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Construction standards, techniques and certifications - BuildingScout - 11-22-2014

This thread is meant to foster discussion about construction standards and techniques such as LEEDs, carbon neutral, etc, as well as the various choices of materials, e..g. concrete, brick, timber frame, etc.

RE: Construction standards, techniques and certifications - BuildingScout - 11-22-2014

To open up the proceedings here's the proper use of glass to produce an environmentally superior building. It is based in the concept of a building within a building. The R-values for such construction are out of this world as we are talking anywhere between 3 and 20 feet of air insulation between the heated structure and the unheated exterior glass wall.

[Image: usa-2934-rep.jpg?c=2014-03-28_13-31-22]

[Image: usa-erco-lufthansa-aviation-center-intro...8_12-53-46]

That is the Lufthansa Aviation center in Dusseldorf

RE: Construction standards, techniques and certifications - BuildingScout - 05-12-2015

Quote:Ya certainly. It makes you wonder why more developers dont use it. Cost?

New methods are often costlier. For example while you might have an endless choice of contractors using standard techniques, there might be only a handful of firms that can handle precast concrete. Similarly, there supply of cranes and crane operators will remain constrained until every construction site avails itself of a construction crane. In Europe even singe detached homes have a crane on site to do all the heavy lifting (they are controlled from the ground).

For ICFs initially there were no economies of scale so they would be somewhat more expensive. But now it's been over 20 years since they became common enough that they should be cheaper than wooden forms, yet in many jurisdictions suppliers have yet to lower their prices to match lower production costs.

RE: Construction standards, techniques and certifications - BuildingScout - 05-22-2015

Here's a picture of a single detached home being built in a suburban street using a crane.

   

RE: Construction standards, techniques and certifications - BuildingScout - 05-22-2015

Here's another shot of the same street. It shows two other interesting aspects that are rarely seen in NorthAmerica:

   

The first one is the mix of multi-unit and single home residences in a way that is not at all obvious. From a distance all buildings look like single family homes, but some of them are duplex, four and even six unit buildings. Somehow here, we don't seem to be able to build multi-unit buildings without completely changing the suburban character of the street. Here's an example of a five unit building that blends rather well with the suburban style of the neighbourhood:

   

RE: Construction standards, techniques and certifications - rangersfan - 09-10-2015

Building zero net energy communities
http://www.waterloochronicle.ca/news/canadas-technology-triangle-looks-at-net-zero-energy-future/

RE: Construction standards, techniques and certifications - ookpik - 10-26-2015

(05-22-2015, 10:07 AM)BuildingScout Wrote: Here's a picture of a single detached home being built in a suburban street using a crane.

Cranes? We ain't got no cranes. We don't need no cranes. We don't have to use no steenkin cranes" (With apologies to John Huston.)

Downtown Montreal condo project being built from the roof down  
Quote:A Montreal construction company is building a 10-storey condo building from the top down... The process saw builders first assemble a first floor and a roof. The roof was then lifted and each floor then sandwiched below the roof.

No scaffolding or crane is required and the construction site does not spill into the street...

Construction workers also appreciate being sheltered from bad weather... Another advantage is that the method allows developers to adjust the height of their project during construction.



RE: Construction standards, techniques and certifications - rangersfan - 06-17-2016

An article on the Brock Commons, a timber framed 17 story residential tower under construction in British Columbia.

http://m.therecord.com/news-story/6727450-wood-tower-a-game-changer-for-construction

RE: Construction standards, techniques and certifications - tomh009 - 08-08-2016

Wood is good! (Well, it certainly looks good here.) 18 stories in Bordeaux.
http://www.realclearlife.com/2016/08/08/bordeaux-building-worlds-tallest-timber-structure/

RE: Construction standards, techniques and certifications - rangersfan - 03-02-2018

I didn't want to start a new thread just for this but the topic has been discussed on the forum in various places (notably the transit hub thread) on the region's restrictive bidding process.

A report was released this week in regards to this issue :

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/region-waterloo-construction-tendering-unfair-cardus-1.4556977

RE: Construction standards, techniques and certifications - timc - 03-02-2018

Doesn't that have to do with the union certification in Waterloo Region?

https://www.therecord.com/news-story/4489028-carpenters-union-wins-ruling-against-waterloo-region/

Quote:Only the union's carpenters will likely work on future municipal construction projects. The region wanted to be deemed a non-construction employer but was denied it.

...

Critics of the ruling charge a monopoly is about to be put in place that will drive up costs and limit competitive bidding on taxpayer-funded projects.


RE: Construction standards, techniques and certifications - taylortbb - 03-02-2018

The CBC article misses a lot of context. I'd also read https://www.kitchenerpost.ca/news-story/8080477-carpenters-union-defends-value-to-regional-council/ .

CBC article reads like it was voluntary for the region, rather than something they fought against.

RE: Construction standards, techniques and certifications - plam - 03-02-2018

(03-02-2018, 11:27 AM)taylortbb Wrote: The CBC article misses a lot of context. I'd also read https://www.kitchenerpost.ca/news-story/8080477-carpenters-union-defends-value-to-regional-council/ .

CBC article reads like it was voluntary for the region, rather than something they fought against.

Indeed. The report sounds like it's from anti-union movements. I don't think that this process for forced unionization was appropriate in this case, but I also am wary of people with their own agendas.

RE: Construction standards, techniques and certifications - KevinL - 03-02-2018

Quote:... found a decision by the region in July 2014 to restrict construction bids to just firms affiliated with the Carpenters' Union "had several negative effects." 

'A decision'. That's all the context they give...

RE: Construction standards, techniques and certifications - rangersfan - 03-02-2018

I thought the same thing Taylortbb.