🌿 The Leaf has sprouted

Together with

Good morning! Dust off those Christmas lights, it’s officially December. While these scientists probably won’t be looking for Santa, work has begun on the world’s largest radio-astronomy observatory to collect celestial radio signals. With sites spread across both Australia and Africa, scientists believe they can learn more about dark matter and how galaxies form.

Back on planet Earth, in Winnipeg, visitors to the The Leaf can now view how plants are formed. Keep reading to find out why the horticulture facility, built by Bird Construction, is this week’s Project Spotlight.

- Russell Hixson, editor

MARKETS

*Stock data as of last market close; currency, oil and crypto data as of 10:30PM ET Dec 5th

Markets: Canada’s third-quarter economic growth beat forecasts but experts say to hold off on popping the champagne. Statistics Canada’s data showed that despite the 0.7 per cent growth, which beat the forecasted 0.4 per cent, domestic demand was lackluster as households curbed spending. The economic growth was mostly due to exports like oil and wheat.

THE BIG STORY

Lessons learned for modern modular work

The year was 1946 and America found itself in a post-war boom. As soldiers returned and industry shifted gears to peacetime production, housing supply became a national crisis. But have no fear, citizens! Inventor and architect Buckminster Fuller unveiled his revised Dymaxion House, a factory manufactured kit housing solution that is assembled on site. The otherworldly space saucer design never saw full-scale production, but how far have we come with integrating prefabrication and modular techniques into construction?

Here’s the deal: Recently, the effectiveness of Canadian modular construction projects has been investigated. With support from the National Housing Strategy’s Demonstrations Initiative, RDH Building Science conducted a series of case studies to assess modern modular projects. The result was three key takeaways:

• Yes there can be significant cost savings but it depends on whether savings in labour and materials can be generated by production in a factory setting.

• Keep it dry! RDH found that moisture, particularly during transportation and storage, can be the biggest concern for developers and must be accounted for in overall project plans.

• While modular construction can be particularly beneficial for remote communities, developers must still consider local needs.

The big picture: Elyse Henderson, energy and sustainability consultant at RDH, cautioned that while the benefits of modular construction are clear, it’s not a silver bullet for success. She urged developers to focus on consultation.

“Bring all the members of the team together at the beginning, and make sure that everyone is clear on the goals, the timelines and their responsibilities,” she said. “That’s because, once you start manufacturing the modules, there’s no going back.”

NEED TO KNOW

The week's headlines

👷🏽‍♀️The latest data from Statistics Canada shows the construction workforce shrunk last month by 25,000 workers - hardly the news builders wanted to hear. The losses were mostly in Alberta and B.C., offsetting increases that were seen in October.

🏛️ Toronto’s new Planning and Housing Chair, Brad Bradford, is looking to shake up the city’s strategy to tackle affordable housing. He plans to pursue policy changes like increased density near transit and legalizing rooming houses city-wide. He believes recent changes to strengthen mayoral powers could help get it done.

📈 Officials in the U.S. might begin pumping the brakes on rate hikes as early as this month. While addressing the Brookings Institution, Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell said that while the fight against inflation is far from over, they plan to begin slowing rate increases in December. The Financial Times predicts the Fed is likely to announce a 0.5 percentage point increase instead of the 0.75 percentage point increase it has done for the past four meetings.

🧑‍🔧 Out with the old. The Industry Training Authority is no more in B.C. The agency is now officially SkilledTradesBC and it has an expanded mandate. Most notably, the agency will be rolling out the province’s skilled trades certification program which will start with requiring certification for seven electrical and mechanical trades.

SPONSORED

SiteMax platform continues to digitize construction

It started off as another job for brand strategist James Faulkner, but it soon turned into a project to help transform construction. Before he was the CEO and founder of construction management software company SiteMax, Faulkner was running a successful agency rebranding blue-chip companies across Canada.

While working for a construction client, Faulkner found there was a massive need to digitally connect the construction industry. The result was SiteMax, a software product designed by builders for the field-to-office communication needs of a commercial general contractor.

The tech company says digitization can help with a project's three most significant factors for success:

• Schedule

• Budget

• Compliance

Looking ahead, the SiteMax development team is focused on the general contractor and subcontractor relationship.

“Our strategy for the year ahead lies in creating more meaningful ways to streamline interactions between the two, broadening our reach within the industry,” said SiteMax COO Christian Hamm. “We believe that workflows, automation and predictability are critical to the success of this interaction moving forward.”

We have the full story of the tech company’s origins, but their story isn’t over. Be sure to follow SiteMax as they continue to develop their platform.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Horticulture project opens in Winnipeg

The Leaf has finished sprouting: The $130-million horticultural facility The Leaf opened its doors last month after a long, bumpy ride. The project faced a two-year delay and originally had a price tag of $75 million. Despite these challenges, the facility now offers the public four distinct biomes: the Hartley and Heather Richardson Tropical Biome, Mediterranean Biome, Babs Asper Display House, and the Shirley Richardson Butterfly Garden. KPMB was the project’s design architect in association with Architecture 49. Bird Construction was the general contractor.

PROJECT UPDATES

Work begins on $27-million National Centre for Indigenous Laws in B.C.

Aecon consortium selected to build Scarborough transit project.

Smoky Falls team reaches milestone for Little Long Dam Safety project.

Clark Builders constructs massive snowboard jump for historic job.

Sinkhole adds weeks to Toronto sewer pipe replacement job.

WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT

TWEET: 🏟World Cup container stadium to be dismantled after only SEVEN games.

PHOTOS: 👓 Construction Ontario shows kids how to build in VR.

READ: 🐫 A day in the life of an Egyptian construction worker.

WATCH: 🎮 Finnish excavator operator demonstrates their skills.

READ: 🗓️ Does a four-day work week actually work? The Irish say “Aye!”

🙏🏻 Thanks for reading!

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