Edmonton Capilano Library wins international award

The Capilano Library in Edmonton has been awarded with a 2020 AIA/ALA Library Building Award for excellence in architectural design. It was one of four libraries selected by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the American Library Association (ALA).

Designed by Patkau Architects, the library draws inspiration from a ravine tucked away in the foliage of its site. The building’s 12,000-square-foot program is organized into three parallel zones oriented along the site’s north-south axis.

The building is capped with a continuous folded wood roof that runs the entirety of the library’s 250 feet, its peaks corresponding to each zone below. The roof’s upper and lower planes are optimized for daylight, acoustics, and structure and present a captivating profile at both ends of the library. To complement the site’s deciduous backdrop, the library is wrapped in black aluminum and natural wood.

The new Capilano Library represents a significant upgrade from its old home and places the library in the heart of the community. The branch’s new ground floor location features the ravine as a backdrop and will serve more than 198,000 visitors annually.

The other three 2020 AIA/ALA Library Building Awards recipients:

Billie Jean King Main Library, Long Beach, California | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
Independence Library and Apartments, Chicago | John Ronan Architects
Northtown Branch Library and Apartments, Chicago | Perkins + Will

The AIA/ALA Library Building Award is the only award that recognizes entire library structures and all aspects of their design.

2020 AIA/ALA Library Building Award recipients must demonstrate design achievement, including a sense of place, purpose, ecology, environmental sustainability, and of history. This year’s AIA/ALA Library Building Award recipients, selected by a six-person jury, exemplify these qualities.

Should condos consider pandemic rules?

The pandemic has, undeniably, had a significant impact on condominium life. To say the past few months have been a transition for condo corporations and their residents, and an effort for boards and managers, would be an understatement. From implementing virtual meeting and electronic voting procedures, to finding the safest way to gradually reopen temporarily closed amenities, the list of impacts seems endless.

As areas of the province have reopened in the midst of an ongoing outbreak, condos may be asking if a specific set of rules, applicable during this sort of health crisis, is helpful.

Since the board already has the authority to make decisions during a health crisis, such rules aren’t legally necessary. This authority flows from Sections 17 and 26 of Ontario’s Condominium Act which state: the board is responsible to fulfill the obligations of the condominium corporation. A condominium corporation “has a duty to control, manage and administer the common elements and the assets of the corporation” (per Section 17). A condominium corporation is also responsible, as occupier, to keep the common elements reasonably safe (per Section 26).

These sections, read together, give the board the authority and responsibility to decide how the common elements are to be used during a health crisis. For instance, it is up to the board to decide how to keep the common elements safe and, more generally, how the common elements are to be used and managed so as to comply with directives from public health officials.

A condo board can take steps without the need for any rule to authorize such, and could certainly decide to publish one or more policies detailing their decisions—mainly as a means to inform owners and occupants and to hopefully persuade them to cooperate.

However, from a purely legal perspective, the owners and occupants are obligated to follow the board’s instructions in relation to use of the common elements during a health crisis. Again, this flows from provisions of the Condominium Act.

Are Pandemic Rules a Good Idea?

For some condominiums, the answer to this question may be yes. Rules (like policies) can be an excellent way to record the board’s directives and an effective way to inform owners about these directives; for instance, restrictions or directions on the use of the common elements during a health crisis.

In some situations, rules may help with enforcement. All owners understand that rules have the “weight of the law” and can be enforced pursuant to provisions of the Condominium Act.

Passing a rule may help persuade owners that compliance is required by law and that non-compliance can have real legal consequences.

Rules can contain additional details about the consequences of non-compliance, such as the possibility that the corporation may refuse access to the common elements (or to parts of the common elements) to occupants and/or their invitees who don’t comply. Again, this may also help owners and occupants to better understand the potential consequences of non-compliance.

Some condos may like the added “enforcement momentum” of rules that embody the board’s decisions, but there is a potential drawback. The rule-making process requires the involvement of the owners who have the right to challenge any proposed rule at an owners’ meeting, which means that the board’s right to impose the particular directive under the terms of the Condominium Act could very possibly be defeated. In other words, if a board decides to pass a rule (rather than a policy), the board is risking the possibility that owners may vote it down, thereby preventing the board from fulfilling its mandates in relation to safety and management of the common elements.

The bottom line is that a policy, or simply a board directive, may be the better way to go if the board is not prepared to risk a “no” vote from the owners. A proposed rule can make sense when the board considers it to be truly optional, so that a “no” vote would be acceptable and would not prevent the board from doing what it feels is necessary to keep common elements safe.

Possible Pandemic Rules

1. A rule to define a “health crisis” or “pandemic” and to say that the “pandemic rules” will apply during any such health crisis or pandemic.
2. A rule stating that, during a health crisis or pandemic, the board may issue one or more directives stating that:
● Certain indoor or outdoor amenities are not open for use, or are open for use subject to certain restrictions or conditions.
● Certain procedures or protocols must be followed on the common elements in order to maintain physical distancing among all persons. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the board may require that elevators or other areas of the common elements be used only by a limited number of users at a given time.
● Users of certain areas of the common elements must thoroughly wash their hands with hand sanitizer (available at stations installed by the condominium corporation) before entering those areas.
● Users of certain areas of the common elements must wear face masks and/or face shields, meeting specifications established by the board, while in those areas. The directive may include exceptions for persons who cannot safely wear a face mask.
● Deliveries of parcels, packages and other items to the building are permitted only in strict compliance with protocols to be established and posted by the board.
● The board may place limits or restrictions upon persons (including contractors and other invitees of occupants) who can enter onto the common elements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the board may prohibit such persons from entering onto the common elements at any time or times.
● The board may establish other procedures and protocols for use of the common elements as they deem appropriate, in order to maintain safety on the common elements or to otherwise fulfill the obligations of the condo corporation in relation to the common elements.
● The board will post notices and/or signs setting out the directives described in this rule.

3. A rule stating that the board will take reasonable steps to enforce all of the requirements of pandemic rules. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the board may prohibit anyone from entering or remaining on the common elements if he or she is not in full compliance with any of the board’s directives described in the pandemic rules. Furthermore, if any person is not in compliance with the board’s directives, that non-compliance will constitute a trespass for purposes of Ontario’s Trespass to Property Act, entitling the condo corporation to pursue all remedies under the Trespass to Property Act as against that trespasser.

James Davidson and Nancy Houle are partners at DavidsonHouleAllen, Condominium Law

The preceding article was published in the August issue of CondoBusiness

Gateway Casinos receives first $200M federal loan

Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited is receiving a $200 million loan under the Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF). The loan is the first from the federal government which is intended to help some of the largest companies in the country during the pandemic. It provides large Canadian employers with access to credit in order to preserve jobs and continue operations during this challenging period.

Other applications for LEEFF financing are currently under consideration. To protect the financial interests of taxpayers, rigorous due diligence is required. The program, announced in May, is open to all large, for-profit Canadian employers.

“With this first loan, we are supporting thousands of Gateway employees and their families by providing the company with the liquidity it needs to begin to resume operations and return to profitability,” said David Mansell, CEO, Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corp.

Gateway Casinos operates 26 properties in British Columbia, Ontario, and Alberta with 8,000 employees. Most have been inactive due to the pandemic and its effect on operations. The LEEFF loan will allow Gateway to start bringing employees back on board as properties reopen in accordance with local and provincial guidelines.

“COVID-19 closed businesses across Canada, with the hospitality and entertainment sectors severely affected. It hit our employees and their families and communities hard. The LEEFF financing will support restarting our operations and returning people to work when it is safe and viable to do so. We are appreciative of the LEEFF program and, through a successful and sustainable restart of operations, we will bring jobs back and begin the work of repaying the LEEFF facility,” said Anthony Santo, CEO, Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited.

Office vacancies on par with recessionary events

Office vacancies increased in the downtowns of all major Canadian cities during the third quarter of 2020, CBRE reports. Newly released statistics show upticks in both sublease and direct space coming onto the market — the latter often due to the logistical dilemmas of the COVID-19 outbreak, which have stifled some normal leasing activities like tours of soon-to-be-available space.

Canada-wide, CBRE pegs the total office vacancy rate at 12 per cent across the nine major markets it surveys, ranging from a low of 5.4 per cent in Vancouver to nearly 26 per cent in Calgary. Collectively, downtown vacancies are up 150 basis points from the second quarter to rest at 11.5 per cent. The past three months have seen nearly 1.6 million square feet of sublet space come on to downtown markets — increasing the tally more than 33 per cent since June 30 — so that sublet space now represents 21.1 per cent of downtown vacant space nationally.

The vacancy rate climbed 80 basis points across national suburban office markets to hit 12.7 per cent. The addition of about 772,000 square feet of sublet space equates to a nearly 22 per cent jump so that sublet now accounts for almost 16 per cent of vacant suburban space nationally.

Toronto and Vancouver retain boasting rights for the lowest downtown office vacancy rates in North America, but both markets loosened over the quarter. Toronto’s downtown vacancy rate rose to 4.7 per cent, up from 2.7 per cent as of June 30. An additional 882,000 square feet of sublet space came onto the market, taking total sublease availability above 1.5 million square feet. The Class A vacancy rate sits at 3.9 per cent, as average Class A net rents rose $0.52 per square foot over the quarter, reaching $35.90.

Vancouver’s downtown vacancy rate climbed 130 basis points to 4.6 per cent. There is now more than 438,000 square feet of sublet space available after an extra 108,000 square feet was added over the quarter. However, the ratio of sublet to all available space dropped slightly, down to 39 per cent, largely due to the 50 per cent increase in direct space availability, representing 229,000 square feet added to the market during the quarter. The downtown Class A vacancy rate rests at 3.3 per cent, as average Class A net rents nudged up $0.12 per square foot to $44.74.

CBRE analysts tie Toronto and Vancouver rent stability to “very low” vacancy rates on a “relative and historical basis”. Elsewhere, Montreal’s downtown office vacancy rate rose 140 basis points to 8.7 per cent, while Ottawa’s similarly increased 110 basis points to reach 8.8 per cent.

Looking west, Calgary’s downtown office market added another 669,000 square feet of direct space and 211,000 square feet of sublet space to the vacancy column, pushing the overall vacancy rate up 170 basis points to 28.7 per cent. More than 12.4 million square feet of office space is now vacant in the city’s core. Meanwhile, Edmonton provides a happy anomaly in recording a 70 basis point decline in downtown office vacancies during the quarter — nudging the rate down to 19 per cent. That takes the downtown vacancy rate back below the suburban vacancy rate, which rose from 19.6 per cent to 21.2 per cent over the past three months.

“The third quarter numbers are similar to what was seen during previous recessionary events and do not yet reflect anything more significant than that at this juncture,” asserts Paul Morassutti, CBRE Canada’s vice chairman. “The vacancy rate increase and amount of new sublet space are mostly in line with five-year quarterly averages.”

The Buzz on Embodied Carbon

As climate change becomes a growing concern for cities around the world, opportunities for reducing carbon emissions have been widely embraced by the building sector. From office towers to condominiums, today’s structures are equipped with energy efficient systems designed to improve building performance and lower greenhouse gas emissions. That said, far more emphasis has been placed on the impacts of operational carbon than a structure’s embodied carbon.

Essentially, embodied carbon refers to the energy consumed during manufacturing, maintenance and decommissioning of building materials, including steel, aluminum, glass, insulation, and wood. Unlike operational carbon, which looks at a building’s heating, cooling, lighting, and ventilation equipment, calculating and reporting on embodied carbon is currently not mandatory. But all that is beginning to change.

“As buildings become increasingly energy efficient, embodied carbon is playing a significant role in our efforts to reduce upfront carbon emissions,” observes Lorena Polovina, Building Science Engineer at RJC Engineers, Vancouver, BC. “Currently, the City of Vancouver’s Zero Emissions Building Plan aims to achieve a 90% reduction in emissions by 2025 using Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) to inform future policies. Many countries in Europe have programs in place to address embodied carbon, requiring whole building LCAs to capture the overall environmental footprint of a building.”

In other words, it won’t be long before other jurisdictions follow suit.

From cradle to grave: understanding your building’s environmental footprint

An LCA is a method used to assess all the environmental impacts associated with a building’s lifespan—from raw material extraction and processing, to eventual decommissioning.

“A whole building LCA calculates the environmental impacts of structural and building enclosure components,” explains Polovina. “It holistically looks at how a building affects climate change, non-renewable resources and the environment as a whole. Embodied carbon in an LCA is measured through the Global Warming Potential, which accounts for the kilograms of carbon dioxide (kgCO₂) emitted in the atmosphere.”

Recently, Polovina conducted a study in which she and her colleague, Dr. Mohammad Fakoor, compared three structural systems of a six- storey building: concrete frame, steel frame, and wood frame. Given a building’s energy use depends on interactions between its shape, orientation, construction materials, weather, equipment and other factors, several details were taken into account. Among their conclusions, the study determined that while mechanical systems largely govern a building’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, foundation, floors, and walls are the major contributors to embodied carbon.

“Steel and concrete are the worst carbon offenders, estimated to be responsible for approximately 20% of all global CO₂ emissions,” she says. “Our study determined that steel and concrete frame buildings have a similar amount of embodied carbon, whereas the wood-frame scenario is 50% lower than the two. Steel is more energy intensive than concrete; however, a building uses far more concrete in volume compared to steel. Other common building materials such as aluminum, glass and insulation also impact the environment, although we use less of them in volume compared to structural materials.”

So, what can we do about embodied carbon?

Given that most embodied carbon emissions are related to the upfront manufacturing and transportation of materials, as well as their disposal at the end of the building’s life cycle, moving toward net zero building design is the single best way to eliminate these emissions. But for those hundred of thousands buildings already standing, upfront opportunities are too late. What can be done, however, is conservation.

“Conserving our existing buildings is one of the best things we can do to address embodied carbon,” Polovina says. “Architect Carl Elefante said it best with ‘the greenest building is the one that’s already built’. Maintaining, upgrading and repurposing our existing buildings goes a long way in reducing our environmental impact. If renovating, choose low embodied carbon materials where possible.”

There is no one size fits all solution to climate change. However, being intentional with the materials used in our buildings, both new and old, provides a pathway towards a more sustainable future.

Find out more by visiting www.rjc.ca or contact Lorena Polovina directly at: [email protected]

Canadian developers navigate uncertainty

Canadian developers are generally less focused on interest rates and more concerned about tariffs than their peers elsewhere, a new survey of more than 400 global players with at least USD $200 million worth of projects in progress in 2020 reveals. While in sync with the global view that public investment in infrastructure and tenants’ expectations are the two most influential forces driving development decisions, Canadians assign even more weight to these considerations than respondents from most other global regions. They also stand out for a higher propensity to use private equity to fund projects.

The bulk of the findings in the newly released Altus Group Global Property Development Trends Report are tied to opinions collected in early 2020 before COVID-19’s full hit landed in the world’s commercial real estate markets. Accordingly, Altus analysts conducted in-depth interviews with seven prominent senior executives, including two Canadians, in July 2020 to explore how that sudden impact may have heightened existing pressures or undermined the optimism expressed earlier in the year — then concluded that the development sector has not dramatically altered course for now.

“It’s evident from the report that the global development sector is facing a complex set of challenges due to long-term market pressures, many of which are exacerbated by the pandemic and its evolving impacts,” says Scott Morey, executive director at Altus Group. “However, the industry is recognizing opportunities balanced with a cautious approach.”

Canada is in line to receive a large share of the investment represented in the report. Seventeen per cent of respondents have projects underway or in the pipeline in this country, making it the second most active global region after the United States, where 31 per cent are engaged. Respondents also have projects, in descending percentages, in Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Columbia, Brazil, Hong Kong and Mexico.

Looking at the entire global picture, escalating project costs, environmental regulations and labour shortages in the construction trades are ranked the top three challenges that the industry faces. More than two-thirds of respondents acknowledge that the risk of economic downturn is colouring their decisions about new construction investment. Many are also looking to snag some potential bargains if or when the pandemic fallout continues.

“Macro uncertainty due to the pandemic has resulted in ‘lots of dry powder,’ or cash reserves, waiting on the sidelines. Developers expressed surprise that significant distressed asset opportunities have not yet emerged,” the report states. “They are focusing on continuously evaluating conditions, being prepared and waiting attentively for more opportunities to emerge.”

Meanwhile, the already significant sway of infrastructure investment is expected to become even more dominant as governments attempt to stimulate a resurgence of jobs and spending. Public transit projects, in particular, are deemed critical determinants in the pattern of and demand for surrounding urban development. Seventy-four per cent of survey respondents ranked infrastructure as a major influence on development planning — a notably larger share than the 60 per cent who flagged the global economic outlook as a factor.

Survey respondents would likewise welcome reduced development charges, a more straightforward approvals process and public-private partnerships. These are identified as the top three actions governments could undertake to encourage private investment, with two of those measures also involved in addressing construction project costs. Government investment in training and national immigration policies are also expected to factor in expanding and maintaining a required construction labour force.

“Uncertainty related to government action and inaction has amplified views both positively and negatively,” Altus analysts surmise. “While government has been integral to establishing a floor for economies, there are concerns about the various stimulus measures in place and uncertainty regarding what may happen when these measures end.”

Outlier on weight assigned to interest rates, cross-border trade issues

Drilling down to regional perspectives, Canadian developers are largely in sync with many global trends, but are outliers in a few others. Interest rates are less likely to be unnerving in Canada, where only 39 per cent of respondents deemed them a significant influence on development planning decisions versus the global average of 51 per cent. However, cross-border trade issues, which nearly 51 per cent of Canadians called significant, raise major concerns for just 43 per cent of the overall survey base.

Canadian respondents were somewhat less likely to give significance credence to the global economic outlook — 57.4 per cent versus a global average of 60.2 per cent. They were also less likely to see climate change as an influential factor — 54.1 per cent compared to a global average of 56.2 per cent.

Canadians developers have more experience using private equity to fund new projects, with 34.4 per cent reporting they have done so on multiple occasions compared to the global average of 25.3 per cent. An equal number of Canadian respondents have relied on private equity or private debt to fund one project — 27.9 per cent — while 21.3 per cent report using private debt for more than one project. That, too, is higher than the global average of 17.6 per cent.

Meanwhile, the risk of an economic downturn is more likely to weigh in Canadian decision-making about new construction investment (73.8 per cent) versus some of their global peers. Notably, only 56.1 per cent of respondents from the U.K. voiced the same hesitation, while 68.1 per cent of respondents did across the entire survey base. In contrast, Canadian participants exhibited less consternation about choice of asset type, with only 39.3 per cent reporting that a downturn could affect the decision, compared to 68.3 per cent of respondents in the U.K. and 59.3 per cent in the U.S.

A somewhat higher percentage of Canadians deemed escalating project costs and environmental regulations to be key challenges. They were less concerned about labour shortages in the construction trades, with 57.4 deeming it a major challenge compared to the global average of 65.1 per cent. That stands out even more in contrast with Australia, where 66.7 per cent of respondents called trades shortages an impediment, and the U.K., where 70.7 per cent of respondents voiced concern.

When it comes to adopting strategies and practices to address business challenges, Canadians are among the most proactive adherents of sustainable development, staff training and upskilling, and digital transformation of back offices. They outdistance their U.S. neighbours in the uptake of advanced construction practices — at 42.6 per cent versus 31.9 per cent — but trail the pace set in Asia, Latin America, Australia and the United Kingdom.

COVID-19 refocusing the environmental lens

While ahead of most other global regions on the sustainable development front, the 49.2 per cent of surveyed Canadian developers who are delivering sustainable projects still lag Australia’s 57 per cent quotient. Nevertheless, Altus analysts speculate COVID-19 will push up that tally, everywhere, in the years to come.

“Interestingly, the lens on what ‘environmental’ means has shifted focus,” the report muses. “The top priority and focus is human health and customer well-being. Sustainable real estate development is now seen as an opportunity.”

Canadians developers surpass the global adoption rate for eight of 11 identified construction and project management technologies including: smart buildings; construction site robotics; building information modelling (BIM); process automation; virtual reality; drones; geospatial; and connected job sites. Thus far, though, all are a long way from the market standard with no more than 39 per cent of Canadian respondents having implemented any of them.

Canadian developers fall behind the global average in adopting the two least common technologies: 3D printing and 5G. Just 11.5 per cent of Canadian respondents have adopted 3D printing compared to the global average of 18.4 per cent; 3.4 per cent of Canadians have implemented 5G versus 5.1 per cent of total respondents.

Canadian take-up of prefabrication is slightly below the global average — reported at 28.3 per cent versus 31.2 per cent across all respondents — and well behind the U.S. adoption rate of 41.6 per cent.

75% of Canadians now more likely to wash their hands before leaving a washroom: study

In a recent global hygiene study, Dyson looked at how attitudes towards public washrooms and general hand hygiene have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the world continues to be disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and behaviours within public spaces change, Dyson investigates attitudes towards public washrooms and general hand hygiene.

Throughout the pandemic, the message from leading organizations such as the WHO has been clearly focused on the importance of frequently washing your hands properly and the vital role thoroughly dry hands play. Experts have noted that hands can transfer germs if not washed correctly and that practising good hand hygiene is one of the most effective ways to reduce the spread of bacteria and viruses, which could lead to infection.

Results from the Dyson global study show that while people are more conscious of the importance of hand hygiene since the pandemic started, 8% of Canadians still admit that they are more likely to leave the washroom without washing their hands and 46% of people feel more concerned visiting a public washroom compared to this time last year.

Hands up for hygiene

The study also found that while respondents were concerned with hand hygiene, some still disregard the importance of hand washing and drying, leading health organizations to stipulate you must wash your hands frequently with water and soap for at least 20 seconds – as well as dry your hands properly. The study revealed that since the outbreak, only 34% of people gave hygiene considerations as their main purpose for drying their hands; for some it was just a habit (16%) while a small number like the feel of clean hands (13%). However, it also found that if the washroom has no working hand dryers or paper towels, some respondents were likely let them dry naturally (32%) or dry them on their pants or top (19%).

Dr Salome Giao, Senior Microbiologist and Scientist at Dyson explains, “These results highlight the need for further education on hand hygiene. We know damp hands can transfer up to 1000 times more bacteria than dry hands, while wiping hands on clothes can jeopardise the hand washing process, as they can add bacteria
to the washed hands if they are not clean.”

Look, but don’t touch

The global study also revealed that poorly maintained washrooms can cause people to feel frustrated. When it comes to public washrooms, the main frustrations for Canadians are unclean toilets (70%), lack of toilet paper (56%) and unclean washroom common areas (49%). Comparing to the same time last year, there was a portion of people who were more concerned around using hand dryers but some of the biggest hygiene
concerns related to using hand dryers were having to press physical buttons (42%) and drying hands with unclean air (27%).

63% of Canadians selected touchless activation of a hand dryer as one of the features which would put their mind at ease when using a hand dryer, and a further 44% stated that including filters, which clean the air used to dry their hands would also ease their concerns when using a hand dryer.

SOURCE: DYSON CANADA

New Royal BC Museum facility to be built in Colwood

A new purpose-built research and storage facility in Colwood will house Royal BC Museum’s collections and archives. The B.C. government expects the project to break ground in winter 2021 and to be complete in summer 2024.

The 3.2-hectare (eight acre) piece of land at the Royal Bay development in Colwood will include a new approximately 14,000 square-metre facility. It will use mass timber construction and meet CleanBC energy efficiency standards.

In October, crews will begin preparing the site for construction, including surveying and earthworks. The government will undertake a competitive procurement process in the coming months to select a design-build team to lead the development of the project.

“We are taking the first major step to modernize the Royal BC Museum,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture. “Our government is building a state-of-the-art facility to preserve our history for future generations. This construction project will create jobs for people on Vancouver Island and help support B.C.’s economic recovery.”

The proposed facility will house the Royal BC Museum’s archives, collections and research department. It will improve research activities by providing dedicated research labs and learning spaces. It will also improve access to the museum’s vast collections. The new building will offer learning opportunities for students, both in person and online.

Project funding details will be released upon successful execution of the contract with the successful bidder.

This is the first phase of the Royal BC Museum modernization project. The main museum and public galleries will remain at the downtown site in Victoria. The B.C. government is committed to redeveloping the museum space downtown and will announce plans in 2021.

“We are thankful to the province for delivering on its commitment to modernize the Royal BC Museum,” said Daniel Muzyka, board chair of the museum. “We’re excited that this new building will protect the collections and also make them more accessible to the people of B.C.”

Measuring the lifespan of coronavirus on surfaces

As we continue to make our way through this pandemic, we are learning more and more about it. For instance, we are learning how to treat people who have come down with COVID-19, and we’re also finding out more about the lifespan of coronavirus.

In April 2020, according to a report in Canada’s Globe and Mail, 27.5 per cent of the patients hospitalized with the coronavirus died from it. This percentage had been reduced to 11 per cent by July.

Then, on September 19, the newspaper reported that while there were 401 new cases in Ontario, the highest number registered in a single day since June 7, 2020, the number of deaths from the disease was zero. “The province of 14 million reported no new COVID-19 deaths [making this] the 12th day of zero deaths since the beginning of August.”

That certainly was good news. What may also be good news, especially for those of us in the professional cleaning industry as well as facility management, is that we are learning that the virus may not live on surfaces as long as we first believed.

Lifespan of coronavirus

Back in May 2020, Canada’s CTV News reported that “based on existing research from the New England Journal of Medicine and government agencies,” the lifespan of the virus on various surfaces is as follows:

• Cardboard: one day
• Copper: about four hours, as copper is a natural antimicrobial surface
• Plastic: three days
• Stainless steel: more than three days.

Other studies have found that the coronavirus can live on glass for as much as four days; on wood for two days; and even as long as four days on paper.

However, these numbers are being called into question. This is because a recent study, published in the medical journal, The Lancet, suggests these early studies were conducted in laboratories using large samples of the virus on test surfaces, but “none of these studies present scenarios akin to real-life situations.”

Based on his own testing, using what would be more typical, real-life situations, the author of the report, Emanuel Goldman, PhD, a professor of microbiology, biochemistry, and molecular genetics at the New Jersey Medical School of Rutgers University, stated that, in his opinion, the chance of transmission through inanimate surfaces is very small, and only occurs in instances when an infected person has coughed or sneezed on the surface and someone else touches that surface within one or two hours of the cough or sneeze.

Further, according to Dean Blumberg, MD, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital (California), “You’d need a unique sequence of events. First, someone would need to get a large enough amount of the virus on a surface to cause infection. Then, the virus would need to survive long enough for you to touch that surface and get some on your hands. Then, without washing your hands, you’d have to touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.”

Other lifespan factors to consider

Measuring how long coronavirus lives on surfaces and how long it can still spread the disease can get complicated. For instance, it deactivates within seconds of landing on a surface. It can live longer on indoor surfaces than outdoor surfaces. Sunlight can impact the lifespan, as can moisture, heat, and cold, all of which make measuring the virus’s lifespan—and gauging its potential to spread COVID—difficult to answer precisely.

What this means for cleaning professionals and building managers

After the 2003 SARS epidemic in Hong Kong, many people said you could smell bleach throughout the city. This was because bleach was used on just about everything and anything, to help stop the spread of the disease.

There was panic, which caused a knee-jerk reaction, resulting in the overuse of bleach. Later, it was found that SARS, as we are learning now with COVID, is most frequently spread from inhalation, not by touching contaminated surfaces.

However, that knee-jerk reaction is being repeated today with COVID. As soon as the pandemic hit our shores, there was a rush by both consumers and cleaning professionals to purchase as many disinfectants as possible. Shortages were common.
Soon, different types of disinfecting systems, including electrostatic sprayers and UV lights, were selected to kill the virus in facilities.

While these systems are not new, they have never been used so extensively on surfaces before the arrival of the pandemic.

However, what we are finding now, several months into the pandemic, is two particularly important things:

1. First, in all too many cases, there has been an overuse of disinfectants, which, while they have proved their value in protecting health, can also be harmful to the user as well as building users when used in such large quantities. In fact, in the U.S., disinfectants are categorized as “pesticides.” Their purpose is to kill living things, which means they must be used with considerable care.
2. Second, disinfectants simply may not be necessary. If these doctors are correct and the virus only lives for a very brief time on surfaces and would require a ” unique sequence of events” to contract the virus from a surface, then all that may be necessary is effective cleaning of surfaces.

Backing this up is a statement from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control on May 7, 2020: Normal cleaning with soap and water will decrease how much of the virus is on surfaces and objects, which reduces the risk of exposure.

However, we must be careful. If “normal” cleaning refers to mops and cleaning cloths, we may be asking for trouble. We know these cleaning tools quickly become saturated with pathogens as they are used and can spread disease. What ISSA, the worldwide cleaning association, calls “spray and vac,” or “no-touch” cleaning, gently but effectively pressure washes surfaces and fixtures without the use of mops or cleaning cloths, to help eliminate this danger.

Does our discussion mean we should stop using disinfectants? Not necessarily. What we should do is use them more responsibly, realizing that effective cleaning may be all that is required.

Drew Bunn is Canadian Director of Sales for Kaivac Canada, manufacturers of professional cleaning tools and equipment engineered to help protect health and stop the spread of infection. He can be reached at [email protected].

Edge computing centres put a cloud in a cabinet

Edge computing centres are proliferating in sync with escalating demand for digital capability and connectivity. The small installations that sometimes accommodate just a single rack or one or two servers are tagged as the next big advancement in data services, moving cloud capacity from large central locations to a myriad of smaller satellite nodes in closer proximity to end-users. However, they are also more vulnerable to the encroaching outdoor environment than are vast temperature-controlled data centres.

“Edge computing can expose IT equipment to adverse environmental conditions that compromise reliability and uptime,” says Jon Fitch, lead author of a newly released technical bulletin updating ASHRAE standard 9.9, Thermal Guidelines for Data Processing Environments, and a member of the ASHRAE 9.9 technical committee. “ASHRAE TC 9.9 has carried out years of R&D in collaboration with leading IT equipment manufacturers on best practices to mitigate these risks.”

The bulletin, which is freely available for download, outlines environmental control measures to address cold, high humidity, dust and air pollution. These are applicable for a range of edge computing structures that could be prefabricated pods, fashioned from steel shipping containers or bricks and mortar construction. Many are as a small as the once-prevalent phone booth.

“What these examples all share is a close proximity to an outdoor or semi-controlled environment such that opening the outer door of the data centre could dramatically impact the temperature, humidity or inlet airstream reaching the IT equipment inside,” the technical bulletin states.

Flatiron condo unveiled for Galleria on the Park

ELAD Canada introduced Galleria III, a mixed-use tower that will mark the entrance into the 20-acre Galleria on the Park community planned for Toronto’s West End.

The 31-storey flatiron design, a vision from Hariri Pontarini Architects and DesignAgency, will rise at Dupont and Dufferin streets, bringing two storeys of retail that will offer food, beverage, and personal services. The high rise will include 426 residences, ranging from studios to three-bedrooms.

Inside the suites, ranging from 388 square feet to 1,228 square feet, residents will have the option to choose between three bespoke palettes: light and bright, high contrast, or tone on tone. The clean and contemporary design of the kitchens feature flat panel cabinets while the bathrooms are outfitted with upscale features such as custom wood veneer vanities and mirrors emulating the contours of the building.

“Walking into this project, we were really inspired by the strength, connectivity, and creativity already found in Toronto’s West End community,” says Matt Davis, founder, DesignAgency. “These incredible qualities combined with the history of the neighbourhood informed our approach, and how the residents of Galleria III would live, work, play, and gather in their new homes.”

Amenities include a “mecca for modern wellness” on the third floor, offering residents ample space to relax, decompress, and reconnect with themselves mindfully.

Some features are a fully equipped fitness centre with a yoga room, spin studio, and meditation room, as well as an exterior dog run and pet wash, outdoor yoga spaces, and private pods surrounded by lush trees.

Wood ceilings and neutral materials impart a natural, calming, and zen-like atmosphere. The calm and tranquil experience extends to a co-working space where residents can focus at the semi-private desks, meeting rooms, and a multipurpose studio room which offers tool-sharing to accommodate the many artists and creatives in the neighbourhood.

The 11th floor is a dedicated social space, with a social lounge with hanging orb fireplace, billiards, a private dining room with chef’s kitchen and wine cellars, and a youth hub for all ages, expanding upon the typical offerings geared to children or toddlers.

Outdoors, a barbecue area, games space, and an elevated pool with cabanas overlooks the tree canopy north of Dupont.

The exterior features a deep red brick at the podium, honouring both the industrial heritage of the site as well as the neighbouring homes. Industrial themes create continuity throughout the design with metal panels inspired by intricate patterns of steel radiators featured on the tower’s exterior and vertical metal guardrails on balconies. The building shape creates signature curves carried throughout the interior units and balconies, resulting in a soft fluidity.

Hariri Pontarini Architects specifically selected this block because of its unique shape. Along with Urban Strategies, the firm also designed the overall Galleria on the Park masterplan.

“We wanted to work on this influential tower so we could both build on the existing character of the neighbourhood and look to the future, setting the tone for the continued evolution of the West End,” says David Pontarini, founding partner at Hariri Pontarini Architects. “The result is a sophisticated design, unlike anywhere in the city, which emphasizes the pedestrian experience to define a new chapter for Dupont Street.”

A diagonal pedestrian mews, designed by landscape architect Janet Rosenberg & Studio Inc., intersects with two new public roads created by the development, leading directly into the site’s privately owned public space and the heart of the city’s new eight-acre Wallace Emerson Park.

Construction for the first phase of the eight-building Galleria on the Park development began in August 2020. Galleria 01 and 02, designed by Core Architects, sets the tone for a new urban community. Galleria on the Park will introduce nearly 2,900 condominium residences and 300,000 square feet of retail space to the West End neighbourhood once its complete.

“This marks an exciting new chapter for Toronto’s cityscape.” added Rafael Lazer, CEO, ELAD Canada. “We have always believed in this special neighbourhood, already a source for so much ingenuity and entrepreneurship and we are proud to deliver better community amenities, green spaces and beautiful architecture to the area.”

No lockdown on GTA development land sales

Demand for warehouse and distribution space has spurred industrial land sales in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) throughout the COVID-19 upheaval, keeping deal volume almost on par with 2019 activity. CBRE reports 507 acres at a total value of $342.2 million transacted during the five months from April to August, compared to 560 acres at $362.4 million in the same period last year.

Logistics and e-commerce fulfillment operators with aggressive timelines to get their facilities built are snapping up sites that can be developed within the next 18 months, while institutional investors with longer horizons appear content to acquire well-located properties that may not be ready for build-out until later in the decade. Either way, CBRE executive vice president Matt Brown suggests it illustrates confidence in e-commerce that could see it nudge out bricks-and-mortar retail as the perceived highest and best use for development land.

“End-users are really pushing the market, competing with developers and driving up pricing,” he notes. “Owners are now looking at retail centres and saying: I can convert some of this into warehousing and lease it to industrial tenants.”

Residential land sales also quickly pulled out of a COVID-19 inflicted stall early in the lockdown to eventually tally $1.2 billion for the April to August period. Nearly 880 acres traded across the GTA, with low-density tracts for single-family residential emerging particularly strongly. Some market observers speculate that COVID-19 is undermining the allure of denser downtown living and, through its work-from-home regime, convincing prospective homebuyers that it is possible to live at a long distance from their employment base, and recent new home sales trends line up somewhat with that theory.

“People are out there buying homes, virtually and in person. They must have faith in their jobs and in the overall economy if they’re buying single-family homes,” muses CBRE executive vice president Mike Czestochowski. “This is giving developers a push to buy the land to build more of them.”

Still, it doesn’t appear that high-rise condominium developers are running scared.

“The market was operating closer to normal than you would expect,” reports CBRE executive vice president Casey Gallagher. “Condo developers were contracting sales in core and non-core locations at market pricing, which has given confidence to others.”

GBL Architects unveils design for Archetype

GBL Architects has unveiled its designs for Archetype, a mixed-use development in the City of Vancouver’s newly revitalized False Creek Flats neighbourhood.

Located at 220 East 1st Avenue, the development is centrally positioned within an emerging and dynamic district that caters to the city’s innovation economy. The opportunity for a balanced living and working program to co-exist within a development of this scale is uncommon within the city.

Archetype serves as an innovative precedent for a mixed-use residential, commercial, and light industrial integrated urban development.

Occupying half a city block, Archetype consolidates a diverse mix of programs within a well-considered urban design. The development is anchored on either side by two mid-rise towers, one residential and the other office, bridged by a residential podium and unified by a level of industrial units at grade.

The building’s mass distribution is further articulated by the insertion of an Arts Walk pedestrian connector that bisects the site physically separating the office tower from the podium and connected residential tower. The twenty-five-foot-wide swath carved through the site is part of the city’s Arts Walk corridor designated to become an important link connecting creative activities across the district, including the new campus of Emily Carr University of Art + Design. In celebration of this unique urban connector, a graphic mural has been integrated into the adjacent elevations creating a dynamic façade that animates the section cut.

Entrance to the mid-rise office building is located off the main street where an external courtyard opens at grade creating a welcoming access point. The commercial building’s volume is a modern interpretation of the classic flat iron massing tiering upwards and outwards maximizing the public space at grade, and usable office space above.

The site’s residential components have been strategically positioned away from the busy commercial street, with the main entry of the residential tower located closer to the quieter more domestic in scale and character part of the site. The elongated mixed-use podium provides a well-proportioned bridging element between the two mid-rise buildings, while also providing an opportunity for accessible landscaping across its roof.

The industrial units located at grade have been designed with large expanses of glazed facades as to maximize natural daylight towards the interiors while providing a strong visual connection outward.

The double height street-oriented industrial units extend sequentially with the single level lane-oriented units, all designed for optimum flexibility in size, orientation and frontage. The material palette for the development is fitting for the emerging neighborhood, harmonizing robust industrial cladding with a softer residential treatment to create an overall aesthetic that sets a strong example for the False Creek Flats area.

CCA’s new campaign promotes construction careers

The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) has launched Talent Fits Here, a campaign designed to encourage more Canadians to consider a career in construction.

“For the first time in decades, the industry has more projects than people,” says Mary Van Buren, CCA president. “And our industry is not alone – there is competition for talent across sectors due to shifting demographics and baby boomer retirements, and it is fierce.”

Talent Fits Here is a national public awareness campaign designed to shift some of the traditional perceptions around working in construction by showcasing a collection of stories and experiences from real people working in different roles, on different projects and from different backgrounds – all within the diverse field of construction.

“One significant opportunity we have identified is for individuals from traditionally under-represented segments, such as women, youth, Indigenous and new Canadians, to view working in the industry as a career of first choice, including those who graduate from science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs,” says Van Buren.

While conceived prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the campaign is even more meaningful as the industry is positioned to absorb some of those who have been displaced from harder-hit sectors. With a strong safety culture, the construction industry has demonstrated its resilience to work in all kinds of conditions.

According to BuildForce Canada’s 2020–2029 Construction and Maintenance Looking Forward provincial report predicts that both residential and non-residential sector demand will create two distinct labour market peaks, the first in 2020 and the second in 2026.

Visit talentfitshere.ca for more information and to view our real-life stories.

Surveillance testing in schools during COVID-19

As classes resume in person, schools are planning and considering all possible pandemic risk mitigation options to support and safeguard students and staff.

One protocol being discussed in Ontario is the deployment of surveillance technology testing for automated COVID-19 tracking purposes, similar to mitigation measures used in other facilities like airports and dental offices.

Naturally, the ideal time to evaluate surveillance solutions is when the school is closed, off-hours and not full of students. This is when it’s easiest to test, run cable, place cameras and audio systems and make changes to the servers.

Testing to real-life scenarios

There can be unforeseen scenarios in school settings that aren’t found in a lab. Real-world testing and evaluation is important before recommending a product or solution as it gives boards and facility managers a chance to correct and optimize the product and solution early on. While processes vary among manufacturers, testing is the best approach to ensure any issues are identified and addressed prior to the entire surveillance system being set up for good.

How do you know if surveillance testing was successful? First, determine what are the board’s and the school’s metrics for success and try to be realistic as there’s no such thing as perfection. Have some goals in mind. Is the goal for 100 per cent of people to be socially distant all the time? That’s obviously not realistic and will likely fail.

Make your goals as real-life as possible and consider complexity and best practices. Some viable tracking options that surveillance could help with include:

Hygiene and sanitation

Consider the washrooms and how often they need to be cleaned. Schools can mount cameras with people counting solutions, outside of the washrooms, to trigger messages to cleaning staff. Data can then be gathered on usage and sanitation requirements and tied into a cleaning schedule. A speaker near the washroom doors can play an audible message saying, “Only three people allowed in the washroom; please wait your turn in the hall.” In the future, these intelligent speakers can be used to play music or relay other important messages to students.

Traffic or occupancy hot spots in a corridor or hallway

Something like an occupancy estimator can gather percentage metrics to accurately estimate the number of students in the halls or those moving into locations where they shouldn’t.

Understand student hall occupancy patterns for physical distancing with triggered event notifications sent to the principal or a strobe light and audio message that alerts when too many students gather in one area. This valuable video data capturing can help analyze overall occupancy for physical distancing measures, understand room trends and enhance utilization of the space, while providing the ideal environment to keep students safe.

No-touch or low-touch entry with notification system

Door stations notify school staff when families are at the main entry to pick up their children and allow for two-way communication, in addition to contactless remote entry based on a QR code, facial recognition or wave sensors. Something like this can help eliminate or significantly minimize high-touch door handles.

Aggressive behaviours in check

As students learn to accept the new normal at school, there is potential for aggressive behaviour, which can escalate when patience and physical distancing are required. Many safety and security incidents are preceded or initiated with sound. With a camera and advanced analytic software, one can listen for predefined noises and receive alerts for aggressive behaviours. Such a system provides algorithms that can detect an acoustical pattern and pick up on aggressive voices or sounds, then notifies the operator who can evaluate the situation by watching live video feeds and take necessary measures.

Collaborating to protect student and staff privacy

One of the biggest oversights is disregarding the combination of privacy and surveillance, especially when it comes to cybersecurity. With an increased reliance on the network, connected devices or surveillance systems must be hardened to make them more secure. It’s also essential to train and educate staff accordingly on implemented security policies.

Many people need to be involved in the surveillance testing of schools for various reasons. End users like the IT department, teachers, the board, unions and facility management are all stakeholders who can play a role in implementing and getting the testing done according to end goals. Many schools will also work with consultants or surveillance integrators to assist in the design, testing, deployment, the optimization of the system, the commissioning of it and the cyber security portion.

A school’s network is only as secure as the weakest link. With an Internet Protocol (IP) end point, such as an IP surveillance camera, speaker/audio system, radar or access control unit and an unsecured network, the school is susceptible to cyberattacks. For example, consider if someone were to compromise a password to the device that may also be a common password for other devices on the network, such as servers.

Cyber attacks have spiked because of an increased reliance on being connected online. Easier targets are buildings with poor implementations of cyber policies, where hackers can gain access to their networks.

Protection involves all stakeholders at the table, including IT and suppliers, so that expectations are set, policies are implemented and adhered to, solutions are evaluated and tested, and platforms are updated as per manufacturers’ best practices.

Considering the long term after testing

What any school should consider after the testing phase is an open architecture, end-to-end surveillance solution of both hardware and software components. It’s recommended to avoid anything closed or locked down that will not be scalable for other measures beyond the current pandemic. The hardware would be the network cameras themselves and the speakers or potential sensors and switches. The software is the application running on board the Video Management System (VMS) that provides the analytics. You need all of these to have an efficient surveillance system that can be used today and expanded upon tomorrow for future goals or crisis situations.

If you already have a surveillance system of some kind, schools can ask integrators or manufacturers for a case management of how they can use what they have or augment it for today’s environment. Most schools already have stand-alone systems. Aside from augmenting a stand-alone system, school boards could consider linking every school system to gather collective data; for example, monitoring how many students in all their schools are wearing masks or using the hand sanitizing stations.

Schools should consider working closely with the manufacturers, as they know the technology and how it can be used better than anyone. Gathering all stakeholders and ecosystem partners can truly build the best solution for the schools to obtain maximum benefit.

Gavin Daly manages the Professional Service Group (PSG) at Axis Communications, Inc., providing technical expertise and personalized advice for both internal and external customers. Gavin’s industry insight and experience provides value and practical expertise to ensure customers achieve full realization of their surveillance needs.

Throne Speech pledges to build back better

Infrastructure investment and climate risk mitigation are key to the Canadian government’s goal to create one million jobs and “build back better” from the economic slump of COVID-19. Governor General Julie Payette unveiled a slate of promised actions with potential implications for commercial real estate, facilities management and the green building sectors earlier today as she delivered the Speech from the Throne, outlining the agenda for a new session of Parliament.

That includes a new effort to surpass Canada’s 2030 target to reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 30 per cent below 2005 levels, as a step toward achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Both emissions reductions and “thousands of jobs” are foreseen from energy retrofits of homes and larger buildings to be made over the next two years. Investments in affordable housing, public transit, climate change resilience, clean energy and rural broadband are also pledged for the same timeframe.

Facilities managers in the seniors’ care sector should expect heightened vigilance, including plans for Criminal Code amendments to “explicitly penalize those who neglect seniors under their care, putting them in danger”, while childcare operators can look for enhanced funds via a “significant, long-term, sustained investment to create a Canada-wide early learning and childcare system”. Municipalities are promised government support to expand urban parks.

A previously hinted successor program to Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) is not specifically mentioned. However, the government does commit to “introducing further support for industries that have been the hardest hit, including travel and tourism, hospitality, and cultural industries like the performing arts”.

Meanwhile, the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) will remain in place for qualifying employers until the summer of 2021. Enhancements to the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) and Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP) are also promised.

Of note for the investment community, the government plans to press forward to limit stock option deductions for established corporations and wealthy individuals. In another example of reactivating initiatives from its previous term, it also plans to ban single-use plastics.

An updated COVID-19 Economic Response Plan is to be released later this fall. “The economic impact of COVID-19 on Canadians has already been worse than the 2008 financial crisis. These consequences will not be short-lived. This is not the time for austerity,” the Speech from the Throne states.

Feds promise national childcare system

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to build a national childcare and early learning system that will take notes from the model already existing in Quebec.

Few details were revealed during the federal government’s Throne Speech on Wednesday, but the Liberals pegged the need for more accessible, affordable, inclusive, and high quality care as an urgent matter to turbocharge gender equality and advance women’s economic participation.

The Government also remains committed to subsidizing before- and after-school program costs, as the pandemic has highlighted the challenges parents and families face with childcare.

Childcare advocates, in turn, are celebrating what they see as a bold course of action and are looking forward to seeing this Throne Speech promise fulfilled.

“Without an ambitious intervention by the federal government the crisis in childcare will get worse and slam the brakes on recovery because, without reliable access to child care, mothers will keep getting pushed out of the paid labour force, businesses will falter further, and government tax revenues will continue to fall,” said Morna Ballantyne, executive director of Child Care Now, Canada’s national childcare advocacy organization.

She says the first step will be for Parliament to make a “big ongoing financial commitment in the next federal budget.”

“Building a national universal childcare system is a legacy project that can transform Canada,” she said. “We know from ample research, evidence and experience how to do it in a way that puts the wellbeing of children at the centre, helps families prosper, and grows the economy, and we will continue to push the government to start the work without delay because Canada needs more and better child care now.”