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Serving the wall & ceiling industry since 1953 • www.wallandceiling.ca • October / November 2015
Understanding Your Client
TO SELL VALUE Also in this issue:
View from the Top: Skilled Trades Career Report Negates Public Perception Innovative Wall Systems Regional Profile: BC’s North
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Serving the wall & ceiling industry since 1953 • www.wallandceiling.ca • October / November 2015
Understanding Your Client
TO SELL VALUE Also in this issue:
View from the Top: Skilled Trades Career Report Negates Public Perception Innovative Wall Systems Regional Profile: BC’s North
Publications Mail / Agreement # 40719512
The Trowel team Lara Perraton, Group Publisher lperraton@pointonemedia.com
Photo courtesy of Sto Corp.
Jessica Kirby, Editor 877.755.2762 • jessica.kirby@pointonemedia.com Lara Perraton, Advertising Sales 877.755.2762 • lperraton@pointonemedia.com
CONTENTS • october / november 2015
Christina Tranberg, Advertising Sales 877.755.2762 • ctranberg@pointonemedia.com
contributing writers Anne Cochrane Ron Coleman Andew Delmonico Ted Garrison Karin Gregory Justine Shaffer
cover photo
photo by a.dombrowski (Flickr: Industrial) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
06 Understanding Your Client to Sell Value
Whoever said “price is king” is leaving value in the dust.
10 View from the Top: Skilled Trades Career Report
Negates Public Perception
Seven hundred contractors Canada-wide say construction jobs are nothing like what people think.
12 Change of Face: Innovative Wall Systems Published bi-monthly by Point One Media, Inc. The Trowel P.O. Box 11, Station A Nanaimo, BC V9R 5K4 t: 877.755.2762 • www.wallandceiling.ca
Major projects take on a new face with innovations in product development.
16 Regional Profile: BC’s North
Northern BC is anything but typical when it comes to construction today and for the future.
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. 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.
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In the next issue: Construction Outlook • Wall and Ceiling Trends • Business Makeover
Out with the Old, In with Change By the time you read this, most Canadians will be recovered from their election hangovers—all, of course, except in-coming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is only getting started. Sweeping a majority government with 184 seats, or nearly 40 per cent of the vote, our 23rd, second youngest ever, and first family successor prime minister promises change. Real change. But what does that mean for the construction industry The Liberal platform was based on economic investment into growing Canada's future, starting with running a deficit to jumpstart economic growth, doubling infrastructure spending, strengthening labour laws, and creating thousands of good-paying jobs. Trudeau’s campaign touched on tax breaks and support for the middle class, investment in science and research, greener buildings and communities, and a highly-focused and restructured New Building Canada Fund. Over the course of the campaign, Trudeau promised $125 billion for infrastructure over the next decade, divided among public transit, wastewater, green building and communities, and other initiatives. Moving forward means running a $10-billion deficit for the first three years, and catching up to balance the books in 2019. Part of the proposal is developing the Infrastructure Bank, which will allow provinces and municipalities to borrow for infrastructure project at an advantageous rate. On the topic of skilled labour, Trudeau said, “immigration is part of the economy,” but also made important commitments to help Canadians improve their skills and credentials. He promised $500 million more each year in provincial and territorial Labour 4 » The Trowel
Market Development Agreements to help those collecting Employment Insurance; an additional $200 million to assist those ineligible for EI or currently unemployed, and $50 million to renew and expand funding to the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy. Energy producers may have a rougher ride under the new PM with Liberal support for some pipelines (Keystone and Trans Mountain) and complete opposition to others (Northern Gateway). Calgary's Chamber of Commerce director of policy Justin Smith told the Calgary Herald he and his membership were still a little unclear on how the new government intends to move forward on this issue. “That’s the big question mark hanging over the results of this election,” said Smith. “The Liberals were clear about pointing to Stephen Harper and the Conservatives’ (inability) to expand pipeline infrastructure and develop all of our resources environmentally in a responsible way. It’s not clear to me, or our membership what the Liberal plan is to advance that, whether it’s environmental concerns, safety concerns, or Aboriginal engagement concerns. There’s no clearn policy path forward on how the Liberals are going to do any better with these questions than the Conservatives did.” And then there's the issue of taxes, which always seems like a catch 22 when you look at Canada's big picture. Do we stimulate investment with low corporate taxes or take care of the lowest tax brackets with cuts and programs? Something in between? No change at all? Under Trudeau, the middle earners (annual income = $45,000-89,000) are looking at the biggest break (down two percentage points for a 20 per cent reduction), and top earners ($200,000+)
By Jessica Kirby, Editor will watch their taxes climb from 29 percent to 33 percent. The change means effective tax rates, including the provinces' shares, between 43 and 58.75 per cent for high income earners. New Brunswick would top the charts with Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Ontario following close behind with tax rates at higher than 50 percent for top earners. Probably the most profound impact on the construction industry in Canada will be the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal between 12 Pacific Rim countries, reached October 5. Watch the next issue of The Trowel for the nuts and bolts of this agreement's potential impact on Canada, but suffice it to say, with $28.5 trillion in combined GDPs and 800 million people's economic futures on the line, times they are a' changin'. Of course, until the new PM gets his game rolling it is all a cloud of glory, bursting with potential and promises. Regardless of one's political alignment, no one can argue JT's approach is fresh and intriguing. (Just the day after the election he was wandering around a subway station in Montreal shaking hands and posing for selfies.) Whether he can pull it all off remains to be seen, but there is no doubt, Canada's new PM will bring optimism, ambition, and possibility to the Canadian construction industry. And that amounts to change, of course. Hopefully, real change. Share your thoughts, questions, cheers, and disgruntlement at jessica.kirby@ pointonemedia.com. ■
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UNDERSTANDING YOUR CLIENT TO SELL VALUE
By / Ted Garrison I often hear frustrated contractors complaining that all customers care about is price. Unfortunately, when contractors talk with prospects, that is often the impression the prospect gives, despite the fact that it is not their only concern and often not even their most important concern. Of course, price is always important, but there are other factors to price than the bid figure. Oticon, a hearing aid manufacturer, had surveys that indicated nearly 80 percent of the hearing impaired population, despite recommendations from their doctors, did not wear a hearing aid and gave cost as the primary factor. While
Fifty-six percent of consumers will buy based on price or value ... It is the contractor’s responsibility to demonstrate the value it provides to justify any additional cost. the obvious solution appeared to be to create a hearing aid that costs less, Oticon was not convinced. Further study indicated that the reason people didn’t like wearing hearing aids is it made them feel flawed and stigmatized. The idea of a smaller hearing aid didn’t have an appeal either because it reinforced the flawed concept because the hearing aid had to be hidden. Oticon took a different approach and designed large yet fashionable hearing aids with bright colours and patterns. When people wore these, friends often mistook the hearing aids for Bluetooth headsets. When the Oticon got to the source of the resistance, they were able to overcome it. The idea that consumers only care about price is simply not true. Studies have found while about 27 percent of consumers do focus on price almost exclusively, the remainder do not. In fact, 17 percent only focus on value. The remaining 56 percent will buy based on price or value. The key is they buy on price when they don’t understand the value proposition. In construction, if the client perceives two contractors are equal, it makes sense to take the lowest price because it offers the best value. The problem is typically the two contractors are not equal. Therefore, it is the contractor’s responsibility to demonstrate the value it provides to justify any additional cost. A homeowner wanted to install a new driveway at his house, so he decided to obtain three quotes. The first two contractors assumed the bid price was the most important factor, so they tightened their number down and offered as little as possible to keep their bid price down. The third paving
contractor employed a value approach. After the prospect had explained what he wanted, the contractor stated he had a few questions. The first question was, “Would you like
to crown the driveway?” That way, he explained, as soon as it stops raining there will not be any water on your driveway, so your kids can go outside and play as soon as the rain stops. The homeowner liked that idea.
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wallandceiling.ca » October / November 2015 » 7
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Understanding Your Client to Sell Value
Contractor three had the highest price, but he got the job ... maybe the other contractors would have provided the features the third contractor highlighted, but we will never know. The contractor then pointed out to the homeowner that his neighbours’ driveways had bare dirt spots right next to the driveways where they met the road. So he asked the homeowner, would you like us to flair the driveway at the edge of the road and eliminate that unsightly condition? Again, the homeowner liked that idea. In the end, contractor three had the highest price, but he got the job. In essence, contractor three gave the homeowner a reason to select him over the other contractors besides price. Who knows, maybe the other contractors would have provided the features the third contractor highlighted, but we will never know. When I had to purchase a new air conditioner for my house, I got three prices. Two contractors only provided a price. The third contractor sat down with me and quizzed me about my concerns. He then addressed each of those concerns. One thing he did was provide data on the equipment he was proposing to install that showed what kind of operational savings we could expect to receive. He emphasized the little extra upfront cost was handsomely paid back in operational efficiency. In the end, I felt more comfortable using the third contractor despite the fact he wasn’t the lowest bidder. There is a flooring company in Wilmington that has a sign on the side of its trucks that says, “We are the most 8 » The Trowel
expensive in town.” The implication is he provides superior value. It works for him, and he has all the business he can handle. He is probably catering to the 17 per cent that only cares about value. For contractors to capture the 56 percent that consider both price and value, the contractor needs to understand what is important to the prospect and give the prospect valuable reasons to select its value over a lower price. The key is, the contractor must make the value proposition very clear using dominant proof. This is critical because the prospect typically will not admit he doesn’t understand. If he doesn’t understand the value proposition, he will most likely select the lower price. Dominant proof is evidence that everyone can understand, and there is no question about its accuracy. It is easy to understand why contractors believe prospects only care about price. Typically, no one sees the 17 percent value-based customers because they already have their contractor and don’t go out for bids. Obviously, there is the 27 percent that only cares about price. However, if the contractor doesn’t do its job explaining its value proposition, the 56 percent group will far too often buy based on price. In contrast, when the contractor gains the 56 percent group and combines it with the 17 percent that always buys based on value, you have 73 percent of consumers buying based on value. If the contractor wants to avoid competing on price, he must understand what is important to the prospect and then provide a value proposition that addresses those needs or desires. ■
Are you working on an interesting or challenging project? Tell us about it. Contact our editor, Jessica Kirby, at jkirby@pointonemedia.com or by phone at 250.816.3671.
FIVE TIPS FOR BIDDING PROFITABLE JOBS 1. Written marketing and sales plan. If you plan it, you create it. Write down sales and profit goals, customer targets, project types and sizes, and how you’ll back it up with a marketingbudget that amounts to 2 4 percent of your volume. 2. B ecome and Expert. Companies that are the best at what they do, do the best in that nicheor area of expertise. Good at certain project types? Difficult jobs? Fast track or Design build? Focus your energy there. 3. B e at the Right Place and the Right Time. Estimators do more than throw prices around. Spend time with clients, and visit your top 20 at least every two months. While you’re there, consider talking about your referral program. (You have one, right?) 4. G ive Back. Leaders are seen everywhere, all the time. Get involved with your association, sit on boards of affiliated organizations, and sponsor events in the community. The more they see you, the more your brand name becomes warmly familiar. 5. Innovate. Being on the cutting edge of innovation in your field makes it that much easier to pitch value and justify your prices. Use the latest and greatest and be excited about change. Your clients will be, too.
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View from the Top
by / Jessica Kirby
Skilled Trades Career Report Negates Public Perception A national report from the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF-FCA) suggests youth and parent perceptions that skilled trades offer limited career opportunities are inaccurate; in fact, its premise, based in interviews with 754 certified journeypersons, says the opposite is true. The report, titled, “The Benefits of a Skilled Trades Career: Journeyperson Perspectives and Experiences,” reflects the thoughts and experiences of journeypersons from across Canada, and sheds light on career progression in the trades. Good pay, interesting full-time work, and the job satisfaction associated with building or creating something are among the top benefits reported in a national survey by tradespeople at various stages of their careers. For instance, half of the respondents reported earning $80,000 or more annually. “In recent surveys to gauge parent and youth understanding of the skilled trades, we were disappointed with the perception that skilled trades careers are ‘dead end jobs,’” said Sarah Watts-Rynard, CAF-FCA’s executive director. “This study reflects a much different reality, one of broad opportunity both in the trades and in related occupations.
“Tradespeople often transition into different fields, including teaching, training, management, and business ownership,” she said. “We need to share that story with young people.” In the Lower Mainland, perceptions about skilled trade careers are similar, but the Industry Training Authority (ITA) and highschools are working hard to change these ideas. Leesa Matwick, executive director for the BC Wall and Ceiling Association (BCWCA), said lucky for this region, the construction industry is quite busy, providing a firsthand look at the importance of an opportunities for skilled tradespeople. “The obvious need for skilled trades workers is apparent,” she said, “in addition to the constant reminders that government advertising has put forward.” As far as the BCWCA is concerned, training programs are not entry level opportunities, meaning the association relies exclusively on contractors to provide current workers as apprentices for its programs. “As these contractors struggle to attract workers, this dominoes over to us, and the lack of apprentices we have to train and retrain,” said Matwick. “We are certainly not meeting the capacity of our programs in terms of apprentices per year trained.” As far as career benefits for the wall and ceiling industry, those mentioned in the national survey apply, along with opportunities to run jobs and be involved at a higher level.
“Once employees get their training, the rewards are there,” said Matwick. “Many have learned enough to carry on and open their own businesses as well.” There are university graduates working as baristas in coffee shops, struggling to find work in the field they just spent four years going to school for, said Matwick. “Skilled tradespersons, on the other hand, can begin working immediately while becoming apprentices in their chosen trade.” “Earning-while-Learning” is a very attractive option for many people, she added, noting having a career as a tradesperson is becoming recognized as a positive option. “Industry can help shift the perception by hiring young people and encouraging them to become apprentices and to go trades training schools with the goal of achieving a Red Seal,” said Matwick. The majority of journeyperson respondents in the CAF-FCA report said their Red Seal endorsement made them more employable and enhanced their labour mobility. “Industry can also help by encouraging a well-rounded and educated workforce, where quality workmanship and a high skill set, in all aspects of the trade, are recognized and rewarded,” said Matwick. One survey respondent said his skilled trades career has brought him “massive adventure.”
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“I bought my first house at 21 and had a successful business by 24,” he said. “I travelled around the world, became a professor by age 30... [all while] my university buddies were still eating Kraft Dinner.” Another respondent said trades training can actually provide components of education that academic programs often miss. “I would question the notion that front-end programs, like degrees and diplomas, are equivalent or superior to an apprenticeship as they often lack the most critical component—social interaction in the context of the workplace,” he said. “No one ever learned how to be a senior executive at school. They learned it at work.” According to CAF-FCA, many respondents also reported becoming mentors themselves, expressing satisfaction in becoming leaders who promote a positive work environment, model good safety practices, and facilitate team collaboration. These findings will support conversations with youth, parents, and educators, and be included in future updates to CAFFCA’s career awareness resources, said the organization. ■
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wallandceiling.ca » Octobr / November 2015 » 11
Change of Face:
Innovative Wall Systems Challenge Conventional Building Methods and Give Projects a Brand New Image by / Jessica Kirby
Photo courtesy of Aerolon.
TripAdvisor Global Headquarters Visionary in Fluid-applied Thermal Break A fluid-applied, high-build coating containing aerogel technology as an insulating additive, is making its mark as a thermal break, according to Andy Hoffman, Tnemec market support manager, Industrial Market. When applied to structural steel members as a thermal break, Tnemec Series 971 Aerolon Acrylic insulating coating prevents condensation from occurring in the wall cavity. “The thermal properties of Aerolon reduce condensation caused by the difference in the temperature between the two sides of the wall space by insulating the substrate’s surface and keeping it above the dew point,” Hoffman explained. “It is a simple solution that provides condensation control while being cost effective when compared to thermal pads that require a physical break in the steel beam.” The use of Aerolon as a fluid-applied thermal break represents a new innovation for the construction industry and the coating is already being specified in dozens of architectural applications, such as high-rise apartment and office buildings, airport terminals, museums, and sports facilities. TripAdvisor went first class with its new 280,000-square-foot global headquarters in Needham, Massachusetts—its new building features a sustainable building design and the use of
innovative technologies, including the new thermal insulating coating from Tnemec. “This coating is ideal for insulating structural steel in architectural applications,” explained Greg Pope of Righter Group, Inc. “It provides similar protection to conventional thermal break pads plus reduces the effects of condensation in wall cavities.” A single coat of Series 971 was spray-applied at 40-50 mils dry film thickness (DFT) on structural steel at building penetrations. The coating was shop-applied by the fabricator over a prime coat of Series 394 PerimePrime, a specially formulated, one-component micaceous iron oxide and zincfilled aromatic polyurethane coating. Since the steel members were enclosed within the building’s wall cavities, a topcoat was not required. The six-story headquarters building is designed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification and includes amenities such as an employee fitness center, cafeteria, meeting areas, and a 1,100-space parking garage.
“The use of Aerolon Acrylic as a thermal shield represents a new concept for the construction industry,” Pope added. “This insulating coating material is an efficient way of mimicking thermal bridging for structural and architectural applications.” Founded in 2000, TripAdvisor-branded travel sites operate in 34 countries worldwide, including China, as well as a dedicated division for business. With space for 1,500 employees, the $85 million headquarters will accommodate the company’s engineering, marketing, sales, and management operations. The effectiveness of Series 971 as a thermal break in controlling the condensation effect has been confirmed in thermal modelling conducted by Morrison Hershfield engineering consultants, and by Cabot Corporation. Tnemec has also created an educational course that discusses the use of fluid-applied coatings to minimize thermal bridging in both new and existing buildings.
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Innovative Walls
Photo courtesy of Sto Corp.
Historic Algonquin Resort Restoration Project: The Algonquin Resort Contractor: FundyPros Architect: Architects Four Limited Exterior Product: StoTherm ci Lotusan Built in 1889, The Algonquin Resort opened in Canada’s first seaside resort town, St. Andrews, New Brunswick. The resort was originally called the Canadian Pacific Railroad Hotel, and has seen a lot of changes over the years, with the most recent a more than $30 million renovation project, reopening as the first Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel in Canada. Sto Canada, and specifically its StoTherm ci Lotusan, formerly known as StoTherm Lotusan NExT® system, was a large part of the exterior renovation, keeping the beautiful red-roofed, Tudor-style exterior, and updating it with a highperformance, energy efficient wall cladding. According to a Sto representative in Canada, the Algonquin Resort was a solid concrete building with no insulation. It had an inch-and-one-half-thick stucco and several other issues, including inch-and-one-half holes to fill in on the original boards. Compound that with cold, damp, miserable weather for part of the year, and that creates all sorts of problems. Fortunately, the folks at FundyPros, a contractor in New Brunswick known for its EIFS work, received a call from the architectural firm, Architects Four Limited, and FundyPros knew just who to call to help preserve the beautiful architectural design. 14 » The Trowel
Mario Allain, president of FundyPros and Freddy Williams, project supervisor and EIFS installer for 27 years and counting, called on Sto Canada, and its representatives created mock-ups, which were presented to the hotel. It was an easy sell, according to Allain, as the customer wanted to insulate the building and the Lotusan finish was also a great selling feature to keep the historic hotel looking good and clean for years to come.
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Š Can Stock Photo Inc. / jiriphotography
Regional Profile: BC’s North
By / Jessica Kirby
All things considered, Northern BC is a labour market beast of its own, with some of the largest industrial and commercial projects in the province scattered among the most sporadic populations in the same area.
The North Coast and Nechako area is expected to introduce 20,100 job openings between now and 2022, with top five career areas open for expansion being construction related: heavy equipment operators; plumbers, pipe fitters, and gas fitters; masonry and plaster trades; other construction trades; and, contractors, supervisors, industrial, electrical, and construction trades, and related workers.
Construction is clearly the fasted-growing industry in this region. The Northeast Region reports similar growth numbers— 18,400 job openings are expected to open up over the same forecast region, with 41 per cent of those representing work expansion and 59 per cent of jobs replacing retired workers. Oil and gas expansion is the number one driver of this growth, with ancillary community developments – housing, commercial buildings, institutional facilities – supporting exemplary indirect growth. Construction trades, carpenters, and cabinet makers represent the top earners and employment growth in the Northeast region, with crane operators, drillers, and blasters, and service/hospitality-related professions coming in second and third for growth.
Northeast / North Coast – Nechako at a Glance: • The region is one of the smallest by employment, accounting for less than two per cent of the employment in B.C.
Cutbanks on the Nechako River. Photo by RadRafe (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
• The unemployment rate is close to the provincial average. • The population is younger compared to the B.C. Overall. • Labour force participation is higher than that of the province overall.
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The biggest item on the labour docket in Northern BC is liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the proposed projects currently under consideration. Although smaller projects are currently functioning, the five largest projects are still in waiting, promising $175 billion in total sector investment.
• Design and construction efficiency • Cost savings • Schedule savings • Licensed in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario, Canada as well as in all 50 United States • BIM Services
LNG workforce projects indicate the main constructionrelated timeframe between 2014 and 2023, with 100,000 jobs created between 2015 and 2023, and two peak periods occurring in 2018 and 2022.
For more information: Riley Mahaffey, P.E. Call 208.342.7168 Lochsa Engineering www.lochsa.com riley@lochsaidaho.com Strength by Performance. Quality by Design.
wallandceiling.ca » Octobr / November 2015 » 17
■
Regional Profile: BC’s North
© Can Stock Photo Inc. / akiyoko
LNG Indirect and Direct Construction Workforce Demand 2014-2013 YEAR 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
DIRECT 0 3,300 11,400 22,600 31,700 27,000 23,900 29,500
INDIRECT 0 4,500 12,300 20,200 27,000 21,700 24,600 25,400
TOTAL 0 7,900 23,800 42,800 58,700 48,800 48,500 54,900
29,900 20,100
26,300 8,100
56,200 28,200
Mining in the North
Northern BC is key to the future on mining in the province with approximately one thurd major mine projects currently in the design or environmental assessment (EA) stages. In 2014, nearly half the money spent on exploration in BC went to the north, and proposed developments promise the induction of thousands of jobs and billions in investment to this region. There are ten major metal mines operating in BC and two are in the Northwest: Huckberry copper-molybdenum, Yellow Giant, and Red Chris; and, other are under development, including Avanti’s Kitsault molybdenum, Seabridge’s KSM gold, Pretivm Resource’s Brucejack, JDS Silver’s Silvertip, and more than 30 others currently in various stages of review and assessment. ■
Courtesy of 2022 Labour Market Outlook
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feature FOCUS PREFABRICATED INSULATED WALL SYSTEMS The future of wall innovation Fastwalls is revolutionizing job site productivity and schedule savings with superior, prefabricated wall systems that offer the added capacity to include specialized insulation packages. The systems are manufactured offsite and are then delivered ready for installation. Choosing to prefabricate exterior steel stud walls offsite will decrease waste, cut workforce requirements, reduce the project schedule, and improve safety. Fastwalls prefabricated systems include bypass framing, infill framing, loadbearing, bulkheads, soffits, and much more. The possibilities are endless as the company continues to develop and expand its product range to meet the growing construction demands for innovative and cost-effective products.
Z-girts, and polyiso insulation. The panels were then shipped to site and installation was completed in two weeks. Using this type of wall system paired with an insulation package allowed the exterior of the building to be closed in quickly, which provides significant schedule savings. The Fastwalls team is dedicated to providing continuous innovation in developing construction methods, efficiencies, and safety standards. With over 25 years in the construction industry, Fastwalls has the resources and knowledge to analyze and deliver a more efficient way to build. ■
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feature FOCUS BULLNOSE CORNERS ARE EASY AND BEAUTIFUL WITH FLANNERY STEEL With an increase in housing starts, Flannery has naturally seen an uptick in steel trim sales, since many of them are for residential construction. The ever-popular rounded drywall corner, also known as the “bullnose,” has continued to surge in residential construction as it did before the industry slowdown. While there are a few different options of bullnose, such as paper faced or vinyl, none of these choices measure up to the durability and cost effectiveness of steel bullnose. Flannery manufactures three different types of steel bullnose corners including the traditional Short Flange Bullnose, Wide Flange Bullnose, and Expanded Flange Bullnose, exclusively manufactured by Flannery. Flannery’s Short Flange Bullnose has a typical 5/8” nailing flange, reducing the amount of steel utilized. The Wide Flange Bullnose is the most popular choice for installers due to its larger fastening surface. Flannery’s Expanded Flange Bullnose has special taping holes on the flange to allow for greater mud adhesion to the drywall through the steel corner. In addition to Bullnose corners, Flannery also offers several other steel products, including its
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original product Fast Mask, which got Flannery started 40 years ago. Fast Mask’s “tear-away” masking flange eliminates the daunting task of having to apply tape around the abutting surface of the drywall to protect it during the installation process. Once the mud has been sanded, the installer simply pulls the masking strip away from the L metal of the Fast Mask leaving a clean and even edge. Even today, there is nothing on the market that measures up to this revolutionary product that has saved installers so much time and money.
imitate the aforementioned products but none have achieved the same overall benefits that our steel products have. Flannery has perfected the Bullnose Corner Trims and Fast Mask throughout the years by keeping three things in mind: ease for the installer, job longevity, and overall aesthetics of the project. To view all of our Steel product offerings please visit http:// flannerytrim.com/catalog/steel or call us at (818) 837-7585. ■
Several companies have tried to
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building SCIENCE CARBON DIOXIDE-NEUTRAL CEMENT PRODUCTION Concrete surrounds us in our cities and stretches across the land in a vast network of highways. It’s so ubiquitous that most of us take it for granted, but many aren’t aware that concrete’s key ingredient, ordinary Portland cement, is a major producer of greenhouse gases. Each year, manufacturers produce around five billion tons of Portland cement—the grey powder that mixes with water to form the “glue” that holds concrete together. That’s nearly threequarters of a ton for every person on Earth. For every ton of cement produced, the process creates approximately a ton of carbon dioxide, all of which accounts for roughly seven percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. And with demand increasing every year – especially in the developing world, which uses much more Portland cement than the US does – scientists are determined to lessen the growing environmental impact of Portland cement production. One of those scientists is Gaurav Sant of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, who recently completed research that could eventually lead to methods of cement production that give off no carbon dioxide, the gas that composes 82 percent of greenhouse gases. Sant, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and UCLA’s Edward K. and Linda L. Rice professor of materials science, found carbon dioxide released during cement manufacture could be captured and reused. The study is published in the journal Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research. “The reason we have been able to sustain global development has been our ability to produce Portland cement at the volumes we have, and we will need to continue to do so,” Sant said. “But the carbon dioxide released into
the atmosphere creates significant environmental stress. So it raises the question of whether we can reuse that carbon dioxide to produce a building material.” During cement manufacturing, there are two steps responsible for carbon emissions. One is calcination, when limestone, the raw material most used to produce cement, is heated to about 750 degrees Celsius. That process separates limestone into a corrosive, unstable solid – calcium oxide, or lime – and carbon dioxide gas. When lime is combined with water, a process called slaking, it forms a more stable compound called calcium hydroxide. And the major compound in Portland cement is tricalcium silicate, which hardens like stone when it is combined with water. Tricalcium silicate is produced by combining lime with siliceous sand and heating the mixture to 1,500 degrees Celsius. Of the total carbon dioxide emitted in cement manufacturing, 65 percent is released when the limestone is calcined and 35 percent is given off by the fuel burned to heat the tricalcium silicate compound. But Sant and his team showed that the carbon dioxide given off during calcination can be captured and recombined with calcium hydroxide to recreate limestone—creating a cycle in
which no carbon dioxide is released into the air. In addition, about 50 percent less heat is needed throughout the production cycle, since no additional heat is required to ensure the formation of tricalcium silicate. Sant said the method is analogous to how limestone cementation occurs in nature, where limestone forms the tough exoskeletons of coral, mollusks, and seashells, and when microbes form limestone that cements grains of sand together. Although scientists had examined this idea previously, Sant said it had never been demonstrated before with a view to carbon dioxide-neutral cement production—and that it actually worked faster than he and his colleagues expected. The cycle took just three hours to complete, compared with the more than 28 days needed for Portland cement to react with water to near completion and reach its final hardest consistency. The successful sample was very small, as required by laboratory conditions. But Sant said now that the process has been proven, it could, in time, be scaled up to production levels. If cement manufacturers continue to operate as they currently do, and if proposed carbon taxes in the US and other nations are eventually enacted, Continued on page 26 wallandceiling.ca » October / November 2015 » 21
around the WORLD THE DJAMAÂ EL DJAZAÏR MOSQUE (MOSQUE OF ALGIERS) Architect: KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten, Frankfurt am Main Structural engineer: KREBS UND KIEFER International GmbH & Co., Darmstadt Column supplier: Europoles GmbH & Co. KG., Neumarkt, Upper Palatinate The Djamaâ el Djazaïr mosque (Mosque of Algiers) currently under construction in the Bay of Algiers development in Algiers will be a place of worship that would stand in easy comparison with many of the world’s other giant religious buildings. For example, the mosque dimensions are greater than those of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The 265-meter-high minaret beats the previous record holder in Casablanca by quite a margin. The place of worship was designed by KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten from Frankfurt, whose architects saw their concept for the mosque columns as crucial in the design of the whole mosque. They fulfil a load-bearing function in the building, and are an architecturally defining element. In arriving at their aesthetic form and skilful arrangement for the columns, the architects succeeded in creating a mosque with an airy, lightfilled appearance, despite its gigantic dimensions.
Spun concrete
The design calls for a total of 618 octagonal columns. They are extremely slender, snow white, and up to 32 meters tall. Because they define the building’s architecture, it is important for their edges to be sharp and for their surfaces to be defect-free. Europoles from Neumarkt in Germany’s Upper Palatinate region was selected to manufacture the columns. The company specializes in manufacturing masts (e.g. for power lines) in spun concrete. The factory team introduces concrete into a long, tubular form, which rotates about its longitudinal axis at speeds of up to 800 revolutions per minute. This causes the concrete to 22 » The Trowel
Top: Another column is prepared for concreting. The NOEplast textured form liners are lain in the form. Bottom: The columns being prepared for painting.
be pressed against the form walls with a force generated by the equivalent of 20 times the earth’s gravity, resulting in an extremely uniform and cavityfree concrete surface. The centrifugal forces create a void in the middle of the tube, which is used in the mosque for drainage and for routing the cables for cameras and lighting.
Architectural design
One third of the columns have a continuous relief representing a typically oriental ornamental feature. Textured formliners from NOE-Schaltechnik are notable for the high precision of the moulded shapes they produce. The formliner mats need only to be laid or glued into the formwork, depending on whether they are being used for precast or in situ concrete components, respectively. All subsequent steps are the same as for normal concreting. This means the user can pour, compact, and cure the concrete in the usual way. Then the formwork is removed and the
chosen texture exposed to view. The manufacture of the columns proceeded in a similar way at Europoles—factory staff had to pay particular attention to ensuring that the butt joints at all eight column corners each formed a smooth harmonious line.
Stars motif
Because the columns have different diameters, NOE-Schaltechnik adjusted the star-shaped pattern on the formliners to suit the various dimensions of each column to ensure the relief would look like a beautiful, continuous band. These formliners provide a very simple way of giving interior or exterior concrete surfaces an individualized appearance. After the Europoles operatives take the columns out of the formwork, they have still to undergo a further process. The surface is inspected, any fins are removed, and the columns are carefully packed for transport. Continued on page 26
contractors 101 A BUDDY SYSTEM FOR YOUR BUSINESS Taking part in mentor/peer programs It is a cold and wet spring morning, and you have a tee-off time at 6:30 a.m.: 1. Your golf buddy has cancelled and you’re considering going on your own; or, 2. Your golf buddy phones you at 5:30 a.m. to make sure you’re still on and can’t wait to meet you in the parking lot. Which date are you more likely to keep? The commitments we make to others are far more powerful than those we make to ourselves. The proliferation of fitness centres, AA, and other support groups is due to the fact that our success rate is far greater when we commit to others. We get support and encouragement from them, and we don’t want to let them down. When we feel like giving up, our support system helps us find hidden reserves to get us over the hurdles. Actively participating in your local association is a great start, but to be really successful you should take it to the next level. It’s time you created, or participated in, your own support system. The best insights you can get on your business are likely from other contractors rather than an independent consultant. Most of my business is consulting and I certainly believe (and so do my clients) that I add value, but in many cases there is great information available from other contractors who face similar issues to you. Here is how you could benefit substantially from one of these processes.
Mentoring program
A mentoring program could be as simple as establishing some goals then deciding on actions with timelines. Give a copy to your mentor, so he can hold you to those deadlines.
Example Your goal is to reduce your workweek from 60 hours to 40 hours over 180 days. Your plan of action: • Identify what you do during each of the 60 hours. Complete in 30 days. • Identify tasks that you can immediately delegate to others. Complete in 45 days. • Identify tasks that you can document into systems before hiring and training others to do them for you. Complete in 75 days (total tasks identified should eliminate 25 hours of work). • Hire part-time staff to perform the tasks that take up your or your employees’ time. Complete in 90 days. • Start training and delegating the tasks you want assigned. Complete in 120 days. • Develop monitoring system to ensure all the tasks are getting done. Complete in 150 days. • Implement monitoring system and tweak as needed so that you’re now spending just five hours monitoring the 25-hours worth of tasks you had delegated. Complete in 180 days. You will likely fall off the wagon if you try this whole process on your own, but with a mentor by your side, you
By / Ron Coleman
are more likely to reach each and every milestone on time.
Peer program
A peer program tends to be a lot more sophisticated and time consuming, but at the same time very rewarding. Many of these programs have been started by contractors for contractors, and tend to attract progressive members who understand the value that can be derived. You see, if I give you a dollar and you give me a dollar, we both still end up with just one dollar; but if I give you an idea and you give me one, we both walk away with two ideas. A number of years ago, I worked with a peer group in the States that limited itself to six contractors; they met every three months at one of the members’ locations and did a total analysis of his business for two days, then spent the third day reviewing their findings with him. Everyone got great ideas. The group developed a formal binder of policies and procedures, with sections Continued on page 26
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it’s the LAW WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE, WHO NEEDS ENEMIES? The difficulty of doing business with friends in the construction industry Introduction to formalize the building arrangements When undertaking a significant construction project, it often helps to know someone in the industry. However, a recent decision of the BC Supreme Court highlights the problems that can arise when doing business with friends or family in the construction industry.
Facts
The recent BC Supreme Court decision in Malhotra v. Water Front Homes Ltd. concerned two families who had previously considered themselves the best of friends. The Manhas family, through its company Waterfront Homes Ltd., agreed to build a home for the Malhotra family (the “Project”). Although both Mr. Malhotra and Mr. Manhas were experienced businessmen, they were lulled into complacency as a result of their longtime friendship, such that neither thought it necessary
Thinking of Buying or Selling a Business?
through a written contract or to maintain proper financial records.
The Malhotras were dissatisfied with the workmanship on the Project. The relationship between the parties quickly deteriorated, liens were filed, and small claims actions were commenced. The Malhotras sought damages for negligent construction, in addition to damages for harassment, assault, and intimidation. Waterfront counterclaimed for payments alleged to be owing for work performed. Adding to the complications arising from the informality of the parties’ dealings was their decision to “fiddle” with taxes to minimize the HST. Cash payments went unrecorded, resulting in an absence of proper documentation in the litigation. Ultimately, the Court was required to sort through the parties’ biased and self-serving testimony in order to determine what really happened.
The Decision
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The Court dismissed the parties’ claims in negligence, intimidation, harassment, and assault.
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A primary difficulty faced by the Court in this case was that construction was paid for using various means, including personal credit cards, company cheques, and cash. This made it very difficult to
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By / Andrew Delmonico and Anne Cochrane
determine whether individual payments related to construction of the Malhotras’ home, or if the payments were used for other purposes. While the Court did find that the Malhotras had given Mr. Manhas $50,000 in cash for which he never accounted, the lack of proper documentation created an obstacle to greater recovery.
Lessons Learned
• Maintain proper records, even when doing business with friends. If the project goes south, failure to maintain this documentation may result in losing not only your friends, but also your court case. • Manoeuvers to “fiddle” with taxes are not only illegal, but may prove more costly than the taxes would have been in the first case.. ■ This article was written by Andrew D. Delmonico, a lawyer, and Anne Cochrane, an articled 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.
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www.marionvankeken.com 24 » The Trowel
industry NEWS Canada's Residential Construction Industry Report
Despite the headwinds of a soft economy, the Canadian housing market continued to grow moderately in the first half of this year. Housing starts rebounded to an annual rate of over 193,000 units in the second quarter, compared to an average of 175,000 units during the first quarter. This enthusiasm in recent months has been driven by another round of interest rate cuts by the Bank of Canada that pushed mortgage rates to new historical lows. The modest growth in the housing market is also due to a higher demand for renovation services, with a 7.3 per cent increase in residential renovation investment—the strongest increase since 2007. However, it’s not all good news. The Conference Board of Canada still expects to see a moderate decline in the Canadian housing market in the near future, as some signs are indicating the market is due for a correction. For example, there are rising risks of market saturation and overvaluation in the Toronto market. Highlights - Canada’s Non-Residential Construction Industry report Non-residential construction activity is expected to contract this year. The government and institutional segment is the only one expected to grow, thanks to school and hospital projects across Canada. This contraction could be explained by the signs of saturation shown in the office space segment, where unused office space share is approaching 10 per cent—its highest point in 10 years. Furthermore, the commercial real estate market is also suffering. Several long-established retail chains have either gone out of business or are
in the process of restructuring their operations. This is ultimately leading to the closure of hundreds of stores across the country. Finally, as a result of these changes in the commercial real estate market , prime locations could become available and be snapped up quickly. However, this will still leave many locations empty. Indeed, industry newcomers seem to be a lot more cautious than their predecessors when it comes to expansion plans. For more information please visit www. conferenceboard.ca. ■
August Employment Below Expectations
Construction sector employment declined in August throughout the Lower Mainland-Southwest Region and remains below levels seen last year, according to the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA). There were 121,000 jobs in the construction industry in the Lower Mainland-Southwest region in August, a decrease of 0.9% compared to July and a drop of 4.8% compared to August 2014. This sector employed 119,000 persons on average in the first eight months of 2015, compared to 127,000 on average in the same period of 2014. “Regional construction employment is lower than last year and below what we expected,” said Fiona Famulak, president, VRCA. “Building permits posted in June 2015 were up 30% year-
ION UNDER CONSTRUCT
to-date, so it’s surprising to see that it hasn’t yet translated into employment gains.” Metro Vancouver construction employment also declined, with a 1.3% drop in August compared to July 2015, and a 6.5% drop compared to August 2014. Year-to-date construction employment dropped 8.7% with 9,400 fewer jobs compared to the same period in 2014. Abbotsford, meanwhile, saw an increase of 700 jobs in August compared to July, an increase of 7.5%. However year-over-year, employment declined by 10.7% to 10,000 jobs compared to 11,200 jobs in August 2014. Year -todate, employment declined 3.8% or by 400 jobs to 10,200. “Abbotsford construction employment is seeing an upswing, which we hope will continue,” Famulak said. “Increased building permit activity is resulting in long awaited jobs.” Famulak is confident that the regional economy is in a moderate growth phase which will extend throughout the rest of the year and result in increased construction employment. Some improvement is expected in 2016 and beyond when growth in the US economy shifts into a higher gear. The VRCA represents over 700 members and is the largest and most influential construction association in British Columbia. Visit http://www.vrca.bc.ca/ for full regional data and graphs. ■
wallandceiling.ca OUR NEW AND IMPROVED WEBSITE COMING SOON
We’re excited to announce we’re working on a new website for wallandceiling.ca. We’ll be continuing to offer the same great articles, information, and directory you’ve come to rely on. There’s only really one change—it’s going to be better. More features, more interaction. We’ll be launching late this fall so watch for more information to come about what you will find on our website in the months ahead. wallandceiling.ca » October / November 2015 » 25
industry NEWS BUILDING SCIENCE
AROUND THE WORLD
cement production would be much more expensive than it is now. Were that to happen, a new method for producing cement with little or no environmental impact would be of even greater interest, Sant said.
Piece by piece to provide earthquake safety
Continued from page 21
The study’s co-authors were Mathieu Bauchy, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, Magdalena Balonis, a research scientist, postdoctoral scholars Kirk Vance and Isabella Pignatelli, and doctoral scholar Gabriel Falzone, all of UCLA. The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and was conducted in the Laboratory for the Chemistry of Construction Materials in the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Electron Imaging Center for Nanomachines at the California NanoSystems Institute, and the Molecular Instrumentation Center in UCLA’s department of chemistry and biochemistry.■
Continued from page 22
The 32 columns in the prayer hall are over 32 meters high. They could not be cast and transported in one piece. Instead, Europoles made them in three pieces, which were each 10 m long and 34 tonnes in weight. They were buttjointed together in Algiers using dowel and socket connections. The cavity between the dowel and the wall was filled with a flowing concrete mortar. The engineers designing the columns had to take into account the location of Algiers in an earthquake-prone region. Every column in the mosque supports 125 square metres of roof and carries a load of 6.0 meganewtons. To prepare the building for a seismic event, the engineers designed the concrete in the columns to fail before any other element. The reinforcement cage in the columns, on the other hand, must remain as intact as possible and be capable of supporting the roof. Only in this way would a sudden collapse of the building be avoided and the visitors
Advertiser Index
Company
Phone Page
Bailey Metals Products
800.818.2666
OBC
Demand Products
800.325.7540
15
Fastwalls®
403.567.1435
19
Flannery Trim
818.837.7585 20
Grabber Construction Products (Canada) Inc.
800.567.8876
24
Johnson Abrasives
800.628.8005
09
Kinetics Noise Control
800.684.2766 13
Lochsa Engineering
208.342.7168
17
Mansonville Plastics (BC) Ltd.
604.534.8626
05
Marion Van Keken-Rietkerk, MBA
604.617.8118
24
New West Gypsum Recycling
604.534.9925
13
NovaCrownTM
604.999.4295
23
SCAFCO Steel Stud Company
403.265.9005
IFC, IBC
Steeler Ltd (Delta BC)
877.678.6565
15
Sturdy Ladder Inc.
403.264.2934
11
Tree Island Steel
800.663.0955
18
Wallworks Acoustic Architectural Products Inc. 877.829.2550
07
Winroc Corporation
08
26 » The Trowel
888.2.WINROC
given a chance to flee to safety. The hope remains that the building will never be exposed to such a catastrophe and the worshippers can spend their time undisturbed in those beautiful spaces. The mosque is due to be completed by the middle of 2017. ■
CONTRACTORS 101 Continued from page 23
on each of the main areas of their businesses that each contractor had to complete over a 12-month period. I have worked with three peer groups here in Canada, and they are a joy to work with. They are motivated and successful. They all have their own unique approaches. They have the same bottom line—they want more money and more fun. Again, it is very time-consuming for them but very rewarding.
It need not be lonely
It can be lonely as the owner of your own business. Who can you talk to? Your partner might get spooked, your spouse likely doesn’t understand your business enough, and your employees have their own concerns. Could you talk to your banker or your suppliers? Your accountant often doesn’t have a real grasp of the issues you face, but another contractor – one who has gone (or is going) through similar scenarios – not only understands, but is able offer ideas and, in all likelihood, solutions. The smaller your business is the lonelier it can be. It doesn’t have to be that way. Forge alliances! ■
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