UBC purchases new $70 million Surrey property

The University of British Columbia (UBC) is expanding its presence south of the Fraser River with the $70-million purchase of a property in Surrey.

UBC Properties Trust has acquired a 135,000-square-foot property (currently home to the Grace Hanin Community Church) at the intersection of King George Boulevard and Fraser Highway. The site, which is located close to SkyTrain, Surrey Memorial Hospital and other community amenities, is anticipated to be a combination of residential and commercial space which will generate revenue to enable the construction of dedicated academic facilities.

The acquisition of the Surrey site supports the achievement of a key commitment in UBC’s strategic plan to work with partners on the development of the university’s regional presence, as well as providing an exciting opportunity to improve access to post-secondary education in the Fraser region.

UBC already has a significant presence south of the Fraser, with nearly 3,500 students, 750 faculty and staff, and thousands of alumni who call Surrey home. The university has numerous partnerships within the City of Surrey and other regional partners around urban design, sustainability, health technology and innovation, data science, traffic safety, K-12 education, immigrant settlement and more.

“UBC is committed to creating welcoming spaces that advance innovation and collaboration and respond to community and regional needs—and this new site demonstrates this,” said Santa J. Ono, UBC president. “We look forward to working with the City of Surrey, Fraser Health, First Nations Health Authority and regional partners to uncover the many exciting possibilities that this new project holds for the Surrey community and Fraser Valley, as well as UBC students, faculty and staff.”

Next year, the university will begin consultation with Surrey and Fraser Valley communities, along with engaging in important dialogue with Indigenous leaders and communities. UBC students, faculty, clinical faculty and staff engagement will also get underway on regional and academic programming needs in order to determine the future vision for the site.

Sustainability disclosure centered in Montreal

Montreal will serve as one of two host cities for the newly forged International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). The initiative, announced today at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, is aligned with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and will develop global disclosure standards to provide investors and other players in capital markets with a consistent gauge of companies’ exposure to sustainability-related risks and opportunities.

The new ISSB will be jointly based in Montreal and Frankfurt, Germany, and similarly represents a consolidation of two leading investor-focused sustainability disclosure organizations: the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB) and the Value Reporting Foundation (VRF). The two entities have already developed an agenda and guidelines for the task ahead, as part of a technical readiness working group that also included input from the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD, the World Economic Forum and the International Organization of Securities Commissions.

“This will provide people around the world with access to reliable information and strengthen accountability for companies and investors, in order to ensure an efficient global transition to a net-zero economy,” says Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. “We are thrilled Canada will host one of the central offices for the ISSB and grateful to be recognized for our country’s diverse and strong talent, financial sector expertise and climate leadership.”

More than 140 jurisdictions globally mandate IFRS adherence for financial reporting. A coalition of Canadian public and private institutions, including financial sector players, professional associations, pension plans and provincial securities commissions, have pledged financial support for the ISSB’s start-up activities. The Canadian government is also providing $8 million.

Ready and resilient with wood

Fire halls, police stations, health care facilities, schools, and other essentially service buildings must meet rigorous seismic requirements and be able to withstand the impacts of a natural disaster. At the same time, governments are looking for sustainable building technologies to help mitigate climate change and meet emission targets.

To meet these two goals, an increasing number of communities are looking to mass timber as a solution that can cut carbon while delivering safe, resilient structures able to resist seismic forces 1.3 to 1.5 times those for a regular building.

Timber is light-weight and resilient

“One of the things that makes timber more resilient, by far, is its lighter weight. You might think this is a minor point, but it’s actually a big advantage,” explained Cristiano Loss, assistant professor and Timber Engineering associate chair in Wood Building Design and Construction at The University of British Columbia. Involved in experimental testing of timber assemblies, Loss points out the inherent benefits of such systems. “Wood is five times lighter than concrete, reducing seismic forces on a building considerably.”

Wood has proven to be a durable and resilient material over the ages. Ancient wood buildings continue to stand including 8th-century Japanese temples, 11th-century Norwegian stave churches, and the many medieval post-and-beam structures of England and Europe. Today, tradition meets technology as an increasing number of building professionals are turning to advanced mass timber hybrid systems, which Loss describes, as a safe and resilient alternative for public buildings.

In British Columbia (BC), that means a growing number of fire halls, schools, utility buildings and public infrastructure projects are using wood, in some shape or form. In many cases, these facilities act as post-disaster hubs. After an earthquake or other natural disaster, the building will, in an ideal scenario, be able to be safely re-entered and used to deliver emergency services.

Timber-built fire halls take the heat

A recent example is the newly completed Prince George Fire Hall No. 1. Its hybrid steel, concrete, and wood structure accommodate five truck bays and the latest in modern firefighting equipment. Its resolute contemporary form, clad with a carbon-black coloured siding, features a graceful swoop to its roofline.

“We created a very simple clean form that, as you drive by, you recognize it, very powerfully as the region’s fire hall,” said Stuart Rothnie, of HCMA and principal-in-charge of the project.

“Most people don’t even think about the fire service until they need it, but we felt it was important for the building to have a strong civic identity. It’s reassuring to the community that the facility is there for their safety and protection—something I think the design of the Prince George Fire Hall achieves,” adds Rothnie.

Wood is showcased in the fire hall’s design. The front-entrance feature stairwell makes a bold impression, its nail-laminated timber construction (NLT) literally wraps occupants’ floor to ceiling with the warmth of wood. Crews used more than 100,000 fasteners and over 3,000 pieces of lumber to construct this component of the facility. The large expansive truck bays are constructed using a laminated veneer lumber (LVL) roof. Mass timber products, such as NLT and LVL, are fire-safe—if exposed to flame the materials chars, forming a protective layer.

More than 800 km south, near the province’s capital, the District of Saanich is in the design phase of a similar facility, that will feature a hybrid mass timber structure and meet the post-disaster requirements set out by BC’s building code.

It is one of the first mass timber buildings in Canada to target a zero-carbon building standard while being fully equipped for post-disaster response. The choice to use mass timber demonstrates the Saanich Fire Department’s confidence in the material’s safety and performance.

“In my experience a lot of the mass timber buildings I’ve responded to after significant fire incidents usually remain standing. Most of the timber or the heavy timber portions are simply just charred, and a good portion of the structural integrity of the building remained,” said Dan Wood the deputy fire chief for the Saanich Fire Department.

School of hard knocks: education facilities built for resilience

Along with fire halls, B.C. has invested in making the province’s schools seismically sound and in certain cases able to serve as critical post-disaster hubs for the communities they serve. And two new schools in Vancouver, BC are showcasing what is possible with resilient mass timber construction.

“Sir Mathew Begbie Elementary School and Bayview Elementary School serve as great examples of the potential that can be realized with mass timber construction. In addition to meeting the demands of the seismic mitigation program, the timber framing systems used in these buildings provide warm, inviting spaces for the school community as well as help the school board meet their sustainability objectives,” said Nick Bevilacqua, principal at Fast + Epp, a structural engineering firm specializing in mass timber designs.

Bayview Elementary School’s mass timber structure makes for an efficient floor plan on a compact site—the exterior and structural walls, floors, and roof use cross-laminated timber (CLT) complemented by glulam columns and beams. Left exposed, the wood adds warmth and character to interior spaces. The CLT system serves double duty as both gravity and shear walls, to resist the high seismic forces of the region. For the gymnasium and multipurpose room, a composite double-T design combines CLT with glulam beams to form 16-metre-long spanning panels.

Not far from Bayview Elementary is Sir Mathew Begbie Elementary School. The new school, which replaces an original structure on the site built in 1922, is part of the BC government’s initiative to accelerate seismic safety in schools by means of upgrades and replacements of facilities. Again, CLT serves as both gravity and shear walls, to resist the high seismic forces of the region.

“One of the nice things that mass timber construction has going for it is that we tend to try to expose as much of the structure as we can. This makes the post-disaster inspection of these structures a lot more straightforward,” explained Bevilacqua.

Wood’s bright and resilient future

As advanced hybrid-timber building systems continue to grow in popularity—and in height—structural engineers, such as Tobias Fast of Fast + Epp, foresee a future of no-damage resilient mass timber buildings that not only save lives during an earthquake but can remain safe to occupy afterwards. And that future may not be too far off.

Fast’s firm incorporated such a system into their newly completed head office, a four-story hybrid mass timber structure located in the heart of Vancouver’s Cambie-city hall neighbourhood.

The device self-centres following a seismic event, allowing a structure to withstand an earthquake and any following aftershocks.

Fast + Epp’s use of the technology extends to a tall wood project, 2150 Keith Drive, that uses a timber braced frame and CLT shearwall systems.

And Fast’s firm isn’t alone in its use of this technology with mass timber. Merely blocks from Fast + Epp’s office, Robert Malczyk, principal at Timber Engineering Inc. is also making use of Tectonus in their mass timber commercial office building oN5.

When it comes to resilience and seismic design, Fast explains concrete is subject to degradation and corrosion. “There’s absolutely a need for concrete in most structures but certainly mass timber can replace a significant portion. And when combined with technologies like these specially-designed shock-absorbing connectors these sustainable renewable building systems can be made resilient, saving lives and virtually eliminating damage to allow for re-entry after an earthquake.”

Along with industry, the province sees an opportunity for B.C. to lead when it comes to mass timber and resilient design.

“I’m quite curious about the possibility of a hybrid approach where there are elements of mass timber and elements of other forms of biomass, more sustainable concrete with CO2 absorption and steel. I think that is where the great innovation will happen in the coming years as we shift towards more renewable, eco-friendly resilient building design,” said Andrew Pape-Salmon, former executive director of the province’s Building and Safety Standards Branch and adjunct professor at UVic Civil Engineering.

“Mass timber innovation in British Columbia holds the promise of positioning our design professionals, product manufacturers and developers to be global leaders and to implement these applications worldwide,” adds Pape-Salmon.

Canada is fifth best country for construction workers

Canada ranks fifth in the world as the best country for construction workers to live and work, according to a study by Work Wear Guru.

The study takes a look at which countries are dominating the construction market and provide the best opportunities for construction workers. The ranking is based on factors like the average salary, cost of living, and safety.

The study notes that Canada is heavily urbanized, with major and medium-sized cities housing 82 per cent of the population. It scores highly in terms of quality of life, education, economic freedom, government transparency, and civil rights on a global scale. Besides that, Canada boasts a highly developed construction industry, employing over 1.4 million people and generating over $141 billion annually to the economy. On top of plentiful job opportunities, construction workers in Canada earn an above-average salary ($55,927).

Here are some key findings:

Switzerland, UK, Belgium, US, and Canada are the top five countries for construction workers.
Canada is among the top 10 best countries for construction workers, ranking in 5th place.
Canada has the third-highest average salary in construction ($55,927) behind Switzerland and UK.
Construction workers in Canada benefit from an affordable cost of living, much more affordable than in Switzerland, Singapore, Denmark, and other countries on the list.
The highest average salary for construction workers among all countries worldwide is $79,159 (Switzerland) while the lowest average salary is $875 (Uzbekistan).

The future of the worldwide construction industry appears promising, with forecasts to employ more than 220 million people or 7 per cent of the total global employment.

The primary drivers of this market’s growth are rising home starts and increased infrastructure as a result of increasing urbanization and population expansion.

See the full study here.

The advantages of third-party floor inspections

While floor care can generally be performed in-house or as part of wider cleaning and janitorial duties, in some situations, it makes sense to utilize third-party floor inspections. This can include the purpose of evaluations prior to installations, as an extra step of validation, or for corrective action.

Robert Blochinger, chair of the Inspection Division for the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and a full-time inspector, notes that inspectors can provide several helpful steps such as evaluating a site before any work is performed, determining specifics about the floor (surface, moisture content, whether the existing floor is salvageable, etc.), assessing products and installation materials, and evaluating whether flooring maintenance has been performed within manufacturing and industry standards.

There are several factors to consider when deciding whether or not to call in a third-party inspector, Blochinger adds.

Those include whether the job site has one or multiple issues, the scope of the issues, whether certification is needed, whether there are specific insurance or legal concerns, whether the product has a latent defect, and if control of the workspace is compromised.

All in all, there are many reasons to embark upon third-party floor inspections, particularly in difficult-to-navigate situations such as the requirement of specific testing, evaluation, measurement, or documentation. Third-party inspectors can also be employed to provide training to staff, general contractors, and claims representatives, as well as to explain any warranty questions including cleaning actions that could void the warranty.

If there is any doubt in mind whether the usual technicians or staff have the knowledge and experience necessary to adequately complete a job, third-party floor inspections should be considered as a safeguard.

There is a need for third-party experts in many situations, concludes Blochinger. Once you identify the need, they can become an integral part of your facility’s overall protection plan.

5G rollout could bring clutter of antennas

Making buildings smarter could force some aesthetic trade-offs as the 5G rollout gets underway in commercial real estate. Mid-band and high-band spectrum carrying the next generation of digital telecommunications will need a boost from a proliferation of new antennas to infiltrate the dense structure and floorplan configurations of typical office and multi-residential towers.

Although distributed antenna systems (DAS) are already a staple of in-building wireless networks, they’re conveying data that’s riding on more invasive waves in the low band of the spectrum. Extra support will be needed when 5G services begin arriving via meeker travellers. Industry insiders are now tagging a potential clutter of small-cell antennas among the many factors to consider in 5G feasibility studies and implementation strategies.

“The higher spectrums don’t penetrate the buildings very well, especially with the new glass that’s used for energy efficiency. It reflects the radiofrequency signals. So carriers are going to have to deploy in-building networks that will be able to support 5G,” Maria Andonovsky, director of operational excellence with BentallGreenOak, noted during a webinar at the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada’s recent virtual annual conference. “How is that going to look visually in the building? I don’t think owners want these antennas splattered throughout the building. If there are multiple carriers in the building, aesthetics will be a major issue.”

Other properties of the mid and high bands — which are at various stages of regulatory release for telecom carriers’ use — are more optimally suited for 5G. Also participating in the webinar, Peter Leathley, director of technology strategy with Telus, stressed that speed, capacity and security are critical for the scale of smart, integrated technology it’s envisioned 5G will enable. Ultimately, that includes up to a million connected devices per square kilometre with consistently instantaneous timing between transmission and reception of data — a relay known as latency — to serve up the applications and assurance for a range of real-time analysis and response aligned with a smart future.

“Low latency is a must for future cloud networks and the current networks can’t support very low latency requirements,” Leathley said. “Another major consideration is cybersecurity. When millions of devices are connected wirelessly, the current networks cannot process the large amount of encrypted data at a fast enough rate.”

No rush to early adoption

For now, 5G rollout is at early stages and mostly still keeping company with 4G on the low band of the spectrum. Andonovsky and Leathley sketched out some issues for owners/managers to think about in advance of the looming developments, with Leathley highlighting the upside of the promised transformative change and Andonovsky examining some of the practicalities of being an early adopter.

From an operational perspective, 5G is a means to take building automation, monitoring and controls to an enhanced level, opening up new predictive smart technologies like digital twin. From a market competitiveness perspective, Leathley suggests it’s an amenity than can underpin higher rental rates and increased asset value.

“We need smart buildings because demands on the built environment are changing. We need our buildings to be more sustainable, safer and competitive,” he submitted. “These are additive technologies that produce more capabilities as they go. We’re going to be talking about maybe changing how you do parking or changing how you do facilities management or bringing augmented reality capabilities to your tenants — working with you to change how people are using the office in a post-COVID environment.”

However, those should all be viewed as investments to be made on top of initial 5G implementation.

“Connectivity is one component of the costs,” Leathley reiterated. “You’ve got the physical infrastructure, the digital infrastructure in your building that’s really critical, but, beyond that, you have platforms and applications that leverage the network and those are other costs to consider.”

Andonovsky advises that prudent owners/managers will want to address everything from cost-sharing arrangements to cybersecurity vulnerabilities to the impact on the integrity of roof membranes before making a commitment. Consulting with tenants and other stakeholders will be key to forecasting demand for services, understanding operational requirements and calculating potential returns on investment. Given 5G’s current nascent stage, she deems there is time for thorough diligence and no real reason just yet to be the industry pioneer.

“We really just experience 5G (currently) where the carriers have deployed their cell sites and picocells and it seems like the deployment focus right now is in venues such as stadiums and malls where there are a lot more users,” she observed. “With commercial office buildings, there are concerns about being able to obtain 5G due to the spectrums being used and the amount of antennas that will need to be installed in the buildings. I believe owners will need to wait and watch and make their decisions based on cases that come to light over time.”

Building owners call for neutral distributed antenna systems

For commercial buildings owners/managers, prospects for a neutral or “agnostic” DAS could be a large piece of the decision-making puzzle. This would ensure that the potential clutter of antennas is minimized as all carriers use the same system, and would give landlords and tenants more flexibility in their dealings with carriers.

“It’s an ongoing conversation between building owners and the major telcos,” Andonovsky reported. “I don’t know that we’ve come up with a solution yet, but I think it’s something that we all want to work towards and it would be more efficient in the buildings to have that.”

Leathley affirmed that Telus is ensuring DAS are 5G-ready where they are newly installed. As mid-band spectrum becomes available, small-cell antennas can be added to meet system requirements, and they won’t necessarily look like the 4G-related antennas that Andonovsky likens to the size and shape of pizza boxes.

“We’re talking about an increased number of antennas, closer to people, as you get into that mid and high band,” Leathley said. “This will be done with equipment that is smaller and integrates more seamlessly into existing space.”

Nevertheless, any kind of retrofit can be cumbersome in older buildings that weren’t designed to accommodate modern telecommunications. “Some older buildings don’t have conduit or places to pull cable that are necessary for these antennas so that can be a challenge,” he acknowledged.

“Undertaking an audit of your existing buildings, understanding the systems you have in place, and some of the details around space for equipment and accessibility to conduit, are really good steps to get ready for deployment of small cells and 5G technology,” Leathley added.

Andonovsky concurs those steps have been part of her company’s strategic efforts to determine how 5G will fit into its operational and asset management agendas. She predicts commercial real estate owners/managers will approach 5G investment decisions in their customary manner.

“Owners embrace technology when they understand the impact to net operating income, the value improvement to the property and that the risks have all been addressed,” she said.

Barbara Carss is editor-in-chief of Canadian Property Management.

Calgary launches Winter City Design competition

The City of Calgary, in partnership with the University of Calgary’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, is launching the inaugural Winter City Design Competition by inviting designers, artists and students to imagine the possibilities for eye-catching and interactive displays along Stephen Avenue. The city is encouraging contestants to explore and push beyond the boundaries of what public spaces look like in midst of a Calgary winter.

“Calgary is a winter city and we should embrace that when we plan and create public spaces,” said Kate Zago, who is leading the competition. “We want to see creative designs that will draw people downtown during the winter and make Stephen Avenue a winter walk destination.”

The theme for the first-ever Winter City Design Competition is ‘Out of Bounds’. Applicants are asked to consider what activations, designs and experiments could fit ‘like a glove’ with Calgary’s climate and culture. This could mean winter-friendly designs that enhance existing public spaces, light up Stephen Avenue creatively, create opportunities for people to socialize, or act as multi-sensory way-finding along Stephen Avenue.

Three submissions will be selected to receive funding to build and install their designs along Stephen Avenue. The design will be on display for approximately four weeks in February and March 2022. Chosen installations will receive $10,000 for their project.

Prospective applicants can visit calgary.ca/wintercity for full application and submission guidelines. Submission deadline is Dec. 1, 2021 at 23:59 MST.

All eligible submissions will be reviewed by a jury consisting of City of Calgary associates, School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape (SAPL) architecture students, Calgary Downtown Association and other design professionals.

The Winter City Design Competition is part of the city’s Future of Stephen Avenue Activate + Experiment project, to re-imagine Stephen Avenue from City Hall to Mewata Armoury. This project is testing out ideas and experiments and measuring impacts, to help inform the future of downtown’s iconic main street.

Top consulting engineering firms earn CCE Awards

The work of Canadian consulting engineering firms was celebrated virtually this year during the 2021 Canadian Consulting Engineering (CCE) Awards.

A total of 24 awards were presented to consulting engineering firms from across Canada for their work on projects that connect communities, improve safety and enhance the quality of life in Canada and around the world. Twenty projects, in a range of categories, were honoured with Awards of Excellence.

“These awards showcase incredible projects and accomplishments by consulting engineering firms across Canada” said ACEC president and CEO John Gamble. “They demonstrate how ACEC members use ingenuity and innovation to connect communities, grow the economy, and improve safety and sustainability. The impacts and benefits of their work are long-lasting, often immeasurable, and deserve to be celebrated.”

Four firms also received additional recognition with Special Achievement Awards. Recognized as the industry’s highest honours, the Special Awards are presented to projects by Canadian firms that illustrate the most remarkable engineering feats.

SCHREYER AWARD
Trans-Canada Highway Avalanche Mitigation

Glacier National Park, located 650 kilometres east of Vancouver, is home to a unique transportation corridor containing the Trans-Canada Highway, Canadian Pacific Railway, and a concentrated cluster of high-frequency avalanche paths. Parks Canada Agency engaged McElhanney to improve the corridor’s safety and reliability by implementing industry-leading avalanche mitigation solutions. These solutions, integrated with the complex existing avalanche control program, reduced the avalanche risk to roadway users and the Canadian Pacific Railway, and helps keep Canadians moving year-round.

AMBASSADOR AWARD
Taiyuan Botanical Garden Domes

The city of Taiyuan in central China looked to StructureCraft to create three long span gridshell domes covering a world class botanical garden. To achieve a more sustainable and aesthetically pleasing garden, the innovative architectural design from DMAA called for the domes to be supported using wood instead of steel. StructureCraft was both structural engineer and builder for an entirely unique paraboloid scheme which, at 88 metres, creates one of the longest span non-triangulated timber gridshells in the world.

TREE FOR LIFE AWARD
MacKimmie Complex Redevelopment

As part of its strategic vision towards a carbon neutral campus by 2050, the University of Calgary commissioned a consulting team that included Entuitive for a retrofit of the existing 1970 MacKimmie Tower. The goal was to transform it into a leading edge, high-performance, net-zero carbon building. The Tower is now 85 per cent more energy efficient and has been recognized by the Canadian Green Build Council with a provincial and national Green Building Excellence Zero Carbon Award. It serves as a model of what can be done to existing buildings to help achieve our carbon neutral goals.

ENGINEERING A BETTER CANADA AWARD
Curé-Paquin Primary School

The first project in Quebec (and the first primary school in Canada) to receive Zero Carbon Building – Design certification from the Canada Green Building Council, the Curé-Paquin school is a flagship initiative for other school service centres. gbi acted as the lead engineering contractor for building mechanical and electrical services and for energy conservation in the innovative design of this project, which promotes academic success and prioritizes comfort.

B.C. announces Apprenticeship Recognition Month

November 2021 is Apprenticeship Recognition Month in B.C. Throughout November, the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training and the Industry Training Authority (ITA) will be highlighting the many roles apprentices play in supporting a strong economy and building a stronger B.C, as well as opportunities for people to start a career in the skilled trades.

“There are wonderful benefits to a career in the trades and Apprenticeship Recognition Month is an opportunity to celebrate the hard work of apprentices, employer sponsors, youth participants and foundation students across B.C.,” said Anne Kang, minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training. “Our government values the tradespeople who are contributing to B.C.’s economic recovery. They are building our homes, fixing our cars and creating modern solutions. We are committed to creating opportunities for women, Indigenous Peoples and other under-represented groups to find good-paying, long-lasting careers in the trades.”

There are many career opportunities in skilled trades. The ITA is raising awareness of the different career paths with Find Your Trade, a campaign promoting trades apprenticeships and careers. Find Your Trade encourages British Columbians to explore the skilled trades through its website – www.findyourtrade.ca – which showcases more than 100 trades programs and career options, a quiz to find your trade and live webinars to give prospective apprentices opportunities to learn more about trades first-hand.

“There is a lot to celebrate this Apprenticeship Recognition Month, as skilled trades apprenticeships and careers has remained resilient throughout the pandemic and continues to play an integral role in B.C.’s economy. Skilled trades provide meaningful and rewarding career opportunities and throughout this month, we look forward to showcasing the value of apprenticeships, trades training and careers, and the many ways skilled trades touches and provides value to our everyday lives,” said Shelley Gray, ITA chief executive officer.

WorkBC.ca is also launching a new Career Education Resources microsite created specifically for B.C. educators. Linking WorkBC resources to the Ministry of Education’s career education curriculum, the new section of WorkBC.ca features lesson plans that showcase labour-market information, career discovery tools and interactive activities to encourage students to pursue various careers, including those in the skilled trades.

B.C. has seen a steady increase in the number of people entering skilled trades professions and has a focus on encouraging women and Indigenous Peoples to enter the trades. Having a strong apprenticeship system in the province is crucial to B.C.’s economy.

Dialog welcomes merger with NXL Architects

Dialog welcomes the merger with NXL Architects, a Canadian leader in the planning and design of laboratories and complex-process facilities for science, technology, and clean industry.

“Dialog and NXL share a culture that is genuinely collegial and collaborative,” said Jim Anderson, Dialog partner and chair. “Together, we bring an exceptional depth of experience and creative ingenuity to 21st century workplaces that contribute to the wellbeing of our communities and the sustainability of our environment.”

The merger with NXL expands Dialog’s science and technology practice, which has underway or recently completed the National Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Alberta, research laboratories at the Calgary Cancer Centre, and a nation-wide renewal of Laboratories Canada facilities.

In addition to major research laboratories for University of Toronto, York University, Ryerson University, Carleton University, UBC, and the University Health Network, NXL has completed more than four million square feet of complex process facilities for companies such as Novopharm (now Teva) Pharmaceuticals, Eurofins CDMO Alphora, Therapure BioPharma Inc., EmpowerPharm, and Septodont Canada.

“By joining forces, we can deliver projects for our clients at a larger scale and complexity and across a broader geographic reach,” said Jay Levine, Dialog partner and NXL founding principal. “We want to help grow a Canadian science and technology ecosystem by bringing together public institutions, private enterprise, and the development community.”

Levine joins the firm as partner and science and technology sector lead. He is based in the Toronto studio and will work with teams across the practice in San Francisco, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto.

B.C. changes to streamline local housing approvals

B.C. is introducing legislative amendments that give local municipalities more powers to simplify and speed up their development approvals processes, helping to get the homes people need built faster.

“We are working with local governments, the development sector and housing advocates to streamline local development processes to help get more homes built faster for people,” said Josie Osborne, minister of municipal affairs. “By updating public hearing and certain permit requirements, we are giving local governments more tools to deliver the housing that communities need throughout B.C. This is one important step in the work all orders of government must do to meet housing needs for people in our communities.”

Increasing housing supply is a priority for the province and these amendments are an important step in that ongoing effort. The amendments will update the Local Government Act to:

remove the default requirement for local governments to hold public hearings for zoning bylaw amendments that are consistent with the official community plan; and
enable local governments to delegate decisions on minor development variance permits to staff.

These changes will support local governments to move forward more efficiently on developments, bypassing barriers and speeding up housing approvals. They were identified during consultation with local governments, housing providers and builders, and other stakeholders as part of the Province’s Development Approvals Process Review. These changes will also build on the work of the Local Government Development Approvals Program that is providing $15 million to help local governments create more efficient approvals processes.

“B.C. local governments have been seeking improvements to streamline development approval processes,” said Laurey-Anne Roodenburg, president, Union of BC Municipalities. “These amendments to the current legislation provide new options that align with recommendations in UBCM’s housing strategy, maintain local government flexibility, and will be welcomed by many UBCM members. We will continue to work with the government to seek further improvements to the development approval process.”

GTA new condo sales reach record high for Q3

The latest survey from Urbanation reports that new condo apartment sales in the Greater Toronto Area increased 22 per cent from Q3-2020 to Q3-2021, from 6,386 units to a total of 7,773 units.

“Presale condominium activity reached new highs during the summer as developers continued rolling out a large number of new launches to meet soaring demand,” said Shaun Hildebrand, president of Urbanation. “With inventories declining further in Q3, this momentum is likely to sustain in the coming months, although high prices and greater prospects for interest rate increases may eventually start to weigh on demand.”

For the fourth time in the past five quarters, the 905 region of the GTA represented more than half of sales at 4,138 units, up nine per cent annually. Annual growth was stronger in Toronto at 40 per cent, totaling 3,635 sales.

So far in 2021, GTA condo sales have reached 22,107 units, which is 63 per cent higher than during the same period in 2020 (13,589) and the second highest level on record behind 2017 (23,919).

Unsold inventory dropped 11 per cent from a year ago to 11,955 units. This is 16 per cent below the 10-year average of 14,279 units. Compared to the latest 12-month average sales, unsold inventory in Q3-2021 was equal to 5.4 months of supply, the lowest level since Q1-2018 and substantially below a balanced level of 10 months. Inventory was equal to 7.6 months in Toronto, compared to only 3.2 months in the 905 region of the GTA.

Demand is strengthening and supply is falling. Prices for remaining new condominiums on the market in the GTA rose 10 per cent year-over-year to a record high $1,231 per square foot. Toronto prices were up seven per cent annually to $1,328 per square foot and 905 region prices increased 17 per cent from a year ago to $1,005 per square foot—the first time unsold average prices in the suburbs moved past the $1,000 per square foot threshold.

Outside of the former City of Toronto, which recorded 2,003 sales, the top GTA municipal markets for Q3 new condo sales are Mississauga (1,982), North York (804), Vaughan (596), Scarborough (446), and Oakville (375).

Photo by Kindel Media

Municipal rental rates for Q3-2021

Municipal rental rates continue to rise in major markets across Canada, according to the latest Rent Report from Bullpen Research & Consulting and TorontoRentals.com. In the GTA, average monthly rents for all property types increased 0.9 per cent in September to $2,116 from $2,097 in August.

The most expensive market in Q3-2021 was Vancouver, B.C., where the average rent came in at approximately $2,625 per month, representing an annual increase of 14.3 per cent. The average rent in Vancouver also increased by 15.7 per cent quarter over quarter from Q2-2021.

In Montreal and Calgary, where rents were less impacted by the pandemic than Toronto and Vancouver, average rents per square foot have remained relatively stable since September 2019. The average rent per square foot in Montreal was $2.39 in September 2021, while the average rent per square foot in Calgary was $1.96. On an annual basis, Montreal has experienced an increase of 4.4 per cent from the September 2020 average of $2.29 psf, while Calgary has experienced an increase of 6.5 per cent from the September 2020 average of $1.84 psf.

Ontario municipalities

The average rent in the GTA has shot up from the lows in March 2020 and are projected to keep increasing through the last quarter. Four-bedroom units had the highest increases of the market—a result of tenants’ desiring more space as many continue to work from home.

Oakville, Mississauga, North York, Markham, and Richmond Hill all have average rents per square foot ranging from about $2.10 to $2.75. The suburbs farther away, including Caledon, Whitby, Brampton, Aurora, Pickering, Oshawa and Ajax, have the lowest rents per square foot, ranging from about $1.50 to $2.

The postal codes with higher average rents per square foot are concentrated in the downtown Toronto area, while areas with lower average rents per square foot are spread out in the surrounding suburbs.

The past two years affected all segments of the rental market except townhouses, which maintained a steady rate since 2019 with sharp increases during the more recent months.

Visit www.rentals.ca for the complete report.

Radon levels outpace national estimates

Radon levels consistently eclipse provincial and national estimates, according to new findings from a Canada-wide citizen science initiative conducted over the past three years.

More than ten years ago, Health Canada released a report detailing the percentage of homes with radon levels above 200 Bq/m3 on the national, provincial and health region levels. Provincial averages ranged from four to 25 per cent, and the estimated national average was seven per cent.

But Take Action on Radon (TAOR) reveals that the overwhelming majority of communities that have taken part in their 100 Radon Test Kit Challenge program are finding that dangerous levels of the cancer-causing gas are much more common.

“I was shocked by our citizen science results,” says Pam Warkentin, of TAOR. “Particularly as we’re seeing high levels across the country. Of the 43 communities we have tested so far, 39 communities are at or above Health Canada’s national estimate.”

All forms of housing were eligible to test in this program, including multi-unit residential buildings, duplexes and townhomes and no restrictions were placed on the age of the homes. The program measured between 2018 and 2021, and all testing was undertaken for three months over the winter heating periods.

“Each year, the more test kits we distribute, the more homes we find with elevated levels,” says Erin Curry, a TAOR lead. “It is a misconception to think that radon is a problem just in certain areas. We are finding elevated levels in all regions; in small towns and larger cities and in all types and ages of homes.”

Anne-Marie Nicol, an associate professor of health science at SFU, says relying on provincial averages needs to stop.

“We need to start talking about radon at a much more local level,” she says. “Right now, there are very few provincial policies that protect people from radon exposure. The 100 Radon Test Kit Challenge has shown us that many municipalities are interested and willing to take action once they know about the radon in their region.”

A radon refresher

Radon is an odourless, colourless, radioactive soil gas that is formed as uranium breaks down over time. The gas is unstable and releases alpha particles, a type of radiation that is particularly damaging to lung tissues. Radon is a problem across Canada as uranium is present in the soils and rocks of all regions, and it poses a problem indoors as it enters buildings from the surrounding soil through the foundation. Over time, the gas levels can build up and exceed recommended guidelines, posing a health risk.

Exposure to elevated levels can lead to lung cancer. “Radon gas is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, and if you smoke the combined risk is even higher,” says Lynn Murad, senior specialist cancer prevention with the Canadian Cancer Society. “The only way to determine if your home has high levels of radon is to test. We encourage people in Canada to test their homes for radon as soon as possible and take action to reduce levels if necessary.”

As the new report finds, most provinces and communities still aren’t addressing radon in a meaningful way, One big hurdle is that the data has not been easily accessible at the community level, and granular results are buried in averages. TAOR is encouraging more communities to engage in testing. Several others that have tested are currently implementing changes to building practices, providing mitigation grants, or making testing more accessible to their residents.

MASI Design Awards showcase the best talent

The Interior Designers of Alberta hosted the Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan Interior (MASI) Design Awards virtually on Oct 21, 2021. These annual awards showcase the best interior design talent from across the three provinces.

Twenty-one projects were honoured this year in eight categories with eight winning gold and seven winning silver and six winning bronze.

Amanda Hamilton Interior Design in Calgary was a multiple winner, earning an impressive four Gold Awards in various categories including for her own new design studio.

“It’s an absolute honour for our team to win four Gold MASI Awards this year,” said Hamilton. “Not only does it acknowledge the hard work of our collaborative team efforts, but it also gives our commercial clients a great piece of marketing material and our residential clients, something to share with friends and family. It’s been a wild last couple of years, and we were beyond excited to share the handwork of the studio with the local design community. The MASI Awards give us all an opportunity to share, learn and celebrate.”

GOLD WINNERS

Amanda Hamilton Interior Design, Photo: Joel Klassen

Office Design Over $80 Per Square Foot
Amanda Hamilton Design Studio
Amanda Hamilton, Amanda Hamilton Interior Design

Office Design Under $80 Per Square Foot
Brownlee LLP
Jane Lawson, Walker Lawson Interior Design

Retail Design
Bite of Brazil
Kerri Peyton, Peyton Licensed Interior

Hospitality and/or Restaurant
Buffalo Mountain Lodge
Amanda Hamilton, Amanda Hamilton Interior Design

Residential: New Over $200 Per Square Foot
Range Road Residence
Amanda Hamilton, Amanda Hamilton Interior Design

Residential: Renovation Under $300 Per Square Foot
Eagle Point Residence
Amanda Hamilton, Amanda Hamilton Interior Design

Institutional & Health Care
Okanagan College Health Sciences Centre
Lacey Pearn, GEC Architecture

Okanagan College Health Sciences Centre, GEC Architecture

Special Projects
Minto East Hills Crossing
Clare Mackey, Mackey Design Group

SILVER WINNERS

Office Design Over $80 Per Square Foot
Unity
Holly Shearer, Shearer Licensed Interior Design

Office Design Under $80 Per Square Foot
Aspen Properties
Andrea Freeman, Make Design Lab

Retail Design
Cottontail Cannabis Co.
Cristina Bustamante, Republic Architecture

Hospitality/Restaurant
Barbacoa Steakhouse
Cristina Bustamante, Republic Architecture

Residential: Renovation Under $300 Per Square Foot
Private Residence
Clare Mackey, Mackey Design Group

Institutional & Health Care
Institute of Wellness and Advanced Aesthetics
Clare Mackey, Mackey Design Group

Special Projects
Airdrie Transit Operations Centre
Lacey Pearn, GEC Architecture

For the full list of winners, visit Interior Designers of Alberta.

The pandemic cleaning takeaways

If we look in the rearview mirror, we might see the pandemic moving further behind us. If true, and hopefully it is, then this is the perfect time to determine what we have learned from this devastating experience. Many industries and sectors are now looking for the many takeaways of the pandemic, and this is undoubtedly true for building owners, facility managers, and those in the professional cleaning industry.

It’s becoming clear that we did some things right, helping to keep people healthy, but we may have done some things wrong.

Analyzing the past 18 months is necessary for many reasons. For those that think COVID-19 is a once-in-a-century happening, like the Spanish Flu of 1918, there may be some unfortunate news in store for you. Because that is not what some medical experts believe.

“We tend to think of pandemics and epidemics as episodic,” says Allan Brandt, a historian of science and medicine at Harvard University. “But we are living in the COVID-19 era, not the COVID-19 crisis. We [can’t] look back and say, ‘That was a terrible time, but it’s over.’ We will be dealing with the ramifications of COVID-19 for decades.” ¹

Indiscriminate disinfecting

Let’s turn our attention to one of the most important things that we have learned from the pandemic, which was also a takeaway from the 2002-03 SARS pandemic in Hong Kong.

At the time, Hong Kong building owners, facility managers, and cleaning workers used powerful disinfectants, including bleach, to help stop the spread of the disease. They used these disinfectants on literally everything, from elevator buttons to toilets, believing the pathogen that causes the virus lived on these surfaces. The extensive use of bleach was so noticeable that some residents said they could smell bleach for months after the pandemic was over.

What we know now is that they overused bleach and disinfectants in Hong Kong, and often used them where they were not needed. The same we now see is true with COVID-19. In fact, a new term has evolved to describe this situation: “indiscriminate disinfecting.”

A study conducted in May 2021 references the problems indiscriminate disinfecting can cause. According to the study, despite demonstrating a beneficial role [for] the control and prevention of COVID-19, there are crucial concerns regarding the large-scale use of disinfectants and sanitizers, including the side effects on human and animal health along with harmful impacts exerted on the environment and ecological balance.²

We might believe this overuse of disinfectants may not be as much a problem in Canada as it is in the U.S. This is because green-certified disinfectants are available in Canada, but not in the U.S.

These green disinfectants have been tested and proven to work effectively, but with a reduced impact on the environment compared to traditional disinfectants. But we must remember this is true only if the product is used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

However, when overused, improperly diluted, or used where unnecessary, the environmental benefit of the product diminishes. This happened during the pandemic.

Did we need disinfectants at all?

As we have been discussing, there was a rush to disinfect after SARS and again with COVID-19. Not only are we beginning to realize that we overused these powerful chemicals indiscriminately, but it is also coming to light that we may not have needed them at all.

While initial studies indicated COVID-19 lives on surfaces for several days, those studies have come into question. For instance, a study published in the British medical journal, The Lancet, suggests that the virus, in many cases, only lives a few hours on surfaces, not a few days as originally believed.

Quoted in the article is Emanuel Goldman, a professor of microbiology, biochemistry, and molecular genetics at New Jersey Medical School at Rutgers University. He suggests that while laboratory tests find the virus can live several days on surfaces, these tests “have little resemblance to real-life scenarios.”

Goldman believes this is because these tests were conducted using large samples of the virus and placed in a controlled environment that does not allow the virus to dry out. That is not a real-world situation.³

Cleaning for health

If one of our crucial cleaning takeaways is that we have been using far too many disinfectants than necessary during the pandemic and may not have needed them at all, then what should we do now – and into the future – to help keep building users healthy?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it may all come down to good old effective cleaning: Normal routine cleaning with soap and water will decrease how much of the virus is on surfaces and objects, which reduces the risk of exposure.

In other words, that is effective cleaning using the right tools, methods, and systems. We should note, this typically does not include many traditional cleaning tools such as mops, buckets, or even cleaning cloths. As these tools are used, they become contaminated, spreading germs and bacteria, and not removing them.

Instead, what is proving to be a more effective option is the use of what ISSA, the worldwide cleaning association, calls spray-and-vac cleaning systems, more commonly known as no-touch cleaning systems.

This cleaning system uses a standalone machine to do the following:

Apply fresh water and cleaning solution, including disinfectants if called for, to all surfaces to be cleaned.
Allow the cleaning solutions to dwell, or set, on those surfaces. Typically, this is accomplished by first applying the chemical solution to several surfaces and fixtures throughout the area to be cleaned.
Pressure rinses these same areas, again using the machine. This provides agitation, necessary in all forms of cleaning to loosen and remove soils.
Vacuum up the moisture, cleaning solution, and with it, soils and contaminants.

As to its benefits, a study conducted several years ago found that when cleaning floors using a traditional mop and bucket on one set of test floors and a spray-and-vac cleaning system on another, the cleaning efficiency — ability to remove pathogens from surfaces — was nearly three times better than those floors cleaned with mops. Further, after using an EPA-registered disinfectant on the floors, the mopping process still left 35 times more residual bacteria than the spray-and-vac cleaning system.

The pandemic should be viewed as a major wake-up call. It told us that facility managers and cleaning professionals must continually evaluate how cleaning is performed and if the systems we use are effective. Further, if new disinfecting technologies were employed during the pandemic, it might also be time to question their use.

Whether needed or not, what we do know is that effective cleaning is necessary. Effective cleaning using the right tools and cleaning systems should help us keep building users healthy and facilities open, now and moving forward.

Matt Morrison is communications manager for Kaivac, developers of the no-touch cleaning system and other cleaning tools and products needed for effective cleaning. He can be reached at [email protected]

_{“Past Pandemics Remind Us Covid Will Be an Era, Not a Crisis That Fades,” by Gina Kolata. The New York Times, October 12, 2021.}
_{“The role of disinfectants and sanitizers during COVID-19 pandemic: advantages and deleterious effects on humans and the environment.” Dhama K, Patel SK, Kumar R, et al. Published in Environmental Science and Pollution Research, May 15, 2021.}
_{“Exaggerated risk of transmission of COVID-19 by Fomites.” The Lancet, published online July 3, 2020.}

Putting tenant wellness first

Twenty months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the priorities of building management – and of the Canadian public – have greatly evolved. In Fall 2021, as more Canadians continue to return to office buildings in a world that has changed for the long term, workers, tenants, and residents want to know their health and wellness is a primary focus for real estate landlords and facility managers.

The desire of landlords to meet that demand has been reflected in the uptake of the Center for Active Design’s (CfAD) Fitwel^® certification, the world’s leading certification system committed to building health for all.

Launched in 2017, Fitwel’s core focus is to ensure that health is a priority in the real estate sector, validated by measurable results supported by scientific research and evidence-based strategies. The certification has a significant and expanding footprint in Canada and beyond. Between 2019 and 2020, its overall global use rose 190 per cent year over year; in Q4 2020, it soared by 640 per cent. Since 2017, CfAD estimates Fitwel has had an impact on more than 1.3 million people through 2,700+ registered projects and 1,000+ projects certified or in review. In Canada, there was 144 per cent growth between 2019 and 2020, a demand being driven largely by tenants.

Zachary Flora, Vice President of Market Growth of Fitwel, says the certification’s “exceptional” growth in Canada reflects the commitment that leading real estate companies, tenants, and design firms have been taking to create healthy and resilient spaces.

“Each year, we see our Canadian partners go above and beyond to implement operation and design changes that prioritizes the health and well-being of the employees and tenants,” continues Flora. “These efforts reflect the belief in the evidence-based research and the measurable ability to transform the office experience. Our Canadian partners are proactively leading the way in emphasizing the importance of healthy buildings and the role they play in prioritizing people, the planet, and building performance.”

Indeed, numerous industry leaders have selected Fitwel as a way of validating their efforts to focus on tenant wellness, including Manulife Investment Management, Menkes Developments, and Lemay Architecture and Design.

Fitwel’s Best in Building Health 2021 award-winning Manulife Place in Edmonton

The verification of choice

Manulife Investment Management recently started working with Fitwel but already has several buildings certified, including Fitwel’s Best in Building Health 2021 award winner Manulife Place in Edmonton, and has secured Fitwel Viral Response Module (VRM) certification with distinction at the entity-level.

“Operating healthy buildings is no longer optional; it’s expected. And for very good reason,” says Manulife Investment Management’s Head of Real Estate Asset Management, Scott Gordon. “Over the last year-and-a-half, landlords have seen the tremendous positive impacts on all of our wellbeing that buildings have when they are operated correctly and healthily.”

Gordon notes the company wanted to highlight the need for healthier spaces, and that’s why the Fitwel certification became a core focus. He cites the program’s “rigorous standards and policies” as a key attraction in providing validation that Manulife Investment Management^* is meeting its sustainability commitments and providing the best environment for tenants and visitors.

That view is shared by Menkes Developments, an early adopter of Fitwel and a Legacy Champion of the program. Its 25 York Street facility was the first office building in Canada to achieve the certification, while One York Street won Fitwel’s Best in Building Health award in 2020. “We didn’t want our workplaces to be hindering people in their quest to live a healthier work life,” explains Jon Douglas, Director of Portfolio Services and Sustainability at Menkes. “In fact, we wanted our workplaces to actively help people live a healthier lifestyle by creating opportunities for people. The ultimate goal was to help people be healthier by the end of the day than they were at the start.”

Menkes already had a Healthy Spaces program focusing on wellness, and Fitwel certification was a neat fit as a piece of the puzzle. Typically, landlords and tenants have not necessarily engaged in conversations around health and wellness in the past, but “the robustness of the program being based on science means the conversation makes sense,” says Douglas. Menkes certified all its major assets in 2017-18 and is now in the process of recertifying.

Montreal-based Lemay is another Fitwel Legacy Champion and Best in Building Health award winner and has certified its four main Canadian workplaces in Montreal, Calgary, Toronto, and Quebec City. “We have been working in sustainability for 15 to 20 years and it is so hard to define and measure your own goals out of the blue,” explains Sustainability Strategies Director Hugo Lafrance. “We are big advocates of the need for verification and evidence-based third-party verification to establish a common language, shared goals, and clear targets around health and wellness.”

Menkes’ Fitwel Best in Building Health 2020 award-winning One York Street.

A greater need in the pandemic era

Lafrance notes that architecture and buildings are often seen as static elements but describes them as the best leverage to influence the behaviour of people for the better.

Real estate and facility management companies have embraced that position of power in recent years, and that trend has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has prompted a reevaluation of how buildings interact with their tenants and vice versa. Sustainability measures, carbon reduction, and green building approaches had been key pieces of the puzzle for some time before 2020, but the attention has turned firmly towards true employee and tenant health and wellbeing.

Part of that is the market catching up, opines Lafrance. In Quebec, for example, it’s only comparatively recently that non-essential services have been allowed to go back to the office, so there had not been a huge rush to focus on that side of things. Now, though, it has shifted to become a firm top priority.

Gordon also noted that the real estate industry has been pushed to recognize healthy buildings as a core necessity rather than a nice-to-have throughout the pandemic. This is particularly vital as workers continue to return to offices, some likely with wavering confidence.

“It is positive to see real estate landlords willingly raise their hands and vow to make their buildings the healthiest they can be and to make people feel as safe and comfortable as they can be,” Gordon says.

Lemay’s Fitwel 3-star-rated Phenix property

Reaping the reward

As Lafrance puts it, the beginning and the furthering of the conversation between landlords and tenants around health and wellness “can only be a win-win” and Fitwel’s partners are seeing the appreciation. “Tenants and stakeholders tell us that they feel like we are concerned about them and will work to deliver the best, safest, and healthiest workplaces possible,” he adds.

Health and wellness can be a difficult thing to quantify but, again, this is where the demonstrable evidence-based approach of Fitwel really reaps reward. All three companies report stellar feedback from their tenants on the steps they have taken in line with Fitwel, which include everything from sharing CAMH resources on mental health to making indoor air quality improvements to introducing stair-walking programs and yoga sessions.

Douglas notes that because the certification and the changes it prompted were so practical, it resonated strongly with Menkes’ tenants, particularly the increased focus on the mental health side. That has become more of a critical topic in the second year of the pandemic amid anxiety around the return to the office. Menkes has been trying to understand and manage that nervousness and be sensitive to the mental health toll of all things COVID-19-related. “The feedback was great – tenants and residents wanted to have those conversations and to work with us on that. Tenants are so much more engaged with us, and property managers are bringing further health and wellness program ideas to us now.”

It’s about slowly changing the culture, emphasizes Lafrance. “Creating a more health and wellbeing-driven environment isn’t easy, but it’s doable and those efforts are recognized and appreciated by people.” Fitwel gives real estate landlords knowledge of their projects’ strengths and weaknesses at the time of benchmarking, which helps landlords provide precious feedback to clients and stakeholders and get feedback along the way.

Looking ahead, Gordon notes that in the world of office real estate, landlords must be willing and able to demonstrate that they are taking the steps and making the investments to help improve the health and wellness side.

As such, Lafrance thinks more and more companies will choose to certify with Fitwel. “It’s a clearer way to send a signal to employees and stakeholders that the business has looked at health and wellness throughout the pandemic and is looking to charter a safer way forward.”

_{*Manulife Investment Management’s property management services are engaged in real estate property management and are not authorized to provide, and do not provide, investment advice or investment advisory services. Additionally, the content of this site is not intended nor should be construed as an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any security or to participate in an investment strategy. Additional information about the company, its properties, and its operations can be found at www.manulifeim.com/realestate.}

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