iGuide
CSC Design Challenge to #reimagineš 1655 Dupont
Drop in and visit the CSC Student Design Challenge exhibit in the Winner’s Lounge at Expo 2019, live off the floor at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on February 27th.Ā Sample the iGuide virtual tour of 1655 Dupont Street in Toronto, site of the 2019 Design Challenge.
šĀ meet Michael Vervena at iGuide
šmeet Cathie Schneider, Co-Chair of the Design Competition Committee
šĀ visit cscdesignchallenge.caĀ šĀ like us on facebook
šBuilding Design & Construction at George Brown College
21:31:41 CSCeXpo2019
Montage video recap of the 41st annual CSC Building Expo (21:31) shot live off the floor on February 27th, 2019.
I suited up and slew snowmaggedon on the Kitchener line GoTrain to Union Station, complete with all ten poster boards from last year’s design challenge safely in tow.
While frantically rummaging through pockets for my presto card, I caught a glimpse of Regional Councillor/City of Waterloo Mayor David Jaworsky waiting to board the train.Ā Reflecting on his 2018 year-end interview with Craig Norris on The Morning Edition (*1) put a smile on my face despite an undertone of grumpiness for neglecting to make time for morning java.
20 sec markš “Construction in Today’s Connected World” was the keynote address from Dr. Rick Huijbreigts, the VP of Strategy and Innovation at George Brown College.Ā Dr. Huijbreights expands on the convergence of IoT devices in building automation systems with low-voltage PoE, smart lighting, cloud management and analytics, all protected by emerging cybersecurity operational standards (*2) Yep, caught myself smiling again even before the aroma of coffee reached the table.
It was refreshing to see so many student volunteers from the college engaged at the expo; serving the industry, asking questions and making connections. The train has indeed left the station
2m30s markš Next stop on the tour we hear from Charles W. Skipper, partner at Foglar, Rubinoff LLP and no stranger to the Toronto Construction Association. The Queen’s University alumni cut his teeth articling with the Ministry of Attorney General before practicing commercial litigation at a major Toronto law firm.Ā At Fogler, Rubinoff LLP since 1996, his expertise in the dynamics of construction and commercial disputes is highly sought after. Charles obtained his Master’s Degree in Law (LL.M) (Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution) from Osgoode Hall, York University in 1998, specializing in construction litigation. He is a Harvard Law School trained negotiator, a lover of ancient history, and a surprisingly funny guy with a decent throwing arm (not captured in this video) (*3)
ā this is justice and I think it’s great, but I must say that I never had any idea in my life that you could ask so many questions for so long about so littleĀ ā
6m06s markšA sobering overview of changes to the Construction Lien Act including lien registration/perfection, holdback, trust fund obligations, prompt payment rules and interim adjudication (*4)
18m01s markšĀ CSC Student Design Challenge: the top five entries of the 2018 design competition on display in the winner’s loungeš„
Cathie Schneider, Co-Chair of the CSC student design competition committee shares her enthusiasm with Michael Vervena as he demonstrates the use of iGuide’s 3D virtual tour of the 2019 Design Challenge site at 1655 Dupont Street in Toronto.
*1) Things that matter to Mayor Dave Jaworsky
*2) US legislation to improve IoT security
*3)Ā Bell Canada v. Olympia & York Developments Ltd., 1994 CanLII 239 (ON CA)
*4) Changes to the Construction ActĀ Ā
PM trends in Canada? WePivot (slowly)
Technology is not the new flavour.Ā How do we manage the change process?Ā
Josh Lipton moderated an insightful panel discussion with industry leaders at the 2017Ā PM expo Wednesday afternoon.Ā 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.Ā He discussed the impact of “WeWork”Ā the latest disruptor, completely unforeseeable as a business model in previous decades.Ā Waves of humiliation rolled over in fear that I probably had no idea what he was talking about.Ā Then suddenly, aha! I HAD heard about WeWork.Ā A notice in my inbox from the Meetup Community announcing it had been acquired.Ā Ā All for We
Robert Plateck,Ā Founder/CEO ofĀ SensorSuite Ā 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.Ā I starting thinking building performance like indoor air quality and energy consumption;Ā tenant information and concierge services, maintenance, security, life safety all connected and operated from a single dashboard.Ā I imagined systems linked to reporting and remittance functions (like energy benchmarking) informing financial planning and providing intelligence toĀ risk management in real time.
Core readiness for future proofing will include building infrastructure investments in wired, wireless and radio communications.Ā The importance of cybersecurity and training on the devices and apps that interact with the building cannot be overstated.Ā I had heard that same warning delivered at an earlier seminar and made a mental note to flag these as barriers to user adoption.Ā Ā The Buzz in the room agreed.
Plan an exist strategy for software use.Ā Who owns the data? Can you transport all your work to a new platform?Ā Ā
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.Ā Energy storage and local demand response are other strategies that have been tested to improve service where power outages are common.Ā Knowledge will increaseĀ in the deployment of battery energy storage for peak shaving and further the clean energy market.
Max SteinmanĀ Director of Sales forĀ Landlord Web SolutionsĀ reflected on the trend toward marketing running everything at the site level.Ā 3D virtual tours complete with virtual/augmented reality may soon replace the role of the leasing agent.Ā Having worked with the folks atĀ 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).Ā 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.Ā 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 launchĀ credit check accuracy, employment and personality screening to a new level enabling instant tenant approvals.Ā Out pops a smart lease, ready for immediate digital endorsement thanks to the advancement ofĀ blockchain technology.Ā Ā Questions about living in the building? Neighbours? There’s a chatbot for that.Ā Ā Keys?Ā Yep, fully functional on moving day and you can probably unlock a private storage locker in advance as a signing bonus.Ā 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 landlordsĀ
think mobile
think Millennials
thinkĀ bed bugĀ registry
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.Ā 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!Ā
Congratulations Team Two:Ā 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!Ā
Second Place winning $1000…
Congratulations Team Three:Ā 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:Ā 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.Ā It provides a unique co-op experience, with a focus on technical competency that stresses the importance of building code compliance, accessibility, sustainability,Ā 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.Ā Take in the action atĀ #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!#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. Ā MusicĀ by the Paul Stouffer Jazz Group with Paul Stouffer on keyboards, Denis Rondeau on bass and Robin Habermehl on the saxophone
2017 CSC Student Design Competition
āPublic Collaboration &Ā Connectionā
Site: Catalyst 137Ā
Ā 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 CompetitionĀ 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. Ā See Competition Documents for complete details:
Competition Documents
Registration closed on Karelo
1st place $2000.00
2nd place $1000.00
3rd place $500.00Ā
Site: 137 Glasgow Street, Kitchener, Ontario
Situated 3 km SE of the University of Waterloo and about 1 km west of Googleās new Kitchener Headquarters in the Innovation District. Ā 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 FutureĀ 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 WinnersĀ
Archived Posts…
2016 CSC Student DesignĀ Competition
CSC & the Case of the Illustrious Industrious City (Act1Ā Scene1)
CSC & the Case of the Illustrious Industrious City (Act 1 SceneĀ 2)
CSC & the Case of the Illustrious Industrious City (Act 1 SceneĀ 3)
Link here andĀ here for the 2015Ā competition
Link hereĀ Ā andĀ here for the 2014Ā competition andĀ here to view full length Montage video
music & musings 