Construction Specifications Canada
Catalyst Conestoga Co-op
Congratulations to Professors Sarah Turner & Ann Callaghan and Students of Conestoga College’s Bachelor of Interior Design (Honours)
You are all winners
The energy and enthusiasm at The Pines on the evening of May 11th was absolutely infectious. Design teams from Conestoga College presented their vision for a public gathering space at Catalyst137, the subject building of the 2017 CSC Student Design Competition to an audience of AEC professionals at Connections Cafe, an annual networking event sponsored by the Grand Valley Chapter of Construction Specifications Canada.
The 475,000 sq ft building located at 137 Glasgow Street in Kitchener, historically used for warehousing tires and footwear will soon house the world’s largest maker space campus, a hub for the talent, hardware, engineering services and venture capital support needed to build the next generation of IoT companies.
The theme of the Design Competition, “public collaboration and connection” inspired student designers to create a space that would invite social interaction between building occupants and neighbours of Belmont Village. Interaction with the natural environment added a strong complement to the theme, through various strategies including the use of the Iron Horse Trail for commuting to the site.
Team Two Takes top prize of $2,000!
Congratulations Team Two: Thiska Meereboer, Erin Wetzel, Henry Dowling and Mike Latter for winning first place and for making such a great impression on the crowd at Connections Cafe that they voted your work for
The People’s Choice Award
Nicely done!
Second Place winning $1000…
Congratulations Team Three: Brooklyn Taylor, Emily Turchi, Maria Van Woundenberg & Han Xie
Third Place winning $500…
Congratulations Team One : Brianna Dancy, Jandi Gunn, Laura Kular & Tessa MacDonald
Fourth Place awesomeness…..
Congratulations Team Four: Stephanie Moraweitz, Mia Bartels, Gemma Gorkes & Kelsey Elford
The scope of the design competition did not impose budget constraints on the proposals, but the inclusion of specific construction materials and a detailed product specification was required to qualify (view competition documents here) More about the 2017 CSC Student Design Competition here and Connections Cafe here
Construction Canada Announcement here
Catalyst Conestoga Co-op?
The Bachelor of Interior Design (Honours) program has been designed in consultation with the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO) and is on ARIDO’s list of recognized interior design programs. It provides a unique co-op experience, with a focus on technical competency that stresses the importance of building code compliance, accessibility, sustainability, energy efficiency, building maintenance and operations to inform design intent and provide both aesthetically pleasing and build-able solutions.
Invited guests from the local construction and design community joined event sponsors in rallying around the competing teams while students seized the opportunity to network with industry professionals, welcoming the spontaneous “peer review” of their projects while vying for the “People’s Choice Award” decided by popular vote during the evening.
Thank-you Community Partners, Catalyst137 and iGuide and members of the Design Competition Team at CSC Grand Valley and CSC Toronto for making it happen…
See you next year!#connectionscafe2017
The 4th annual Student Design Competition comes to a close today, May 11th, 2017 with an impressive group of entries from Conestoga College’s School of Interior Design on display during Connections Cafe this evening at the Pines in Cambridge, Ontario.
Many thanks to Frank Voisin at Catalyst137, Kevin Klages and the iGuide development team at Planitar and especially Sarah Turner and her 3rd Year Students for working with us through unexpected hurdles to finish the race. We are incredibly fortunate to belong to such an innovative, supportive and resilient community.
Shout out to this year’s sponsors of Connections Cafe for giving us the thumbs up. We wish you a rewarding and memorable experience and invite you to discover what inspires the Prime Minister of Canada and business leaders from around the globe to invest in Waterloo Region…and don’t forget to fill out a ballad for your favourite entry!
CSC Grand Valley is committed to professional development in the AEC industry that builds confidence, invites collaboration and values relationship.
We invite you to join us on our journey…
Shot live on location at the Pines in Cambridge, Ontario. Features the winners of the 4th Annual CSC Student Design Competition co-sponsored by the Grand Valley & Toronto Chapters. Music by the Paul Stouffer Jazz Group with Paul Stouffer on keyboards, Denis Rondeau on bass and Robin Habermehl on the saxophone
CSC Toronto Building Expo 2017
Many thanks to Sponsors of the CSC Building Expo
Shout out to
Chuck Dykstra of Fluke Electronics for the insightful chat about mapping/testing facilities for internet signal strength, security issues, and much more! Glad to hear the wireless division is now being handled by Netscout a division of Keating Technologies Inc. Great tip on getting the most out of my fluke equipment by checking out their online training
David Webster of Leland Industries Inc for setting the record straight on the risk of using impact drivers on fasteners and the impact of that practice especially on warranties for metal roofing systems
Anthony Caruso of Quikrete for the handy concrete mix calculator. The online version looks pretty good too and I’m pleasantly surprised that your product catalogue includes a link to current MSDS sheets…what a break!
Geoff Smith whose passionate and refreshingly honest keynote speech at lunch kept me up last night thinking about the changing landscape…the death of the change order business model, the impact of new technologies, especially BIM in the AEC industry, the emerging of foreign contractors and new directions like modular construction to mitigate a decline in productivity growth. What was that he said? Is Autodesk a competitor? Hmm…there’s an aha moment. Just how does the industry migrate to 3D modelling software anyways? Not to mention 4DBIM, 5DBIM, 6DBIM and who gets left behind?
Thanks Geoff, you nailed it
What’s next? Just when you thought you had sorted out SB-10…
more about ever changing building codes…who-what-where-when-how will data impacting the built environment be gathered, analysed and implemented?
Post (Expo) Script...Appeal to Owners from CanBIM
Yep…
Looks like we will need to stick together to figure this all out
2017 CSC Student Design Competition
“Public Collaboration & Connection”
Site: Catalyst 137
3D virtual site tour of 137 Glasgow Street
made possible by
Construction Specification Canada (CSC) Grand Valley and Toronto Chapters proudly present the 4th annual Student Design Competition open to all current post-secondary school students in Ontario with an interest in construction-related activities such as architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, interior design, construction management, innovative products, and manufacturing
Entries can be submitted by individuals, or by teams consisting of up to 4 people. See Competition Documents for complete details:
Competition Documents
Registration closed on Karelo HERE
1st place $2000.00
2nd place $1000.00
3rd place $500.00
Site: 137 Glasgow Street, Kitchener, Ontario
Situated 3 km SE of the University of Waterloo and about 1 km west of Google’s new Kitchener Headquarters in the Innovation District. The location has close proximity to the niche shops & restaurants at Belmont Village and borders the Iron Horse Trail, allowing pedestrians, cyclists and joggers to access the public space at the front of the building
Voisin Capital’s newest project is an ideal case study to expose young design professionals to a relevant and trend setting initiative. Use of the lobby, the public gathering space inside and the outdoor collaboration space will be the focus of the competition
Catalyst 137’s impressive 475,000 sq ft space will be purpose-built for makers, a concentration point for the talent, hardware engineering services and venture capital support required to build the next generation of IOT companies
In the News…
Restaurant of the Future coming to Catalyst 137
Construction Canada Announcement January 18th, 2017
Kitchener Mayor supports Tech Sector & Strong Neighbourhoods
Catalyst 137 off to a Flying Start
Links…
2016 Winners
Archived Posts…
2016 CSC Student Design Competition
CSC & the Case of the Illustrious Industrious City (Act1 Scene1)
CSC & the Case of the Illustrious Industrious City (Act 1 Scene 2)
CSC & the Case of the Illustrious Industrious City (Act 1 Scene 3)
Link here and here for the 2015 competition
Link here and here for the 2014 competition and here to view full length Montage video
CSC & the Case of the Illustrious Industrious City (Act1 Scene1)
Students from Ryerson’s School of Interior Design get immersed in K-town’s industrial architecture & urban history
Many thanks to University of Waterloo Professor Rick Haldenby for kicking off a tour of the City Centre with an inspiring and insightful address at THEMUSEUM on January 25th, 2016. This is the first in a series of (gorilla) video shorts capturing bite sized pieces of important historical facts drawn from a deep reservoir of professional research, analysis and intimate observation. 52 minute podcast on Soundcloud here
Kernels of truth that may unlock the mystery of the Illustrious, Industrious
City of Kitchener
About Robertson Simmons Architects Inc.
About Architect Carl Reider
Rick Haldenby (FRAIC) was born in Toronto, the son and grandson of architects. A graduate of Waterloo, he became a professor at the University of Waterloo’s School of Architecture in 1976, founded their award-winning Rome Program in 1979, and served as Director of Waterloo Architecture from 1988 to 2013. A specialist in Roman archaeology, architectural history and in the design of cultural sites, Haldenby is the author of the Master Plan for the Heritage Park at Ta’Cenc, Malta and co-author of the book Il Progetto del Antico. We look forward to his upcoming book about Kitchener’s City Hall!
52 minute podcast on Soundcloud here
CSC & the Case of the Illustrious Industrious City:
go to Act 1 Scene 2 go to Act 1 Scene 3
more about the CSC Student Design Competition here
CSC & the Case of the Illustrious Industrious City (Act 1 Scene 3)
2 minute trailer captures the vision for Goudies Lane
Students from Ryerson’s School of Interior Design tour the building at 8 Queen Street in downtown Kitchener on January 25th, 2016. The former Goudies Department Store is the site of the 2016 Design Competition sponsored by Construction Specifications Canada, Grand Valley & Toronto Chapters. Winning entries will be on display at an invitation only networking event for the local design and construction industry on May 19th at THEMUSEUM.
Shout out to Frank & Steve Voisin for their generous support, enthusiasm and for sharing their vision of a downtown core we could brag about
Act 1 Scene 2
More about the Design Competition here
cscdesigncompetition.com
Ryerson School of Interior Design
8queen.com
Nith Valley Construction
About Vidyard
AccessAbility 101
AccessAbility: Social Integration by Design
March 7th, 2016 at Carleton University
Sonia Zouari, CCCA, CSP, Chair of CSC Ottawa Chapter moderates the panel discussion
Opening remarks and Introductions here
Speakers:
Councillor Marianne Wilkinson, Ward 4 Kanata North (www.marianne wilkinson.com)
Amy Pothier, Accessibility & Building Code Specialist at Gensler, Toronto
Allen Mankewich, Communications Coordinator & Policy Analyst at the Canadian Centre for Disability Studies
Roger P. Gervais, Certified Aging in Place Specialist
Steve Titus, BA Sc., PEng Aercoustics Engineering, Toronto
Dean Mellway, READ initiative (Research, Education, Accessibility & Design) at Carleton University, Ottawa
Councillor Wilkinson’s podcast here
Amy Pothier podcast here
Recommended by Amy: Accessibility+Resources
Carleton University spreading a culture of accessibility
Dean Mellway’s podcast here
VisitAble Housing Canada
Workshop March 23/16 in Waterloo
Allen Mankewich’s podcast here
