Mechanical

fire code

Condos lag on fire code compliance

Fire plans may need an overhaul as the resident population ages, building systems are updated, and renovations alter the layout of floors or rooms.
real estate

Insurance crisis affecting reserve fund planning

The insurance crisis in condominiums is affecting how boards are planning for disasters in Ontario.
repairs

Condos in precarious spot if small repairs sit idle

Should the corporation move forward with certain maintenance repairs if the issue has the potential to become exponentially worse?
insurance

Canada’s condo insurance crisis

Impacts of the hard insurance market are trickling into condominium corporations across Canada, challenging boards and managers in their wake.
reserve funds

How is COVID-19 impacting reserve funds?

Many reserve fund projects have not been able to proceed this year. Even now as construction has “opened up,” contractors have backlogs that will allow them to complete only some of the previously planned projects.
climate change

Are condos prepared for climate change?

While many condos haven’t yet experienced the major effects of climate change, statistics and case studies foreshadow the impacts that could come.
LEED Platinum

Energy efficiency powers condo to LEED Platinum

Perched on the edge of the waterfront, south of the Distillery District near Sugar Beach, Toronto’s first LEED Platinum high-rise condo stands in the Bayside
outdoor air

IAQ standards dissect freshness of outdoor air

Guidance related to natural ventilation, particulate filtration and compartmentalization of multi-residential HVAC systems are prominent in the list of identified "significant changes" compared to the incumbent 2016 version of the standards.
M&E Engineering

Do you know the condition of your fan coil?

Fan Coil Units (FCUs) are a vital, yet often overlooked part of an apartment/condo complex. Nevertheless, they are directly responsible for the climate control within the apartment complex in the form of heating and cooling.
false fire alarm

The implications of false fire alarms in condos

For condo managers, a false fire alarm results in new issues. What happens when a fire alarm goes off at a condominium when no smoke or fire is present?
cogeneration

GTA-based condo building demos cogeneration

One GTA-based condo building won’t face the dilemma of when to switch over its HVAC system from heating to cooling this spring thanks to cogeneration.
tax credits

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

The new crop of 'ultra-high-rise' condos rising in Toronto will be more complicated and consequently more costly to maintain, one engineer is warning.
apartment

HVAC switch over snared by hot spell

Tensions boiled over last week at Toronto apartment buildings without air conditioning as temperatures soared into heat wave territory in late September.
odour complaints

Sniffing out culprits for odour complaints

Scents associated with cigarette smoke, cooking and the garbage chute are among the most common odours complaints received by building managers.

A flurry of red-tagged emergency generators

When last winter’s ice storm walloped Toronto days before Christmas and knocked out power in parts of the city for upwards of a week, it
preventative maintenance program

How to start a preventive maintenance program

The question of how to start a preventive maintenance program is extremely common, and for good reason. With budgets tight and workers stretched thin, preventive
REMI

Building automation can save energy

Energy efficiency in highrise multi-residential buildings can be achieved through a variety of retrofits. However, one method that is often overlooked is ...