CB Spring_2023

SQUAMISH BUILDING BOOM

NICOLE BRYANT, CEO, NRCA | 2023 VICA AWARDS | TECHNOLOGY

PUBLISHER

MANAGING EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

06 Connections

Nicole Bryant, CEO, Northern Regional Construction Association, is tackling industry priorities and engaging membership in new ways.

08 Feature Project

The District of Squamish is one of the fastest growing communities in B.C. To meet population growth and lifestyle interest, the town is undergoing a major construction boom.

13 2023 VICA Awards

Industry Focus

21 Technology Prefabrication: Tremendous Opportunities Delivering Buildings Digitally Departments

04 Message from the Editor

Spring

Dan Gnocato dang@mediaedge.ca

Cheryl Mah

Karina Delcourt

Dan Gnocato Tel: 604.549.4521

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Cover Photo Squamish is a hub of activity.

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 Specifications 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.

Photo by: Brent Mills

Hub of Activity

Despite ongoing challenges, B.C.’s construction industry is booming. From Prince George and Vernon to Squamish and Burnaby, building permit records are at all time highs.

In this issue, we take a special look at the District of Squamish where strong population growth is driving demand in housing, infrastructure and facilities. The area has several master-planned developments in different stages including Oceanfront Squamish by Matthews West, which is set to transform the waterfront dramatically with a park, homes, commercial and more. The district is also working hard to keep pace with a focus on critical public facilities to support the growing community.

Another hub of activity is further north in Prince George where construction companies are very busy, according to Nicole Bryant, CEO, Northern Regional Construction Association (NRCA). The latest stats show that the city issued record building permits in 2022 totalling $252 million — a roughly five per cent increase over 2021’s record-setting year.

Bryant, who took over the helm at NRCA last year, shares what the association is focusing on and some new initiatives that will improve member engagement including an awards gala in September.

On Vancouver Island, the fourth annual VICA Awards returned to an in-person celebration during the Vancouver Island Construction

Conference held in April. The winning projects were all complex and built during the global pandemic. Casman Projects earned the top prime contractor award for a project over $20 million. Building a condo over a theatre was a unique feat.

We hope you enjoy this issue.

Cheryl Mah Managing Editor

TACKLING TOP PRIORITIES

BY CHERYL MAH

Member engagement, advocacy and workforce development are some of the top priorities that Nicole Bryant is focusing on these days.

Since assuming the Northern Regional Construction Association (NRCA) CEO role in June 2022, she has been busy meeting with members and laying the groundwork to move the association forward. “It’s been a very eventful past year. There is a lot to learn in the non-profit world but I have many colleagues that I can draw on for advice when I need it,” she says.

One of her first ideas was to create a conference to bring the region under one roof to network and share knowledge about issues impacting everyone. This was accomplished in March when the association held its inaugural Build the North Conference. The conference tackled important industry topics such as contracts, risk management, leadership, and technology. This year’s theme was creating resiliency.

M“ We’ve seen some very difficult times in the last few years so learning how to create a resilient business has become a part of our everyday language,” says Bryant. “It’s the first conference of its kind in our association as far as I know. It was a fabulous event with panel discussions, breakout sessions and a fantastic keynote speaker. We’ve already set our dates for 2024 on April 3 and 4.”

Another exciting new event will be NRCA’s first annual awards to be held September 23. “I think it’s very important that the construction industry is celebrated for the things they do — they build some amazing projects,” she says.

And projects are just humming along in northern B.C., especially in natural resources. The Coastal GasLink pipeline, the LNG Canada liquified natural gas export terminal in Kitimat, Site C and the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion are four megaprojects driving activity.

“Construction is going strong. There’s so many dollars for projects proposed right now. Even with challenges, large projects are not slowing down,” says Bryant, adding several hospital projects are underway in various phases like the new Dawson Creek Hospital.

A significant project that recently completed was the new $39 million Canfor Leisure pool in Prince George. The city is also seeing strong residential development, which has increased significantly over the last few years. Earlier this year, the city reported 2022 saw record-high building permit values at a little over a quarter of a billion dollars.

“In Prince George, we don’t have as many capital projects but residential is very busy,” says Bryant.

The NRCA represents 211 members including general and trade contracting companies, manufacturers, suppliers and professional service providers. The association covers the largest geographical region in B.C., spanning from Williams Lake to the Yukon border and from the Alberta border to the West Coast.

“ We are a staff of three and being a small team, we have to work twice as hard to pull off what we need to do to serve our members,” says Bryant, who knows the region well.

Born and raised in Prince George, Bryant was exposed to the construction industry at an early age through her grandfather. He had an electrical contracting company called Bryant Electric which he founded in 1960.

“I grew up in the industry and was involved in estimating and project management in both construction and manufacturing,” she says.

Before joining NRCA, Bryant was an account executive at Bell Mobility. She knew many of the NRCA members by offering services and education through an affinity partnership with the association.

When Scott Bone announced his retirement in 2022, he encouraged Bryant to put her hat in the ring. He was at the helm of the association as CEO for seven years.

“Given my combined knowledge of business development and the construction world, I thought the position was a good fit,” says Bryant, who just completed her bachelor’s degree in marketing at UNBC in April and is now working on a post-graduate certificate in non-profit management at SFU.

While Bryant juggles a range of industry priorities, the issue of prompt payment is a major focus for the association.

“One of the top priorities province-wide is prompt payment,” she says. “It’s an important piece of legislation that’s been tabled time and time again. We are working to push that boulder uphill to see if we can get the attention of the provincial government. Construction is one of those industries where it can take up to 120 plus days to get paid. It’s time that changes.”

Procurement practices are another area of concern where the construction industry continues to call for accountability, transparency and fairness.

“Contractors are bidding on prices good for seven days and the tender doesn’t get decided on for nine days so by the time the contract is awarded, those prices are out of date. That’s how volatile it is,” says Bryant.

Of course, labour shortage remains a pressing challenge and will increase in severity as project

demand grows. The situation is particularly acute in northern B.C. with the large number of major projects and small population.

Labour reports indicate B.C. will be short 23,000 skilled workers by 2029.

“ Our focus is filling that labour shortage and helping our members become employee of choice so that we can attract more people to the construction industry,” says Bryant.

The association launched its Women in Construction committee last year to address barriers that prevent women from getting into and staying in the construction industry. One of the initiatives was to host a construction camp last summer to provide young women with practical hands-on skills and other training.

“ We conducted a high school youth building program where women came together to build a shed — planning, project management and construction,” says Bryant. “We will auction the shed at the awards gala. It’s an opportunity for them to take pride in the project.”

As the number of industry veterans hang up their hardhats over the next decade, recruitment and retention of skilled tradespeople from all underrepresented groups will be critical.

“ We need to really empower our equityseeking groups, who are actively involved in construction or who want to be involved in construction, to see that it is a career choice. It’s not a boys’ club anymore. We’re looking at an equal and open environment,” says Bryant.

SQUAMISH BUILDING BOOM

BY CHERYL MAH

Caption

A construction boom is underway in the District of Squamish. Renowned for its natural landscape, the once sleepy lumber town is undergoing a dramatic transformation with a long list of major projects and master-planned developments in and around the district.

Located on the Sea to Sky Highway between Vancouver and Whistler, the appeal of Squamish is attracting investments, new industries, businesses and more residents. Squamish’s population is about 24,000 and is projected to reach in excess of 36,000 residents by 2040.

“ The district has been experiencing rapid growth and significant building activity for a number of years,” says Mayor Armand Hurford. “The community has logged average population growth of four per cent between the last two censuses, and development has increased to meet this demand.”

HOUSING

One of the largest developments set to change the waterfront is the long-planned Oceanfront Squamish by Matthews West, which will bring 2,500 new homes as well as retail, office, green spaces and an educational campus over 100 acres on a peninsula that was once a former major industrial area.

The design team includes Stephane Laroye Architect (SLA) in collaboration with AKA Architecture, Hotson Architecture and Perry + Associates Landscape Architects.

Construction on the site has begun with the 11acre Sp’akw’us Feather Park expected to open this

summer. It will boast a water sports beach, recreation beach, open green spaces, slacklines, public art installations and trails linking the park to the surrounding community.

North Vancouver-based Naikoon Contracting is delivering the Oceanfront Presentation Centre and Public House, the first building on the site. The mass-timber building consists of

The District of Squamish, renowned for its natural landscape, is growing and attracting new developments.

Integrity. Craft. It’s how we build.

HOUSING STATS

The District’s 2023 Housing Needs Assessment Report estimates the number of homes needed to be created across the housing spectrum and identifies where the district can focus policy and advocacy. The report estimates that a minimum of 6,840 new housing units are needed by 2031, at a range of affordability levels and sizes.

Affordable Rental Housing

(Non-Market):

385 units built since 2017

• 232 Westwinds

• 32 Centrepoint

• 45 Under One Roof

• 76 Spirit Creek

65 units currently under construction

• 55 Sea and Sky (Waterfront Landing)

• 2 The Wilfred

• 8 Garibaldi Springs (Phase 1)

Market Rental Housing

(purpose-built):

40 units built since 2017 (Northyards)

271 units currently under construction:

• 8 Garibaldi Springs (Phase 1)

• 140 Sea and Sky (Waterfront Landing)

• 38 Northyards (Phase 2)

• 18 Pioneer Way

• 67 Ashlu

Source: District of Squamish

a three-storey presentation centre, and a twostorey public house featuring a restaurant and brewery. The entire building was prefabricated and constructed entirely out of glulam posts and beams and CLT floors, walls and roof.

“Naikoon is incredibly excited to have been selected by the owner to execute the first landmark building. The owner vision and commitment to mass timber and innovation is commendable and created a project perfectly prescribed to Naikoon’s strength, experience and passion,” says Naikoon president Joe Geluch.

Construction began in 2022 with the structure completed and topped off at the end of March.

As a result of careful planning and virtually building the structure multiple times before initiating the building erection, Naikoon was able to complete the entire building erection in 29 working days.

“ We are starting the below grade services, envelope, rough-in and exterior finishing phase now,” says Geluch.

Weather has been the biggest challenge on the project due to the location’s high wind conditions. During the foundation pour in December, the site received heavy snowfall, says Geluch. Substantial completion is scheduled for February 2024.

Closer to Highway 99 before the entrance to downtown is another massive masterplanned community by Bluesky Properties and Kingswood Properties called Sea and Sky (Waterfront Landing). When it’s fully built out, Sea and Sky will cover 55 acres and include approximately 900 homes with a mix of townhouses, four-storey rental buildings, retail spaces, waterfront homes and a 17,000-square-foot amenity centre. The development will provide access to the waterfront along Howe Sound inlet.

This development is also funding and constructing key transportation infrastructure projects in Squamish including the Clarke Drive Rail Overpass, Clarke Drive and Highway 99 Intersection improvements and the upcoming pedestrian lift bridge. 65 units are currently under construction.

Neighbourhood planning is underway in the Garibaldi Estates neighbourhood to develop a future vision that supports a diversity of housing options, employment space, transportation, and community amenities over the next 20 years. This follows development of a neighbourhood plan for the Loggers East area in Central Squamish. Finch Drive is the first project in that area and will offer net-zero homes. Phase 1 of Finch Drive is targeted to be completed in 2024. Other neighbourhood plans include the North Crumpit development and University Heights.

The Oceanfront Presentation Centre and Public House is a mass-timber building featuring a restaurant and brewery.

Affordable housing options are also needed and in April, more than 140 new affordable homes were completed in two projects — Spirit Creek Apartments and Ashlu. Both projects received funding through BC Housing. Eighth Avenue Development Group provided approximately $5 million in cash equity, as well as all construction and development costs for Ashlu.

“ There is an extreme shortage of rental apartments for middle-income households in the Sea to Sky corridor and Ashlu will provide 67 new rental apartments to the community,” said Ed Kolic, principal, Eighth Avenue Development Group.

MEGAPROJECTS

Over at the former Woodfibre pulp and paper mill property, major construction of the much delayed $5.1 billion Woodfibre LNG export facility is scheduled to begin in September with anticipated completion in 2027.

Graham Construction is currently undertaking final remediation work at the site with completion expected to wrap in late summer 2023.

Using renewable hydroelectric power, Woodfibre will produce 2.1 million tonnes of LNG annually with 250,000 m3 of floating storage capacity. Woodfibre LNG will be the first LNG export facility in the world to achieve net zero.

On ce operational, Woodfibre will be the lowest-emission LNG facility in the world, provid-

ing more than 100 long-term operations jobs for the lifetime of the project, according to Woodfibre president Christine Kennedy.

“Alongside the leadership and vision set out by the province’s new Energy Action Framework, achieving net zero allows Woodfibre LNG to advance the global energy transition, furthering economic reconciliation and contributing to British Columbia’s standard of living,” she says.

A little bit further north is another megaproject — the proposed $3.5 billion Garbalidi at Squamish, which will be an all-seasons destination ski resort at Brohm Ridge. The project is targeting construction start in 2025 and will have 21 ski lifts on 130 developed ski trails with both private and commercial accommodations.

According to the Squamish Chamber of Commerce, the project would be built out over at least 20 years, investing more than $3.5 billion in the city during construction and employing 4,000 people.

MUNICIPAL

With developments and construction showing no signs of slowing, the district is working to keep pace with its own infrastructure and civic projects to meet the needs of a growing community. Many of the district’s facilities are at end of life and need replacement or renovations.

A challenge area is in the renewal of municipal facilities as the district works to im -

plement the Real Estate and Facilities Master Plan. Work to upgrade two new fire halls and the public works facility has been the first priority. The new Squamish Fire Rescue headquarters and Emergency Operations Centre opened last year. Work has begun on the Tantalus Fire Hall, which is targeting net-zero energy.

R ecreation infrastructure is also a key focus, according to Hurford, with the Brennan Park Recreation Centre recently receiving a grant for $11.7 million. And the near-capacity Squamish Wastewater Treatment Plant will be getting a much needed $10-million upgrade.

The district is undertaking a review and update of its Community Amenity Contributions policy that will help to address community needs due to population growth.

“ Squamish has seen a dramatic increase in interest over the past eight years, particularly from Lower Mainland residents. This is largely due to the interest in the Squamish lifestyle, improved highway access, Squamish’s changing perception, Squamish’s ideal location between Vancouver and Whistler and until recently, the difference in pricing between housing costs compared to the Lower Mainland,” says Hurford. “The District is fortunate to have professional and experienced staff working hard at planning for a future of success for Squamish amidst the growing pressures.”

...the much delayed $5.1 billion Woodfibre LNG export facility is scheduled to begin in September with anticipated completion in 2027.

2023 VICA AWARDS

CELEBRATING IN PERSON

Now in its fourth year, the 2023 VICA Awards celebrates the pinnacle of achievement for building and individual achievements. As the premier construction industry association on Vancouver Island, the Vancouver Island Construction Association (VICA) Awards showcases the outstanding achievements and contributions of our members: prime contractors, trade contractors, and individual construction professionals.

The ICI and multi-residential construction sector on Vancouver Island remain one of the largest drivers of the island’s economy, providing stable, well paying, rewarding careers to thousands of families across the island. We continue to see sizable investment in construction services from both the public and private sector, despite challenging financial conditions.

After two years of virtual award shows, and in conjunction with BCCA’s Construction Month, it was an exciting return to an in-person celebration. For 2023, we paired our award presentation with our Vancouver Island Construction Conference, recognizing the winners during the luncheon portion of the conference.

Our 2023 group of winners represent outstanding achievement from across Vancouver Island, from

Port Hardy to Victoria. This year’s VICA Awards saw numerous submissions across all categories, especially our Women in Construction (WiC) of the Year Award. There were nine excellent submissions for the 2023 WiC Award with Keri Ellis of Trades Labour Corp. Victoria (TLC) ultimately being recognized for her achievement and dedication to supporting women within the construction industry. It brings me great confidence to see the engagement of women within our industry, and we must continue to build off that momentum as we continue our work of attracting and retaining women to the construction sector.

For our project achievement portion, we had 20 excellent completed projects submitted to six categories. To qualify for submission, the project had to have had reached substantial completion within two calendars of February 2023 — meaning that all projects submitted endured the multiple challenges which hindered the industry from 2020 onward (and continue to this day!). These projects, as well as the companies who built them, exemplify the work which VICA members do daily as they build our communities on Vancouver Island.

Lastly, I would also like to extend a sincere thanks to our judging panel. This year’s panel of judges

On behalf of VICA staff, board and our membership, congratulations to all the nominees, and award recipients. We are already looking forward to next year’s awards!

Rory Kulmala

Strategies; Mark Taylor, Mark Taylor Construction Advisory Services; and Jac-Lyn Mickelson, MGM Mechanical.

PRIME CONTRACTOR AWARD OVER $20 MILLION

Casman Projects, Cameo featuring star cinema movie theatre

residential on top of a concrete commercial main level housing a movie theatre.

One innovative solution was the theatre ceiling assemblies include up to 24 inches of insulation along with Quietrock 545 (the highest performing sound reducing gypsum board) suspended on vibration isolation springs.

In addition, this project was built during the global pandemic which required the team to navigate the challenges of restrictions, shut downs, supply chain issues and workforce shortages.

CONSTRUCTING A CONDOMINIUM

building with a movie theatre on the ground floor in the Town of Sidney was a complex endeavour and posed an unusual challenge for Casman Projects.

The new six-storey residence called Cameo rises on top of a revitalized Star Cinema movie theatre, which has long been an important amenity to the community since opening its door in 1998. The expanded 7,250 square foot Star Cinema anchors the ground floor, offering 324 seats.

Designed by Finlayson Bonet Architecture,

the entire building has a Hollywood theme, from its name to colour schemes.

The largest concern with constructing a multi-family condominium with a full three screen movie theatre on the ground floor commercial level was ensuring the sound and vibration did not transfer to the residential units above the theatre.

The entire project team including acoustic engineers and code experts were engaged to consult and design around the B.C. building code conflicts and sound attenuation challenges inherent with stacking a wood framed

PRIME CONTRACTOR AWARD $10 TO $20 MILLION

Kinetic Construction – Canadian Coast Guard Base, Hardy Bay

A REMOTE LOCATION, severe weather conditions and pandemic protocols were just some of the challenges Kinetic Construction had to overcome for the Canadian Coast Guard Base Hardy Bay project

Scope of work included removal of existing buildings, installation of a new dock with extensive marine works, and construction of the new 16,000 sq. ft building.

Located at the northern tip of Vancouver Island in Port Hardy, base consists of office and meeting spaces; 3,600 square foot warehouse, classroom/training space, dining areas as well as a new 9,600 square foot wharf. The operations building is on the water’s edge, just 1.5 metres above the high-tide line while the residential building sits behind it on top of a 6-metre high cliff.

The project had to overcome the technical challenges of the rugged site, address ecological issues, and provide attractive and functional living and working space.

Designed by CTA Architecture & Design, the building showcases many specialty products, including a live-edge timber entry pavilion, heavy timber framing, live-edge feature columns in the boardroom, a custom-

made rooftop antenna armature, and the installation of three totem poles.

This project incorporated several complex design features not commonly found in a building of this type. For example, through careful coordination and planning, Kinetic incorporated an exposed post and beam wood structure in the office area and large wood trusses to span the expansive warehouse bays.

Additional complex project components included the construction of a large dock and approach to accommodate more extensive Coast Guard fleet requirements and the integration of sophisticated communication equipment on

For the successful delivery of this unique project, Casman earned the 2023 VICA Prime Contractor Project Achievement Award, over $20 million.

“It was great to be recognized by our peers in the construction industry that understand the amount of teamwork, collaboration, and support from the community that went in to putting this project together from its inception in 2017 to completion, not to mention the complexity of putting a three screen movie theatre on the ground floor of a residential condominium building,” says Margie Shenduk, director of operations for Casman Properties.

the building rooftop to assist the Command Centre in dealing with emergencies.

Nick Rowbotham, branch manager, Courtenay, credits project success to the strength and collaboration of the entire project team.

“Having this project recognized means a great deal to Kinetic. This was a challenging project that had many different design, cultural, and owner components,” he says. “To us this is much more than a beautiful building that provides critical emergency services to our coast, it is a project that represents healing, partnerships, and a path forward.”

We’re finding low-carbon energy in unlikely places

Like biogas captured from wastewater to create Renewable Natural Gas1 (RNG). It’s a low-carbon energy2 that can be used in homes and businesses across the province—and we’re adding more to our supply every year.

Our natural gas delivery system can provide RNG to buildings and developments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This means buildings can meet strict emissions guidelines without expensive upgrades or retrofits.

Find out more about RNG at fortisbc.com/rngbuild. Connect

PRIME CONTRACTOR AWARD $5 TO $10 MILLION CGI Constructors – 1810 Blanshard St. Renovations

CGI WAS THE GENERAL CONTRACTOR on the renovation of the 4th and 5th floors at 1810 Blanchard Street in Victoria. Completed June 2021, this project involved the full internal demolition and reconstruction to a newly configured office space.

On the fourth floor, work on the 14,000 square foot space included all new mechanical, plumbing, power, and data, along with all the required architectural finishes including new flooring, millwork, glazing partitions and feature ceiling. This gave the floor its new purpose which was to house the Ministry of Citizens Services Real Property Division.

Once the 4th floor works were successfully handed over at the end of June 2019, the team moved up to the 5th floor commencing in November 2020 to perform similar work. Each floor is now transformed into brightly light collaborative open office and shared spaces.

During construction, the rest of the eight-storey building was occupied, posing many unique challenges including mitigating noise, dust and disruption. Material access in and out of the building was another challenge that the team successfully overcame.

Other challenges included pandemic restrictions and a tight site, limiting material laydown room and requiring just in time deliveries. The project was successfully completed on budget and on time.

PRIME CONTRACTOR AWARD UNDER $5 MILLION Knappett Projects – Craigflower Hall

THE CRAIGFLOWER COMMUNITY & Performing Arts Centre is a 10,000 square foot Scottish cultural centre on the Craigflower Manor House National Historic Site property in Victoria. Construction began in 2021 and the centre officially opened in January, 2023.

Designed by D’Ambrosio Architecture, the landmark community centre features a distinctive circular shape and will host a range of events, including art exhibitions, musical performances, meetings and weddings. It will also be the base for the Victoria Highland Games Association. Spaces include a conference centre, club, commercial kitchen, museum, cafe, restaurant, recreational amenities and retail sales area.

The building is a single storey with a central hall and roof structure supported with steel columns and mass timber glulam beams. The wood framed building has curved concrete walls, large glass curtainwall, stone masonry, and metal paneling. This project’s unique glulam ceiling structure is in shape of Celtic Knot, requiring the Knappett team to utilize its solution driven project management skills to overcome design and installation conflicts. Industry challenges during this time period were prominent. Construction was challenged by supply delays and labour shortages related to the pandemic. This required extraordinary flexibility and commitment from Knappett to the project management and site coordination. Knappett’s skilled field staff self performed all concrete, framing, cladding and some excavation work.

SUBCONTRACTOR $2-$5 MILLION DenMar Electric– Berkwick Parksville

BERWICK PARKSVILLE RETIREMENT

COMMUNITY is a 189-unit seniors’ living facility located in Parksville. Newest in the Berwick group of communities, the facility includes many amenities for residents including fine dining, pubs, exercise facilities, arts and crafts rooms, and even a performance theatre. The six storey building includes an underground parkade and rooftop lounge, and also offers residents outdoor activities in the extensively landscaped grounds.

DenMar Electric began working with the developer, Denford Construction, in June 2020, starting with work on a multi-phase suspended slab over the parkade. This slab required DenMar’s team to coordinate inslab conduit locations with both the electrical design and the above-grade structure. Working with the developer and BC Hydro in the early stages of the project was key to ensuring all underground and under-slab conduit was installed to meet the utility’s standard.

The 1200-amp 347/600V service included a large main distribution board as well

as numerous transformers and sub-panels throughout the facility. The electrical system was backed up with a 200kW diesel generator and automatic transfer switches on the parkade level. DenMar Electric crews were there to make sure the BC Hydro service was connected on schedule and that distribution equipment was installed and commissioned safely.

SUBCONTRACTOR UNDER $2 MILLION Kerr Controls – PEXSISEN Elementary

The construct ion period fell in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the company to deal with added safety protocols, labour shortages, and material delays. Working closely and cooperatively, DenMar was able to successfully navigate these challenges and bring the electrical installation in on time.

THE PEXISEN ELEMENTARY and Centre Lellum Middle Schools project was completed in January 2023. The high level of collaboration between School District 62, Farmer Construction, trades, and engineers was a major contributing factor to the success of the project.

The two scho ols and central boiler plant were built simultaneously on a large site at 3090 & 3100 Constellation Drive near Westshore Parkway in Langford. The project was targeted to be built to LEED Gold standards with a focus on energy efficiency.

Numerous features were incorporated to maximize the energy efficiency of the schools, including solar energy, geothermal systems, and a sophisticated building automation system. Photovoltaic panels on the roof are expected to provide five per cent of the schools’ energy needs. Geothermal systems installed under the school playing fields will provide efficient heating and cooling, and electric backup boilers help minimize greenhouse gas emissions.

Kerr Controls installed internet‐connected building automation control systems in the elementary school, middle school, and central plant to automate the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, and monitor energy consumption. The scope included programming the system software and creating a graphic user interface. The building automation system is vital for ensuring the mechanical systems operate with optimal efficiency.

The schools are aesthetically stunning and provide a fantastic environment for learning. The internet-connected building automation system is equally state‐of‐the‐art, integrating modern technology and sophisticated energy management strategies.

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

Sherry Bailor, Knappett Projects Inc.

Sherry Bailor is lead safety coordinator at Knappett and has been there for five years. In the company Sherry participates on the Joint Health and Safety Committee and actively helps form policies from a practicable side of things.

WOMAN IN CONSTRUCTION OF THE YEAR

Keri Ellis, Trades Labour Corp

Keri joined her husband in opening Trades labour Corp in Victoria in 2008 and has been instrumental in the success of the company ever since. In 2020, the couple opened their second business, Blue Anvil Labour Leasing Services.

UNDER 40 OF THE YEAR Diana Demmers, EllisDon

Diana joined EllisDon as a co-op student in 2015 and quickly rose through the ranks to become a full-time employee in 2016. She was promoted to project manager in 2021. Over the past eight years, she has played an instrumental role in over $600 million worth of construction projects. She has demonstrated expertise in all project stages, from pre-construction to procurement and handover.

EDUCATION LEADERSHIP AWARD

Anna Hargreaves, Vancouver Island University

Anna received her Red Seal Carpenter certification in 2008. For eight years she has worked as a carpentry instructor for trades discovery programs at both VIU and Camosun College. She actively works towards the betterment of the construction industry through inclusive education for underrepresented groups.

EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR

Osprey Electric Ltd.

VICA MEMBER OF THE YEAR AWARD

RC Roofing Ltd. (1 — 20 Employees)

Victoria Drain Services Ltd. (21 — 50 Employees)

Western Grater Contracting Ltd. (51+ Employees)

SAFETY AWARDS

Durwest Construction Management Inc.

EllisDon Corporation

Houle Electric Ltd.

IWCD Ltd.

Knappett Projects Inc.

Mazzei Electric Ltd.

Mustang Landscape & Design Ltd.

Prefabrication: Tremendous Opportunities

BY CHERYL MAH

How can the construction industry deliver better projects faster, more sustainably and with a smaller workforce? The answer is prefabrication.

Off-site construction is not new, but current challenges have sparked a renewed interest in the methodology.

According to Craig Mitchell, principal, BlackBox Offsite Solutions, prefabrication offers tremendous opportunities.

Mitchell, a modular building professional with more than 25 years of experience in the field, said there are many opportunities to increase the use of prefabrication in Canada during a Buildex Vancouver session. Of the different methods of prefabrication, mass timber is seeing the most broad sector demand.

“Mass timber only makes up one per cent of the overall construction materials market here in North America but is growing 40 per cent year over year,” he said, going on to explain that a movement toward panel prefabrication (ie closed panels) is possible in the future but the market is in its infancy and is extremely fragmented.

Prefabrication offers many advantages to build more efficiently, helping to address challenges the construction industry is facing. One of the most pressing is the shortage of skilled labour which impacts other issues such as productivity and quality.

“The construction industry is among the worst performing industries in terms of productivity over the last two decades,” he said. “With prefabrication, the opportunities for erecting a building with a smaller workforce are there.”

With the ongoing labour shortage and inadequate supervision on project sites, moving projects into a climate-controlled factory setting offers considerably better quality control.

“By moving the construction process to a controlled environment, it forces you to get your design done early which locks in your costs. Prefabrication forces you to be very diligent in terms of getting all your work done in advance before you start construction,” said Mitchell, noting that this would help consultants who are often overworked which leaves contractors in the field to figure things out.

Another important driver for more off-site construction technology is the increasing emphasis on sustainability. Changes in building codes and net zero targets will push construction towards prefabrication and accelerate growth, said Mitchell, adding off-site construction can also accelerate project schedules up to 50 per cent and provide schedule certainty.

Demand is coming from sectors such as healthcare, hospitality, education and student accommodation, and affordable housing. All are seeing the benefits of speed and standardization with prefab technology and automation.

Meeting housing supply is a huge opportunity, said Mitchell, citing that the federal government has committed to build about 400,000 homes annually but only about 260,000 new homes are currently built each year, according to CMHC data.

“We are not going to build our way toward housing by using our existing labour force. We have to think differently,” he said.

But there are challenges and constraints for widespread adoption. Firstly, there is a general lack of experience and understanding on how to use prefabrication.

“Prefabrication is expected to fit into the traditional construction process,” said Mitchell. “Prefabrication doesn’t work well in that current environment. We have to find a way to develop a playbook for integration of prefabrication into traditional construction.”

Other challenges include:

• Transportation/logistics — modular construction has constraints around size and widths of loads. Early determination of logistics, storage, staging and weatherproofing is required.

• Contracts — Design-bid-build contracts typically do not work with prefabrication. More integrated and collaborative contracts such as integrated project delivery and construction management work well.

• Insurance — Owners are still seeing increased insurance premiums. This shows that more education around the fire ratings and the properties of mass timber is required.

Mitchell stressed that “project teams must address water management through construction have a water mitigation plan” to avoid project failures.

When it comes to cost, prefabrication is more expensive than traditional construction.

“People think we can build cheaper using prefabrication — we’re not there yet. It’s more expensive,” said Mitchell, noting upfront costs are higher. “The industry still operates on hard costs. The way that prefabrication will have an advantage in the future is if we’re able to quantify the benefits. It’s the only way to compete against traditional construction.”

The speed and time advantage of prefab is also being lost due to current red tape and permit delays at city hall.

To promote prefabrication, case studies and best practices are required.

“We have to find a way to create that best practices guide so that we can start accelerating adoption in that sector,” urged Mitchell, noting mass timber has done a “fantastic marketing job” but modular and panelized construction need similar attention. Other recommendation offered were:

1. Reframe mass timber and panels as a single industry for market development.

2. Revamp public sector procurement practices.

3. Standardize terms and conditions and contract language.

4. Encourage government and industry to work together to develop policies that specifically support off-site construction.

Mitchell stressed that for owners to adopt prefabrication, failures have to be minimized and successes championed. “If you’re new to prefabrication, I recommend bringing in your ‘A’ team for your first project. Talk to people who’ve done it. We want people to adopt prefabrication.”

Delivering Buildings Digitally

THE GAPS IN BETWEEN BIM, VDC AND DIGITAL TWINS BY KATRINA DELCOURT

The three building blocks of digital building delivery are BIM, VDC and digital twins. There are various definitions for these methods but here are some common ones:

Building Information Modelling: a model with or without 3D geometry that hosts the information about building material, dimensions, connections, forces, power, flow rates, and all other elements required in each element that forms the building.

A key subset of understanding BIM is understanding Level of Development, or LOD. This means how realistic the building element is within the model. As a general rule of thumb (per the BIM Forum LOD Specification Part 1, Guide & Commentary) these levels are:

• 100: Generic graphic representation but not geometric.

• 200: Generic placeholder with approximate geometric information.

• 300: Graphic representation with quantity, size, shape, location and orientation information included.

• 50: Everything at 300 but also including specific parts such as supports and connections.

• 400: Sufficient information for Fabrication.

• 500: A field-verified representation of a building element.

Virtual Design and Construction: Before VDC, you need to have BIM. With that model, you can now analyze for constructability and derive insight into how to optimize your construction process. This is where tasks like clash detection and 4D Scheduling come in.

Digital Twin: a digital representation of your complete as-built conditions, including equipment tagging, maintenance and replacement lifecycles, and connections to the various IoT devices in the building that indicate how it is performing.

The key is to understand that having one of these items does not mean you have the other. If your BIM hasn’t been updated to record every condition of the building since it was constructed, it’s not a digital twin. And, in fact, digital twins can be created without the need for model authoring software like Revit or ArchiCAD. Despite what marketing materials tell you, a digital twin isn’t a “bonus” outcome from BIM. It should, in fact, be the driving force behind how you author BIM and what VDC processes you use.

A second problem prevalent in the industry is how frequently BIM is solely used for design intent. This is all that is contractually required of architects and engineers, and for a contractor to get involved in BIM they have to re-start the model from scratch. This process seems to be fairly well accepted in the

United States where contractors have large BIM and VDC teams who work with trades to author a complete model with every nut, bolt, and tile that’s going to be installed, but that is not the case in Canada.

Instead, we have a tendency to rely on models only showing the building intention, and utilize services like clash detection to try and make everything fit when we’re missing components like seismic restraints, cable tray hangers, p-traps and tile grout lines. Because of this, it’s not uncommon to get on site and find new clashes that weren’t found in the model. A thoroughly completed and enforced BIM execution plan helps with these challenges, however, once construction starts and substitutions for materials and fixtures are made, that pre-work can be undone if there isn’t a model that’s updated to reflect actual submittals.

So, how do we actually use these digital tools to a benefit rather than having gaps created in between each responsible group? There is the BIM execution plan, but it’s important to understand these plans require updates through the project lifecycle. In order to make sure that happens, and that there’s a transfer of knowledge between design teams, construction teams, and the final facilities management group, all owners should have a BIM team, or at least a qualified BIM lead, who represents their interests first.

This BIM lead would gather requirements from facilities management before engaging with consultants. Their responsibility through design would be to ensure the consultants provide all data and speci-

fications in the consultant’s model to match the facilities management requirements, and then turn it over to the construction team. Once this turnover happens — usually at IFC — the construction team would then take ownership of the model and manage the increase in Level of Development from what was completed for design intent (usually LOD 200-300) to a fabrication level (LOD 400), so that it matches the information in submittals and can be used to fully plan on-site activity. This also allows for increased off-site manufacturing. Finally, the owner’s BIM team would field-verify the building and leverage all information from the LOD 400 model to give facilities management a true digital twin.

The purpose of using BIM lead instead of BIM manager is that this person or persons does not need to author BIM. The important element is about understanding the BIM process, and the data capture required. This individual could come from a variety of backgrounds, and finding them really depends on the owner’s organizational digital maturity and capacity. This focus on result — delivering what the facilities management team needs, and not just providing a building and worrying about maintenance later — is the key to solving our gaps in digital building delivery.

Karina Delcourt is strategic initiatives manager at Etro Construction, where she oversees the implementation of digital solutions for both the office and field in order to provide the best ways to deliver construction projects for clients.

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