🏗️ New standards

Good morning! 🔵 Las Vegas’ giant Sphere may soon have some company. Hanam, South Korea announced plans to fast track development of a “K-Pop Sphere”. Another sphere is also being planned for Abu Dhabi.

⏰ Today’s read: 4 ½ minutes

MARKETS

*Stock data as of last market close; currency, oil and crypto data as of 8:00PM ET December 18th, 2023.

Economy:  Deloitte is predicting three 25-basis-point cuts in 2024 from the central bank, which would reduce its overnight policy rate from 5% to 4.25% by the end of 2024. Officials said Canada’s inflation rate is still a ways away from the Bank of Canada’s two% target, but it will soon be on the horizon.

THE BIG STORY

Setting a new standard

History often repeats itself. As Canada is once again facing a massive deficit of affordable housing, it is reviving an old idea: standardized designs. 

The concept is simple. Rather than one-off housing projects, a series of pre-approved designs can accelerate the approvals process and create efficient construction processes. 

Past standards: During World War II, Canada created standardized designs to rapidly build tens of thousands of homes for war workers and returning veterans. B.C. famously saw thousands of Vancouver Special homes built from the 1960s and into the 1980s. 

Current efforts: The province of B.C. has embarked on a search for multi-family home designs. Kelowna was ahead of the curve, implementing standard home designs to increase density back in 2017. Ontario is currently implementing standardized designs to accelerate school construction as its population swells. 

The backlash: Standard designs haven’t been without controversy. 

• The Wartime Homes program was eventually shutdown over political disagreements. 

• Vancouver specials were banned in the 1980s after complaints over them being bland and too common. 

• Kelowna’s quadplex program saw the same fate in 2021 after similar complaints.

Sorting out priorities: It comes down to a simple choice. Do we want cities that are pretty, or do we want cities that people can actually live in? And aesthetic values change. While Vancouver Specials have sometimes been derided as a bland eyesore, they have become an iconic part of the city’s culture and look, lauded in art, clothing, film, beer and more. 

NEED TO KNOW

The week's headlines

🚛 After 25 years of planning and construction, the 101-kilometre Calgary Ring Road project has been completed. The idea for the $4-billion project was first envisioned in the 1950s. The historic project is expected to eliminate major bottlenecks that have plagued drivers and boost economic activity.     

💰 Enbridge, a Calgary-based multinational pipeline and energy company, has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its 50% interest in Alliance Pipeline and its 42.7% interest in Aux Sable to Pembina Pipeline Corporation for a purchase price of $3.1 billion.

⚖️ The Calgary Construction Association is raising concerns after Dow Chemical successfully lobbied the Alberta government to be exempt from prompt payment laws on its Path2Zero Expansion Project. The association said exemptions undermine the whole point of legislation while the province argued that it wants to attract large investments. 

🚧 The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion team says completion could be delayed by two years if the Canada Energy Regulator does not allow a previously rejected request for a pipeline variance. The project is currently more than 97% complete.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Indigenous integration

The award-winning Dawes Road Library and Community Hub Project, designed by Perkins&Will and Smoke Architecture, integrates Indigenous principles, promoting knowledge sharing and sustainability. The 26,300-square-foot building, replacing the existing library in Toronto, features a facade inspired by an Indigenous star blanket, symbolizing a safe space for gathering. The design includes a roundhouse for Indigenous ceremonies, a makerspace, community kitchen, outdoor courtyard, and rooftop garden.The project will wrap up in 2025

PROJECT UPDATES

• Wastewater work funded for Nanaimo

• Aecon secures $290M LRT contract in Toronto 

• Nova Scotia greenlights powerline construction 

• $638M research centre planned for new St. Paul’s location

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

VIDEO: ⚡ Meet Tesla’s new robot, Optimus Gen 2

PHOTOS: 🤲 PCL raises more than $2.3 million for charity in Alberta

VIDEO: 🪓 Timber! How to demolish a windmill in Ontario 

PHOTOS: 👷🏽‍♀️ Crews break ground on historic, female-led project

TOP CONSTRUCTION JOBS

🔥 Check out all roles up for grabs right now at SiteNews Jobs or put your job post in front of tens of thousands of construction professionals here. Hurry up before our free trial ends!

Struggling to fill a role? send us an email at [email protected] to connect with one of our specialized recruitment experts.

ADVERTISE WITH SITENEWS

Get your message and brand in front of Canada’s construction leaders and decision-makers by advertising in our newsletter. Learn how to partner with us here.

Here’s to a great rest of the week!