Ground Hog Day in DTK
Students & faculty from the Ryerson School of Interior Design enjoyed a tour of 48 Ontario Street in Kitchener on Friday, February 2nd. This is the school’s fourth visit to Waterloo Region to experience the local culture and study the architectural, economic and demographic forces on significant properties of historical/cultural influence. Their research will inform this year’s case study of the former Bell Telephone Co. building turned Royal Canadian Legion Branch 50, otherwise known as “the Legion”.
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value for 48 Ontario Street North
Glenn Smith joined the tour to get reacquainted with the building where back in 1986 he launched an outrageous experiment as a concert promoter and introduced such talented blues artists as Buddy Guy and Mel Brown from (mostly) New Orleans, Detroit and the Chicago area to a new audience in Kitchener-Waterloo. Legendary performances and Sold-Out shows at the Legion Dance Hall begins the story of Kitchener’s love affair with the Blues. Who remembers that Colin James played there when he was just 18?! If the walls could talk…
Watch for more about Glenn and Kitchener’s blues roots starting with the soon-to-be-released live interview with Martin de Groot at the Commons Studio
Sunshine & Frigid temperatures set the stage for a twist on the urban legend of Groundhog Day at Kitchener City Centre. Far from the predictable news from Willie, here is proof that Waterloo Region is not stuck in Groundhog day with this candid snapshot of genuine multi-sectorial collaboration. Shout out to our esteemed community leaders Martin de Groot, Raj Saini MP, Taymoore Balbaa, Cathie Schneider, Tammy Lawrence, Councillor Sarah Marsh, James Howe, and Glenn Smith.
That’s me between Martin and Cathie…two of the few who would never try to shoot down a good idea before it gets a chance to fly:)
For more about the CSC Student Design Challenge, visit the official website here and facebook page here
In the News…
Construction Canada Magazine Jan 9/18
Construction Links Announcement Feb 13th/18
PM trends in Canada? WePivot (slowly)
Technology is not the new flavour. How do we manage the change process?
Josh Lipton moderated an insightful panel discussion with industry leaders at the 2017 PM expo Wednesday afternoon. Here’s my take-away…
Peter Altobelli, VP of Yardi Canada, reflecting on the evolution of commercial leasing, spoke about change management with the confidence that comes from years of steadying the ship. He discussed the impact of “WeWork” the latest disruptor, completely unforeseeable as a business model in previous decades. Waves of humiliation rolled over in fear that I probably had no idea what he was talking about. Then suddenly, aha! I HAD heard about WeWork. A notice in my inbox from the Meetup Community announcing it had been acquired. All for We
Robert Plateck, Founder/CEO of SensorSuite and Building Systems Engineer, Laura Tousley spoke on the importance of open architecture for software integration of legacy systems and future expansion to optimize everything. I starting thinking building performance like indoor air quality and energy consumption; tenant information and concierge services, maintenance, security, life safety all connected and operated from a single dashboard. I imagined systems linked to reporting and remittance functions (like energy benchmarking) informing financial planning and providing intelligence to risk management in real time.
Core readiness for future proofing will include building infrastructure investments in wired, wireless and radio communications. The importance of cybersecurity and training on the devices and apps that interact with the building cannot be overstated. I had heard that same warning delivered at an earlier seminar and made a mental note to flag these as barriers to user adoption. The Buzz in the room agreed.
Plan an exist strategy for software use. Who owns the data? Can you transport all your work to a new platform?
Our panel’s vision of the future extends beyond a fully automated, integrated and even modular building to include smart neighbourhoods, powered by local solar/wind generation. Energy storage and local demand response are other strategies that have been tested to improve service where power outages are common. Knowledge will increase in the deployment of battery energy storage for peak shaving and further the clean energy market.
Max Steinman Director of Sales for Landlord Web Solutions reflected on the trend toward marketing running everything at the site level. 3D virtual tours complete with virtual/augmented reality may soon replace the role of the leasing agent. Having worked with the folks at iGuide, I was somewhat familiar with that reality…slipping into the not too distant future I imagined all of the savings possible (time, fuel, disappointment, not to mention the inconvenience to existing tenants and pets). Virtual tours would show the space in pristine condition at any hour of the day, provide accurate room dimensions with tools for furniture placement and estimating window coverings, appliance specifications, and more. One stop collaborative tools for connecting to local utility providers, day care centres, grocery delivery, movers, driverless car pick-up…
What process/analysis can be put in place for a new vender?
What specific applications and collaboration tools work with senior housing? Student residences? Family multi-residential? Commercial tenants?
Engagement Engagement Engagement
Forget Credit Karma, artificial intelligence will predict tenant behaviour and launch credit check accuracy, employment and personality screening to a new level enabling instant tenant approvals. Out pops a smart lease, ready for immediate digital endorsement thanks to the advancement of blockchain technology. Questions about living in the building? Neighbours? There’s a chatbot for that. Keys? Yep, fully functional on moving day and you can probably unlock a private storage locker in advance as a signing bonus. Just hit the send button on the lease to seal the deal.
Data driven, experience driven, and tenant driven change are the new forces bearing down on landlords
think mobile
think Millennials
think bed bug registry
The Art of Specifying Stone
Cathie Schneider delivers an insightful and informative talk on the subject of specifying natural stone at this month’s CSC-GV luncheon on October 18th, 2017**Shout out to our venue hosts at the Grand Valley Construction Association who never complain about us leaving a trail of sandwich crumbs on the carpet. You’re the best!
Cathie Schneider, CTR, the VP of Stonequest Inc. is an accredited speaker with the Marble Institute of America and has been in the stone business for 25 years. She is a member of IDC Canada and the current Chair of the Grand Valley Chapter of Construction Specifications Canada. Architects, Interior Designers, Specifiers, Distributors, Landscape Architects, Contractors, Construction Managers, LEED Evangelists and ESPECIALLY Building Owners should listen carefully to the podcast recorded at this event, or better yet… reach out to Cathie before planning your next project with natural stone!
Who is Joe?
Joe Ippolito, CTR and VP of Quarry Sales at Arriscraft makes a brief “guest appearance” on the podcast. We will be sending him a courtesy copy. Same with Stefanie Hargest of Boehmer’s Block who knows a thing or two about building to LEED Standards. She gives great hugs too (go to the 1:11 mark on the video).
How do I listen to the podcast?
Test your Stone IQ here
Fill out the form below for a password to unlock the podcast
AND
we MIGHT even send you the test answers
Cathie Schneider takes us on a stone quest to Rivendell where all the Consultants of Elrond (Design & Construction Team) are thriving under the transformative leadership of the building Frodowner…
she will share the magic word with you if you ask nice (or you could try Stefanie)
**Like the Soundtrack? Special thanks to Mother West Wind’s Animal Friends (recorded at a live performance in 2016 at the End of Summer Festival in Uptown Waterloo)
LINKS:
Terrazzo, Tile and Marble Association of Canada
MIA + BSi (Marble Institute of America)
National Building Granite Quarries Association
National Tile Contractors’ Association
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. Take in the action at #connectionscafe2017
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!data! tada!
The Honourable Liz Sandals MPP (Guelph) & President of the Treasury Board opened the 2017 GO Open Data Conference on May 5th at the City of London’s Public Library. Minister Sandals spoke about the Province of Ontario’s commitment to open, transparent governance and announced that Ontario has officially adopted the International Open Data Charter
Download a copy of the Conference Review at opendata.ca
Culture, Currency & Communitech
Kevin Tuer, Ph.D., P.Eng and Managing Director of odx Canada’ Open Data Exchange, spoke at the Conference about the need on both the supply side and demand side to understand the value of open data and the need to strategize to define an outcome. Kevin made reference to Map Your Property as an App that demonstrates that understanding. Minister Sandals is also a fan (go to the 5 minute mark on the video). I haven’t had a chance to try it out, but as a tool for real estate/land development professionals working in Toronto or York Region, it looks very promising!
Communitech data hub
“newest addition to Waterloo’s Innovation Ecosystem”
Open Data 150 Canada Project
Thanks to organizers of the GoOpenData conference for sending this update:
“The real battle is for the data that delivers the most relevant and pertinent insights — the combination of data sets that enable effective and more rapid monetization of data.” This means combining data from customers, social media, machines and the Internet of things. It means finding new ways to transform the data into information and knowledge. In the end, Capgemini CEO John Brahim noted, organizations that do not act…and react appropriately, face a “serious threat to survival.” – See more at: http://www.cioinsight.com
#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
2016 Connections Cafe & Awards Night
Winners of the 2016 CSC Student Design Competition
CSC Student Design Competition Co-Chair, Cathie Schneider is the Master of Ceremonies during the Awards Presentation May 19th, 2016 at Connections Cafe. This annual networking event for professionals in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industries was held at THEMUSEUM in downtown Kitchener, a section of the former Goudies department store adjoining 8 Queen Street (subject building chosen for the competition). Conceptual drawings & floor plans from six winning student teams were exhibited for attendees to explore in a relaxed and informal setting in advance of the Awards Ceremony.
The CSC Student Design Competition is on facebook at facebook.com/CSCDesignCompetition
In the News…
http://rsid.ryerson.ca/news/csc-competition-2016
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
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
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