Ontario’s First Mass-Timber, Net-Zero Institutional Building Closer to Completion

Limberlost Place, Ontario, Canada’s first mass-timber, net-zero carbon emissions institutional building, has now reached the highest point in construction. The final wood and steel beams were installed in the 10-story facility located at George Brown College’s Waterfront campus in Toronto’s growing east Bayfront community. To celebrate the topping off milestone, project partners and the trades workforce signed a beam earlier this summer before it was lifted into place at the top of the building. Limberlost Place’s structure was completed using an intricate installation method including a sequence where each mass-timber column and cross-laminated slab band would be placed. The structure … Read more

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Two PCL Projects Win Green Building Excellence Awards

Two PCL Construction projects received national green building awards at the recent Canada Green Building Council’s Building Lasting Change conference. The Roam Transit Operations and Training Centre, located in Banff, Alberta, won the Zero Carbon Design Award, and the Ken Soble Tower at 500 MacNab, located in Hamilton, Ontario, won the Deep Carbon Retrofit Award. Both awards recognize teams that construct projects that demonstrate climate leadership through innovative carbon reduction strategies and optimal building performance. The Roam Transit Operations and Training Centre sets an example for zero-carbon buildings. The center is one of the first transit storage and maintenance buildings … Read more

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McDonald’s Flagship-Disney Aims for Net-Zero Status

The McDonald’s Flagship-Disney, located in Orlando, Florida, recently completed construction, and aims to become the first net-zero restaurant in the quick-service industry. Under a shed clad in solar panels, the 8,024-square-foot restaurant, built by Southland Construction and designed by Ross Barney Architects, was envisioned and developed in response to the Florida climate. Energy consumption is reduced by optimizing building and kitchen systems. Energy is generated onsite by 18,727 square feet of photovoltaic panels, 4,809 square feet of glazing integrated photovoltaic panels and 25 off-the-grid parking lot lights produce more energy than the restaurant uses. As Orlando experiences significant humidity, the … Read more

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ASCE Structural Engineering Institute Announces Structural Engineers 2050 Commitment Program 

The American Society of Civil Engineers Structural Engineering Institute has announced the Structural Engineers 2050 Commitment Program (SE 2050). The SEI Structural Engineers 2050 Commitment Program provides structural engineers with the necessary tools and resources to contribute and track projects toward the vision of net-zero embodied carbon structures by 2050. The SE2050 Commitment Program was developed in response to the SE 2050 Challenge put forth by the Carbon Leadership Forum that states that “All structural engineers shall understand, reduce and ultimately eliminate embodied carbon in their projects by 2050.” In response to the CLF challenge, the SEI Sustainability Committee has been developing … Read more

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Bee’ah Achieves Milestone Toward Completion of Iconic HQ

Bee’ah, the Sharjah, UAE -based environmental management company, has made headway in the construction of its iconic new headquarters. The company commemorated the completion of the highest point of the structure, with a topping-out ceremony held at the site in Al Saj’ah. The headquarters is on schedule for completion by the end of 2018. A primary feature of the headquarters is that of its net-zero energy consumption. The building will be utilizing photovoltaic cells to ensure complete reliance on renewable energy. To facilitate efficient use of the cells, Bee’ah signed an agreement with Tesla to utilize its advanced Powerpack battery … Read more

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