Construction Business Digital Edition

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March/April 2012 Vol. 9 No. 3

2012 ACEC British ColumBiA AwArds CeNtre for DigitAl MeDiA

greg BAyNtoN, ViCA

MeChANiCAl

CoNCrete

CoNstruCtioN lAw

wAter & wAste

2012 wooD works! BC AwArDs

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Cheryl Mah

Charles BoisAnna BuchanSimon ChanCel ChowNeil CummingVeronica GillesAndy HarrisDennis LattimoreMona LemoineLee LoftusOwen PawsonJillian PedersonJohn SingletonRyan Sharp

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March/April 2012 | Volume 9 No.3

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Construction Business is British Columbia and Alberta’s construction magazine. Each issue provides timely and pertinent information to contractors, architects, developers, consulting engineers, and municipal governments throughout both provinces. Complimentary copies are sent bi-monthly to all members of the Architectural Institute of B.C., B.C. Construction Association, B.C. Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association, Consulting Engineers of B.C., Construction Specifica-tions Canada — B.C. Chapter, Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association, B.C. Ready-Mixed Concrete Association, Independent Contractors and Businesses Association of B.C., Urban Development Institute of B.C. and Vancouver Regional Construction Association.

Inside

industry focus28 Mechanical Sustainable Design StrategiesFire Protection SystemsImproving Insulation Practices

32 water & wasteDesigning a Trash HubToward Net Zero WaterConverting Waste to Energy

36 Construction LawThe Effects of “Pay When Paid” ClausesWhere Do Claims Come From?Anti-Competitive Behaviour in Tendering

39 ConcreteOptimizing Performance Thinking Outside the EnvelopeARMCA Celebrates 50

Departments04 Message from the Editor

44 Architect Corner What Would Nature Do?

46 Industry News

06 Connections Greg BayntonGreg Baynton, CEO of the Vancouver Island Construction Association, talks about two recent milestones: the merger of the island associations and VICA’s centennial.

22 feature Project Centre for digital MediaCurrently under construction, the Centre for Digital Media on the Great Northern Way Campus will be a state-of-the-art training facility for the digital arts field.

Cover PhotoFast + Epp won the 2011 ACEC Lieutenant Governor’s Award of Excellence for its work on the VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre. Photo credit: Stefan Pasche

Dan GnocatoTel: 604.549.4521 ext. 223

MARCH 19 & 20, 2013

NOVEMBER 6 & 7, 2012

FEBRUARY 13 & 14, 2013

Construction Business is published six times a year by MediaEDGE Communications Inc. as follows: January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/ October, November/December.

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Circulation Inquiries: 416.512.8186 ext. [email protected]

11 2012 ACEC BC Awards for Engineering Excellence

24 2012 wood woRkS! BC Awards

construction business March/April 20124

Editor’s Note

Déjà Vu

It’s with a sense of déjà vu as I write this (and you may experience a similar feeling) because in the last issue I wrote about visiting the Van-Dusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre and

its complicated roof form was a feature article. This issue it graces our cover as the winner of the 2012 ACEC British Columbia Lieutenant Gov-ernor’s Award of Engineering Excellence.

Since its completion, the centre has been in-creasingly garnering attention and now an award. Fast + Epp, structural engineers on the project, walked away with the top honours at the ACEC-BC awards ceremony held on March 31. We celebrate the best in B.C. engineering with our annual coverage of all the winners.

A big celebration is happening on Vancouver Island as the construction industry commemo-rates Vancouver Island Construction Associa-

tion’s 100th anniversary. We speak with Greg Baynton, VICA CEO, who is excited about the centennial milestone as well as the recent merger of the local Island construction associations un-der the VICA banner. The future looks bright.

The future is something the Great Northern Way Campus is focusing on with the construc-tion of its new Centre for Digital Media. The educational facility will develop the next gen-eration of creative digital arts experts while also serving as an important catalyst for further devel-opment on the former industrial site.

You can read about more innovative proj-ects, technologies and important legal issues in our feature sections. This issue is packed full with articles focusing on mechanical, concrete, water and waste and construction law. Our three legal contributors share insights into paid

clauses, anti-competitive behaviour in tendering and the sources of common claims. In our wa-ter and waste feature, we take a look at achiev-ing net zero water, turning waste to energy and a groundbreaking waste management centre in Edmonton.

Enjoy the read and as always, if you have any thoughts or suggestions, please feel free to drop me an email.

Cheryl MahManaging Editor

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Connections

Celebrating Milestones

the Vancouver Island Construction As-sociation (VICA) recently marked two big milestones — amalgamation of the local Island construction associations

under the VICA banner and the celebration of its 100th anniversary.

“There’s an air of excitement of being a mem-ber of the association and what we can do work-ing together moving forward,” says Greg Bayn-ton, CEO of VICA.

Several attempts have been made over the past decade to create a single Island construc-tion voice (originally there were four local asso-ciations) without luck. But last year through the efforts of several key people, the merger finally became a reality.

Baynton credits the Merger Task Team (Chris Erb, Sheldon Saywell, Don Cameron and An-gus MacPherson), “They put in a tremendous amount of work and were able to get on the same page quickly to make the amalgamation possible. And Pete White, our current chair has been out-standing at leading this newly formed board.”

The amalgamation better serves the industry on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and coast-al B.C. It allows for cross-island communication and collaboration on key member and industry

issues as well as networking opportunities that had not occurred before.

“As the Island has matured, it’s really boiled down to one market and not three anymore. We are able to be more effective and stronger as one organization,” says Baynton.

The various pieces for the newly-revamped organization have been falling into place over the past year with administrative changes almost complete. The new board consists of members from each of the previous associations’ boards.

“To celebrate our history and a new associa-tion on our centennial has really rejuvenated the leadership and there’s a sense of new beginning and new opportunities,” says Baynton.

VICA was founded in 1912 as a builders ex-change and is one of the oldest not-for-profit construction associations in Canada. The asso-ciation represents more than 500 member com-panies accounting for about 90 per cent of the Island’s ICI construction.

“In celebrating our 100 years, we’re going to have open houses up and down the Island and a big gala event in the fall,” notes Baynton, adding a big celebration was hosted by the Lieutenant Gov-ernor of B.C. in February. “Over 200 dignitaries attended the event to kick off our centennial.”

BY CHERYL MAH

As CEO since 2006, Baynton takes great per-sonal pride in the association.

“I came into this job thinking I’d do this for 5-6 years [and retire] and then this past year I’ve been thinking I can do another 5-6 years because I’m enjoying what I’m doing. I believe I’m mak-ing a difference,” he says.

The 57-year-old Victoria native has a diverse background in the industry with more than 25 years of experience owning and operating trade

Pemberton (now Yarrow)

building 1911.

As someone who has spent a number of years on construction sites, I know that it can get loud — really loud. Most workers are probably used to it and simply tune it out, but what they may not realize is that they could be causing permanent dam-

age to their hearing.Prolonged exposure to noise can cause a permanent, untreatable dis-

ease known as noise-induced hearing loss. Around 300,000 B.C. workers are exposed to loud enough noise in their jobs to cause this condition.

When you’re around circular saws, generators, jackhammers, and power tools, exposure to noise doesn’t seem like a particularly worrisome hazard — but that’s what makes it so dangerous. This is especially true of young workers who may be more concerned about doing the job right rather than protecting their hearing.

In fact, a 2010 report showed that 28 percent of construction workers younger than the age of 20 weren’t using hearing protection. In 2009, it was only 20 percent. In both years, young workers in the construction industry reported higher rates of non-use for hearing protection than any other industry.

The good news is that the use of hearing protection overall in the in-dustry has increased from 58 percent in 1978 to 88 percent in 2010. Plus, over the past 30 years, there’s been a decrease in the average hearing loss of construction workers who have had 16 to 25 years of exposure.

May is Speech and Hearing Awareness month in Canada so it’s the perfect opportunity to remind all workers about the importance of hear-ing protection. Remember, hearing protection must be worn at all times

when noise levels are above 85 dBA, which is the sound level of the average lawn mower. With all the trades using different types of tools and equipment, there is so much unpredictable ambient noise on a worksite that it’s not effective to only use hearing protection when a worker is actually creating noise.

Did you know that you are required to develop a hearing conser-vation program for workers whose noise exposure is greater than the limits set out in the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation? Or those workers who are exposed to noise are supposed to have hearing tests at least once every year? For more information about hearing loss prevention, FAQs, and useful resources, check out WorkSafeBC.com. There is a section under the “Safety at Work” tab devoted entirely to hearing loss prevention.

I remember what it was like working on a job: of all the different things I needed to think about and focus on, protecting my hearing didn’t register very high on my list. But now, as I listen to the game on the radio or hear my kids laugh, I am deeply grateful that I made that effort to wear hearing protection. It didn’t seem like a big deal then but it makes all the difference now.

It’s said that silence is golden, but not when it’s all you hear.

Please let me know what you think of this topic or any construction safety issue. Call me at 604.214.6989 from the Lower Mainland or toll-free elsewhere at 1.888.621.7233. Or email [email protected]. I’d like to hear from you.

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Connections

contracting and general contracting firms on Vancouver Island. Over that time, Baynton was involved with VICA as a contractor member and also served as a past board member and chair.

“Under the influence of my parents I was lined up to do an engineering degree at UBC but ended up working for a wall and ceiling contractor for a summer job and never turned back,” reflects Baynton.

He wound up managing that company by age 25 and bought out the company (with the origi-nal owner’s son) a few years later. His contribu-tions to the industry were recognized in 1994 with the “Industry Person of the Year” award from the Northwest Wall & Ceiling Bureau.

In 1997, Baynton opened his own contracting company specializing in building envelope for new construction and building envelope remediation. After selling his business in 2004, a chance encoun-ter with good friends (and association members) led to him joining the association in 2006.

“I really believe in the association and what it stands for and what it means to the industry,” says Baynton about the decision. “It was good timing because I wasn’t interested in contracting anymore and I saw the opportunity as a way to transition out of the industry yet still keep me engaged in a really dynamic industry that I’m proud to be a part of.”

Moving from working in the industry to as-sociation management was certainly different, he admits.

“It was a bit of a transition working for a non-profit and being answerable to a board but it has turned out to be very positive and I’m absolutely delighted to be here. There’s a lot of mutual respect between the board and myself and we work very

well together,” says Baynton. “My experience has been broad-ened and I’ve met a lot of people I wouldn’t have otherwise met, particularly in government.”

He oversees a staff of eight operating out of the Victoria office. Another office is located in Nanaimo.

“We have excellent staff and function as a team. I’ve got great people working with me to make sure we’re address-ing our members’ needs,” says Baynton. “I do what we refer to as the up and out so I’m out interacting with the industry and meeting people. For me to do that, we have to have a strong business service founda-tion here and we do.”

VICA provides an array of services for the industry from government relations and net-working opportunities to edu-cational seminars. At the core of these services is project de-livery and tendering available through BidCentral, an online planroom that provides a centralized destination for the com-plete construction bidding process.

“We branded our services, BidCentral, so we have an online solution that includes online bid-ding, which is very innovative and from what I understand we’re the only jurisdiction in Canada that has it and we’re doing it in partnership with the other regional associations,” he says.

BidCentral has made the tendering process more efficient and cost effective. That innova-tion saw BidCentral honoured with ASTTBC’s TechGREEN Award last year.

While Baynton focuses on a range of priori-ties including growing membership, raising the profile of the association and strategic planning, the issue of public sector procurement is cur-rently occupying much of his time.

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Connections

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“The provincial government is shifting their policy around procurement. There is a change in procurement policy that is going to really impact the industry on the Island if the government fol-lows through with it,” says Baynton, declining to get into specifics only saying the association is ac-tively engaging the government on the issue.

Another initiative he is working on is trying to create more collaboration with architects and owner groups on the Island.

“We’re wanting to form a contractor, owner, consultant group where we meet regularly and talk about challenges in the marketplace and work together to find solutions so that the broader in-dustry isn’t reacting to problems — that we’re more proactive,” he says. “We really hope to de-velop that part of our membership and be more inclusive of the owner and consulting communi-ties — an important objective of ours. We think it will be a mutually beneficial relationship.”

Of course, a pressing concern for the indus-try is the impending skills shortage. Baynton describes it as a “freight train coming down the tracks at us” and predicts the Island might feel it within 12 months. “It’s already happening in other areas like Northern B.C. where they are trying to recruit bodies,” he says.

The association is preparing for the demo-graphic shift by engaging young construction leaders in every capacity of the organization.

“We’ve formed a group called Young Con-struction Leaders and invited them into strategic

planning sessions so succession planning for the association and for our membership is impor-tant,” says Baynton.

A more immediate concern for members is the low volume of work in the marketplace. The uncertain global economic conditions combined with the end of government stimulus spending have resulted in a noticeable slowdown.

“This year so far has been very much like the fall of 2011 which was a bit flat,” notes Baynton. “Government isn’t spending much money right now so we’re really feeling that. When the infra-structure money dried up last year, we’ve been in a bit of a vacuum every since. Although we have commercial and niche condo activity, that hasn’t replaced the activity that was generated by the infrastructure stimulus.”

Despite the slowdown, there are encouraging signs that things might be picking up soon. Sev-eral projects are coming down the pipe including three new schools and a utility corridor for CFB Esquimalt. A recent announcement indicates the contract for BC Hydro’s largest capital proj-ect, the proposed John Hart project, should be awarded by summer 2013.

A number of major projects under construction are also helping to sustain volume including the Up-town mixed-use project and the helicopter facility for 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron at Pat Bay.

“Barring some major unforeseen international or financial event, I think we’re going to see some good growth in the second half of the year and

will finish the year on a really positive note and head into 2013 equally as strong. We’re optimis-tic,” says Baynton.

This is also a special year for Baynton person-ally. He is getting married in September.

Outside of work, he enjoys golf, boating and spending every minute possible with his 9-year-old granddaughter Maddie, “who never ceases to amaze me and teach me things about life.”

100 yeArs stroNgWhen the land was excavated to build Victo-

ria High School in 1912, there were no giant

cranes, no bobcats. As Vancouver Island grew

at the beginning of the last century much of

the muscle came from horses and men, not

machines. A need to support those men and

their employers led to the formation of the Vic-

toria Builders Exchange.

For 100 years the association has served its

members as they built houses, churches, of-

fice buildings, stores and schools on Vancou-

ver Island. During the past century the island

transitioned from local markets to one regional

market leading to the amalgamation of three

local island associations. Today the Vancouver

Island Construction Association represents

contractors and suppliers to the industry, pro-

viding education, advocacy, access to project

opportunities and other benefits.

ACeC BC AwArDs for eNgiNeeriNg exCelleNCe

2012

Awards of Excellence

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VanDusen Botanical Gardens Visitors Centre Fast + Epp Structural Engineers

Capilano Cliff walkMorrison Hershfi eld Ltd.

Harbourside West Pedestrian OverpassHatch Mott MacDonald

No. 4 Road Drainage Pump StationAplin & Martin Consultants

2012 Meritorious Achievement Award

Chris Newcomb, P.EngMcElhanney Consulting Services

Partington Creek: A New Watershed Development Planning Process

Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd.

SOFT

EN

GIN

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RIN

G2012 Young Professional Award

Mike Homenuke, P.EngKerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd.

Lieutenant Governor’s Awardand Award of Excellence in Buildings Category:

VanDusen Botanical Gardens Visitors CentreFast + Epp Structural Engineers

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE SPONSORS OF THE 2012 ACEC-BC AWARDS FOR ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE

PATRON PLATINUM

The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies - British Columbia (ACEC Brit-ish Columbia) is the business voice for our province’s consulting engineering industry.

The Awards for Engineering Excellence celebrate our member fi rms’ internationally recognized innovation and technical excel-lence in engineering.

The 2012 ACEC British Columbia Awards were presented at a gala dinner on Saturday March 31st at the Westin Bayshore. This year 49 outstanding projects were entered in fi ve categories... buildings; municipal; transportation; natural resource, energy and industry; and soft engineering.

ACEC British Columbia congratulates the winners presented here. All of the project entries will be on display through the year as the Awards Road Show tours public venues across BC.

www.acec-bc.ca

Awards of Merit

SILVER BRONZE BCIT School of Construction and the Environment Autodesk Langley Concrete Group Peter Kiewit Infrastructure Co. BC Hydro Matcon Civil Constructors BC Road Builders McMillan LLP Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP Vancouver Airport Authority

UBC Biological Sciences Complex MCW Consultants Ltd.

Burnaby Lake Rejuvenation Project - Urban JewelAssociated Engineering

South Fraser Perimeter Road, Landfi ll ClosureCH2M HILL Canada Limited

Vancouver City Central TransmissionGolder Associates Ltd.

Mapping on the Move: Geoautomation® Mobile Mapping of the South Fraser Perimeter Road

McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd.

2012 ACEC British Columbia

Awards forEngineeringExcellence

GOLD

ACEC-BC Awards...celebrating innovation and technical excellence in engineering

13 March/April 2012 construction business

« SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT 2012 ACEC BRITISH COLUMBIA AWARDS FOR ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE »

As the president of the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies — BC (formerly CEBC), I have the honour of an-nouncing the winners of the 2012 Awards for Engineering Excel-lence. Each year ACEC British Columbia members raise the bar

with their entries into our annual competition by selecting the most innova-tive and technically excellent projects they’ve worked on. This year was no different; our winners are a testament to the extraordinary capabilities of the consulting engineering and construction industries in B.C. We must also rec-ognize B.C.’s political leadership for continuing to create a business climate that presents so many excellent project opportunities.

ACEC-BC also recognizes the outstanding contributions of two indi-vidual members.

The Meritorious Achievement Award is presented annually to an indi-vidual for significant lifetime contributions to engineering, the industry and the community. The 2012 Meritorious Achievement Award is present-ed to Chris Newcomb, P. Eng. Chris has worked in the engineering indus-try since 1969 and is currently president of McElhanney Consulting Ser-vices. He sits on the board of the national association, ACEC, and serves on the eight-person executive committee of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (known as FIDIC).

The ACEC Young Professional Award recognizes an individual for achievements in the first 10 years of their career. The 2012 award is pre-sented to Mike Homenuke, P. Eng. of Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd. Mike is a project manager in the Vancouver Office and has taken a lead role in numerous high profile consulting projects. He is a previous chair of the ACEC British Columbia Young Professionals Group.

Doug Hinton, President, ACEC British Columbia

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LIEUtENANt GovERNoR’S AwARd of ENGINEERING ExCELLENCEfast + Epp Structural Engineers | vandusen Botanical Gardens visitor Centre

tRANSPoRtAtIoN AwARd of ExCELLENCEHatch Mott Macdonald | Harbourside west Pedestrian overpass, North vancouver

fast + Epp was the structural engineering firm for an iconic 19,000 sq. ft. visitors’ centre at VanDusen Botanical Gardens. Targeting Living Building Challenge

and LEED Platinum, the striking entrance point serves as an interactive education centre and wel-come portal to revitalize public interest in the gardens. It includes lecture rooms, exhibition space, a cafe, and guest services.

Hatch Mott MacDonald was retained by the City of North Vancouver for design, management and construc-tion administration for the 210m

long Harbourside West Pedestrian Overpass and intersection upgrade, the newest section of the North Shore Spirit Trail.

This landmark project aimed to meet the requirements of multiple stakeholders, en-hance community access in the area and pro-vide a vital link over the railway tracks to con-nect Kings Mill Walk to West 1st Street.

Strict budgetary and short timeframe ob-jectives were essential to successful delivery. In addition, addressing numerous site con-straints while creating an aesthetically pleas-ing form and considering environmental im-pacts, were key success factors.

The serpentine bridge consists of ap-proach viaducts supported on ‘tree’ piers and a 42-m arch span to provide safe passage over three railway tracks. The design is func-tional, innovative and aesthetically pleasing.

Since the official opening of the overpass on June 9, 2011, there has been an average of 11,230 users per month; or 365 people per day.

Perhaps its most innovative feature is the dramatic free-form, organically-shaped roof structure, which metaphorically represents petals of an orchid, flowing seamlessly into the surrounding landscape like an extension of the garden itself.

The design team pioneered a wood solu-tion for the new visitor centre in the interests of economy, sustainability, innovation, and to

meet tight time constraints. While similarly complex building forms have been achieved through the use of steel or concrete, this is be-lieved to be the first example of wood use for such a complex form.

Seventy-one unique panels consisting of glue-laminated wood and standard dimensional lumber components were designed by Fast + Epp and subsequently prefabricated and cre-ated by StructureCraft Builders Inc. (a com-pany owned by the principals of Fast + Epp). The prefabricated panels were designed to have mechanical, electrical, acoustical and ceiling finish components pre-installed, to fast track construction, avoid mid-winter rain exposure and ensure a high-quality installation.

In recognition of their outstanding work, Fast + Epp won this year’s top honours from ACEC-BC.

“We are very honoured and humbled to re-ceive the Lieutenant Governor’s Award of Ex-cellence from ACEC. We were in a category with many worthy projects so we’re happy to have come out on top. The judges obviously saw something in this small but exciting proj-ect,” says Duane Palibroda, managing associate at Fast + Epp.

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MUNICIPAL AwARd of ExCELLENCEAplin & Martin Consultants Ltd. | No. 4 Road drainage Pump Station, Richmond

with Aplin & Martin as lead con-sultant, cost effective and in-novative engineering solutions were developed to upgrade the

No. 4 Road Drainage Pump Station in the City of Richmond. Pumping capacity was doubled with back-up power generator and the dike raised, simultaneously transforming a previously utilitarian facility into a signifi-cant architectural feature with large public plaza viewing area offering spectacular views of the Fraser River.

Aplin & Martin worked with the project team to develop cost-effective engineering so-lutions to meet the city’s objectives:

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pump station; • Provide onsite standby power; and• Integration with future adjacent

development.

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NAtURAL RESoURCE, ENERGY & INdUStRYMorrison Hershfield Ltd.Capilano Cliffwalk, North vancouver

Cliffwalk at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is the culmination of years of innovative engineering, al-lowing people access to the face of

a 90 m cliff on a labyrinth-like series of narrow bridges, stairs and platforms. Cliffwalk serves as the medium to describe the importance of the water cycle through a series of interactive exhib-its on this amazing 213-metre journey.

Morrison Hershfield was retained as the Engineer of Record and provided structural/aesthetic design, construction inspection, erection, mechanical & electrical engineer-ing and instrumentation/load testing services. This role required MH to go beyond the typi-cal design procedures used for conventional bridges/buildings and address the unique sur-vey/construction techniques (the fabricator describes as ground-breaking) required in this one-of-a-kind park.

Longer than two football fields, Cliffwalk was constructed using a total foundation area of only 11 m². The construction allowed the reclamation of 8,100 m² of previously unus-able park land, a net benefit of more than 735 per cent!

Levelton Consultants Ltd.

www.levelton.com

About Levelton

experience delivering comprehensive and integrated services to clients.

g, environment and energy, geotechnical,and building science.

Nick received a diploma in Civil Engineering from BCIT and a degree in Geological Engineering from UBC. After joining Levelton in 1986, he has

engineer, project manager and regional manager.

Alex has a degree from McGill University in Meteorology and Environmental Sciences. Since joining Levelton in 1995, Alex has taken on technical, managerial and operational roles in the organization.

Levelton promotes the development of strong leadership and business management skills among its employees, and strives to provide opportunity for advancement. Congratulations Nick and Alex for rising to the pinnacle of the Levelton organization.

Levelton Consultants Ltd. is pleased to announce the appointments of Nick Davis, P.Eng. as President and Alex Schutte, B.Sc., EP as Vice President, effective April 2, 2012.

CAPILANO CLIFFWALK A Breathtaking Marriage of Nature & Engineering

Morrison Hershfield congratulates the CLIFFWALK team for winning a 2012 Award of Excellence

from the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies - British Columbia. Our appreciation

to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park for trusting us to bring this unique vision to life.

2012 ACEC-BC AwArd of ExCEllEnCE

Natural resource, eNergy aNd INdustry

So luti o n S f o r Bu i l d i n g S i En E rgy & in d u Str i a l i tE c h n o lo gy & tE l E com tr a n S p o rtati o n i En v i ro n m E nta l i WatE r & Wa StE WatE r i la n d dE v E lo pm E nt



the lower third of ecologically rich Par-tington Creek watershed is planned for a $1.5 billion greenfield develop-ment. Over the next 20 years, what is

now forested land will become a new town cen-tre, home to about 12,000 people.

Kerr Wood Leidal Associates developed an Integrated Watershed Management Plan for the City of Coquitlam, which charts a new and better way to plan sustainable communi-ties. The common approach to land devel-opment is to first create land use plans and then engage engineers to lessen the negative impacts of development. This reactive ap-proach limits the opportunities and solutions available.

The multidisciplinary team worked together and changed the initial land use plan to maximize environmental protection and rainwater manage-ment. The result is a net environmental benefit for the watershed post development without any reduction in the development’s population, livabil-ity, or financial pro forma.

The IWMP calls for sustainable infrastructure that goes well beyond regulatory requirements in preserving this undeveloped watershed’s ecology.

Soft ENGINEERING AwARd of ExCELLENCEkerr wood Leidal Associates Ltd. | Partington Creek: A New watershed development Planning Process, Coquitlam

the renewal of the UBC Biological Sciences Complex reveals the tremendous potential in aging building stock. This $45 million project was fast-tracked through design and construc-tion in only 19 months to meet the federal stimulus funding

deadline. The 16,000m2 buildings received all new mechanical systems and a full environmental abatement, complete envelope upgrade, and seismic reinforcement.

Applying innovative, environmentally-sensitive design to the rejuve-nation of older buildings can represent a more economical and sustain-able option than new construction. A creative, collaborative approach to the building systems design has helped transform a tired building into an uncompromising, first-class research facility — providing a compelling example of efficient, low-impact redevelopment.

through teamwork, creative engineering and innovative applica-tion of technologies, Burnaby Lake — an urban jewel — has been rejuvenated. To restore the lake in a sustainable manner, Associated Engineering worked with a diverse team to develop a

tailor-made technology train for dredging and processing the sediments. A new application of Ground Penetrating Radar and Sonar Camera en-sured protection of the red-listed Western Painted Turtle.

The success of this complex project resulted from creative and in-novative engineering, with a focus on sustainability and environmental protection. The lake now has a deeper water column that encourages oxygenation, clears the path for spawning salmon, nurtures 400 native species, and has enabled rowers to return to the lake.

BUILdINGS AwARd of MERIt MCw Consultants Ltd. | UBC Biological Sciences Complex

MUNICIPAL AwARd of MERIt Associated EngineeringBurnaby Lake Rejuvenation Project — Urban Jewel



Soft ENGINEERING AwARd of MERItMcElhanney Consulting services Ltd. Mapping on the Move — GeoAutomation Mobile Mapping of the South fraser Perimeter Road

McElhanney deployed the GeoAuto-mation® mobile mapping system to collect high accuracy topographic data for detailed engineering de-

sign along 40 km of the South Fraser Perimeter Road. The technology integrates “surround im-agery” with GPS ground control points to pro-duce 3D geo-referenced datasets. As a comple-ment to more conventional ground and aerial survey methods, GeoAutomation’s unmatched efficiency achieves significant immediate and long term cost and environmental benefits.

This project went well beyond the conven-tional practices of topographic mapping. The technology enabled more efficient, affordable and accurate data capture that produced a greater variety of 2D, 3D, and animated output display products for better cognitive visualization and understanding by design engineers and during technical subcontractor briefings.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastruc-ture and project partners are the first to use this mobile mapping technology on a major project in B.C., resulting in an immediate cost advantage besides its efficiency that accelerated product de-liveries, greatly enhanced safety to staff and public, and reduced pollution that deteriorates air quality.

Mount Lehman Interchange

Mobile Mapping of the South Fraser Perimeter Road

CEBC Awards for Engineering Excellence (2007)

CEBC Award of Merit (2012)

MCELHANNEY OFFERS A WIDE RANGE OF INTEGRATED CONSULTING SERVICES TO SUPPORT YOUR CONSTRUCTION PROJECT.

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ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES• Regulatory approvals and agency liaison • Erosion and sediment control• Environmental site assessments and impact assessments• Mitigation, compensation, and restoration • Water resource engineering • Fish and wildlife inventory and research

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING & MATERIALS TESTING• Geotechnical site investigations• Foundations engineering• Slope stability analysis and monitoring• Pavement condition assessments and design• Materials testing www.McElhanney.com

Engineering | Surveying | Mapping | Environmental

Your Local Partner Since 1910

1661 West 5th AvenueVancouver BC V6J 1N5

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Nature gives us superb examples of creatures working together to build structures for their common good. Public/Private Partnerships ( P3s ) are being recognized as the smartest way for us to follow Nature’s lead. Glotman .Simpson brings an historically collaborative approach to solving P3 structural problems. We also combine high-level analysis with state-of-the-art 3D modeling. Our recent work on the Surrey Outpatient Care & Surgery Centre is a good example. This P3 required a fl exible and open interior space,

with unconventionally wide spans. We answered the architect’s vision with innovative and economical solutions. The Surrey Outpatient Care & Surgery Centre is just one of a number of leading-edge structural solutions that we’ve recently developed. To fi nd out more about Glotman .Simpson’s approach to engineering, please visit our website. You’ll see a number of our collaborative structural solutions there.

Everyone appreciates acollaborative structural solution

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the Vancouver City Central Transmission project required in-stallation of a multi-pipe conduit bundle across False Creek to house 230 kV power transmission cables. The technically challenging nature of the False Creek crossing, within a dense-

ly populated, environmentally sensitive and highly utilized park area, demanded innovative design solutions and effective construction man-agement. The Horizontal Directional Drilling was selected to complete the installation. Golder Associates designed the project and managed the construction contract including Quality Assurance/Quality Con-trol and environmental auditing. The construction of the HDD cross-ing including installation of the conduits was completed on schedule. The successful installation resulted in a savings of approximately $3 million to the overall VCCT project.

NAtURAL RESoURCE, ENERGY & INdUStRY AwARd of MERIt Golder Associates Ltd. vancouver City Central transmission

the Landfill Closure project encompasses a section of the South Fraser Perimeter Road (SFPR) alignment that was built through five abandoned construction waste landfills located between the Fraser River and Burns Bog. The project was able

to build a highway near environmentally sensitive land, increasing the protection of the environment while helping to revitalize surrounding industrial lands.

CH2M HILL was involved in overseeing design engineers respon-sible for project delivery. Engineering successes of the project involved designing a highway on existing landfills while allowing for installation of works required for protection of the environment from the landfills. Other successes included an innovative leachate collection system that was better suited to the conditions of the existing landfills.

tRANSPoRtAtIoN AwARd of MERIt CH2M HILL Canada Limited South fraser Perimeter Road, Landfill Closure Project

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MIkE HoMENUkE, P.ENGYoung Professional Award | kerr wood Leidal Associates Ltd.

Mike Homenuke has nine years of professional experience and is currently a project manager in Kerr Wood Leidal Associates’ municipal wastewater division. He specializes in developing GIS-based sanitary sewer and water distribution system mod-

els and is familiar with several modelling packages including Hydra, MIKE Urban/MOUSE, WaterCAD and MWH Soft products.

Mike has taken a lead role in numerous high profile consulting projects, in-cluding the 2008 ACEC British Columbia award-winning Rapid Hydropower Assessment Model for BC Hydro and BC Transmission Corporation (BCTC), and the City of Victoria’s $3 million James Bay I & I Reduction Pilot Program.

He has been actively involved in ACEC British Columbia’s Young Profes-sionals Group and was chair in 2008. He currently sits as the inaugural chair of the BC Water & Waste Association’s Young Professionals Group.



CHRIS NEwCoMB, P.ENG. Meritorious Achievement Award McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd. C

hris Newcomb is president and CEO of McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd. After receiving his civil engineering degree from the University of Manchester, England in 1969, he began working for engineering consultants and construction firms on the design and

construction of highway and pipeline projects in France, Canada, East Africa and South America. In 1981, Chris joined McElhanney in Vancouver as a project manager and eventually became the president in 1997.

During this period Chris helped grow the engineering side of McElhanney’s business from a relatively minor player in land development and municipal work, to a multi-disciplinary, multi-branch operation that is now considered one of Western Canada’s leaders in the design of transportation infrastructure.

Under his leadership, McElhanney has won numerous awards for proj-ects such as the South Surrey Interchange, the Mount Lehman Interchange, the Sea-to-Sky Highway, and the Golden Ears Bridge roadworks.

Throughout his career, he has been committed to the highest standards of engineering and has actively promoted the industry to government, busi-ness, and educational institutions. That commitment has contributed sig-nificantly to universal recognition of the professional stature of consulting engineers in B.C.

Chris has been involved with ACEC British Columbia (formerly CEBC) since the 1990s when he served as chair of a number of committees, including the very active Ministry of Transportation Liaison Committee. He has served on the ACEC-BC Board since 2000, and was its president in 2002/2003.

Since 2005 Chris has represented British Columbia on the board of the national association representing consulting engineering firms, ACEC, and he served as its chair in 2008/2009. In October 2011, he was elected to the executive committee of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (known as FIDIC). This appointment reflects the highest level of respect and acknowledgement by his peers, both in Canada and overseas, of the expertise and experience he brings to supporting the business of consulting engineering.

Your Local Partner Since 1910

South Surrey Interchange 156 Street Underpass Golden Ears Bridge Roadways Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement (DB2)

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CDBI Award for Excellence in Canada’s Design-Build Industry (2009)

CEBC Award of Merit (2010) CEBC Award of Merit (2006)

OVER 100 YEARS OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

to provide our valued clients with award-winning project solutions

www.McElhanney.com

Engineering | Surveying | Mapping | Environmental


feature Project

vancouver has evolved over recent years to become recognized as a leading digi-tal media hub in Canada, home to many companies such as Electronic Arts and

Disney/PIXAR. A new educational facility on the Great Northern Way Campus (GNWC) will not only attract the best and brightest in digital design but will also become a catalyst for turning the site into a long envisioned industry district for creative and digital sector firms.

The Centre for Digital Media, currently under construction, will be a state-of-the-art training facility for the digital arts field (gam-ing software, animation, film). It will house the Masters of Digital Media (MDM) pro-gram, Canada’s first professional graduate dig-ital media degree. The ground floor provides

academic space while the three upper floors will have 76 units of student housing.

“We are proud and excited about this new fa-cility, part of our plans to make Great Northern Way Campus an important part of Vancouver and British Columbia’s digital economy,” says Morgan Sturdy, GNWC board chair.

Designed by Musson Cattell Mackey Part-nership (MCMP), it is the first new building for the campus and marks a major step towards transforming the 18.5 acre site in the city’s False Creek Flats. The land was donated by Finning International in 2001 to UBC, SFU, Emily Carr University and BCIT. The campus is managed by GNWC Trust for the four academic partners.

“The campus has been quite dormant since it was bequeathed to the four institutions.

Hopefully this building will start to change that,” says Mark Thompson, MCMP partner in charge of the project. “The long term mas-ter plan is for the neighbourhood to become a digital media cluster.”

The MDM program is currently housed in the existing digital facility next door.

“It’s a building that we renovated a few years ago — an old industrial building from the Fin-ning era when it was an industrial site. They’ve outgrown the facility so that was the genesis of the need for the new building,” says Thompson.

Locating the new building in close proxim-ity to the existing facility (which will be repo-sitioned) was viewed as important in order to provide space for graduating students to incu-bate businesses.

a Digital futureBY CHERYL MAH

March/April 2012 construction business 23

feature Project

“There’s office space within the existing building that will be used to transfer people out of the program into the real life world of digital media,” explains Thompson.

Another key objective was to bring student housing onto the site, which has been called a “digital dormitory.”

“The MDM program has an international pro-file so you do get students from other countries coming and having them right on site is a huge advantage and helps to create a vibrant learning environment,” says Thompson.

The new building is considered to serve as a gate-way function to the site so it needed to have a unique iconic image, notes Thompson. “It is always challeng-ing to pioneer on a site like this because the rest of the site is mostly industrial buildings or vacant land.”

Inspirations behind the design included move-ment and a “technology ribbon”.

“We integrated the idea of a ribbon into the building, which is a theme that also influ-enced the renovation of the existing building,” describes Thompson. “The wood cladding on the north and south facades are seen as evoca-tive of the West Coast and having a tactile sort of foil to the metal ribbon which symbolizes industry.”

The shape of the building is also meant to evoke transportation metaphors.

“The site has a transportation history and it’s in a transit corridor so the shape is meant to reinforce the idea of movement and com-munication,” says Thompson. “Integrating movement into the architectural image of the

building was seen as a positive way to create a more striking expression.”

The exterior features an angled wall on the western end of the site which not only creates a unique architectural profile but also serves as a digital screen for projecting video or images.

“This building is predominantly white and wood so because we’re able to project onto the white surface, that’s where we’ll add colour and the animation for the building,” notes Thompson.

The new centre will have 16,000-square feet of teaching, meeting and studio space on the ground floor. Because of the nature of the MDM program, the design focuses on small-er collaborative spaces for students to work together on projects.

2012 Wood WORKS! BC Wood Design Award winnersAwards evening held on Monday, March 5th, 2012 - Vancouver Convention Centre, West

More than 350 distinguished design and building professionals, including architects, engineers, project teams, industry sponsors and their

guests gathered to honour the nominees and winners of the 2012 Wood WORKS! BC Wood Design Awards. The annual awards evening

recognizes leadership and innovation in wood use while being an opportunity to publicly salute and encourage continued excellence in the

building and design community. This year there were more than 100 nominations in 12 categories from all over BC as well as some national

and international submissions.

Wood WORKS! is a national industry-led initiative of the Canadian Wood Council, with a goal to support innovation and provide leadership on the use of wood and wood products.Wood WORKS! BC provides education, training and technical expertise to building and design professionals involved with non-residential construction projects throughout BC.

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Darryl Condon, Hughes Condon Marler ArchitectsSteveston Fire Hall, Richmond

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feature Project

“We’ve built a lot of flexibility into the planning of the MDM space itself — lots of moveable walls — to create different types of learning environments rather than your traditional classrooms and lecture halls,” says Thompson.

The task of making the contemporary design a reality was placed in the hands of VanMar Constructors. VanMar broke ground on the 51,000 square foot facility in late June 2011 with substantial completion set for this August. Manpower is expected to peak at 60 on site.

Hansen Ng, GNWC director of development, reports the project is about 55 per cent complete as of late March and is on time, on budget.

“After the insulation is in, the focus of the work will be substantially com-pleting the interior finishes,” he says.

The four storey structure is slab on grade ground floor concrete and sec-ond, third and fourth floor wood frame on top. The exterior is a combina-tion of metal cladding and wood.

Main challenges included poor soil conditions (requiring a pipe pile foundation) and the unique cantilevered elliptical design.

“Given that we are on a tight schedule and having to work through that many custom design details was a bit of a challenge,” says Ng. “False Creek Flats is on fill so we knew it walking into the project and it meant an upgrade to the geotech design.”

Designed to meet a LEED Gold certification, the building features a number of sustainability strategies including geothermal heating, solar hot water, storm water management and a green roof on the lower level. The building profile is designed and oriented to allow maximum daylighting.

“The key feature is energy performance,” notes Ng. “We have a solar supplemented geothermal system that is designed to take on 100 per cent of the hot water needs. In addition to domestic hot water, we have radiant floor heating. It will mean big energy savings.”

The new $13 million centre will open its doors to students in September 2012.

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Mechanical

Sustainable Design StrategiesBY JILLIAN PEDERSON

Epcor Tower is a 66,974m2, 29-storey office tower. The project is the first high rise building to be built in Edmonton in more than 20 years and is the first building of an eventual four block de-velopment known as Station Lands. The tower is comprised of

a two storey retail podium, 26 floors of office space, and a mechanical penthouse floor. There are four levels of below grade parkade with a total area of 28,288m2.

The building is expected to use 121kWh/m2/year of energy, a 41.4 per cent energy use reduction as compared to ASHRAE Standard 90.1. The

annual projected building energy cost is CDN$767,177/year (2009 dol-lars). The project is targeting a LEED Silver rating and is currently on track to achieve LEED Gold.

Earth tubesEpcor Tower takes advantage of a unique system of earth tubes used to pre-heat and pre-cool the building outdoor air. The principle of earth tubes is a geothermal exchange between the air and the surrounding earth using a thermally conductive material as a separation. The greater E

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the surface area in contact with the ground, the greater the heat trans-fer will be. Because the ground temperature essentially remains con-stant below the frost line, the ground can be used to heat the air in the winter season and cool the air in the summer season. In order to maximize the rate of heat transfer, it is ideal to flow the air at a low velocity through the earth tubes to provide adequate lag time for the heat transfer to occur.

The earth tubes are designed to utilize as much of the building struc-ture as possible in order to minimize the additional costs required to build them. Two vertical intake shafts run down the exterior of the parkade walls. These intake shafts are constructed with glycol heating lines inside the concrete to ensure freezing does not occur when cold air is being drawn in. Once the shafts have passed the lowest parkade level, they turn 90° to continue horizontally below the parkade structure. The earth tubes then form a loop around the building’s core before con-necting to the main tower air handling unit which provides the rest of the conditioning.

The earth tubes themselves are built as a combination of precast concrete pipes and poured concrete plenums with internal columns for structural support. The plenums are 9.5m wide and 2.5m high, with an airflow rate of 18,877L/s per earth tube. The earth tubes are designed for the maximum load, which in Edmonton occurs in heating mode. The desired temperature rise is from -34°C to 6°C, 6°C being the con-stant ground temperature below the frost line, resulting in a 40°C delta. Using a heat transfer rate of 0.5°C/m, each earth tube needs to be a minimum of 80m in length. The actual length of the constructed earth tubes are 116m and 97m.

This provides significant savings on the ventilation heating and cool-ing loads. An 8,760-hr annual analysis was used to calculate the ener-gy saved from the earth tubes. In heating mode the earth tube saves 1,473,994kW/year and in cooling mode it saves 84,874kW/year. This equates to approximately CDN$51,687/year in cost savings.

Exhaust Air Heat Recovery In order to capture waste heat from the general exhaust system, a heat recovery unit is located at the exhaust outlet. This recovery unit captures the heat in the exhaust air and returns it to a heating coil in the main tower air handling unit via a glycol run-around loop. The exhaust air heat recovery is capable of providing a 19°C temperature rise for 37,754L/s of outdoor air. This lessens the load on the main heating coil in the tower air handling unit, thus lessening the load on the boiler system.

winter free CoolingIn a climate such as Edmonton’s, there is an opportunity to take ad-vantage of winter free cooling. During the winter months when the outdoor air wet bulb temperature is less than the chilled water tem-perature, in this case 6.7°C, the entire cooling load can be achieved through the cooling towers. This is accomplished by providing cool-ing towers capable of running year round with integral immersion heaters. In free cooling mode, the chillers are turned off and bypassed completely. The chill-er plant is currently sized at 6,400kW with the possibility for future expansion. Winter free cooling can be used 39 per cent of the year in Edmonton. This is a significant load reduc-tion on the chiller system.

Stack Condensing Boiler PlantConventional boilers are used on this project in conjunction with a stack condenser. All of the boilers are breeched together in order to combine the flue gases prior to entering the stack condenser. Heat in the flue gases is extracted in two separate heat exchanger coils within the stack condenser: one using water and one using glycol. The flue gas temperature is lowered below its dew point, resulting in condensation and extraction of latent heat, in addition to the sensible heat. Water from the first heat exchanger is re-E

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turned to the heating water system and preheats the boiler return water. Glycol from the second heat exchanger is used to heat the intake shafts of the earth tubes to prevent freezing. The heating system is currently sized for 7,719kW with the possibility for future expansion. The stack condensing system increases the overall boiler plant efficiency from 85 per cent to 95.5 per cent, a difference of 998kW of input power, by cap-turing both sensible and latent heat.

PlumbingEpcor Tower uses dual flush water closets which have a maximum flow rate of 6Lpf. The reduced flush is 30 per cent of the maximum or 4.2Lpf. The building also employs low flow urinals, low flow lavatories, and low flow shower heads. Rainwater is captured and stored in a 725m3 tank located under the parkade structure. Pre-cipitation is captured from various roof levels, the balconies, and the street level plaza areas.

The rainwater is then treated and reused to flush water closets and uri-nals at an estimated 4,439m3/yr. The combined result is a 63 per cent water use reduction compared to a conventional building.

Jillian Pederson is a mechanical engineer with AECOM in Calgary. Contact her at: [email protected].

Conventional boilers are used on

this project in conjunction with a stack condenser.


Mechanical

In an effort to ensure that the welfare of the general public is served, building codes and regulations are used to determine the proper building design and construction methods.

The basic objectives of fire protection require-ments in the building code are to safeguard life and property. In general, these objectives are achieved in buildings by providing a safe means of escape or a safe refuge for occupants in the event of a fire, by designing the building to limit the growth and spread of fire and smoke, and by providing fire detection and alarm systems and fire suppression systems.

types of fire Suppression SystemsThere are three types of fire suppression systems in buildings:

1. water Based fire Suppression SystemsA manual fire suppression (standpipe) system is required in a building that is more than three storeys in building height. This standpipe sys-tem is intended to provide a means for fire re-sponders to fight a fire inside a building. The standpipe system provides a hose connection at each exit in the stairwell and the fire depart-ment will use their hoses and nozzles to set up the fire operation stations in the stairwell before attacking the fire.

The building code requires sprinkler protec-tion for certain types of occupancies and con-struction in order to reduce the risk of fire in the building. An automatic sprinkler system is a sys-tem of pipes or tubes with sprinklers connected to a permanent water supply. The heat of a fire will cause the sprinkler to open and discharge water onto the seat of a fire. The sprinkler system, as required by the building code, is designed and installed in accordance with National Fire Pro-tection Association (NFPA) 13, Standard for the

Installation of Sprinkler Systems. However, resi-dential buildings that are four storeys or less in building height, will have their sprinkler system designed and installed in accordance with NFPA 13R, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in Residential Occupancies up to and including Four Stories in Height.

There are several types of sprinkler systems available. Wet sprinkler systems with piping normally filled with water are used in residential and heated buildings. Dry pipe sprinkler systems with piping normally filled with pressurized air are used in unheated areas such as unheated buildings, parking garages, attics and other exte-rior areas. Preaction sprinkler systems with pip-ing normally filled with air and the control valve operating upon the receipt of a signal from a fire detection system are used in museum, art gallery, high value electronic equipment, data rooms and storage freezers. This type of system is designed to discharge water from sprinklers by opening the control valve through the preaction sprinkler detection control system. This minimizes the chance of the sprinkler system accidentally dis-charging water. Deluge sprinkler systems employ open sprinklers. All sprinklers in a deluge system discharge water once the control valve is acti-vated by the sprinkler detection control system. This type of system is designed to protect large instantaneous fires in industrial establishments such as hydro substation transformer fires, flam-mable liquid fires in flammable liquid storage warehouses or tank farm facilities.

In the late 1980s, a special sprinkler was de-veloped to protect glazing partitions to provide an equivalent to a listed two-hour vertical wall assembly. This sprinkler permits the building design team to improve the architectural design by using sprinkler protected glazing partitions in areas that require a fire-resistance rating of up to two hours. This allows flexibilities in the build-ing design for aesthetic or security reasons.

2. Clean Agent Gas SystemsClean agent gas systems are used for the protec-tion of high value equipment such as electronic products, computers and data storage. Gaseous fire suppression involves the use of inert and chemical gases, creating a total flooding condition in an enclosed room, and therefore does not result in water damage to the properties that they pro-tect. The most common clean agents in Canada are Inergen, FM200, NOVEC 1230 and carbon dioxide systems. A fire is suppressed by reducing the oxygen content in the room or by removing the heat from the fire through the process of rapid gaseous agent expansion. The reliability of these fire protection systems relies on the sophisticated control systems detecting the presence of a fire and operating the shutdown sequences of equip-

ment power and room integrity systems (doors, fire/smoke dampers). The building codes do not accept these gaseous fire suppression systems as replacement of sprinkler systems in the protec-tion of building structures, because, unlike a con-tinuous water supply, they have only a “one-shut” single discharge capability.

3. wet and dry Chemical SystemsWet chemical fire suppression systems are usually used to protect commercial kitchen exhaust hoods and industrial cooking facilities. Dry chemical fire suppression systems are used to protect industrial operations involving flammable and combustible liquids, such as spray paint booths and flammable liquid dispensing stations. These systems are gen-erally automatic systems controlled by a fire detec-tion system using heat detectors or fusible links with a spring loaded mechanical release system. Dry chemicals are also used as fire suppression agents for portable fire extinguishers.

Automatic Sprinkler SystemsIn addition to reducing the fire risk in a build-ing, automatic sprinklers add environmental benefits by reducing the levels of air and water pollution, water usage and overall fire and water damage. In general, only one to two sprinklers open in a fire. The sprinklers suppress or control the fire at an early stage. On average, early fire suppression by the sprinklers reduces the peak heat release rate to as low as 300 kW, while a fire in a building without sprinkler protection could reach a heat release rate of 13,200 kW. The average quantity of water discharged from the two sprinklers is not more than 100 US gpm, while a single fire hose can easily discharge 250 US gpm to attack a fire in a building with-out sprinkler protection. Flashover occurs at approximately five minutes in an unsprinklered room fire while flashover does not occur in a fire in a sprinkler protected room. It is expected that more than one fire hose is needed for full extinguishment of a fire during a manual fire suppression operation. It is clear that sprinklers can significantly reduce the amount of contam-inated air emission from a fire, fire protection water usage and runoff to the environment.

The provision of automatic fire suppression systems in buildings not only reduces the fire risk and enhances the fire and life safety of the occupants and the property, but also reduces the negative environmental impacts that can be caused by a fire.

Cel Chow, P. Eng., M. Eng., F.E.C., C.P., is a principal of Gage-Babcock & Associates Ltd. His expertise is in building codes, fire protec-tion engineering and fire protection system design. Contact him at: [email protected].

fire Protection SystemsBY CEL CHOW

Multi-Level Atrium with Smoke Management

System


Mechanical

A timely opportunity exists in British Columbia building construction to save money, reduce energy consump-tion and shrink our carbon footprint.

That opportunity is the typically unseen insu-lation on pipes and ducts of heating and cooling systems, known as mechanical insulation.

Based on a survey of peer-reviewed research and trade journals, interviews with mechanical insula-tion professionals and energy modeling of three different building types, actions have been iden-tified that can be taken by the provincial govern-ment, utility companies, local government, devel-opers, engineers and building owners/operators.

These changes could save millions of dollars in heating and cooling costs, while eliminating thou-sands of tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.

And the cost of mechanical insulation is typi-cally only one per cent of total building construc-tion budgets. That makes it one of the simplest and most cost effective ways to save money and our environment.

Unfortunately, concerns have increasingly come to light about poor installation practices in me-chanical insulation for building construction in B.C. Local and global goals to use energy more wisely and reduce greenhouse gas emissions height-en the urgency and opportunity for taking action.

Identifying the problem and proposing solu-tions was the task of a new White Paper on me-chanical insulation independently authored by HB Lanarc Consultants and commissioned by the BC Insulators Union Local 118 [Also known as the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers -IAHFIAW].

The aim was to more formally recognize the op-portunity to meet energy and greenhouse gas re-duction goals through reversing the trend of poor mechanical insulation installation practices.

BC Insulators is concerned because its mem-bers install the mechanical insulation for many multi-unit residential and commercial buildings in B.C. Those members, through partner orga-nizations like the B.C. Insulation Contractors Association (BCICA) have written training cur-riculum for mechanical insulation used by simi-lar organizations across North America.

Mechanical insulation, as a key component of a building energy system, plays an important role in:

• Improving energy efficiency, thereby miti-gating greenhouse gas emissions and moving toward sustainable energy use;

• The economic performance of buildings, in-cluding minimizing spending on energy and ensuring durable buildings; and

• Health and safety — through fire stopping and protecting workers/building occupants from unhealthy indoor air quality (mois-ture-caused mold) and burn (exposed pipes).

Ironically, mechanical insulation as a signifi-cant solution to all these issues has been largely ignored in B.C., a province that rightly has some of the most aggressive greenhouse gas reduction targets in the world.

Energy efficiency requirements have increased in the B.C. Building Code, and much more ag-gressive changes are anticipated, while many B.C. local governments are also strongly encouraging green, energy efficient buildings.

But mechanical insulation has not yet been iden-tified as a priority and, unfortunately, achievement of energy performance targets is being hampered by poor mechanical insulation installation practices.

Yet building owners, operators and tenants could save millions of dollars annually simply by improving mechanical insulation practices.

The challenges to implementing effective me-chanical insulation are many, and include signifi-cant gaps and omissions in the Model National Building Code, the BC Building Code and ASHRAE Standards, and industry best practices manuals, all detailed in the White Paper.

Regrettably, there is also very limited oversight of building codes and best practices by regulato-ry bodies, leading to significant non-compliance and mechanical insulation deficiencies.

As identified from research cited in the White Paper, they include:

• Outdated or incomplete engineering speci-fications, or lack of knowledge of best prac-tices by engineers, especially for newer, high performance and low-temperature systems;

• Problems due to unqualified installers and inadequate training;

• Lowest cost tendering and “value engineer-ing”, reducing costs below what is necessary

for best practices, particularly when the de-veloper is not the eventual owner or operator;

• A perception among some developers and engi-neers that mechanical insulation is not a critical building component; this may be in part due to lack of focus on it during education;

• Poor quality, lower cost insulation materials on the market;

• Challenges related to engineering field re-view, including assessing whether installa-tions meet code and design specifications;

• A fragmented design and construction pro-cess where engineers and installers do not typically work closely together; and

• Tight construction timelines and focus on drywall completion, which can prevent in-spection of some systems.

Based on the results from the interviews with industry experts and analysis of policies and codes within and external to B.C., the White Paper de-veloped a set of recommendations in order to im-prove mechanical insulation practice in B.C.

It is clear that a unified and compelling set of changes at the senior government level, sup-ported by local government policies, is needed to achieve a consistent, improved level of perfor-mance across B.C.

The reasons for insulation deficiencies are complex and interrelated; therefore a single solu-tion, such as regulatory changes alone, will prob-ably not result in the best possible outcomes.

To address these issues, two mutually reinforc-ing strategic elements are recommended:

• Provide a consistent regulatory framework across B.C. that embeds standards for me-chanical insulation in building codes; and

• Build capacity in local government and in-dustry to maximize compliance with codes, standards and best practices, both existing and future.

Much attention is being paid to significant improvements in construction practices aimed at achieving “green buildings” but one of the sim-plest and most cost effective methods — mechani-cal insulation — has to date been largely ignored. That should change as knowledge spreads.

Lee Loftus is business manager of the BC In-sulators Union Local 118 and has many years of experience in the mechanical insulation sec-tor. He is also administrator, Insulation Indus-try Apprenticeship Board, and president, BC & Yukon Territory Building Trades Council. The White Paper can be found at: http://www.energyconservationspecialists.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/White-Paper_Pipes-need-jackets-too.pdf

Improving Insulation PracticesBY LEE LOFTUS


Water & Waste

Not long ago, the prospect of keeping 90 per cent of a major city’s waste out of a landfill would have been deemed a lofty dream. By 2015, however, it

will be a reality for Alberta’s capital city.The Edmonton Waste Management Centre is

a highly innovative solution to the ever increas-ing amount of waste produced by today’s cities, and a key part of the overall centre is the Inte-grated Processing and Transfer Facility. It is here that the bulk of the city’s waste will be brought for sorting and distribution, and is a key facet to the integrated system that includes composting, processing recyclables, electronic waste process-ing, power production from landfill gas, environ-mental protection and monitoring, construction and demolition recycling and even the produc-tion of alcohol fuels from processed waste.

Stantec partnered with the City of Edmon-ton, HIP Architects and Clark Builders to build the Integrated Processing and Transfer Facility, which by 2013 will process 350,000 tonnes of material from both residential and commercial waste streams.

A team of designers from Stantec addressed the numerous challenges surrounding a project of this scope and complexity in the areas of civil, structural, mechanical and electrical engineer-ing, while providing project management for the new facility.

A key challenge the design team faced was building a facility that would withstand the rigours of a major city’s waste disposal needs. (Imagine the level of industrial traffic at only one landfill.) Specified high-strength con-crete was used by designers to ensure heavy abuse doled out by industrial equipment, like bulldozers, would not result in unsustainable maintenance costs.

To achieve the level of durability required, while maintaining its versatility, the building is an intricate combination of pre-engineered structure, cast-in-place concrete and structural steel framing. It is divided into two areas with a six metre difference in elevation. The first is a commercial tipping floor, which absorbs the bulk of heavy traffic. The tipping floor slab was con-structed of high strength concrete to withstand repeated heavy equipment abrasion and is sur-rounded by 3.6 metre cast-in-place push walls.

The second is a multi-use pre-processing and sorting room that distributes waste throughout the Waste Management Centre and where the refuse for the future biofuel facility will also be derived. A network of sorting trammels has been designed into the structure, supported on nine metre high piers that are surrounded by el-evated structural steel platforms. The innovative use of space enabled designers to fit a variety of complex tasks, within a single facility, ensuring

Designing a Trash hubAn award-winning facility drives Edmonton’s ground-breaking waste management centre. BY SIMON CHAN

the efficient distribution of the sorted waste throughout the centre.

Another major challenge for the design team was maintaining the temperature in the facility. A mechanical system had to be developed to en-sure the ambient temperature in the tipping floor area did not drop below 5 ºC. The freezing and thawing of the concrete foundation would have an adverse effect on the longevity of the struc-ture. In addition, the machinery throughout the facility must remain at optimum operating temperatures to avoid breakdowns and ineffi-ciency. With the extremes of an Alberta winter and constant opening of large overhead doors to accommodate industrial traffic, this was no easy task. The design team developed a highly effi-cient building envelope, coupled with a ambient temperature monitoring system to automatically regulate the building’s heating system.

For its design, the Integrated Processing and Transfer Facility won the 2011 Consulting En-gineers of Alberta Award of Excellence for Build-ings Engineering.

The end result of this integrated design and project management process is a state-of-the-art facility that serves as the hub for Edmonton’s in-dustry leading waste management centre.

Simon Chan, P. Eng., is a senior structural engineer at Stantec in Edmonton, Alberta.


Water & Waste

As the urban population swells, the need for water and wastewater ser-vices expands. This alone represents a problem. Coupled with aging wa-

ter supplies and outdated wastewater treatment infrastructure, unsustainable water use patterns and climate change, we now find ourselves face to face with a serious threat to a precious resource.

While the green building movement has worked hard to change the way people view wa-ter, a widespread adoption of more integrated systems that include supply, treatment and reuse of water at the building and neighborhood scale is necessary. This requires a major shift in how buildings are conceived, designed, regulated, built and operated. We must move toward a “soft path” for water management through decentral-ized and distributed-scale systems, which offer al-ternatives for communities willing and/or forced to re-think their present path.

CHALLENGESA variety of challenges exist for net zero water projects that seek to use best practices around wa-ter conservation, rainwater harvesting, greywater and blackwater reuse in distributed and on-site systems:

REGULATORY BARRIERS Water is regu-lated across multiple jurisdictions and agencies. Barriers stem from the current bias for centralized water supply and wastewater treatment and the as-sociated lack of an authoritative body with appro-priate powers to operate, manage and regulate de-centralized approaches. To create support for net zero water projects, a major shift from our current regulatory framework is necessary. A more holistic approach to regulating water and waste is needed at all agency levels in order to support innovative projects and drive future policies.

FInAnCIAL BARRIERS Net zero water proj-ects rely upon on-site or distributed systems for water supply and treatment otherwise managed at the municipal level by publicly-owned utilities. As such, the cost burden for supply and treatment systems — as well as their ongoing operation, maintenance and replacement needs — are shifted from the utility to the individual project owner. While this can create financial barriers for project owners, unique opportunities exist for utilities to develop fee structures and incentives to support the transfer of capital cost, expense and revenues to offset an owner’s upfront investment in on-site water systems. Removing regulatory barriers to de-centralized systems can help spur market innova-tions and new products available to designers and homeowners pursuing net zero water strategies, thus bringing down upfront costs and reducing life cycle cost payback periods.

CULTURAL BARRIERS In addition to regulatory and financial barriers, public percep-tion about the safety of water reuse and on-site wastewater management present significant ob-stacles for net zero water projects. Such fears are rooted in our historical management of water and waste and the resulting public health issues that have surfaced. Today, education is needed to assure the public of the safety of modern decentralized water systems and inform them of their environmental, social and economic benefits. Addressing cultural barriers around decentralized water systems requires a shift in the fundamental ways in which we view water and human waste. Instead of the current “out of site, out of mind” thinking, we need to take ownership not only of how we use water inside our buildings and for irrigation, but how we op-erate, maintain and replace on-site systems over time. In doing so, we will treat water as the pre-cious resource that it is.

BESt MANAGEMENt PRACtICESBest management practices (BMPs) for decen-tralized water systems emphasize closed-loop systems, ultra-efficient measures to reduce sys-tem demand, small-scale management systems, fit-for-purpose water use and diverse, locally appropriate infrastructure. Establishing a water balance (a numerical account of how much wa-ter enters and leaves the boundaries of a project) is a critical step in understanding water flows on-site. The most successful design strategies are those that not only seek equality between water supply volume and building demand, but also address long term financial and public health risks and provide educational opportuni-ties for building occupants.

Mona Lemoine, M.Arch, LEED AP BD + C, serves as the education and training direc-tor for the International Living Future Institute and Cascadia Green Building Council. You can reach her at [email protected]. Read more about this issue at http://cascadi-agbc.org/resources/research

Toward Net Zero WaterBY MONA LEMOINE

The following are innovative projects using

best practices for decentralized and distrib-

uted water strategies from our region and

around the globe.

GREYWATER RECLAMATION & REUSE

Center for Urban Waters, Tacoma, Washing-

ton, includes a rainwater harvesting system

coupled with captured greywater from the

building to achieve an estimated 46 percent

reduction in potable water use. In addition to

the greywater reuse system, the Center will

showcase a laboratory for collecting, moni-

toring, and assessing water quality effective-

ness of low impact strategies.

COMPOSTING TOILETS

C.K. Choi Building for the Institute of Asian

Research was the first of its size to install

composting toilets in North America, elimi-

nating the need to connect to the campus

sewer system and reducing potable water

demands by over 375,000 liters (99,000

gallons) per year.

MEMBRANE BIOREACTORS

The Vancouver Convention Centre houses

a membrane bioreactor designed to treat

20,000 gallons of wastewater generated

by the facility each day. All of the build-

ing’s treated wastewater is recycled onsite

for flush fixtures and to irrigate a six-acre

green roof.

To create support for net zero water projects, a major shift from our current regulatory framework is necessary.


Water & Waste

waste to energy, or energy from waste, is a curious blend of three Canadian industry sectors — lo-gistics, processing and energy. For-

tunately for us others have done the homework and we can benefit.

Waste management is the key logistical com-ponent and however you look at it our waste management practices reflect the fact that we have room in Canada, lots of it. We also have lots of waste — estimates vary yet allowing one tonne per family per year is one estimate that doesn’t even reflect construction/demolition, commercial, biomass, agricultural or industrial waste. The long-standing practice of just burn-ing or depositing waste in landfills that are now reaching capacity or getting obsolete is proving limited and in many cases short sighted — the old thinking was out of sight out mind. There will always be some waste that has to go to a well-managed landfill, and if recycling makes sense after trucking costs are considered, the rest is a valuable fuel source.

Recovering energy from this waste moves the issue of disposal into an opportunity for gen-erating income from heat or power sales. This is becoming increasingly important and even though Canada lags behind best-practice we can be certain that increasing costs and legislation will demand higher environmental standards of waste disposal and pressure industry and local municipalities to reduce their quantities of waste generation and landfill.

Ultimately we will move to a reduction in the amount of waste created, together with a substantial increase in the amount of waste re-used and recycled. This means maximizing cost effective pre-treatment and processing of waste before disposal and where disposal re-quires combustion, that it is done in the most efficient way possible. In Kelly Lake in North Eastern B.C. the local Metis settlement is de-ploying a biomass to energy facility to gener-ate some 15MWe to the BC Hydro grid using mostly pine beetle kill wood and forestry waste wood as feedstock fuel — wood that would normally be burned.

Combined heat and power (CHP) is the most energy-efficient process for converting waste into useable thermal energy, the key outputs of waste to energy facilities usually being heat or steam with some producing electricity. CHP us-ing modern iterations of well-proven technolo-gies offer significant improvements on a facility’s energy efficiencies compared to old burning or incineration equipment. Newer facilities achieve +80 per cent efficiency in converting waste into thermal energy with 95 per cent reduction in waste volume to produce inert harmless ash that itself can be reused as an aggregate supple-ment. Approximately two garbage truck loads (30 tonnes) of regular Canadian municipal sold waste (household garbage etc) can produce some 6MWt of thermal energy or 1MWe of electri-cal energy for export to the grid. We are seeing a drive to the provision of thermal energy from

waste replace ever-increasing costs of fossil fuels — especially for industry. Alongside clean waste destruction this cost saving or removal of pain, is in many cases overriding the production of elec-tricity as the economic rationale. As one of my more lucid colleagues puts it in one of his more eloquent moments “It’s a beautiful thing, using what we don’t want (waste) for what we really want (energy)”.

In some cities there is so much waste that it has to be mass burned in vast facilities. We’re seeing a shift to a more decentralized or local-ized model where waste is dealt with close to where it is generated and thermal or electrical power is produced close where it is needed. This and effective waste management is pos-sible with clean technology. 1.5 tonnes of garbage per day in Old Crow northern Yukon is now cleanly destroyed in a mobile gasifier system rather than going to a simple landfill. We are seeing towns, industry and city districts moving away from very large regional solutions to more localized scalable solutions. Driven by wiser policy, public concern over mass burn emissions and rising trucking costs this model is deemed more effective especially given the clean waste to energy technologies systems that have had to navigate approvals from the uber-stringent EU emissions controls. In fact praise is needed once again for the Scots’ dili-gence — add emissions control management to banking, distilling and engineering. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) sets the bar higher than anyone we’ve come across. SEPA leads the way in ensuring waste to energy facilities are non-polluting. In the same way auto-diesel engines are now super-clean, waste to energy technologies are operating that have sufficiently evolved to sat-isfy the ever-watchful SEPA.

Benchmarks for this industry will continue to evolve so whichever solution a waste to en-ergy proponent seeks; expect scalability, adapt-ability and low operating costs as key elements for the right decentralized or localized model. Another key factor is capital cost which is available for deployments with the right waste feedstock, site, power take-off agreements, technology and team.

Like all truths, waste to energy is obvious when revealed. Prevent pollution, provide energy from stuff we throw away, create new jobs, out with the problems — in with solutions. Better yet: in with solutions proven elsewhere under harder scru-tiny. It makes sense, in Canada we’re experts at learning and adapting from others.

Andy Harris is a former sustainable resort and real estate development director. Andy now focuses on energy from waste in Canada, the UK and worldwide for WTE Canada Inc.

Converting Waste to Energy BY ANDY HARRIS

transporting a 9,000 lb. Dragon

the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) in Vancouver, B.C., contracted Eagle West Industrial Moving to deliver an impressive piece of art. Weighing in at 9,000 lbs, with dimensions of 35’ x 14’ x 12’ the mirror polished stainless steel Chinese Imperial Water Dragon sculpture was successfully delivered to the PNE. This move sets a whole new standard for precious cargo.

The dragon was created by Canadian artist Kevin Stone from Metal Animation Studio Inc. located in Chilliwack. They specialize in large-scale, one-of-a-kind, three-dimensional, stainless steel sculptures (www.metalanimation.com). Some of their past projects include a bald eagle with a 31’ wing span, hand crafted from mirror polished stainless steel.

Viewing their customers’ needs as their own, Eagle West Industrial Moving came prepared for the delicacy required for this move. Utiliz-ing a 120 ton Liebherr All Terrain Crane, along with over 20,000 lbs of counterweight and two spreader bars, the dragon was carefully lifted onto the freight truck. Since the dragon was oversized and extremely reflective, a specially planned route with the correct permits was a must. Using this specific route, the freight truck and pilot car transported the dragon with extreme care to ensure this grand piece of cargo was delivered safely and undamaged.

After the safe and successful completion of this move, Eagle West Industrial Moving was contracted yet again. The responsibility this time was to transport the Chinese Imperial Water Dragon back to its home at the Metal Animation Studio. Dave Wittenberg, technical sales representative, Eagle West Cranes, stated that, “the job was challenging enough dealing with such a delicate piece of art, but since it was over height and over width, it made things a little more difficult. I am grateful for the expertise of all the Eagle West personnel involved.”A short while after the dragon returned home, Eagle West was trusted a third time with this delicate piece of art. This move was to the dragon’s

latest home, the River Rock Casino located in Richmond. This is where the dragon currently resides. Since this location is in a direct flight path of

the Vancouver International Airport (YVR), Eagle West could not simply drive in a big crane to off-load it into position. Rather, they used a special-

ized industrial moving rail system to roll the dragon safely into place. Gary Klynsoon, manager-technical service, stated, “the rail system allows our

Industrial Moving team to move equipment into places where there is limited crane accessibility, overhead obstructions, or to provide a more cost

effective solution for our customers.” Utilizing Eagle West’s specialized industrial moving equipment and personal, the dragon was yet again moved

into position safely and undamaged.

SPECIAL AdvERtISING fEAtURE

Please contact Eagle west Cranes & Equipment for booking a crane on your jobsite. Call 1.800.667.2215 today or visit www.eaglewestcranes.com for more information.

testimonial “I thank Eagle West for their extra care and courtesy; this was the first time I’ve had one of my pieces lifted and moved by a crane company and I will definitely use Eagle West again to transport other pieces and recommend them to everyone.”

— Kevin Stone, metal sculptor, Metal Animation Studio Inc.


Construction Law

A subcontractor must be mindful of “pay when paid” clauses, or possibly assume the risk that it won’t get paid at all.

It is not uncommon to see subcon-tracts which include a clause indicating that the subcontractor will not be paid for its work until the contractor has been paid by the project own-er. Clearly this can create additional risk for the subcontractor and consideration should be given to such a clause prior to committing to work for the contractor.

These “pay when paid” clauses have been con-sidered several times by courts across the country. The courts have unfortunately failed to reach a consensus regarding the interpretation of such a clause. There have been differing interpretations on this issue.

The first interpretation is that “pay when paid” clauses are simply provisions which speak to the timing of payments from the contractor to its subcontractors.

Favourably for subcontractors, this inter-pretation is more often the one followed. A leading case for this principle is Arnoldin Construction & Forms Ltd. v. Alta Surety Co. (1995). In this case, the subcontractor was partially paid for its work by the contractor, but the contractor refused to pay the balance owed as it had not been paid by the project owner (which had gone into receivership). The court held that in order for a contractor to interpret a “pay when paid” clause to mean “pay only if paid,” the language must be very

clear. Such a drastic interpretation can never be derived from obscure language.

There was no such clarity with respect to the clause in this case, so the subcontractor was en-titled to payment under the bond that had been put in place by the contractor. The “pay when paid” clause at issue read: “The balance of the amount of the requisition as approved by the Contractor shall be due to the Subcontractor on or about one day after receipt by the Contractor of payment from the owners”.

Note that if a court finds the wording of the actual “pay when paid” clause to be ambiguous, it will likely rule in favour of the subcontractor over the contractor (as it is typically the contrac-tor who has drafted the contract).

However, a different interpretation suggests that clear “pay when paid” clauses may result in the contractor having no obligation to pay its subcontractors at all if it has not been paid by the owner (i.e. the subcontractor being paid for its work is conditional on the contractor being paid by the owner). It is this possible interpreta-tion that subcontractors should be particularly mindful of prior to signing an agreement with a contractor.

The most cited case interpreted this way is an Ontario Court of Appeal decision, Timbro De-velopments Ltd. v. Grimsby Diesel Motors Inc. (1988), heard by the Ontario Court of Appeal. The court held that the relevant “pay when paid” clause in this case clearly specified the subcon-tractors’ legal entitlement to payment, and not

merely the timing of the payment, which “will be made not more than thirty (30) days after the submission date or ten (10) days after certifica-tion or when we have been paid by the owner, whichever is the later”.

Another, more recent, case considering a “pay when paid” clause is Voka Steel Inc. v. Edgecon Construction Inc. (2011). Although there were multiple issues in this case that the court had to consider, it was held that the “pay when paid” clause was clear enough for the contractor to only have to pay the subcontractor once they had been paid by the owner.

In summary, case law suggests that it is difficult for a contractor to enforce “pay when paid” claus-es as more than a provision for the timing of pay-ment (i.e. “pay only if paid”). However, in certain circumstances if the contract is sufficiently clear the subcontractor can be left without payment for their work as a result of the owner’s failure to pay the contractor. Ultimately, the proper inter-pretation of a “pay when paid” clause will depend on the specific language used in the contract.

It is important that subcontractors look out for “pay when paid” clauses in contracts and seek legal advice when necessary to ensure that the clause does not eliminate their entitlement to payment solely because the contractor has not been paid.

Ryan Sharp is an associate in the Construc-tion Industry Group at McLennan Ross LLP, Edmonton.

The Effects of “Pay When Paid” ClausesBY RYAN SHARP

...case law suggests that it is difficult for a contractor to enforce

“pay when paid” clauses as more than

a provision for the timing of payment...


Construction Law

BY JOHN SINGLETON

At some point of time in our early lives we asked “where do babies come from?” At some point of time in their careers, architects have

asked “where do claims come from?” Although the source of each phenomenon is markedly different, each involves a certain incubation period, one producing the joy of life and the other the fear of financial death. So where do claims come from? Knowing the answer to that question should satisfy more than one’s curiosity: it should provide some insight into how to avoid perilous future paths in the con-struction industry.

There are of course many sources for claims against participants in the construction indus-try. Some arise due to human failings, others out of a lack of experience or qualifications and still others out of a failure to properly manage the design, field services or construc-tion services being provided. It is statistically true that during the course of one’s career in this industry one is bound to make mistakes and thereby incur responsibility for construc-tion claims because of a failure to meet the standard of care applicable to the service being provided. Once in a while there will be a fail-ure to meet applicable codes and standards in a design or a failure to detect critical deficien-cies in the field or poor workmanship on site. That has been a source of claims ever since I started representing participants in this indus-try 43 years ago, and I expect it will always be a source of claims.

Along a similar vein, it has been, and I al-ways expect will be the case that from time to time individuals with inappropriate experience are assigned design or construction tasks and mistakes are made simply because of their inex-perience. We all know that assigning the right person, with the right skills, is a critical part of any business, and that is particularly so in the case of those involved in designing or construct-ing projects and inspecting the performance in the field. These two sources of claims can only be managed by better management of the con-sulting or construction operations through adopting effective risk management, quality assurance and quality control measures. Some may think that is stating the obvious, but my ex-perience leads me to conclude that the obvious often goes unnoticed.

There is another source of claims which is probably not so obvious. It is this source which has proven to be the most significant source of claims brought against participants in the industry and it is this source which seems to regularly and continuously incubate problems. It is the source out of which “products liability” is born. The usual scenario goes something like

Where do Claims Come from?this: a new “amazing” product or system is con-ceived, it is marketed to the construction indus-try, there is a rush by the industry to adopt the product and be “first on the scene”, the product finds its way into hundreds, if not thousands of projects around the world and, then, usually in a very short time period there is a mass product failure. Looking back, it then becomes clear that the product, its advertised features, the rush to adopt it and the decision to use it were all ill-conceived. Only on birth and in the early years of its use did it become clear that the incubation period had produced a financial nightmare for the industry.

Failures of products over the years have always been a source of claims against participants in the industry, including architects, and have resulted in many instances, in aggravated claims in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Indeed, in some instances, the product in question has placed some segments of the industry in financial peril and threatened its very future. Let me give you some examples.

Asbestos-containing products were intro-duced into the construction industry mid-way through the last century. The warning signs con-cerning the use of this mineral in building prod-ucts began to surface in the mid to late 1950’s. By the early 1970’s it was universally known that many of the products which incorporated certain types of asbestos created a substantial danger to human health and safety. This resulted not only in literally hundreds of thousands of claims aris-ing out of the use of these products, but resulted in the bankruptcy and financial ruin of manu-facturers and distributors of these products and the designers and trades who became involved in their use.

Fast forwarding to the last decade of the last century, there was a rush to the use of face-sealed design in the construction indus-try throughout North America. It presented a plethora of economic advantages to developers and there was a rush by the industry to adopt the face-sealed system, and its related products, in thousands of multi-family dwellings. Experi-ence over the ensuing two decades has shown that the concept and the rush to adopt it was ill-conceived. It, too, resulted in the financial ruin of many participants in the industry, and threatened the financial well-being not only of the owners of these projects, but of the entire architectural profession in some jurisdictions. Indeed, it threatened the financial stability of many insurers of participants in the construc-tion industry.

There are multiple examples of other systemic product liability claims in the construction in-dustry which have brought about equal, if not greater financial problems for many partici-

pants. Untold millions of dollars were expend-ed or lost in removing or attempting to remove ureaformaldahyde from wall cavities where it had been sprayed as an insulating material be-cause of a fear that off-gassing from the product created a danger to the health and safety of the building occupants. Horrendous fire losses were experienced in industrial facilities when it was determined that plastic coated cables used in electrical cable runs and cable trays acted like a dynamite fuse when subjected to a fire source, a product which had been inappropriately evalu-ated as fire retardant for this condition under a standard published by a well-known interna-tional testing agency. Engineers, builders and plant owners were threatened with financial ruin by these claims.

Poorly manufactured copper pipe, introduced into the construction industry at low cost, re-sulted in widespread failure of the piping and the attendant expense of re-piping low-rise and high-rise buildings. Similar problems were en-countered with the use of plastic pipe used in manufacturing mobile homes.

The list goes on: window systems inappro-priate for use in high-rise buildings, roofing membranes which deteriorated when exposed to sun light, building papers which deterio-rated when exposed to incompatible building products containing resins and so on and so on and so on. All of these problems have been born out of product failures, out of ill-con-ceived and certified building products or sys-tems. It is this source of claims, ill-conceived or poorly designed or poorly manufactured products which, in my experience, have been the major source of claims for the past four de-cades or so.

So what’s the point of all this? It is no more than a wake-up call. You should know each day you go into the office or into the field that you should be wary of and be keen to question the use of new products and technologies in an industry which has been plagued with claims arising out of decisions to quickly adopt new products without thinking through whether or not they are appropriate for the particular use in question. That is not to say by being alive to these issues there will not be any more product liability claims, for there will be many to keep the legal profession well endowed. But being aware of the source of claims and keeping your radar on to assist in detecting other incubating product liability problems, is an important, if not critical part of any effective risk manage-ment program for those involved in the con-struction industry.

John Singleton, Q.C., is a partner in the law firm of Singleton Urquhart LLP in Vancouver.


Competition has always been fierce in the construction industry in Cana-da. There will always be too many contractors bidding for too few

contracts. With the economy in a fragile state, the competition has become even fiercer — especially for lucrative government contracts. As a result, competitors may be tempted to pursue any advantage they can to land a deal. Conversely, owners conducting tenders must be more cautious in dealing with bidders, for fear of accidentally providing such an advan-tage. While some advantages may be legiti-mate opportunities for bidders, some conduct may be anti-competitive and therefore illegal. This article will provide construction industry participants (owners, contractors, engineers) with a brief review of the legal traps to avoid in tendering. Falling into these traps could mean stiff penalties and the very real possibility of jail time.

the LawCompetition in the construction industry is regulated by both legislation and the common law (i.e. judge-made law). The purpose of the laws is to maintain and encourage competition by prohibiting certain anti-competitive conduct. Knowing what conduct constitutes anti-compet-itive behaviour is key in avoiding liability.

LegislationThe federal Competition Act (the “Act”) is the primary piece of legislation applicable to the regulation of competition in the construction industry. The goal of the Act is to protect compe-tition — not competitors — so its focus is on the public interest. It sets out various offences and corresponding penalties for certain anti-compet-itive behaviours, including both regulatory and criminal offences. Allegations of anti-competi-tive conduct are investigated by the Competition Bureau, who may refer the matter to the Compe-tition Tribunal or lay criminal charges. The Com-

petition Tribunal adjudicates regulatory matters, while the courts deal with criminal offences and some specific regulatory matters.

Common LawA number of common law actions (or “torts”) have developed in the courts over the years to provide relief to victims of anti-competitive be-haviour. These torts are available when legislation has not taken over. Unlike the Act, common law actions tend to focus on private interests, so these matters must be brought by the affected parties and are heard in the courts.

Anti-Competitive ConductThe following is brief summary of the types of anti-competitive behaviours that can land bid-ders in hot water.

ConspiracyConspiracy is the most serious of all anti-compet-itive conduct, which is why it is both a criminal offence and a tort. It occurs when two or more competitors enter into an agreement to fix prices, allocate markets, or control supplies. The effect of the agreement must be to unduly lessen or pre-vent competition. The parties must have “market power” and purposively worked together to limit competition. Convictions for conspiracy are punishable with a fine of up to $25 million and/or imprisonment of up to 14 years. The Act also allows the victims to seek damages for their loss.

Bid-RiggingBid-rigging is perhaps the most notorious of all anti-competitive behaviours in the construc-tion industry. It is another crime under the Act, where two or more bidders agree to either bid, withdraw a bid, or work together on a bid with-out the prior knowledge of the tenderer. Unlike conspiracy, the parties do not have to have mar-ket power. Companies or individuals convicted of bid-rigging are liable to a discretionary fine of any amount and/or up to 14 years in prison.

Identifying bid-rigging can be tricky. It is com-mon for members of the industry to discuss con-tracts and prices outside the tendering process, which may result in similar bids. However, when the parties move from discussing who is bidding on which contracts to actually agreeing on whom will bid, not bid, or win which contracts, the line will be crossed into illegal bid-rigging.

A recent example of this line-crossing can be found in Quebec, where three companies pled guilty to bid-rigging in a hospital’s call for ten-ders. Prior to tendering and unknown to the hospital, the companies agreed on who would win the contract, and they worked together to manipulate their bids accordingly. The Quebec Superior Court ordered fines of $50,000 for one company and $25,000 for the other two. The Competition Bureau noted that if the recent amendments to the Act had been applicable, these companies would have faced much stiffer penalties, including jail time for the executives.

IntimidationIntimidation is a tort that occurs when one or more parties threaten another to get the intimi-dated person to do something against their wish-es, such as withdrawing their bid. The threatened bidder would be entitled to damages from the intimidators.

other Anti-Competitive ConductThe Competition Bureau may review other anti-competitive behaviours that are not neces-sarily illegal. These include abuse of dominant position, exclusive dealing, refusal to deal, and market restriction. As always, the key is whether these activities unduly restrict competition.

Some other common law torts that may come into play with tenders are unlawful interference with economic interests, inducing breach of con-tract, and restraint of trade. This listing is meant to highlight some important legal issues, but it is not comprehensive. The best way to avoid anti-competitive conduct is to speak with legal coun-sel before acting.

ConclusionCompetition is vital for a healthy economy. If all goes to plan, competition provides owners with a wider range of options, drives down pric-es, and forces competitors to be more efficient. The laws in place ensure competition remains fair, no matter the size of the players. Some conduct is clearly anti-competitive, but others may be a valid use of market position. When in doubt, seek legal advice.

Charles W. Bois and Owen Pawson are both partners, Construction Group at Miller Thom-son LLP (Vancouver).

anti-Competitive Behaviour in TenderingConstruction Law

BY CHARLES BOIS AND OWEN PAWSON


Concrete

Many people think of concrete as a du-rable, long-lasting material, however the experience of the past 40 years might suggest otherwise. Govern-

ments in Canada, the U.S. and Europe have spent billions of dollars repairing and restoring aging structures that have not met their service life ex-pectations, and engineers have warned that this is only the beginning. Indeed, when many of these structures were designed and built, service life was not a significant consideration. The result is that bridges, marine structures, dams, industrial plants, and many other structures built in the early to mid-twentieth century began to deteriorate much earlier than expected, and we are now paying the price.

Having learned the lesson to some degree, own-ers and designers are now paying more attention to service life expectations during the design phase of projects. Service life expectations are being stated in defined terms, typically of 75 to 100 years. Many specifications and contracts have a definition of what “service life” is and how it will be measured. Designers are trying to assess the effect of various design options on service life and are making design decisions to optimize service life performance.

The aspect that has perhaps not been fully rec-ognized is the cooperative, fully-integrated ap-proach of all the players in the design, construc-tion and maintenance process that is necessary to actually achieve the optimum balance between service life, functional performance, initial cost and maintenance cost.

Managing Expectations — what is Service Life?Service life is often defined as the period of time in which a structure performs its function with-out unforeseen or extraordinary maintenance or repair. Therefore, when considering service life, it is critical to define the level of maintenance the owner is prepared to accept. This is impor-tant when considering the trade-offs between initial cost and future maintenance cost. A typi-cal example of this is a decision to use corrosion-

resistant rebar, which is now available in various forms. The increase in initial cost is significant, which is problematic for many owners who face budget restrictions. On the other hand, the sav-ings in maintenance costs for bridge decks or marine structures can be substantial. Hence, the expectations of owners with respect to mainte-nance responsibilities must be established and the life cycle cost/benefit analysis of these design options must be given appropriate attention at the design stage of a project.

Predicting Service LifeService life of a concrete structure depends on many variables, some of which are environmental and thus beyond the control of the designers and own-ers. So when one sets out to design such a structure, how can service life be predicted? Fortunately there are design tools becoming available to assist design-ers in this task. Numerical modeling is now used to predict time to corrosion of rebar, which is the pri-mary mechanism of concrete deterioration. These models allow various design options to be tested under various environmental conditions, and ratio-nal decisions can be made to improve durability at reasonable cost. In another mode, the time to first repair can be estimated for various scenarios, allow-ing a comparison of initial and maintenance costs. More sophisticated models are under development that will allow similar analyses to be made of other forms of concrete deterioration such as alkali-aggre-gate reactivity and sulfate attack. There is abundant activity among researchers and practitioners to de-velop and improve these modeling techniques, and they are becoming adopted into common design practice. Numerical modeling has been used lo-cally to predict time to corrosion for the Vancou-ver Convention Center Expansion, bridges on the Sea to Sky and Port Mann Highway 1 projects, and other structures.

Achieving Service LifeWe have reached a stage where 100 year service life of our concrete structures can be achieved with rela-

tive ease on paper. But achieving it in the real world requires an integrated approach. Modern design standards now address the service life objectives and have been adopted into building codes and specifi-cations. Designers are more aware and are using the tools at their disposal to improve durability and re-duce maintenance requirements. Materials suppli-ers are developing corrosion resistant rebar, supple-mentary cementing materials to improve concrete properties, and admixtures to stem other deteriora-tion processes. Owners are more cognizant of the importance of maintenance and the trade-offs they can make between initial cost and maintenance costs. And contractors have developed quality con-trol procedures to improve construction practices (curing, cover thickness, crack control) that will im-prove durability. The critical point is that all the ac-tors have a role to play in achieving these extended service life expectations.

Finally, it is interesting to think about what the concrete construction world will be like 75 years from now, when today’s structures will be nearing the end of their intended service lives. When we think of this in relation to the advances in concrete technology that have occurred in the last 75 years it is clear that we will be relying on technology that has yet to be developed to keep these structures in service even longer.

neil A. Cumming, FACI, P.Eng., is executive vice president of Levelton Consultants Ltd.

optimizing PerformanceExtending the Service Life of Concrete Structures. BY NEIL A. CUMMING

The concrete substructure of the Vancouver

Convention Centre is exposed to sea water

during each tidal cycle. Numerical modeling was

used to predict time to corrosion, and to test

various design alternatives to improve durability

to achieve a 100 year design service life.

Many structures that have already provided

decades of service are being rehabilitated to

provide up to 75 years of additional service.

Ballantyne Pier was constructed in 1913,

and was rehabilitated in the mid-1990s.


Concrete

dubbed a learning vehicle from the very start, construction of a net zero precast concrete home in Edmonton is a unique project that allows part-

ners, Lafarge and Stantec, to better understand the true benefits of the integrative design pro-cess (IDP) in driving sustainable, energy effi-cient dwellings.

Learning is the goal for the industry partners, but the immediate beneficiaries will be two Habitat for Humanity (HFHE) families in Ed-monton. The duplex’s innovative and integrative design, coupled with sustainable materials, will help create a very energy-efficient precast con-crete home. This means that HFHE’s goal of pro-viding a “hand up” to two hard-working families will be enhanced by lowering their energy bills — ideally to zero over the course of a year.

The Habitat families pay an interest-free mort-gage that is amortized to 25 percent of their in-come; one the reasons why Habitat homes are affordable. The mortgage payments are reinvested into building more Habitat homes giving the Habitat program continuity. Families also con-tribute 500 hours of “sweat equity” on other Habi-tat projects as their down payment for the home.

This project is the first of its kind in Canada. We are proud to support communities where they operate and to be involved in a solution which addresses sustainability’s triple bottom line — environmental, economic and social. La-farge, Stantec, and HFHE are excited to pioneer a solution with the potential to reduce negative impacts of communities in the future. This proj-ect will help the team validate hypothesizes with respect to design, methods and materials driving better informed choices.

Canada Green Building Council’s Alberta chapter is also deeply committed to the project; donating the LEED for Homes certification re-viewer and energy modeling to assist the project to achieve certification. The building is identical in size, orientation, and footprint to previous HFH duplexes in Edmonton built using tradi-tional framing and construction methods. This allows the project team to measure and verify the home’s energy performance over the next five years and compare the results with their tradi-tionally built twins. The duplex has the potential to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

From the beginning, the project was intended to be sustainable, with net zero becoming an achievable possibility after the envelope alone was able to achieve an EnerGuide 86 rating. Dow’s contribution of high R-value insulation for the building envelope provided a real boost.

The net zero house project has been developed through an integrative and collaborative design process linking design, construction methods, and materials to provide an energy efficient home cre-ating as much energy as it consumes on an annual basis. The extensive and multi-discipline develop-mental/design work that took place early in the conceptual stage paid dividends towards the goal of attaining net zero. The interface of 3D BIM model-ing through the entire IDP helped solve construc-tability challenges and provide a better sustainable building solution. Other partners that make the IDP possible are Kassian Dyck & Associates, Vital Engineering, EcoAmmo and EcoSynergy.

Some of the knowledge gained from this unique project has been the design and devel-opment of high performance insulated precast panels addressing multiple building needs. These

panels provide structural support, architectural exterior finish, insulation and vapour barrier as well as interior wall finishes — all accomplished with the same precast element. Moreover, the interface of different trades and material suppli-ers has allowed for a better understanding of the challenges and the cooperation that is required to maximize the benefits of combining multiple green building concepts and solutions.

Construction on the new duplex will com-mence in June with families receiving their keys in September. In this case, the building envelope consisting of precast panels complete with win-dows will be installed in only several days with a small crane and crew. When compared to typi-cal building methods, precast concrete brings the sustainable attributes of waste reduction, reduced construction time, reduction of safety risks, and innovation in materials.

The precast components for the structure are manufactured at the Lafarge precast plant in Edmonton where windows, exterior finish, elec-trical and mechanical openings are installed in controlled conditions before being transported to the Riverdale community site for assembly. A hybrid geothermal / solar thermal mechani-cal system will provide domestic hot water and heat for the building. During the winter months the building will draw from the power grid but during the summer a solar PV array will provide the building with its electrical needs as well as ex-porting surpluses back to the grid.

This project exemplifies the use of a learning vehicle, allowing the partners to make informed choices to address future construction sustain-ability needs.

Dennis Lattimore is vice president of mar-keting for Lafarge Western Canada.

ANtiCipAteD BeNefits usiNg preCAst CoNCrete• High energy efficiency building envelope:

R44 Walls & Basement Slab, R88 roof

• Construction site waste reduction. Off site

production

• Enhanced Durability — Longevity

• Reusability benefits (cradle to cradle)

• Fire and sound resistance

• Long span to depth ratio. Less structural

material

• Regional materials

• Lower life cycle cost

• Recycle Content (Fly Ash/Silica Fume)

• Innovative design: use BIM to integrate

design, manufacturing, construction

Thinking outside the envelopeA Net Zero Precast Concrete Home BY DENNIS LATTIMORE


CB: What does ARMCA’s 50th anniversary mean to you and members?

LR: It’s a year to celebrate the accomplishments of the ARMCA, and to recognize the people respon-sible for the longevity of the association. ARMCA has been a strong voice for the members on all in-dustry related issues. The retained membership is a testament to the strength of the association in bringing industry related businesses together for survival in an unpredictable marketplace.

CB: What is the association doing to mark the occasion?

LR: Our major celebration will take place in May at our Annual General Meeting and Con-vention. We hope to see many of our active and retired members participate in two days of fun filled activities including golf, special evening en-tertainment, and the President’s Banquet where we’ll acknowledge those who have graciously contributed their time and expertise for the on-going success of the association. We offer a chil-dren’s program as well as a spousal program, and everything is centered on ARMCA’s 50th birth-day. We will also introduce ARMCA’s new look with an updated logo and website to be launched during this event.

CB: Why is the ARMCA an important association?

LR: Invaluable training and certification is pro-vided to members and non-members through the ARMCA. The ARMCA is the voice of the industry for governmental issues. Since 1962, the ARMCA has evolved to become the ready-mixed industry’s principal representative for the growth and protection of the ready-mixed indus-try in Alberta with respect to regulation, devel-opment, and production operations. Our asso-ciation requires the participation and position of all sectors of the industry that collectively make up the Alberta ready-mixed market.

CB: What has been key to the association’s success?

LR: ARMCA’s successes have been accom-plished primarily through the volunteer efforts of technical, supervisory, and management per-sonnel of many industry related companies that staff various ARMCA committees and subcom-mittees related to government relations and as-sociation management. It is the commitment of our members that help to shape our industry.

CB: What have been some important achieve-ments?

LR: Due to a need for consumer protection on the quality of concrete being supplied, ARMCA created a specification for a concrete mix, “Dura-mix®”, a registered trademark of the association. Duramix® is a product that meets all minimum standards of the national building code and is recommended for exterior applications such as driveways, concrete pavements, and parking lots, and is only available through ARMCA members. The ARMCA developed an environmental man-agement practices document for Alberta.

The association also developed a plant certifica-tion program for members. We provide ongoing training in concrete technology, and offer industry certification programs such as, Field Testing, Driver Certification, Plant Certification, and Pump Op-erators Safety Training and Certification.

The ARMCA staff and members provide rep-resentation on many committees that have influ-enced codes and standards affecting our industry.

CB: What are some initiatives the association is working on now?

LR: We continue to work with partners in the cement and concrete industry to promote con-crete as a durable and sustainable product that will improve the overall environmental footprint. In our promotion of concrete pavements, we are working with the provincial government on the utilization of concrete intersections where other materials have failed. We strive to create consum-er awareness of the long term advantages of con-crete both in sustainability and in long term fiscal

responsibility. We are developing documents to outline proper procedures for placing and fin-ishing residential concrete and emphasizing the need for certified contractors. We help to edu-cate consumers and the construction industry on understanding concrete, through documenta-tion and information provided on our website; www.armca.net. Promotion of ICF construction (Insulated Concrete Forms) for substantial in-creased energy efficiency is another undertaking.

CB: What are some major issues facing the industry?

LR: Many people are not aware that concrete is the most consumed product globally, next to water. A major issue we are faced with is a skilled labour shortage in all aspects of our industry. We are also challenged with attracting people to work in the concrete industry when there are so many choices due to the strong Alberta economy.

Also, the perception that concrete is not as cost effective as other paving materials, when this is not the case if one looks at the entire life cycle cost of concrete versus other paving materials.

CB: What is the outlook for the industry?

LR: The industry continues to develop new sustainable products through research and de-velopment. Very strong growth is anticipated. The market will continue to grow to where the shortage of labour may not allow us to meet industry demands.

CB: How big is the association today? And what types of work are members responsible for?

LR: Our membership represents approximately 93 per cent of all ready-mixed producers in Alber-ta, many associate companies supplying the ready-mixed industry with a product or service, as well as affiliate members connected with the ready-mixed concrete business as a sub-trade or user of concrete such as cribbers, placers, finishers and pumpers, totalling approximately 257 members. Our mem-bers represent 98 per cent of the concrete volumes produced in the province of Alberta.

CB: What does the future hold for the association?

LR: ARMCA will continue to build on its suc-cess in establishing effective, mutually beneficial relationships with members, communities and the construction industry.

arMCa Celebrates 50 yearsConcrete

CB spoke with Laura Reschke, executive director of the Alberta Ready-Mixed Concrete Association, about the association’s golden anniversary and what the future holds.

L-R: Laura Reschke, executive director; Ed Kalis

— director of technical services and training;

Cheryl Grisé — administrative assistant.

buildex dps cb may.indd 1 4/17/12 10:55 AM


architect Corner

often guilty of seeking the latest “cool” factor, architects are discovering that Biomimicry can be more than a sexy keyword on their web sites.

Emulating nature’s time-tested ideas to solve problems isn’t new. Five centuries ago Leonardo da Vinci looked to nature for the design of a fly-ing machine: “Remember that your flying ma-chine must imitate no other than the bat, because the web is what by its union gives the armour, or strength to the wings.”

Still, architects have been slow to catch on. In fact, it was two biologists — Janine Benyus and Dr. Dayna Baumeister — who established a company to use Biomimicry to help designers, engineers, architects and business leaders develop sustainable products and processes. In 1998 they established the Biomimicry Group, and pub-lished the seminal book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. Their phone soon started ringing, with organizations like General Electric, NASA, Boeing, and Nike calling to find out how Biomimicry might help ”green” their products, policies and processes.

what Biomimicry is NotA common misunderstanding of Biomimicry is that it refers to how nature can be used by de-signers simply to inspire the form of a building, a chair or even a hat. Biomimicry is not a biomor-phic design tool; it is a biology-related science that differs from other bio-approaches by con-sulting organisms and ecosystems and applying the underlying design principles to innovation. It is a conscious emulation of nature’s function that goes well beyond form or metaphor. The design process stretches conventional notions of design integration by requiring the participation of a biologist to understand fully nature’s functions.

what Biomimicry IsPractitioners who incorporate the principles of Biomimicry essentially begin with one simple question: What would nature do?

Using biomimicry as a tool for sustainability requires a thought process that extends beyond the typical design process. We must ask not what we want to design, but must identify what we want the design to do. Then we ask nature what

it would do. How does the ecosystem capture en-ergy, manage shear, attach temporarily, or clean water? Once we discover models in the natural world, we ask how we might mimic these prin-ciples and strategies, and emulate them. Finally, it is important to evaluate our designs, asking if they are really following the principles that na-ture uses to create conditions conducive to life.

Biomimicry in ArchitectureAlthough LEED has become the accepted stan-dard for sustainable buildings in British Co-lumbia, a world full of LEED Platinum build-ings could still destroy the planet. Adopting a starting mantra of ‘no harm done’ could prove to be more realistic as the sustainability move-ment inches towards regenerative design ideas.

What Would Nature Do?BY VERONICA GILLES AND ANNA BUCHAN

Khed SEZ City, Maharashtra, India is a sustain-

able city planned on life’s principles. It cre-

atively synthesizes human need, environmental

stewardship, and economic viability — a global

model of urbanism where residents can live,

grow and prosper in harmony with nature.


architect Corner

HOK, which has an office in Vancouver, is contributing to this thought leadership by forg-ing an exclusive alliance with the Biomimicry Group to integrate nature’s innovations in the planning and design of buildings, communities and cities worldwide. HOK chairman Bill Val-entine FAIA, LEED AP says working with biol-ogist Janine Benyus has been pivotal for HOK. ”We were immersed in a sea of information, strategies, science and insight, and left with a strong commitment for a far wider discovery and education of these ideas across the firm.”

To date, the HOK / Biomimicry Group alliance has eight planning and design projects around the

world. “Not only should this help us significantly reduce the environmental impact of our projects,” says HOK sustainable design director Mary Ann Lazarus FAIA LEED AP BD+C, “but it also has the potential to help define a whole new sustain-able standard for our profession.”

the Genius of Place“Genius of Place” is a component of the Bio-mimicry Group’s design methodology for site-specific challenges. It honours local wisdom and actively looks and listens for ways that lo-cal geniuses manage water, build soil, deal with changes in climate, and address other challenges

of a particular land. It encourages locally-at-tuned strategies that match local operating con-ditions and ecologies.

The process is rigorous, and a biologist is always part of the design team. The ecological and engi-neering challenges are first defined, followed by the identification of “champion adaptors” — the ingenious creatures and plants of a particular place that can provide guidance for locally-attuned de-sign strategies. Design solutions are then tested against the “Life’s Principles” checklist and a mea-surable and rigorous Environmental Performance Standards. In this way, the actual function of a project, process or even organizational structure is informed at every step.

who will inspire you?Clearly, the opportunities for applying the Bio-mimicry methodology to architectural design are unlimited. But it demands an explosion of con-ventional thinking. The method is clear: identify the challenges and ask, “What nature would do?” Engage a biologist to help discover an appropri-ate model (the champion adapter), and under-stand its principles and strategies. Then analyze how the champion adapter functions and apply that functioning to your own design challenges.

Too often, architects are quick to come up with clever formal solutions — the familiar “sketch on a paper napkin” trick — followed, sometimes years later, by its rationalization. Biomimicry offers architects the potential for creating sustainable and efficient buildings, systems and environments that follow the prin-ciples tested by nature over the last 3.8 billion years. To take advantage of this approach, how-ever, requires us to quiet our cleverness and lis-ten to nature for the true answers. As Benyus states: “…when the city and forest are function-ally indistinguishable, that’s when we’ll really be at home on this planet.”

Veronica Gilles is vice president and regional leader, architecture at HOK. Anna Buchan is communications specialist at HOK.

New Songdo City Tower, South Korea is a

contemporary, iconic twisting skyscraper,

inspired by a honeycomb. The result: staggered

supporting walls cantilevered from the core in

a honeycomb pattern so that each floorplate

pivots around the centre of the building

…the opportunities for applying the Bio-mimicry methodology to architectural design are unlimited.


Industry News

Advertiser ListingsAplin & Martin ............................................15

BCCA ......................................................OBC

BFL Canada Insurance Services Inc ......... 5

Buildex ..............................................42& 43

Eagle West Cranes ............................ 9 & 35

Fortis BC .................................................... 10

Glotman Simpson .....................................19

Langley Concrete Group ..........................13

Levelton .....................................................16

LMS ........................................................... 27

McElhanney ...................................... 18 & 21

Morrison Hershfield ..................................16

Opus DaytonKnight .................................20

RCABC ..................................................... IBC

Reliable Equipment ..................................26

Western One ............................................... 4

Wilson M Beck Insurance .......................IFC

Wood WORKS BC! ............................. 24&25

WorkSafe BC ............................................. 7

UNIqUE towER PRoPoSALA unique 49-storey tower is being proposed at the north end of the Granville Street Bridge. The tower, at the corner of Howe Street and Beach Avenue, starts as a triangle at the base but twists into a rectangle high-er up above the bridge. The $200 million mixed use project is by developer Westbank Projects Corp. and Danish architect Bjarke Ingels. The residential tower will have a nine storey podium which will include market rental housing, commercial uses and a child-care facility.

fLINt IS CEoMark W. Flint, P. Eng., joins the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Al-berta as CEO effective Monday, April 16, 2012.

Flint comes to the post after more than two decades of leadership in the Canadian Armed Forces where he was most recently Command-ing Officer of the Mission Transition Task Force Engineer Regiment in Kandahar, Afghanistan where he led the engineering effort for the order-ly withdrawal and relocation of Canadian equip-ment, supplies and personnel.

The association changed its name in March (dropping a G). The new name reflects the change to licensing Professional Geoscientists (P.Geo.) in-stead of Professional Geologists (P.Geol.) and Pro-fessional Geophysicists (P.Geoph.). Alberta was the last jurisdiction in Canada to separately license Pro-fessional Geologists and Professional Geophysicists.

BCIt fUNdINGThe federal government announced in February that it will support BCIT’s improvements to its Build-ing Science Centre of Excellence. The $530,000 of funding will go towards new and expanded labs at the centre, which will be used for applied research to improve building performance, building envelope design, and to commercialize new products and technologies in the construction sector.

The funding comes from the Western Econom-ic Diversification Canada program, which works with the provinces, industry associations and com-munities to promote the development and diversi-fication of the western Canadian economy.

NEw RoAd SAfEtY PoRtALWorkSafeBC, in partnership with BCAA Road Safety Foundation, has launched an on-line safe driving website, aimed at employers whose work-ers are required to drive in the course of their work. RoadSafetyAtWork.ca includes tips and materials to help employers and workers stay safe while on the road, and guides employers through five simple steps to enhance road policies or create new ones.

Each step provides instructions, sample forms, and/or best practices for B.C. employers in order to reduce and eliminate motor vehicle incidents, regardless of a company’s size or industry.

BUILdEx SUCCESSMore than 13,000 industry professionals at-tended Buildex Vancouver 2012 held at the Vancouver Convention Centre West. The annual tradeshow for professionals in the design, con-struction, and real estate industry offered two full days packed with more than 60 sessions and featured 500 plus exhibitors.

This year’s keynote speaker at the annual CEO Breakfast (presented by ICBA) was Michael Campbell, host of the Money Talks radio show. He addressed several key trends affecting both construction and the overall economy. The most important being the aging demographics which will have a significant impact on the government in terms of healthcare and pensions.

Next year’s show will be on February 13 & 14, 2012.

ESC CERtIfICAtIoNTo promote corporate sustainability strategies in the construction sector, VRCA has launched the Excellence in Sustainable Construction (ESC) Certification Program, one of the first of its kind in North America to certify a con-struction company, rather than a construction project. The aim of the association-developed program is to encourage the three pillars of sustainability within construction companies, finding synergies between profits, protecting the environment and supporting communities. A pilot version of the program was initiated in July 2011, which resulted in four successful applicants: Scott Construction Group, Flynn Canada Ltd., Gerry Enns Contracting Ltd. and Lark Group. The four companies received their ESC certifications on February 23, 2012 at a launch and recognition event held at Van Du-sen Botanical Garden. For more information, visit www.sustainableconstruction.ca

foUNdER PASSESLionel Houle passed away in March. The founder of Houle Electric established the company in 1944 in his father’s basement in Port Alberni. It has grown from a small residential electrical con-tractor to an industry leader providing a fully inte-grated range of electrical services. Houle Electric today is one of the largest electrical contractors in B.C, servicing the ICI sector. It has regional offices in Greater Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Prince George, Kamloops and Kelowna.

tRINItY ExPANdSTrinity Building + Construction Management Corp., a Mass-based general contracting and con-struction management firm has formed a new Canadian entity called Trinity Builders + General Contractors, ULC. The new company’s first proj-ect is a retail build-out for J. Crew, in Vancouver.

Trinity is a general contracting and construc-tion management firm with a national presence. It provides a range of construction related servic-es, focusing on the hospitality, retail, corporate and institutional segments of the commercial construction market.

wood USEWood WORKS! BC has released a feasibility entitled “Case for Tall Wood Buildings”, a more than 200 page document which encourages ar-chitects, engineers and designers to adopt wood construction on a different scale than has previ-ously been seen.

The study introduces a new construction model for tall buildings entitled “Finding the Forest Through the Trees” (FFFT) which uses mass timber panels and which is intended to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by sup-planting concrete and steel with wood as a pri-mary building material.

“Case for Tall Wood Buildings” was com-missioned by CWC on behalf of the Wood Enterprise Coalition (a partnership of Wood WORKS! BC, FPInnovations, and BC Wood Specialties), with support from Forestry Innova-tion Investment, and prepared by mgb Architec-ture + Design, Equilibrium Consulting, LMDG Ltd, BTY Group.

vRCA AwARdS dEAdLINEA reminder that the 2012 VRCA Awards of Excel-lence are looking for submissions. Project submis-sion deadline is May 10. Non-projects is August 17. The 24th annual event will be held October 17 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

File: 310CB_8.75x12.25_Raindrop-RCABC.indd Client: RoofStar (RCABC) Construction Business

design one Size: 8.75” x 12.25” Date: Oct 13, 2011

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