up and experienced enough to fill the jobs that are coming,” he says.

“And while the LNG opportunities will increase the demand, even without LNG we’re looking at a shortage of over 26,000 skilled trades people by 2021. That’s going to take a concerted effort in the short term and a cultural shift in the long term: we’re really encouraging parents to rethink the trades and discuss the opportunities with an open mind.”

“We can no longer tolerate the fact that a career in construction is perceived as a second-best choice,” agrees Famulak. “Realistically there will always be demand, be it here or abroad. We need specific policies to ensure youth, women, and Aboriginal workers understand the opportunities and engage them so they are part of the solution to our skills shortage.”

More specifically in the sheet metal industry, SMACNA BC’s Bruce Sychuk notes that while the current state of industry is fine—most of the business has been thanks to the Rio

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Sheet Metal Journal

“

It’s been pretty steady, and we don’t like to train people if we can’t put them to work.

You’re always looking, you’re preparing, but you don’t have to train right this second.

”

Tinto Kitimat modernization project—2015 is looking fairly flat. “There’s a lot of work coming down the tube,” he says.

“Unfortunately there’s no money in it—the hours will remain the same in 2015, but the profits will probably be less. There’s not an overabundance of work, so contractors all have to sharpen their pencils to secure a low bid.”

SPECIALISTS IN COATED AND UNCOATED SHEET METAL

ALL THE SELECTION

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And while other industries are concerned about maintaining skilled workers, Sychuk feels that the sheet metal industry has been managing to train the right number of workers each year. “We’re maintaining our manpower fine—our training centre, if you can include the roofing and architectural sheet metal programs, we have over 400 in the system,” he explains.

“It’s been pretty steady, and we don’t like to train people if we can’t put them to work. We have systems in place—we can put apprentices in the system now and have journeymen in five years. You’re always looking, you’re preparing, but you don’t have to train right this second.”

Prompt payment continues to be an issue in the industry, as many contractors are left waiting for the general contractor to receive a cheque before they’re paid out—which can mean months. The BCWCA, VCRA, and the BCCA have been actively lobbying for effective legislation to protect contractors, ensuring that they’re paid in a timely and fair manner.

The BCCA’s McLachlan also notes that they’d like to see policy introduced that requires fair and transparent procurement practices on all public sector projects. “We’re working closely with sector leaders and the Deputy Ministers from BC government’s large infrastructure ministries on a number of policies that will strengthen the industry and benefit taxpayers.”

Overall, though, the future looks bright, with Canada becoming a world power in construction. “Oxford Economics, an international economic think tank, says Canada currently has the fifth-largest construction industry, next to China, the US, India, and Japan,” says Atkinson. “That’s saying something for a population the size of Canada.” 

www.cmetals.com DELTA LANGLEY EDMONTON CALGARY SASKATOON BRANDON WINNIPEG LONGVIEW SEATTLE PORTLAND NAMPA VANCOUVER SPOKANE

www.sheetmetaljournal.com • Winter 2015

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explored

Architectural Sheet Metal

What is a sheet metal worker?

What do sheet metal workers do?

The trade is diverse and varied, requiring a specific and technical skill set. From a practical angle, sheet metal workers use metal to create roofs, siding, ventilation / heating / air-conditioning duct work, and rain gutters. They fabricate vehicles, restaurant equipment, precision equipment, handrails, column wraps, outdoor signs, and other metal items.

The trade can be loosely divided into specialties. HVAC sheet metal workers are skilled in fabricating and installing

heating / ventilation / air-conditioning in commercial, industrial, and residential buildings, and oversee the systems' indoor air quality, energy management, service, and repairs. Testing, Adjusting, & Balancing sheet metal workers service and maintain mechanical systems, testing, adjusting, and balancing as needed.

Architectural sheet metal workers take on the preparation, repair, and fabrication of metal roofing components, metal walls, and other exterior components.

From the bird's eye view, sheet metal workers plan and envision, fulfilling

and essential component of the building process. As one of the construction industry's highest skilled crafts, sheet metal work is about creating something long lasting that provides many people a better quality of life.

Career Profile: Architectural Sheet Metal Worker Who?

According to the Industry Training Authority, architectural sheet metal workers install, weld, burn, cut, layout, caulk, fasten, repair, hoist, and rig metal and translucent sheets, insulation, ventilators, flashings, gutters, louvers, soffits, roof components, metal panels, metal doors, and skylights in association with building construction.

What?

Architectural sheet metal workers plan and create exterior components on commercial and residential buildings

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Photo courtesy of Sergey WereWolf

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Photo courtesy of Kenny Louie

Photo courtesy of BCIT Aerospace

with a keen eye on detail and visualizing the final product. They read plans and determine the type and amount of materials and then measure, bend, cut, shape, and attach pieces of sheet metal to make the products.

Like other types of sheet metal workers, architectural specialities involve in-field and in-house work, the use specialized fastening devices like rivets, screws, and solder, and hand and power tools and equipment including shears, breaks, punches, and forming presses, edging and crimping machines, hammers, and grinders. They also create 3D drawings for use in building information modelling (BIM).

When?

Right now. In B.C., the average architectural sheet metal worker is 39 years old, and 15% are over 55. The Architectural Sheet Metal Industrial Adjustment Committee says Canada is looking to fill 50,000 positions in the metal trades over the next five years.

The province is projecting it will need 400,000 skilled workers with college or trade certification over the next five to seven years; and overall, projections for architectural sheet metal are fair to high, with fewer retirees leaving this area of the trade than others, but an anticipated building boom expected to boost activity in the trade.

Where?

Sheet metal workers from all disciplines can apply for training and certification through the Industry Training Authority or through the Sheet Metal Workers Training Centre Society.

Why? If a career in architectural sheet metal is right for you it is because you can (or want to learn how to) read plans and specifications, operate specialized machinery, and keep a keen eye on the details. You can whiz through detailed math equations, are eager to layout and fabricate custom pieces, and are proud of your mechanical aptitude and manual dexterity.

Quick Facts

Old School Job Titles: Coppersmith, Tinsmith, Metal Furniture Model Maker

B.C.'s Top Projects

1. Science World 2. All of the Skytrain Stations 3. BC Place Pavilions A, B, & C at Expo 4. YVR 5. BCIT Aerospace Campus 6. Fairmont Pacific Rim

Average Annual Salary: $43,300 Hourly Wage (CAD): $16.47-33.36 Similar Job Titles: Custom Sheet Metal Fabricator, Precision Metal Workers, Industrial Sheet Metal Worker

7. Olympic Skating Dome, Vancouver, BC 8. BC Cancer Agency Centre for the North, Prince George, BC

Linacoustic® RC Fiber Glass Duct Liner with Reinforced Coating System

Now proven to be #1 overall in shop productivity and jobsite approval.* * A competitive product comparison study conducted and overseen by FMI, a management consulting firm to the construction industry, rated Linacoustic RC #1 overall by contractors who participated in the study.

CONTACT CROSSROADS C&I AT 800.663.6595 GREENGUARD® certification is not intended for residential environments. Instead, the certification is intended only for buildings meeting ASHRAE 62.1-2007 commercial building ventilation rates.

This certification is proof that the product meets the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute’s indoor air quality standards and product emission standards for VOCs.

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crossroadsci.com www.sheetmetaljournal.com • Winter 2015

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Photo courtesy of Chris Blakeley

Photo courtesy of Iwona Kellie

9.

Millennium Water Vancouver BC

Project,

pieces, and used them as building blocks to create the initial model design.

10. UBC Faculty of Law Building, UBC, Allard Hall

The incredible museum building uses more than 21,000 aluminum and stainless steel shingles and approximately 280 steel ribs. The building uses 400 tons of structural steel which, if stretched into the lightest banjo string, would stretch one-fourth of the way to Venus.

Weird and Wild

The EMP Building: Seattle, WA Location: 325 5th Avenue N at Seattle Center Architect: Frank O. Gehry and Associates Associate Architect: LMN Architects Frank O. Gehry designed the EMP Building to evoke a genuine rock n' roll experience. In fact, the designer purchased several electric guitars, sliced them to

Three thousand panels, made up of 21,000 individually cut and shaped stainless steel and painted glass aluminum shingles encase the building's exterior. Each individual finish responds to and reflects different light conditions and appear

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Sheet Metal Journal

604-420-4323 / 1-800-663-7684 604-530-9755 / 1-800-881-3226 250-361-3395 / 1-866-361-3226 604-702-4400 / 1-877-413-3226

"The building uses 400 tons of structural steel which, if stretched into the lightest banjo string, would stretch one-fourth of the way to Venus." to change when viewed form different angles, creating a fusion of textures and myriad colours to extend the energy and fluidity of music.

Building Facts:

140,000 total square feet; footprint, 35,000 square feet Highest point: 85 feet at Sky Church Widest point: 210 feet at West Harrison Street Length: 360 feet at 5th Avenue N

Architectural Sheet Metal Resources:

• SMACNA-BC www.smacna-bc.org • Sheet Metal Training Centre Society http://www.smwtcs.ca • Industry Training Authority www.itabc.ca

Did you Know?

Copper in History Copper has played a significant role in architecture for thousands of years. In the 3rd Century B.C., copper roof shingles were installed atop of the Loha Maha Paya Temple in Sri Lanka, and the Romans used copper as roof covering for the Pantheon in 27 B.C. Centuries later, copper and its alloys were integral in European medieval architecture. The copper roof of St. Mary's Cathedral, Hildesheim, installed in 1280 A.D., survives to this day, and the roof at Kronborg, one of northern Europe's most important Renaissance castles (immortalized as Elsinore Castle in Shakespeare’s Hamlet), was installed in the 1585 A.D.The copper on the tower was renovated in 2009.

Earlier metal roofing was a sheeting in the form of corrugated galvanized steel and still find applications today in parts of the developing world. In addition, colour-coated steel roofs are popular in some of the Nordic countries such as Finland and Sweden.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_roof

Embracing Change at

Southland Industries Henry Nutt is not afraid of change. In fact, he may be its biggest advocate, at least at Southland Industries in Union City, California, where he is general sheet metal superintendent and bona fide lean construction advocate.

Words by Jessica Kirby / Photos courtesy of Southland Industries Originally published in the January 2015 edition of the Webduct newsletter. Reprinted with permission.

Southland Industries is a design-build-maintain

construction firm, including service of mechanical, plumbing, fire protection, process piping, automation, and systems controls.

Nutt’s main implementation objective is streamlining rudimentary processes, saving time, money, and efficiency at all levels from management to the shop floor.

As any manager can attest, implementing change is seldom easy—new technology, changing employee roles, redefined processes, and general newness can challenge adoption and make company leaders question whether the rigmarole is worth the time and effort.

Nutt says it absolutely is.

“There is always a learning curve,” he says. “I try to make it so the staff understands how it benefits them, and I try to convince them to give it an authentic try.”

Running on a “don’t know unless you try” logic, Nutt assures his staff that the worst case try-fail-return-to-tradition scenario would not be the end of the world. But, they rarely travel that

road because in cases where Nutt has left workers with a problem to solve, the confidence to own it, and the resources to solve it, the staff has come out successful.

“A few years back a young engineer on staff suggested some louvers be installed differently on a sizeable job,” he says. “The idea was to prefab everything and put it together using machinery.

People with 30 years experience took a negative attitude and thought it would never work, but I said, ‘Let’s go out and take a look because we can’t solve any problems from the office.’”

Not only did the staff try the new process, they improved it through their own learning curve and made some new additions to smooth it out.

“They were the ones who proved it right and took it through its different iterations,” he says. “I just highlight the problem and allow them to own it, and then it is their idea to make it better, versus it being, ‘It’s Henry’s idea and he doesn’t live in our world.’’

Except he does live in their world, and that is another key point in implementing change—sharing experience and empathizing over the discomfort of doing things differently. www.sheetmetaljournal.com • Winter 2015

15

way of having foremen submit small fitting orders to the shop via hand drawings and fax machines.

“I asked my foreman how much time he spent processing cutsheets and he pulled out about a ream of paper representing a month,” says Nutt. “We calculated his time, the field foreman’s time having conversations about the orders, and processing time. It amounted to about five to seven thousand per month.”

Compared with the cost of automating the process, the decision was a no brainer. The company moved into a Webduct pilot and eventually adopted a full service automation program, but not before sharing the data with the workers so they, too, could understand the benefits.

For the most experienced workers, change can bring up fears about whether what they’ve always known is now obsolete, and being able to relate with his own 28 years in the business gives Nutt an edge.

“Part of the transition was explaining to the team the current state and where the company wanted to be,” he says. “The information is staggering, and I didn’t have to do a lot of convincing.”

“I have seen a lot of change,” he says. “What I was learning in school is different now and we have to adjust with the times or be left behind.”

The problem with old processes, although tried and true, is cost.

Southland Industries was losing thousands with its traditional

But it really doesn’t matter how great a product is or the change you make—if you don’t engage the team it won’t work, says Nutt. “We have a culture of innovation here, not just in my department. We are painting the picture and getting the buy in from the people. If I can get them to buy in, everything else becomes simple.” 

SMWIA Local Union No. 280 /SMACNA-BC Partnership

DID YOU KNOW....

The Alex Donaldson Award

Labour & Management “Embracing the Challenge” - B. Flaherty, Cornell University, Syracuse, N.Y.

16

Sheet Metal Journal

This award is dedicated to the memory of Alex Donaldson, a Local 280 member committed to apprenticeships and training, who passed away in 1980. It has been given to the apprentice who earns the Top Apprentice each year.

Going as far back as the 1960s the Top Apprentice has been awarded to the apprentice that represents the Local 280 and SMACNA-BC at the Canadian Council’s Sheet Metal Apprentice Competition held annually around the country. The pathway to get to be the Top Apprentice has changed many times over the decades. Currently, the individual winning the Level 4 competition at the SMWTC Annual Apprentice Contest has priority to go to the Canadian Contest. Sometimes that winner is unable to attend and another goes instead. Notable recent winners of the SMWTC Level 4 competition who did not continue on to the Canadian Contest are Kevin Dennison from a few years back and, just last year, Franco Pederzini of Apollo Sheet Metal won, but circumstances left James Benson to carry through to the Canadian Contest in 2014.

TECHNICAL UPDATES UPDATE YOUR LIBRARY Update your library with SMACNA National's robust technical and inspection manuals for architectural sheet metal.

Architectural Sheet Metal Manual

Architectural Sheet Metal Manual is a completely revised publication containing the most comprehensive set of recommended practices available for proper design and installation of custom-fabricated architectural sheet metal including roof drainage system design for scuppers, gutters, and downspouts. It features more details in the historical restoration section on skylights, cornices, and spires; new moisture and maintenance guide with underlayments; mechanical fasteners and soldering guidance; and, enhanced metals selection data. The Manual offers new construction techniques and alternative methods of design and installation reflecting climatic conditions and rainfall rates. It also covers flashing, metal roofs, copings, and gravel-stop fascia and includes wind uplift pressure test reports confirming superior performance of custom-fabricated metal roofing.

Architectural Sheet Metal Manual applies to commercial, industrial, and residential buildings. The 52-page publication is available in book, CD, and PDF and has an upfront, fast “look-up” key that speeds information retrieval.

SMACNA’s new second edition of Energy Systems Analysis and Management Manual, 2014, addresses this topic and much more. (Members have received email notification to reserve their free copy in PDF, CD-ROM, or book format.)

This timely document addresses both new construction and retrofits, and provides an overview of a variety of energyrelated business opportunities for commercial, residential, and institutional buildings. It presents contractors, building owners and operators, facility managers, and system designers with the tools needed to evaluate an existing facility for energy savings potential.

Items of interest in the Energy Systems Analysis and Management Manual include energy conservation management, the energy audit and energy estimating procedures. Other topics covered in this 234-page book include HVAC system maintenance and indoor air quality, energy management maintenance and monitoring, energy recovery systems and energy recovery system investment analysis.

For information about these and other selections from SMACNA's robust library, please contact SMACNA-BC at smacnabc@smacnabc.org or (604) 585-4641. 

SMACNA's Architectural Sheet Metal Inspection Guide

SMACNA's Architectural Sheet Metal Inspection Guide is an invaluable inspection resource for owners of standing seam, batten seam, or Bermuda-type roofs. It presents practical troubleshooting and corrective tips for typical problems of roof panels, gutters, downspouts, fascia, copings, flashing, ridges and hips, valleys, expansion joints, penetrations, fasteners, and soldering. It also provides relevant information regarding construction of these architectural elements, the purpose of each, as well as what to look for during periodic inspections.

The Guide covers sealants, moisture transfer methods, and air leakage, while emphasizing the importance of regular and appropriately timed inspections because a small problem discovered early can be fixed at a low cost, preventing minor damage from becoming a substantial problem until the cost of repair and remediation becomes excessive. Contractors will find this 52-page book, also available in CD and PDF, a valuable resource to provide owners or facility managers along with the standard building completion documents.

Members receive latest edition, free − SMACNA Energy Systems Analysis and Management Manual available from SN+MACNA-BC.

SMACNA’s New Second Edition of Energy Systems Analysis and Management Manual

With the long-term rising cost of fossil fuels, reducing the energy consumption of HVAC systems is increasingly important.

MEETING THE LABOUR NEEDS OF OUR INDUSTRY

BY DELIVERING QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL SHEET METAL WORKERS TRAINING C E N T R E S O C I E T Y The Sheet Metal Workers Training Centre Society’s mission is to provide the highest quality of training and upgrading to sheet metal apprentices and journeypersons in the Province of British Coumbia by delivering the highest standards of instruction and utilizing the most up-to-date teaching methods.

For more information Tel 604.882.7680 Fax 778.298.0656 or Email registrar@smwtcs.ca Check us out on the web at www.smwtcs.ca 19077 - 95A Ave. Surrey, BC CANADA V4N 4P3 www.sheetmetaljournal.com • Winter 2015

17

BUILDING SCIENCE CHEAP HYDROGEN FUEL FROM THE SUN – WITHOUT RARE METALS News Mediacom | École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

The journal Science published the latest development in Michael Grätzel’s laboratory at EPFL: producing hydrogen fuel from sunlight and water. By combining a pair of solar cells made with a mineral called perovskite and low cost electrodes, scientists have obtained a 12.3 percent conversion efficiency from solar energy to hydrogen, a record using earthabundant materials as opposed to rare metals.

The race is on to optimize solar energy’s performance. More efficient silicon photovoltaic panels, dye-sensitized solar cells, concentrated cells, and thermodynamic solar plants all pursue the same goal: to produce a maximum amount of electrons from sunlight. Those electrons can then be converted into electricity to turn on lights and power your refrigerator.

At the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces at EPFL, led

by Michael Grätzel, where scientists invented dye solar cells that mimic photosynthesis in plants, they have also developed methods for generating fuels such as hydrogen through solar water splitting. To do this, they either use photoelectrochemical cells that directly split water into hydrogen and oxygen when exposed to sunlight, or they combine electricity-generating cells with an electrolyzer that separates the water molecules.

By using the latter technique, Grätzel’s post-doctoral student

Jingshan Luo and his colleagues were able to obtain a performance so spectacular that their achievement is being published recently in the journal Science. Their device converts into hydrogen 12.3 percent of the energy diffused by the sun on perovskite absorbers—a compound that can be obtained in the laboratory from common materials, such as those used in conventional car batteries, eliminating the need for rare-earth metals in the production of usable hydrogen fuel.

Bottled Sun

This high efficiency provides stiff competition for other techniques used to convert solar energy. But this method has several advantages over others: “Both the perovskite used in the cells and the nickel and iron catalysts making up the electrodes require resources that are abundant on Earth and that are also cheap,” explained Jingshan Luo. “However, our electrodes work just as well as the expensive platinum-based models customarily used.”

On the other hand, the conversion of solar energy into hydrogen makes its storage possible, which addresses one of the biggest disadvantages faced by renewable electricity—the requirement to use it at the time it is produced.

“Once you have hydrogen, you store it in a bottle and you can do with it whatever you want to, whenever you want it,” said Michael Grätzel. Such a gas can indeed be burned – in a boiler or engine – releasing only water vapour. It can also pass into a fuel cell to generate electricity on demand. And the 12.3 percent conversion efficiency achieved at EPFL “will soon get even higher,” promised Grätzel.

More Powerful Cells

These high efficiency values are based on a characteristic of perovskite cells: their ability to generate an open circuit voltage greater than 1 V (silicon cells stop at 0.7 V, for comparison).

“A voltage of 1.7 V or more is required for water electrolysis to occur and to obtain exploitable gases,” explained Jingshan Luo. To get these numbers, three or more silicon cells are needed, whereas just two perovskite cells are enough. As a result, there is more efficiency with respect to the surface of the light absorbers required.

“This is the first time we have been able to get hydrogen through electrolysis with only two cells," Luo adds.

The profusion of tiny bubbles escaping from the electrodes as soon as the solar cells are exposed to light say it better than words ever could: the combination of sun and water paves a promising and effervescent way for developing the energy of the future. 

18

Sheet Metal Journal

GLOBAL METAL WORLD'S FIRST 3D-PRINTED APRATMENT BUILDING CONSTRUCTED IN CHINA Michelle Star | CNet

A Chinese company has successfully 3D-printed a fivestorey apartment building and a 1,100-square-meter villa from a special print material.

While architectural firms compete with their designs for 3D-printed dwellings, one company in China has quietly been setting about getting the job done. In March of last year, company WinSun claimed to have printed 10 houses in 24 hours, using a proprietary 3D printer that uses a mixture of ground construction and industrial waste, such as glass and tailings, around a base of quick-drying cement mixed with a special hardening agent.

Now, WinSun has further demonstrated the efficacy of its technology—with a five-storey apartment building and a 1,100-square-metre (11,840-square-foot) villa, complete with decorative elements inside and out, on display at Suzhou Industrial Park.

The structures are then assembled on-site, complete with steel reinforcements and insulation in order to comply with official building standards.

Although the company hasn't revealed how large it can print pieces, based on photographs on its website, they are quite sizeable. A CAD design is used as a template, and the computer uses this to control the extruder arm to lay down the material "much like how a baker might ice a cake," WinSun said. The walls are printed hollow, with a zig-zagging pattern inside to provide reinforcement. This also leaves space for insulation.

This process saves between 30 and 60 percent of construction waste, and can decrease production times by between 50 and 70 percent, and labour costs by between 50 and 80 percent. In all, the villa costs around $161,000 to build.

And, using recycled materials in this way, the buildings decrease the need for quarried stone and other materials, resulting in a construction method that is both environmentally forward and cost effective.

The 3D printer array, developed by Ma Yihe, who has been inventing 3D printers for over a decade, stands 6.6 metres high, 10 metres wide, and 40 metres long (20 x 33 x 132 feet).

This fabricates the parts in large pieces at WinSun's facility.

In time, the company hopes to use its technology on much larger scale constructions, such as bridges and even skyscrapers.  http://www.cnet.com/news/worlds-first-3d-printedapartment-building-constructed-in-china/

Coming in Spring: Materials Market Report Inspections & Codes HVAC - Industrial

WINTER 2015

sheetmetaljournal.com

Construction Outlook Architectural Sheet Metal Explored

To book your ad space in the next issue or future issues of Sheet Metal Journal call Christina at 1.877.755.2762 or email ctranberg@ pointonemedia.com

Embracing Change at Southland Industries

Publications Mail Agreement # 40719512

Official Journal of Record for SMACNA-BC

Are you working on an interesting or challenging project?

Tell us about it.

Contact our editor, Jessica Kirby, at 250.816.3671 or email jessica.kirby@pointonemedia.com www.sheetmetaljournal.com • Winter 2015

19

ENGINEER'S DESK RADIAL FLOW AIR DIFFUSERS

Unlike typical office spaces where diffusers are spaced to promote even mixing and a uniform temperature profile throughout the room, laboratories need to supply large volumes of air at low velocities to disperse impurities and make up for exhaust air volumes without interfering with fume hood function. The airflow pattern is designed to produce a uniform pattern to prevent dead spots where contaminants can linger.

Projecting into the space is necessary for the high degree of control offered by this configuration.

The most serious application problem to be considered is a high sensitivity to inlet conditions. These diffusers employ a deep back pan and internal baffles to minimize this effect. Also the radial face allows for a true radial pattern. This is required if entrainment is to be avoided. In the past, all available flush types of diffusers have a multi-jet, rather than a radial displacement pattern. This results in induction, potential contaminant injection, and uneven room air velocities and temperatures.

All diffusers (including radial flow diffusers) have operational limitations. Radial flow diffusers are limited in terms of room-diffuser delta-T and max/min air flow rates. The radial flow diffuser with the curved blades and round shape has the broadest range of performance in terms of both flow and

by / Norm Grusnick

delta-T and its ability to maintain a radial flow pattern over a range of flows. Flush face designs are often more limited due to the compromises made in attempting to achieve radial flow from a flat surface.

RadiaTec in Laboratory Application End View

VERTICAL THROW (FT)

HORIZONTAL SPREAD (FT)

Business Manager & F.S.T. Assistant Business Manager

James Paquette Dan Burroughs

Business Representative

Greg Mooney

Business Representative

Ken Elworthy

6188 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC V5J 1H5 Phone 604-430-3388 or 1-800-242-8645 Fax: 604-431-1864 Email: agents@smw280.org 20

Sheet Metal Journal

The interaction of supply and induced airflows at the surface of a perforated metal face is very complex. A jet of air emerging from a hole in a flat surface tends to entrain air from the surrounding space. Once the jet becomes even slightly less than perpendicular to the surface, it tends to follow along the surface. This is due to the fact that any small orifice jet has negative static pressure. When near a surface, it tends to adhere to that surface. The radial flow diffuser maintains many jets, all perpendicular to the curved surface.

Why is radial flow important? Again, the goal is to minimize induction. When there is induction, the jet entrains contaminants from surrounding areas and changes in temperature. A true radial pattern will have nearly constant temperatures and will not contain any particles from surrounding spaces.

In conclusion, the radial flow diffuser offers the least compromise, most stable air delivery, and lowest entrained contaminants of any design assuring optimal performance for laboratories with VAV hoods and other critical environments.

The radial flow ceiling diffuser system allows greater flexibility during installation by being the least sensitive design to inlet conditions. 

CONTRACTOR ADVICE STRATEGIC THINKING SAVES THE DAY Clemson professor Dennis Bausman reported in an NCS Radio interview that contractors with a strategic plan were 35 percent more profitable than those without one. Despite that fact, he found that 25 percent of contractors doing more than $50 million in volume a year did not have a strategic plan.

(To listen to the entire interview go to http://ow.ly/t5MUO.) Just as important as having a strategic plan is having the right one. Unfortunately, contractors’ poor strategic planning has contributed to an industry that has consistently underperformed financially. For example, in 2007 the Construction Financial Management Association reported that the average after-tax profit margin for contractors was 1.8 percent compared to 5.5 percent for other industries. In 2006 Ken Simonson, AGC’s chief economist, reported that 40 percent of contractors didn’t make a profit and that the construction industry had the second highest failure and bankruptcy rates of all industries.

These two years are significant because they were in the midst of a construction boom.

Based on the evidence, too many contractors don’t have a good strategic plan. The result is they end up fighting over price. Sun Tzu wrote in the Art of War, “Those skilled in war subdue the enemy’s army without fighting. Their aim must be to take all under heaven intact through strategic superiority.”

So if you are forced to compete on price, then it might be a safe assumption you don’t have a superior strategy.

For contractors to create a superior strategy that allows them to compete profitably in the today’s hyper-competitive construction industry, they must learn how to outthink their competitors instead of attempting to outmuscle them in a price war. Contractors must understand that to reach their financial potential, they must compete on value instead of price regardless of the delivery method. Of course there are more opportunities to compete on value in a negotiated environment, but even in the design-bid-build arena, contractors can learn how to outthink their competitors to compete on value.

Design-bid-build contractors must develop a strategy that allows them to deliver a product at a lower cost, not simply a lower price. When contractors can lower their costs, they are able to lower their prices without lowering their profit margins. Unfortunately too many contractors merely lower the price without lowering the cost to win the bid. This strategy has resulted in declining profit margins for the entire industry.

However, contractors that develop a superior strategy are able to make profit margins above the industry average and sometimes even significantly above the average.

by / Ted Garrison

The question then becomes: How does a contractor create a superior strategy?

It requires strategic thinking because otherwise our strategic plans tend to be a retread of an early plan.

Think of the old saw regarding the definition of insanity: “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

In the book “Strategic Thinking,” I defined strategic thinking as follows: “Strategic thinking is an intensified exploration of strategy from new directions that create new concepts. It’s a thinking process, an exploration process, and a discovery process.”

Strategic thinking is not just used to develop a company’s strategic plan. It also enables contractor to better plan their projects and solve problems. A mechanical contractor who used strategic thinking to revise its business plan was able to increase its profit margin by four percent. An electrical contractor used it to improve its project planning, and that resulted in a 30 percent reduction in labour costs. How can you afford not to improve your strategic thinking?

Effective strategic thinking offers much more: • It enables everyone in the company to not only understand the company’s current strategy but also to buy into it.

• It makes the company more flexible and responsive to the rapidly changing market conditions.

• It helps to inspire people to take initiative and respond in an empowered manner.

• It creates an environment where it’s easier to hold on to key people after investing time and money in their development.

• It helps develop your future leaders, so they will be available when you need them.

However, for a strategic thinking initiative to consistently produce outstanding results, a system is required. In my book, I explore a five-step system that when followed can produce outstanding results:

Continued on page 23 www.sheetmetaljournal.com • Winter 2015

21

IT'S THE LAW EXTRA WORK: A CAUTIONARY TALE If parties to a fixed-price contract have agreed that extra work will be performed but fail to agree on the terms for payment, the Court will likely impose a “reasonable” price for the work.

As this recent BC Supreme Court case demonstrates, this can vastly reduce the amount that a construction company would otherwise be entitled to for extra work if they had followed a proper change order procedure. by /Ian Moes and Amelia Cline Kuhn & Company

Facts

Hugh’s Contracting Ltd. (“HCL”) won the bid to restore Ms. Stevens’ home after it was damaged by a fire. The contract was a fixed-price contract for a total amount of approximately $434,000, which would be paid by Ms. Steven’s insurance company. However, HCL and Ms. Stevens agreed that some extra renovation work would be done by HCL, beyond the scope of what was contained in the contract. This extra work would be paid for by Ms. Stevens.

HCL and Ms. Stevens included a clause in the contract that provided that no changes to the work would be made without a written change order signed by both parties. However, nearly all of Ms. Steven’s numerous requests for changes over the course of the project were only agreed to verbally.

A dispute arose between HCL and Ms. Stevens when HCL provided her with an invoice for extra work totaling approximately $168,000. Most of the charges on the invoice had not been previously discussed or agreed to. Although she disputed the invoice, Ms. Stevens paid HCL $110,000 because she was concerned the company would not otherwise continue with the work.

When Ms. Stevens refused to pay the outstanding balance, HCL refused to continue the work and removed all of the materials from the project site. They sued for the balance and Ms. Stevens counterclaimed for breach of contract.

Issue

How much did Ms. Stevens owe HCL for the extra work performed?

Court Decision

The Court found that while the parties both contemplated that there would be renovation work done on the project that was in addition to the restoration work, the parties never came to an agreement about the scope or cost of that additional work.

Rather than following the change order procedure contained in the contract, the extras were carried out essentially on an ad hoc basis.

As a result, the Court ruled that the costs of the extras were to be assessed on a quantum meruit basis. Quantum meruit,

22

Sheet Metal Journal

as the Court stated, is a principle of contract interpretation which holds that if the parties to a valid contract have failed to provide for the terms of payment, they may be presumed to have intended that a reasonable price would be paid. The Court then decides what a “reasonable” price should be, based on the circumstances.

In this case, what the Court decided was a reasonable price for the extras was dramatically lower than what HCL had claimed for. HCL claimed that a balance was outstanding of $231,000, factoring in the original contract price plus the extras, less the amount paid by the insurance company. The Court went through each element of the claim, and ultimately ruled that HCL was entitled to $126,000 in uninsured costs.

However, this amount was further offset by Ms. Steven’s previous payment of $110,000 to HCL, leaving a balance of $16,000. Adding insult to injury, Ms. Stevens had counterclaimed for damages for HCL’s breach of the contract.

The Court found in her favour, and ruled that she was entitled to judgment in the amount of $25,000. As a result, HCL was left owing Ms. Stevens nearly $10,000.

Lessons Learned

This case is a cautionary tale for contractors, and highlights the issues that can arise when they fail to communicate with homeowners and to properly document any extra work undertaken on a fixed-price contract. In order to avoid these unfortunate circumstances, the best practice is not only to have a procedure for written change orders built into the contract, but to actually use it, and to stipulate the scope and cost of the extra work.  This article was written by Ian C. Moes, a lawyer, and Amelia Cline, a law student, who practice in construction law with the law firm of Kuhn LLP. This article is only intended as a guide and cannot cover every situation. It is important to get legal advice for specific situations. If you have any questions or comments about this case or other construction law matters, please contact us at 604.864.8877.

ADVERTISER INDEX INDUSTRY NEWS

Continued from page 6

equipment efficiency tables, ENERGYSTAR references and continuous air-barrier requirements.

• Energy Performance, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Renewables: Changes and clarifications are included to reflect changes to Standard 90.1. Carbon dioxide emission factors for different energy sources are updated.

• Indoor Environmental Quality: Lighting quality is added to the scope of this section, and requirements are added for lighting controls in specific space types. Requirements for air sealing of filtration and air-cleaning equipment are clarified, and new requirements for preoccupancy ventilation and building envelope moisture management are added.

• Site Sustainability: All site requirements are now mandatory, with prescriptive and performance options moved to the mandatory requirements. Requirements for stormwater management are enhanced, and new requirements added for bicycle parking and for preferred parking for low-emission, hybrid and electric vehicles.

New requirements are added for predesign assessment of native and invasive plants.

• Water: More stringent water use requirements are included for toilets, clothes washers, dishwashers and green roofs.

• Building Impacts on the Atmosphere, Materials, and Resources: Requirements are updated for areas to store and collect recyclables, including batteries and electronics.

Requirements also are updated for construction waste management and for life-cycle assessment. New requirements are added for multiple-attribute product declaration or certification and for maximum mercury content levels of certain types of electric lamps.

• Construction and Plans for Operation: Requirements related to environmental impacts associated with idling

construction vehicles are updated. New requirements are added to reduce the entry of airborne contaminants associated with construction areas.

More information can be found at www.ashrae.org/news. 

CONTRACTOR ADVICE

Continued from page 21

1. Get the right people involved. Jim Collins refers to this as getting the right people on the bus in the right seats.

2.

Define the problem. Neglecting to clearly define the problem is the number one reason for project failure and lack of success.

3. Develop possible solutions. One should develop as many possible solutions as one can come up with to ensure the best solution is uncovered. A common mistake is to stop searching for solutions as soon as one possible solution is revealed. Of course, if it were that easy, it would already have been solved.

4. Identify the right solution. Once all the possible solutions have been identified, then the various ideas can be examined to determine the one with the greatest potential.

5. Execute the strategy. If the idea is not put into action, nothing is accomplished.

If you want to learn how you or your organization can improve your strategic thinking, read “Strategic Thinking” by Ted Garrison. The book’s executive summary is available for free, and you may order and download the book at: http://ow.ly/ sLi8i.  Ted Garrison, president of New Construction Strategies, is a catalyst for change. As a consultant, author, speaker, and radio host, he provides breakthrough strategies for the construction industry by focusing on critical issues in leadership, project management, strategic thinking, strategic alliances, and marketing. He can be reached at 800.861.0874 or by email at Speaking@TedGarrison.com. For further information see his web page at www.TedGarrison.com.

advertiser index advertiser

page

phone

101 Industries Ltd.

4

877.632.6859

www.101industries.com

Cascadia Metals

11

604.946.3890

www.cmetals.com

Crossroads C&I Distributors

13

800.663.6595

www.crossroadsci.com

ECCO Supply

14

604.530.9755

www.eccosupply.ca

FastEst Inc.

10

800.828.7108

www.fastest-inc.com

Sheet Metal Workers Training Centre Society

17

604.882.7680

www.smwtcs.ca

16, 20

604.430.3388

www.smw280.org

IFC, 05, 16

604.585.4641

www.smacna-bc.org

The HVAC Warehouse

18

888.927.6247

www.thehvacwarehouse.com

Winroc / SPI

10

604.430.3044

www.winrocspi.com

Sheet Metal Workers Int’l Local 280 SMACNA-BC

website

www.sheetmetaljournal.com • Winter 2015

23

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Offi Recor cial Jour na d for SMA l of CNA -BC

ER BANN NG SOCIAL RTISI E V D A MEDIA

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