Vancouver adopts 100 per cent EV-ready policy

Vancouver is now one of the first cities in North America to adopt a 100 per cent Electric Vehicle (EV)-ready policy for all new multi-unit residential buildings.

Vancouver City Council approved the recommendations made in the EV Ecosystem Program Update last week. The previous requirement of 20 per cent EV parking spots meant a limited number of residents had access to an outlet. The actions will help reduce carbon pollution and improve air quality by increasing opportunities for residents to move away from fossil fuel vehicles.

Vancouver is also expanding charging station infrastructure across the city, and developing a preferential parking policy for zero emissions vehicles. Plans are to add more DC fast charging points, which can provide up to 200 kilometres of range in an hour. The goal is to put all Vancouver residents within a 10 minute drive of a DC fast-charging station by 2021.

A DC fast charger will be installed at Science World, and the number of DC fast chargers available at Empire Fields in east Vancouver will be expanded. BC Hydro will also add DC fast chargers at their head office and in Kerrisdale.

The cost of adding charging infrastructure in the construction phase of a building is much lower than retrofitting a building later on, which will save residents up to $3,300 and avoid the more complex process of increasing electrical capacity in the future. Since 2014, the existing requirements have resulted in approximately 20,000 EV-ready stalls in buildings.

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Canadian landscape architecture honoured

Canadian landscape architecture excellence was honoured by the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects’ (CSLA) annual Awards of Excellence.

This year, 15 projects received a national award and one project, the Fort Garry Provincial Park by HTFC Planning and Design, was selected for the Jury’s Award of Excellence, given to one project per year which best demonstrates the CSLA’s vision (advancing the art, science and practice of landscape architecture).

According to the jury, Upper Fort Garry Provincial park is an inspired recipe for drawing people in to an important piece of history. Little remained on this important site; it fell to the landscape architect to tell its story.

Upper Fort Garry offers a striking departure from standard heritage interpretation, embracing the ambiguity inherent in historic records to fuel an approach to urban place making that combines crowd-sourced content, grassroots programming, art and technology to honour the fort’s heritage and stimulate new conversations on the history being written today.

Several projects in B.C. and Alberta were recognized including:

Ponderosa Commons
Hapa Collaborative
Surrey Bend Regional Park
People, Parks and Dogs – A Strategy for sharing Vancouver parks
space2place
Lethbridge River Valley Parks Master Plan
Breathe: Edmonton’s Green Network Strategy
O2 Planning + Design

These projects illustrate the range of what landscape architects do and how landscape architects are helping to reshape communities – defining the places we want to live, work and play.

The awards will be presented at a gala during the CSLA-OALA conference to be held in Toronto on April 7, 2018.

For a full list of winners, visit CSLA

Largest transportation funding approved in B.C.

The Mayors’ Council and the Province of British Columbia have approved to fund the regional share of an unprecedented transportation network expansion. The funding announcement is Phase 2 of the 10-year transportation plan.

In total, Metro Vancouver’s transit and transportation plan is worth $7 billion, making it largest transit infrastructure investment in the province’s history and one of the largest-ever in Canada.

The plan includes the construction of a light rail system to Surrey and the Millennium Line Broadway extension; upgrades to the existing Expo-Millennium Lines to expand capacity and improvements to sidewalks, bikeways, multi-use pathways and roadways.

“This is a huge win for transit users, drivers, cyclists and pedestrians,” said Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan and Council chair.

To deliver these projects, the Mayors’ Council is proposing:

$1.6 billion in fare revenues expected from higher ridership resulting from service expansion in Phase Two, TransLink resources and efficiencies.
A 2% increase to all transit fares over two years beginning in 2020. This amounts to a five to 15 cent increase to adult and concession transit fares and 1 to 3 dollar increase to adult and concession monthly passes to pay for more bus improvements.
15 cents per hour increase for an average $5 per hour parking. This is an increase from 21% to 24% to the existing parking lot rate. Legislative amendments would be required to enable TransLink to make this change.
$5.50 increase in property taxes per average household each year or about 46 cents a month, beginning in 2019.
About $300 to $600/unit increase to the Development Cost Charge on new residential developments depending on type of dwelling. Legislative changes are required to enable the Mayors Council to levy the DCC.
Revenue from a variety of transit-related commercial opportunities.

Public consultation on the Broadway rapid transit line and Surrey’s LRT will happen in April and May, with construction scheduled to begin in late 2019 or early 2020.

John Stephenson elected OAA president for second term

The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) has elected John Stephenson, OAA, MRAIC, to serve as OAA President for a second one-year term. As OAA president, Stephenson is committed to building architecture into a strong profession that is valued and empowered to serve the public interest through excellence in design and professional practice.

“In addition to design excellence, the key to achieving this goal is recognizing that effective project and risk management is central to the architect’s role today,” said Stephenson, in a press release.

Stephenson is one of the founding partners of FORM Architecture Engineering, formerly Kuch Stephenson Architects, the largest architectural practice in northwestern Ontario, which was established in 1986. After graduation from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Architecture with a Bachelor of Architecture degree, Stephenson worked as an intern architect in Toronto before moving to northwestern Ontario in 1980. While there, he continued his internship with Graham Bacon Welter Architects & Consulting Engineers before starting his practice in Thunder Bay.

Stephenson joined the OAA Council in 2013 after serving a term in the early 1990s and volunteering with the Association afterwards. Since then, he has participated in various committees, task forces and executive roles, including senior vice president and treasurer for the two years prior to being named president.

While on the Council, Stephenson took part in several initiatives, many of which are still in progress, including the OAA Headquarters Renew + Refresh project, re-imagining the OAA Honours and Awards program, a new media content creation and communication strategy and, in collaboration with ARIDO, considering ways interior design can be regulated under the Architects Act.

Stephenson is passionate about promoting continued public engagement and advocacy by architects on topics including procurement, housing affordability and the role of the architectural profession in reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

During his first term as OAA president, Stephenson led the profession in a campaign refusing to participate in procurement processes that require architects to contract out of their professional obligations. Stephenson has also been a vocal supporter of more enlightened employment practices by architects and for the creation of a National Architecture Policy to guide the procurement of architectural services and the creation of a safe, healthy and uplifting built environment across the country.

Canada’s three largest cities picked to thrive

Canada’s three largest cities are among 30 global metropolises deemed well positioned to draw investment and sustain a robust real estate market for the long term. JLL’s 2018 City Momentum Index ranks Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal ninth, 19th and 26th on the list of those likely to thrive as the technological economy rapidly emerges.

“By investing in and leveraging their strengths in technology, physical and digital connectivity, quality of life and sustainability, they are positioned to maintain their performance into the future of this new competitive landscape,” the newly released report concludes.

This fifth edition of the index weighs 46 indicators of short-term market momentum and more lasting socio-economic fundamentals to chart 131 urban regions, worldwide, that meet JLL’s defining criteria for population, GDP, corporate presence, an international airport and commercial real estate stock and investment levels. Calgary is the only other Canadian city in the index.

The top 30 cities are designated in two categories. Future-proofing assesses factors such as the presence of technology firms and prestigious educational institutions, urban infrastructure, applications for international patents, environmental quality and business standards and transparency to gauge the city’s underpinning economic strengths and its ability to nurture high-calibre business and workers. Short-term momentum evaluates evidence of and capacity for population and GDP growth, real estate development, rising rents, hotel room occupancy and retail sales, presence of international retailers, real estate sales and investment volumes to identify cities currently enjoying booms.

Only Seattle and Singapore make both top-30 lists. Singapore — 26th for short-term momentum and 29th for future-proofing — is projected to record the greatest rental growth of any major international city this year. Seattle — 29th for short-term momentum and 12th for future-proofing — is home to a large number of technology firms, which now account for more than 60 per cent of space demand.

Seattle and Bucharest, which is ranked 30th, are the only cities outside Asia-Pacific or Africa to crack the top-30 for short-term momentum. There is somewhat more balanced international representation in the future-proofing top-30, which includes five cities from Asia-Pacific, 10 from Europe and 15 from North America.

Toronto’s ninth place standing for future-proofing is partly attributed to its technology sector and its standing as “a global leader in commercializing new technology”, while Vancouver is called “knowledge-intensive” and grouped with similarly sized Austin and Denver as slightly smaller centres “drawing on strong education systems, connectivity and liveability platforms to attract companies and talent”.

Ahead of Toronto on the future-proofing list are: San Francisco, Silicon Valley, New York, London, Boston, Los Angeles, Paris and Amsterdam. San Diego falls one place behind Toronto to complete the top 10.

The top-10 for short-term momentum are: Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ho Chi Minh City, Pune, Kolkata, Hanoi, Nanjing, Delhi, Hangzhou and Xian.

Kitchener appoints first sustainability officer

The City of Kitchener has created a sustainability office and named Claire Bennett as its first sustainability officer.

Bennett, who will begin her role on April 3, spent the last seven years developing and leading a sustainability program at Wilfrid Laurier University that is recognized on a national and international scale.

She will lead the development and implementation of the city’s Corporate Climate Action Plan and establish standards, policies and procedures that will help the city reach the organization’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target of eight per cent below 2015 levels by 2026, as well as contribute to achieving the community’s target.

“Kitchener is already quite progressive in the area of sustainability and I couldn’t be more excited to join their team,” said Bennett. “I believe wholeheartedly this needs to be fully embraced throughout society – sustainability is one of the biggest contemporary issues the world is facing today. I look forward to leveraging the skills and resources already in place to embed sustainability into the very fabric of the organization.”

The creation of an organizational sustainability role will help ensure the city is in compliance with increasing legislative requirements and higher expectations from the public by embedding a framework of sustainability into its policies and planning.

“Being a leader in environmental sustainability is something that our residents regularly identify as a key municipal priority,” said Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “We need to build a culture of sustainability and lead by example in terms of asset management, energy consumption, water and waste initiatives and building and operating environmentally responsible facilities.”

Bennett will also work with staff across the organization on a variety of environmental initiatives, track progress and present annual updates to council on project and program achievements.

SNC-Lavalin, EllisDon to jointly manage new Toronto courthouse facility

SNC-Lavalin’s Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Social Infrastructure group has partnered with EllisDon Facilities Inc. on the facility management for the new courthouse project located at 10 Armoury St. in Toronto.

The EllisDon Infrastructure team was chosen by Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of the Attorney General as the preferred proponent to design, build, finance and maintain the new publicly owned and controlled courthouse. The courthouse will be designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver standards, focused on energy efficiency, healthy indoor environments and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

“The new Toronto courthouse will be a modern facility that serves an important and critical function for the Ministry of the Attorney General, and for this reason, SNC-Lavalin is committing its best expertise to ensure operations run smoothly to exceed their needs, said Dale Clarke, SNC-Lavalin’s executive vice-president of operations and maintenance, in a press release. “Working together with EllisDon, we look forward to a collaborative relationship to plan, manage and operate the new facility and bring leading edge solutions and best practices to make the courthouse a model in operations and efficiency.”

The service provider team, consisting of SNC-Lavalin’s operations specialists, will develop close partnerships with Infrastructure Ontario, the Ministry of Attorney General and facility users to provide accessible, secure and modern justice services.

SNC-Lavalin’s operations team will work with EllisDon operations, design engineers and construction professionals during the commissioning process. This process allows the operations team to get a thorough look at the design intent and provide them with a unique understanding of any issues encountered during the systems start-up. The commissioning starts during the design development stage to identify potential issues prior to construction.

SNC-Lavalin and EllisDon Facilities Services will manage:

HVAC, lighting, plumbing, fire protection and mechanical and electrical plant system operations
Utilities management and energy reporting
Building assets management, lifecycle replacement, refurbishment and maintenance
24-hour facility management helpdesk
Waste management and recycling
Pest control
Facility cleaning
Food services
Security, surveillance and alarm system, including access control
Operational start-up and commissioning support
Facility management operations for 30 years, beginning at the time of the courthouse’s completion in 2022.

Must-Have Skills as Property Management Evolves

The daily life of a property manager is far different today than it was a decade ago. In the multi-family sector, residents want more than to simply rent an apartment – they want to experience a lifestyle. They expect their relationship with a landlord to feel less transactional and more emotional. With increased competition among building owners, front-end staff must focus on building brand loyalty and brand awareness to develop that trust.

For Cory Chisholm, senior vice-president of property management at Midwest Property Management in Edmonton, residents’ needs take priority over business needs. This is a win-win. When residents recognize a brand as a lifestyle choice they, in turn, build up that brand and the surrounding community.

“With changing demographics, we see that millennials care more about the experience of a home than just the aesthetics,” he says. “Not only does the unit have to be pleasing to the eye, it’s amenities are just as important. Residents are looking for proximity to great restaurants and transit, as well as community events within the building and access to an online portal.”

The CERTIFIED PROPERTY MANAGER® (CPM^®) designation program offered through the Real Estate Institute of Canada (REIC) taught him that responding to the needs of residents builds loyalty, which is key to developing the reputation of a property management company. Through trust, residents are more likely to respond to change in a positive manner.

This senior-level property management designation also shows that an individual within the industry has mastered the analytical and leadership skills required to enhance both the short and long-term values of large real estate portfolios.

“The CPM designation is the Tesla of the property management industry; it’s the one that sets the bar for professional recognition,” Chisholm adds. “It shows you how to fulfill an owner’s needs, but also gives you the credibility residents are looking for. You become professionals running homes rather than just some Ma and Pa operation.”

Through the program, future CPMs acquire foundational skills that are transferable decades later. They learn everything from maintenance mechanics and financing to marketing, human resources, ethics and overall site management. This knowledge has been guiding Chisholm throughout his 21-year career.

“When I got my designation in 2006 it was extremely valuable. I had already been in the industry for about eight years and thought I knew a lot,” he says. “But it was only when I began taking courses at REIC that I learned about the intricacies of property management.”

Advice for the Next Generation

Strong interpersonal skills, a high level of resilience and financial acumen are necessary skills for budding property managers.

People starting out in the industry may consider this an easy field, but the career path is far from monotonous; every day is different. On the residential side, property managers are dealing with people’s lives.

“This is where people get married, where they experience tragic times, where they host Christmas,” says Chisholm. “Anyone who is interested needs to understand this is a people business and these units are people’s homes. Once you understand that, you will make it a good experience for them.”

Property managers also have to be thick-skinned and display strong leadership skills in what he calls a “very personal business.”

“For some residents, a leaky tap is very frustrating because they’re paying rent, we need to be empathetic and understand that,” he says. “At the end of the day, we want to offer a carefree experience, so residents are enjoying their home and not worrying about getting the sidewalk shoveled or the gym equipment working.”

The CPM designation develops these people skills while also exploring the financial side of the business, from cash flows to income statements. When looking at an income statement, a property manager should be able to grasp the health of a building to determine what is suffering and in need of repair.

Managing Unpredictable Events

CPMs are also equipped with skills to handle unpredictable events like floods, which are becoming increasingly common in many regions. REIC offers a Managing the Physical Asset course that explains how to develop a first-rate property maintenance program and manage various types of risk. The course covers the building envelope and mechanics, while also teaching students how to be mindful of operating systems.

“Mechanics are the internal organs of your building; if those aren’t working, it doesn’t matter how pretty the outside is because you’re going to run into issues,” says Chisholm. “The course provides a variety of ideas so when something does happen, you have the tools to react properly and not panic. You learn how to acquire a core set of reliable contractors, policies and procedures to deal with inevitable events like floods and fires.”

Evolving Technology

The proliferation of social media is more important than ever. Chisholm advises publicizing your name on various platforms where communication moves back and forth.

“It’s a smartphone-driven world where people want to see each other’s reactions and have quick conversations – whether you want to mail in a work order or book a viewing,” he says. “You need to have a good website and resident portal.”

By the time potential residents come to a building, they’ve already read reviews and viewed the building online. They have seen the website, unit pricing and screenshots of amenity spaces. Without a good appearance on the front end, a property manager won’t attract the same amount of residents as someone who does. Technology is pushing good operators to remain relevant and competent, while the bad ones lag behind.

“The more information about a product you’re selling, the better,” says Chisholm. “That will sell your apartments for you. By the time potential residents come to you, they just want to touch, feel and walk through the property. That is where you build the experience on the customer side.”

The CPM designation program covers how to analyze a property’s physical and fiscal performance, and how to market, retain and improve tenant, resident and employee relations.

“REIC gives you the tools to become very good at a broad scope of things,” says Chisholm. “From minute-to-minute you could change from being an accountant, a psychologist, a building or mechanical expert, and above all you have to be an excellent leader.”

To learn more about the Managing the Physical Asset course and the CERTIFIED PROPERTY MANAGER® (CPM®) designation program, please visit: www.reic.ca

Prairie Wood Design Awards winners revealed

At the 10^th annual Prairie Wood Design Awards gala, Wood WORKS! Alberta recognized a prestigious group of leading architects, engineers and project teams. Award recipients were presented with a customized wood trophy acknowledging their ability to push the boundaries of wood in construction. The Prairie Wood Design Awards program recognizes projects and organizations that advance the use of wood in construction through design excellence, advocacy, and innovation.

For the 10^th anniversary a Special Industry Award was introduced, which has been sponsored and selected by the Alberta Forest Products Association.

“The winning projects from our awards program demonstrate Alberta’s increasing commitment to exploring options for wood in construction,” says Rory Koska, program director of Wood WORKS! Alberta. “Advancements in wood research and technology are breaking down barriers for our industry and creating exciting new opportunities for the design community.”

The winners were:

Institutional Wood Design

Project: Technology and Trades Renewal and Innovation Project, Lethbridge College (T.T.R.I.P.) (Lethbridge, AB)
Architect: Diamond Schmitt Architects and Sahuri + Partners Architecture Inc.
Engineer: Entuitive
Wood Supplier: Structurlam Mass Timber Corporation, MI3, Wallworks
General Contractor: Stuart Olson

Interior Wood Design Showcase

Project: Maples Chiropractic Clinic (Winnipeg, MB)
Architect: 5468796 Architecture
Engineer: Hanuschak Consultants Inc.
Wood supplier: WM Dyck and Sons
General Contractor: Davis Loeppky Projects

Recreational Wood Design

Project: Remington YMCA (Calgary, AB)
Architect: GEC Architecture
Engineer: Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd.
General Contractor: Bird Construction
Wood Supplier: Western Archrib

Project: Elevation Place (Canmore, AB)
Architects: Gibbs Gage Architects
Engineers: ISL Engineering and Land Services Ltd.
Wood Supplier: Structurlam Mass Timber Corporation
General Contractor: Graham Construction

Commercial Wood Design

Project: Raw: Gimli Pop Up Restaurant (Gimli, MB)
Designers: Joe Kalturnyk, Chad Connery, Jon Reid
Wood Supplier: RONA Gimli
Project: Raw: Almond Pop Up Restaurant (Winnipeg. MB)
Designers: Joe Kalturnyk, Chad Connery, Jon Reid
Wood Supplier: Design Built (CNC Fabrication)
General Contractor: 0812 Building Solutions Inc.

Wood Advocates: Joe Kalturnyk, Chad Connery, Jon Reid
Design team for projects Raw: Almond, Raw: Gimli
Winnipeg, MB

Special Industry Wood Design Award

Project: North Glenora Net Zero Townhouses and Westmount Presbyterian Church (Edmonton, AB)
Architects: Temofychuk Gerbitz Architects Ltd.
Engineer: Andy Smith Engineering
Wood Supplier: Westek Truss Systems Ltd., Mission Building Supplies Ltd.General Contractor: Habitat Studio Ltd.

Will ‘ultra-high-rises’ cost more to maintain?

The new and growing crop of buildings rising 50 storeys and up in Toronto will be more complicated and consequently more costly to maintain, one engineer is warning. She is not alone in her assessment.

But at least one major developer is not convinced that the people who buy units in buildings of this height will automatically pay a premium for upkeep. Its president says ease of maintenance very much factors into the design and construction of tall multi-residential towers, and he points to concrete examples of how.

If others are less interested in thinking through how end-users are going to repair and replace major equipment, there is nothing in the Ontario Building Code that would force them to — yet. A guideline for building durability that is due to become a standard could establish design requirements for maintainability.

In the meantime, however, condo corporations governing existing buildings of 50 storeys and up have to fund the reserve accounts used for major repairs and replacements based on current conditions.

Tall towers raise access issues

Speaking at the Condo Conference last fall, Sally Thompson, managing principal at Synergy Partners, flagged design decisions in tall multi-residential towers that she predicted will, at best, inflate repair bills and, at worst, introduce ‘inconceivable problems.’

Consider the case of a heat exchanger, two storeys in height, located on the 50th and 51st floors of a 70-storey building. What happens when it needs to be replaced?

“It’s not on the roof; I can’t bring a helicopter in and pluck it out,” said Thompson, speaking last fall. “I somehow have to extract it from the side of the building, and so I don’t know how you do that.”

Reflecting in a later phone interview, Thompson recalls first encountering such challenges a few years ago, when ultra-high-rise condos began coming onto the market. Since then, she has observed other examples of large equipment in awkward locations, as well as rooftop cranes with inadequate capacity.

“If I have 500-pound capacity on the suspended stage and 250 on a hoist, that’s two guys, some hand tools and one piece of glass,” said Thompson, speaking at the industry conference. “And, to give you context, it takes half an hour or more to drive the crane up or down the building.

“And, to give you some more context, these cranes have mandatory wind speed limits, which means you basically can’t run them from October to April in Canada.”

She said she foresees condo corporations having to rent mast climbers — large platforms that scale buildings from ground level — to conduct major retrofits on the exterior of ultra-high-rises, which could otherwise stretch into years if the work is being done using a single stage.

Higher per-unit costs predicted

Extra costs such as this may be shared across a greater number of owners in ultra-high-rises, but Thompson expects to see higher per-unit costs in these buildings — a view Dale Kerr, senior principal at Pretium GRG Building Engineers, shares.

“Of course, there will be more units in a higher building, but I suspect many of them tend to be luxury condos, with larger units, so there won’t be a large enough increase in the number of units to offset the likely increased maintenance costs on a per-unit basis,” said Kerr.

As a rule of thumb, condo corporations need to contribute $2,000 to $3,000 per unit per year to their reserve fund, said Thompson. By way of contrast, she pointed to a 65-story condo building that is making annual reserve fund contributions that work out to around $5,000 per unit.

Thompson acknowledged that there are some complex low-rise buildings, which tend to have much larger units, for which condo corporations need to contribute as much as $6,000 to $7,000 per unit per year to the reserve fund. Indeed, Kevin Shaw, manager of building science at Cion|Coulter, observed that it’s not just tall towers that present problems of access when it comes time to replace large equipment, citing the example of underground chillers.

“There’s no way of bringing those pieces out in their original or installed whole capacity — they have to be taken apart,” said Shaw. “And same thing with anything that’s going in — you can’t bring a full-sized chiller back into a P2 (parking level 2) basement.”

He said dismantling and assembling equipment in place is a costlier process than using a crane to swap old equipment for new equipment in one piece, regardless of building size.

Building code quiet on maintainability

The Ontario Building Code is currently quiet on the maintainability of buildings, other than requiring the provision of anchor systems to support window cleaning. However, this could change in coming years. A Canadian Standards Association committee has been given a mandate to convert a building durability guideline into a standard, and is considering incorporating design provisions aimed at facilitating building upkeep.

Standard or no, it’s in Great Gulf’s interest to consider ease of the maintenance for the end-user during the design stage — not only does it develop and construct condo buildings, but it sticks around to manage them after they’re complete.

“As we go taller, we’re now designing systems on multiple levels of the building, so instead of putting everything on the rooftop, we have building maintenance units scattered throughout the verticality of the building,” said Christopher Wein, president of Great Gulf.

Condo buildings have only recently soared past the 50-storey mark in Toronto, and are rising ever higher at a rapid clip, reaching 78 storeys and poised to top 90 storeys soon. Whereas it’s common to see mechanical penthouses on 30-storey condo buildings, this type of large equipment is now located on intermediary floors as condo buildings reach new heights.

“The reason that you disperse the mechanicals throughout the height of the building is, when you’re dealing with heating and cooling fluids, there’s only so much vertical distance that you can pump things in certain directions,” explained Wein. “At a certain point, it starts to become inefficient, so it’s actually more efficient to treat the building as if it’s three buildings, one stacked on top of another.”

That’s precisely how Great Gulf is treating the 92-storey residential tower it’s developing as part of the mixed-use Mirvish+Gehry project slated to rise in Toronto’s Entertainment District. There will be a mechanical floor capping each 30-storey portion, for a total of three mechanical floors, including two on intermediary floors.

Dispersing equipment across several floors makes it possible to use units that are smaller than would be required if one large unit were used, said Wein. And the units themselves break down into smaller components that can be transported in and out of buildings in service elevators designed for that purpose when it’s time to replace them.

Tower segmentation could curb costs

Wein countered the idea that owners are destined to pay more per unit to maintain buildings of 50 storeys and up. For example, Great Gulf is segmenting single towers of substantial size into multiple condo corporations, bound by easements and shared facilities agreements. He maintains the move will bring costs down by staggering and reducing the scope of tasks.

The developer is currently constructing a 46-storey condo building that will have dual identities as Yonge+Rich and 20 Lombard, each with distinct entrances, elevators and amenities. The former, occupying the lower 33 floors, will be governed by one condo corporation, while the latter, occupying the upper 13 floors, will governed by another condo corporation.

As towers grow taller, Wein suggests this move will also have the effect of concentrating any challenges that might come with height in the hands of owners who enjoy breathtaking views.

“Because those are distinct condo corporations, the people who are getting the benefit of living 80 storeys up in the sky are paying the premium for that height,” he said. “But the people down on the 20th floor, who are not enjoying the benefit of that height, are not having to pay for stuff that’s happening at the top.”

Window cleaning offers early insight

Window cleaning may be one of the earliest tests of predictions about the challenges and associated costs of upkeep in ultra-high-rise condos. This biannually recommended maintenance, which typically occurs in fall and spring, has already begun at tall multi-residential towers, after an initial roadblock.

“We’ve had trouble with a lot of our insurers not wanting to insure window cleaning over 50 storeys,” said Jennifer Runyan, owner and manager of Triumph Window Cleaning.

With custom insurance now in place, Runyan said she is allocating four weeks for window cleaning in 65-storey buildings, versus the one week she allocates for 30-storey buildings. Higher insurance costs, extra staffing and time requirements push up the price of this work, especially since workers must be compensated at higher rates to reflect the increase in difficulty of window cleaning at higher heights, she said.

Crews arriving at sites for the first time have also had to spend time familiarizing themselves with the unique built-in swing stages that come with these tall multi-residential towers as opposed to using the standard rentals to which they’re accustomed, said Runyan.

Longer reserve fund studies urged

Meanwhile, Thompson is urging those managing ultra-high-rise condos to give owners more time to pay into the reserve account that funds capital expenditures because of the jump in the magnitude of costs she’s predicting for major work. Whereas replacing windows may have cost up to $5 million in other high-rise condos, it could escalate into the tens of millions in the tall multi-residential towers, she projected.

“If you have a $30-million project coming down the pipe, do not leave those poor owners only 30 years to fund it,” said Thompson.

Based on the commercial real estate experience, Thompson estimates that the windows on ultra-high-rise condos will have to be replaced or refurbished around the 50-year mark. In this case, a 60-year reserve fund study, as opposed to a 30-year reserve fund study, could mean the difference between asking a condo corporation to set aside $500,000 per year and $1 million per year to pay for this project.

The Condominium Act currently requires reserve fund studies to look ahead at least 30 years to forecast the cost and timing of repairing and replacing major building assets. However, recent legislative changes are expected to introduce new regulations that could raise this minimum to 45 years. Reserve fund studies, which have to be updated every three years, help condo corporations budget for big-ticket costs, ensuring enough money is collected from unit owners through monthly maintenance fees over time to fund capital projects as they arise.

Future technology could mitigate today’s challenges

But it’s the experience of seeing buildings go through major repairs and replacements, and comparing estimates to results, that allows the professionals who conduct reserve fund studies to forecast with precision what it will cost to complete various projects. Future advances in technology could mitigate the challenges that loom large today.

“The real solution as we move forward is to continue to invest in technology and continue to invest in innovation around heating, cooling and energy efficiency so that we do end up with smaller, more efficient systems, so that replacement becomes far easier,” said Wein.

Michelle Ervin is the editor of CondoBusiness.

Scientists develop biocide to combat superbugs

Scientists in Canada have developed a new therapy to combat deadly bacteria that is infecting hospital patients worldwide.

The new therapy—a biocide that is able to target antibiotic-defiant bacteria such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)—was developed by scientists at the University of Waterloo and University of Manitoba.

“We wanted to be able to help vulnerable patients suffering from chronic infections,” Emmanuel Ho, a professor in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Waterloo, said in a press release. “Once they’re infected with a resistant strain of bacteria it’s very difficult to get them well again.”

Bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics faster than researchers can develop new ones. The World Health Organization estimates 700,000 people die annually from antibiotic-resistant infections and they expect this toll to climb to 10 million by 2050, higher than the current death rate from cancer.

University of Manitoba researcher Song Liu created a potent biocide that kills all bacterial cells – even the antibiotic-resistant ones – that it comes in contact with. The biocide was limited to surface wounds due to its poor selectivity between bacterial and mammalian cells, but if they could deliver the biocide to a target inside the body, it would kill even the most resistant superbug.

Complementing Liu’s work, Ho encased the biocide in solid-lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and then added an antibody, a protein that would seek out MRSA bacteria over other cells. When the SLNs reach the bacteria, they release the biocide, killing the target but leaving healthy cells unaffected.

“The results from our initial experiments are very promising,” said Ho. “Still, we have a lot of work to do before this is available as an alternative to antibiotics. Our next step is to find out whether the biocide gets released outside or inside the cell.”

The researchers say bacterial resistance is unlikely to develop with their SLN particles because the antibodies that are being used to target MSRA won’t cause the bacteria to develop an enzyme or other defence mechanisms in response.

Ledcor awarded Penticton Airport terminal contract

Transport Canada has awarded a $6,447,000 contract to Ledcor Construction Ltd. to modernize and enhance key areas of the Penticton Airport terminal building.

The Penticton Airport has experienced significant growth in air traffic over the past three years as more people make their homes and do business in the region. The project will be to accommodate increased traffic and improve safety, security and the overall passenger experience.

In 2016, the Penticton Airport handled 26,893 aircraft movements, an 18 per cent increase in air traffic since from 2014. The passenger volume in 2016 has increased 64 per cent since 2014.

The project will reconfigure the main concourse; create space for an expanded arrivals hall, baggage claim area and new food service space; build new airline check-in counters, offices and new rental car kiosks; and add an additional set of washrooms. In addition, the existing pre-board screening room, holdroom and baggage storage areas will be expanded.

This project builds on the recent holdroom expansion during spring 2016 that doubled the seating capacity, accommodating the significant growth in aircraft movements. The holdroom seating capacity will again be expanded during this project, making it more wheelchair accessible.

The construction work is anticipated to begin in spring 2018 and will take two years to complete.

Victoria Airport terminal expansion plans announced

The Offices of McFarlane Biggar (OMB) Architects in Vancouver has been selected to lead the design team for the Victoria International Airport terminal expansion. Victoria-based Durwest Construction Management (DCM) will manage the project.

Victoria Airport Authority (VAA) is investing $19.4 million dollars over the next 27 months to expand the lower passenger departure lounge.

The 35,000 square foot terminal expansion project includes doubling the size of the existing lower passenger departure lounge, providing dedicated aircraft gates and covered walkways, new washrooms and additional food & beverage and retail.

Victoria International Airport (YYJ) saw another record year in 2017 with 1,934,832 passengers, up 4.2 per cent over 2016. In response to this strong passenger growth and the use of larger aircraft in existing markets, construction of a 1765 m² addition to the lower passenger departure lounge is set to begin.

“The upsizing of aircraft from 30-50 seat Dash-8’s to 76-80 seat Q400’s combined with passenger growth has driven the need to expand our lower passenger departures lounge. This is part of a multi-phase terminal and apron expansion plan,” said VAA president and CEO, Geoff Dickson.

The need to improve safety on the main aircraft apron and create efficiencies for passengers entering and exiting the passenger departure lounge, resulted in the airport recently completing an apron expansion that now accommodates the physical space required to expand the glass departure building north and eliminate the existing covered walkway. These improvements will not only improve overall safety and operations but will also enhance the airport experience for customers by providing additional seating, new accessibility considerations and enhanced concessions.

Tarion announces finalists for 2018 Homeowners’ Choice Awards

Tarion has announced the finalists for the 2018 Homeowners’ Choice Awards, which recognize new home builders for excellent customer service based on the reviews of Ontario’s new home buyers.

Presented by Tarion, the Homeowners’ Choice Awards recognize exceptional customer service in four builder categories: Small Volume, Medium Volume, Large Volume and High-Rise. There are a total of 24 finalists across the four categories. Finalists in the High-Rise category had to have over 100 high-rise possessions per year. The High-Rise category finalists are Edilcan of Concord, Menkes Developments Ltd. of Toronto, Plazacorp Investments of Toronto, The Daniels Corporation of Toronto, The Tricar Group of London, and Tridel of Toronto.

“The journey to home ownership can be bumpy or smooth depending in large part upon the builder,” said Howard Bogach, Tarion’s president and CEO, in a press release. “These awards are an opportunity for owners of newly built homes to recognize the builders who made that journey rewarding and enjoyable through service excellence.”

Every fall, Tarion works with a third-party research firm to conduct a province-wide customer satisfaction survey of new home owners in their first year of ownership – specifically those that took possession of their new home between Oct. 1, 2016 and Sept. 30, 2017, for this edition of the awards.

This year, more than 56,929 invitations to complete the survey were sent to new home buyers, and over 11,558 completed surveys were returned, representing a response rate of 20 per cent. Survey questions surrounded homeowners’ satisfaction with their builder, covering every stage of the transaction, from the signing of the Agreement of Purchase and Sale, through construction and the pre-delivery period, to after-sales service.

To qualify for the Awards, builders must have at least five new home possessions during the survey timeframe and a specified number of completed questionnaires must have been returned.

Award recipients will be announced at a luncheon presentation in Woodbridge on May 1, 2018.

Carleton U steps up health and safety response

Carleton University has launched a new online tool for reporting and tracking hazards and injuries across campus, more intricately linking health and safety initiatives with facility management.

A few years ago, Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), a core department within Facilities Management and Planning, undertook a benchmarking exercise and found an increasing need for good data to help identify trends and support management decisions related to prevention.

What materialized was CU WorkSafe, a customized health and safety software system that integrates data from human resources, the security department and two facility systems: space management and Maximo. It opens up communication between faculty, students, staff, human resources and visitors, in turn improving risk reduction strategies.

“Tying this health and safety change initiative into our facility’s structure reinforces how critical the facility role is to health and safety,” says Nancy Delcellier, director of the EHS department. “Staff has access to the data so it relates directly to what they do on a day-to-day basis.”

A Good Catch

In hindsight, it’s easier to see the red flags leading up to an incident. Allowing for more dynamic intervention through this kind of system, one that promotes information exchange among everyone on campus, is one way EHS says it can adapt to its ever-changing environment.

From potential slip, trip and fall hazards resulting from uneven ground, clutter (poor housekeeping) and icy surfaces to fire hazards, like blocked exit passages, missing signage and unsafe extension cords, reported near-misses are immediately stored in a large database for in-depth analysis. EHS is then able to find a solution to reduce future injuries.

Laboratories are also unique environments with hazards, like spills and strange odours, which could lead to potential exposure. Anyone who witnesses these hazards can report them using their single sign on credentials, while third party facility service providers can access a guest portal to alert EHS.

The system, produced by Cority (formally Medgate) incorporates almost 40,000 users who can instantly report and attach photos to help EHS locate the danger. A built-in notification system advises managers and supervisors that a injury or hazard requires their attention.

“Part of the system’s strengths is it has tremendous data capabilities to generate reports and pull metrics and trends,” says Delcellier. “Before the program, a student or staff member experiencing a near miss would complete a printed-out form.”

Online forms followed, but were difficult to analyze and connect all the data. This new system links all the data, helping to pinpoint areas needing the most attention. For example, if five reports identify slippery areas on a particular part of campus, EHS can better understand what service providers need to focus on right away.

Campus Aware

With the good catch, accident and injury component of CU WorkSafe underway, an inspection and audit module will be launching soon. It is perhaps the most beneficial to facilities’ operations, according to Delcellier, and will link any deficiencies directly to the FMP facilities work order system. This includes everything from joint health and safety inspections to annual certification of fume hoods.

“There are always challenges when introducing any change initiative; however, the opportunity to bring so many players together to focus on health and safety has had a tremendous ripple effect across the organization,” Delcellier adds. “Various stakeholders are becoming more attuned to the needs of various departments.”

She is also finding that some supervisors hadn’t been fully aware of their responsibilities under legislation to investigate an incident, resolve it or propose solutions.

“Because the software is based on workflows and directs you through the process, we’re finding supervisors are gaining knowledge they may not have fully understood, so health and safety awareness is growing across the campus,” she says. “For facilities that may not be as integrated as ours, I think the solution will have a profound change on them.”

GTA home sales fall 34.9 per cent in February

There were 5,175 home sales in the Greater Toronto Area in February 2018, a decline of 34.9 per cent compared to the 7,955 sales reported in February 2017, reports the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB).

The number of new listings last month totaled 10,520, an increase of 7.3 per cent compared to the 9,801 new listings entered during the same period last year. However, the level of new listings remained below the average for the month of February for the previous decade.

“When TREB released its Outlook for 2018, the forecast anticipated a slow start to the year compared to the historically high sales count reported in the winter and early spring of 2017,” said Tim Syrianos, TREB president, in a press release. “Prospective home buyers are still coming to terms with the psychological impact of the Fair Housing Plan, and some have also had to re-evaluate their plans due to the new OFSI-mandated mortgage stress test guidelines and generally higher borrowing costs.”

The MLS Home Price Index Composite Benchmark climbed 3.2 per cent on a year-over-year basis for the GTA, driven by the apartment and townhouse market segments, which experienced annual benchmark price increases of 18.8 per cent and 7.5 per cent, respectively. Single-family detached and attached benchmark prices fell slightly compared to February 2017. The overall average selling price for February sales was down 12.4 per cent year-over-year to $767,818. However, when removing the price spike reported in Q1-2017 from the equation, February’s average price remained 12 per cent higher than the average reported for February 2016, which represents an annualized increase well above the rate of inflation for the past two years.

“As we move further into the spring and summer months, growth in sales and selling prices is expected to pick up relative to last year,” added Jason Mercer, TREB’s director of market analysis. “Expect stronger price growth to continue in the comparatively more affordable townhouse and condominium apartment segments. This being said, listings supply will likely remain below average in many neighbourhoods in the GTA, which, over the long-term, could further hamper affordability.”

In recent submissions to the City of Toronto and other levels of government, TREB has maintained that housing affordability must continue to be a priority.

“It is encouraging that the City did not include demand-oriented tax policies in its budget,” continued Syrianos. “TREB believes that all levels of government need to collaboratively develop solutions to increase the supply of housing, especially the ‘missing middle.’ This was noted in our 2018 Market Year in Review and Outlook Report, which calls for more ‘gentle density,’ including housing types like semi-detached houses, townhouses, multiplexes and apartments.”