Chris McNally is the 2017 chair of the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) and director of C & M McNally Engineering Corp.
C&M McNally is a sewer and watermain tunnelling contractor started in 1979 in Hamilton, Ontario. Before co-founding the family rm, Chris worked for Bechtel and PCL Construction in a variety of di erent capacities. A mining engineer by training, Chris is a graduate of Queens University. Read more.
Construction is the cornerstone of the Canadian economy. The industry generates over $100 billion in economic activity annually, representing roughly 9% of Canada’s private sector GDP. The sector employs 1.25 million workers from every community in Canada – roughly 7% of the nation’s workforce. The construction sector is responsible for over 40% of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions and utilizes over 50% of our natural resources. Read more.
The active-adult housing category is about to get even more active. As baby boomers age and many trade in their current properties for ones that better meet their needs today, homebuilders are responding with inventory meant just for them: single-family attached and detached homes in developments offering shared resources, access to retail and dining, nearby transit and services like maintenance. Read more.
Securing a prime location used to be all convention center organizers needed to generate a steady stream of visitors. Today’s trade associations, professional organizations and any other group that has regular membership gatherings, however, are looking for more than just a meeting place, and convention centers around the country are pulling out all the stops in an effort to convince them that their venue is the best choice. Read more.
The active-adult housing category is about to get even more active. As baby boomers age and many trade in their current properties for ones that better meet their needs today, homebuilders are responding with inventory meant just for them: single-family attached and detached homes in developments offering shared resources, access to retail and dining, nearby transit and services like maintenance. Read more.
Construction today is not only about project managing, it’s about communicating – and mastering communication by selecting the right tools ultimately ensures projects come in on time, on budget and with a minimum of rework and warranty claims. This is where a cloud-based software can assist in achieving the best level of communication. From mobile apps to web tools to onsite kiosks, cloud-based technology provides the ability to access the latest information whenever it’s needed.
This playbook will help you to learn how to be more profitable by ditching the paper and to effectively collaborate with your team. Read more.
The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) sees the federal government’s Budget 2017 announcement as a reiteration of previous commitments made to the renewal of Canada infrastructure. Read more.
Nova Scotia is adopting changes to the National Building Code, which include increasing the maximum height of wooden residential buildings from four to six storeys. The Fire Safety Act and Regulations will also be updated to enhance safety in the taller wooden buildings. The province is also updating its own accessibility regulations to improve barrier-free provisions in washrooms, requirements for power door operators and barrier-free paths of travel. The building code changes are effective April 1.
Read the press release here.
Read the proposed regulations here.
The concept of solar roadways has been in the news a lot recently. Using the millions of miles of roadways throughout the world to also create power seems like a no brainer, the asphalt and concrete we’re using now aren’t really accomplishing anything more than handling the traffic on the road. But, there’s also a very strong reason why those products are used: they’re strong, reliable, and relatively durable. Still, many researchers believe there is a lot of unharnessed potential for roads and the world now has a very strong test subject for the future of solar roadways in Tourouvre-au-Perche, France. Read more.
In the construction world, 3D printing technology has traditionally focused on buildings and other static structures, like this 3D printed bridge in Madrid, Spain. Not anymore, though, as the world’s first 3D printed excavator was officially unveiled to the attendees at last week’s CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017 in Las Vegas.