Visit Concrete at Journal of Commerce

Concrete

May 17, 2012

Migrating Landscapes team honoured by Royal Architectural Institute of Canada

Members of the Migrating Landscapes Team Canada have won the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) Foundation’s first College of Fellows Centennial Fund for Intern/Intern Architects. The award of $5,000 will be presented at the Foundation Luncheon, June 14 during the 2012 Architecture Canada | RAIC – NLAA Festival of Architecture, June 13 to 16, in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

May 17, 2012

PCL Constructors works on Humber River Regional Hospital in Toronto

Concrete work continues at the Humber River Regional Hospital’s new acute care complex in the Toronto neighbourhood of Downsview. Plenary Health Care Partnerships includes firms such as PCL Constructors Canada Inc.Johnson Controls LP, HDR Architects/C.F. Møller Architects (design) and RBC Capital Markets.

May 17, 2012

Construction continues on the Fly Condominiums in Toronto

Work is moving up at the Fly Condominiums on Front Street in Toronto. Empire Communities is owner/builder of the 24-storey project, designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects Inc., located north of the Rogers Centre sports stadium on Front Street in Toronto.

May 17, 2012

Disclosure bill an attack on unions, says organized labour

Bill C-377, a private member’s bill introduced into the House of Commons by Conservative member of parliament Russ Hiebert, would demand trade unions publicly declare salaries and expenditures every year. The Act to Amend the Income Tax Act (labour organizations) is opposed by the American Federal of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations.

May 16, 2012

Worker hurt in dressing room ceiling collapse at Edmonton stadium

A tile setter was rushed to hospital recently after the ceiling of a steam room in the Edmonton Eskimos dressing room collapsed on him at Commonwealth Stadium.

May 15, 2012

American construction organizations aim to create a drug- and alcohol-free industry

Five of the largest construction trade associations in the United States have teamed up to form the Construction Coalition for a Drug- and Alcohol-Free Workplace (CCDAFW). The coalition’s mission is to create a drug- and alcohol-free construction industry by providing companies and organizations with the resources necessary to implement drug- and alcohol-free policies into their business practices.

May 14, 2012

Life Construction works on Eden Park Towers Phase II in Markham, Ontario

Times Group Corp. along with Life Construction Inc. is working on Eden Park Towers in Markham, Ontario, designed by Kirkor Architects & Planners and Life Construction Inc.

May 14, 2012

Professional British diver dies during maintenance work at German offshore wind farm

A German utility says a professional British diver has died during maintenance work at an offshore wind farm in the North Sea.

May 11, 2012

Toronto seminar highlights infrastructure opportunities in India

The Canada-India Business Council and Aspire International Group are hosting Infrastructure Today — India Opportunity 2012, which showcases the opportunities in India’s infrastructure sector. India’s construction sector is expected to grow by 35 per cent between 2009 and 2013.

May 11, 2012

Deltera works on Ventus at Metrogate in Toronto

Glass installation progresses up the second tower of the Ventus condos at the Metro Gate Community in Scarborough, Ontario. General contractor for the 30-storey towers is Deltera Inc. The project was designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects.

May 10, 2012

Toronto studies construction of new islands

The City of Toronto, Waterfront Toronto and the Toronto Region Conservation Authority will lead the Waterfront Landforms Environmental Assessment Study on a new landform south of Ashbridges Bay.

May 10, 2012

Seminars aim to improve Ontario hot mix asphalt

As the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) has downloaded responsibilities for various roads onto municipalities, they the Ontario Hot Mix Producers Association (OHMPA) has become involved in the seminars for the past three years, aimed at improving the quality of hot mix asphalt.

May 10, 2012

Archeological finds may change Thunder Bay, Ontario waterfront development plans

Staff at the City of Thunder Bay, Ontario are preparing a report to politicians outlining options for the second phase of waterfront development of Prince Arthur’s Landing, originally planned as a 300-slip marina in a tugboat basin on the shore of Lake Superior. An environmental assessment for the second phase has identified items of archeological interest, including a sunken barge filled with concrete, a dock constructed in 1882 and a concrete wharf.

May 10, 2012

Ontario’s One Call bill due for another Queen’s Park reading

Bill 8, formerly the Ontario One Call Ltd. Act, will return to the Ontario Legislature for a third reading and now be known as an act respecting an underground infrastructure notification system for Ontario. If passed, Bill 8 would establish a mandatory single point of contact for all underground utility location services in Ontario.

May 9, 2012

Cap Concrete Structure Ltd. fined $70,000 after worker injured

Cap Concrete Structure Ltd. of Vaughan, Ontario has been fined $70,000 after a worker was injured after falling from a ladder. A Ministry of Labour investigation found that Cap Concrete Structures Ltd. failed as an employer to ensure that material or equipment at a project shall be stored and moved in a manner that does not endanger the worker, as per the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

May 9, 2012

Bockstael celebrates 100 years

Construction is not just about assembling bricks and mortar, it is about building relationships. It is that attitude that has kept Bockstael Construction in business for 100 years.

May 9, 2012

Stantec reaches out to Atlantic Canada

Stantec Architecture Ltd. is putting down roots in Atlantic Canada with the pending acquisition of the PHB Group, a full-service architectural and interior design firm based in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

May 8, 2012

Bell launches push-to-talk network for construction

Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. (TSX:BCE) is targeting the construction industry with new push-to-talk (PTT) handsets, including the XP5520 Bolt from Sonim Technologies, which is designed to work after being dropped on concrete from a height of two metres. Bell Mobility claims its PTT network, which works on High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) technology, has more than twice the coverage of Telus Corp.’s (TSX:T) Mike service

May 8, 2012

Architecture — what is it good for?

The definition of what an architect is and the work they do seems to be a strong unifying question across the industry.

May 8, 2012

PCL Constructors works on Markham, Ontario community centre

Work has reached the top floor on the East Markham Community Centre and Library in Markham, Ontario, north of Toronto. General contractor of the two-storey project with basement is PCL Constructors Canada Inc. and the construction manager is MHPM Project Managers Inc. The centre, designed by Perkins + Will Canada, will be linked to the Markham Stouffville Hospital.

May 3, 2012

Sealing the world’s longest immersed tunnel in China

In 2009, construction began on a project to link Hong Kong with Macau and the mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai. The link will be one of the region’s most technically complex engineering projects ever.

May 2, 2012

Work continues on Markham, Ontario hospital redevelopment

General contractor PCL Constructors Canada Inc. began the four-storey Markham Stouffville Hospital, north of Toronto, Ontario, in 2010. The owner is Markham Stouffville Hospital and the project was designed by B + H Architects.

May 2, 2012

Niagara Falls economic summit an opportunity for construction

The Niagara Construction Association (NCA) is encouraging its members to participate in an upcoming economic summit in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

May 1, 2012

Detroit pier demolition begins after court rules

Work got underway almost immediately after a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling upheld the right of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to complete the so-called $230 million Gateway Project for vehicles entering and exiting the United States at the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit. Crews from Detroit-based Dan’s Excavating were on site the next day for 24 hours.

May 1, 2012

TMG Builders work on Tower at King West condos in Toronto

Construction is moving up on the King West Condominiums in the Liberty Village area of Toronto. Construction manager of the 30-storey project is TMG Builders Inc. The owner is Plaza Corp. The architects are Gabriel Bodor Architect Inc. and Quadrangle Architects Ltd.

May 1, 2012

Conservatory Group works on Infinity Condominiums in Toronto

Construction is moving along at the Infinity Condominiums phase three in Toronto, Ont.

April 30, 2012

Bot Construction tops in ORBA green awards

Bot Construction Group is the winner of the 2012 ORBA Green Leadership and Sustainability Award.

April 26, 2012

EllisDon continues construction on Go Transit parking garage in Oakville, Ontario

EllisDon has completion on the six-level parking lot at the GO Transit station in Oakville, Ontario scheduled for late 2012. GO Transit, a division of Metrolinx, and the project was designed by The Walter Fedy Partnership.

April 26, 2012

Construction steps up for Emily’s House in Toronto

Donations of various types have been made by construction firms to Emily’s House, a children’s residential hospice being undertaken by the non-profit Philip Aziz Centre for Hospice Care. Located adjacent to a landscaped park on the grounds of the former Don Jail, the project involves renovation of the 5,200-square-foot, three-storey Governor’s House, which was constructed in 1888.

April 25, 2012

Lamb Developments works on Flat Iron Lofts in Toronto

Concrete work continues on the Flat Iron Lofts in Toronto. 59 Project Management Inc. began the 10-storey, building, owned by Lamb Developments Corp. and designed by Core Architects Inc., in June, 2010.

April 25, 2012

Burlington, Ontario politicians consider hospital redevelopment plan

The City of Burlington, Ontario announced its budget and corporate services committee approved a plan on managing funding for its share of the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital redevelopment. The plan, which is subject to approval April 30 by full council, would allocate $50,000 for “legal and strategic expertise” and would disband its hospital redevelopment working group, which includes staff and three members of council. Instead, staff would report directly to one of the city’s committees.

April 25, 2012

Holcim Canada volunteer day launched

Holcim Canada recently launched its Together for Communities program which aims to get its 3,000 employees across the country to volunteer a work day to relevant causes in their local communities throughout the year.

April 25, 2012

Nova Scotia court rules against province where government awards construction contract against staff advice

A fairly run process is key to the integrity of the tendering system. In a formal binding bidding process, owners are required to conduct a fair competition and fair evaluation process.

April 24, 2012

Cookstown, Ontario construction firm fined $160,000 in connection with fatal 10-metre fall

An Ontario court imposed a fine of $160,000 on Res 2000 Structures Inc. in connection with a construction accident that killed a worker two years ago. Workers were installing formwork and concrete at a building project in Toronto when a worker fell about 10 meters through an opening in a concrete slab and died. The firm pleaded guilty to charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Regulation 213.

April 20, 2012

Haiti school rebuild gains momentum

Steady progress is being made on the Ecole Lakay trade school rebuild the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) has tackled in earthquake-stricken Haiti.

April 20, 2012

Glass work reaches the top floor on California condos in Toronto

Glass work has reached the top floor of the California Condominiums in Toronto. Toddglen Construction is general contractor for the 30-storey, 354-unit project. The owner is Camrost-Felcorp. and the project was designed by OneSpace Unlimited Architects.

April 19, 2012

Toddglen continues work on The Palm Condos in Toronto

Workers survey at The Palm Condos on Yonge Street in the former City of North York, now in Toronto. General contractor Toddglen Group of Companies has completion of the 23-storey, project scheduled for late 2012. The owner is Castle Group Ventures and the project was designed by HCA Architecture.

April 18, 2012

New Zealand cardboard cathedral temporary answer to devastation caused by earthquake

In Christchurch, New Zealand, which was hit by an earthquake last year, Anglican leaders believe a 25-metre cathedral made from 104 tubes of cardboard will deliver both a temporary solution and a statement about the city’s recovery.

April 18, 2012

Carillion Canada progresses on Ontario Coroner’s building in Toronto

Construction has reached the top floor of the Government of Ontario Forensic Services and Coroner’s Complex at 1201 Wilson Avenue in the Downsview neighbourhood of the former city of North York, now in Toronto. Project manager Carillion Canada began the six-storey project, designed by Stantec Architecture Ltd. and McLaren, Wilson & Lawrie, in 2010.

April 18, 2012

Can green and grey infrastructure collide with benefits for Ontario?

The Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition released a report, Health, Prosperity and Sustainability: The Case for Green Infrastructure in Ontario. Co-authored by Ecojustice, the document promotes urban forests, greenways and waterways, and amenities such as green roofs and walls, engineered wetlands and stormwater ponds, and porous paving and ground surfaces. John Mollenhauer, president of the Toronto Construction Association, says green infrastructure makes perfect sense.

April 17, 2012

Work continues on Heath + Tweedsmuir Rental Towers in Toronto

Construction manager PCL Constructors Canada Inc. began the work in May 2011 on the Heath + Tweedsmuir rental towers in the Toronto neighbourhood of Forest Hill. Comprised of two 30-storey towers, the owner is Morguard Investments Ltd. It was designed by Page + Steele/IBI Group Architects.

April 17, 2012

Toronto to host Canada Green Building Council conference

The full program is now available for the Canada Green Building Council’s (CaGBC) National Conference and Expo taking place in Toronto from June 11-13. This annual event brings together speakers and over 30 continuing education sessions with over 1,000 attendees and an expo with more than 100 booths.

April 17, 2012

Ontario trades college a “stumbling block”, PC critic says

April 1 marked the beginning of the Ontario College of Trades first journeyman to apprentice ratio reviews but Garfield Dunlop, Ontario Progressive Conservative critic for apprenticeship reform, says the college is another level of bureaucracy that’s completely not required in Ontario today. OCOT represents more than 150 skilled trades in the construction, industrial, motive power and service sectors.

April 17, 2012

Varcon starts work on $86 million project in Markham, Ontario

Varcon Construction has started work on the estimated $86 million Phase 1 of the King Square International Centre & hotel development in Markham, Ontario. The project is being undertaken for owner King Square Ltd. by a team that includes architects IBI Group, mechanical-electrical engineers MCW Consultants Ltd. and structural engineers Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd.