Improving Opportunities for Women in the Workplace Advancing the Industry with Dedication and Advocacy LiUNA Skilled Labour Shortage: The Problem with a Long-Term Solution OGCA apeiron-construction.com | APRIL 2023We create boundless opportunity With a wealth of experience in reporting, content creation and publishing, Apeiron Media, Inc – publisher of Apeiron Construction – was set up with a clear vision to shine a light on pioneering organizations and professionals throughout the construction industry. We take a nuanced approach to storytelling and our clients benefit from a comprehensive integrated marketing opportunity through our detailed suite of online media. Apeiron Construction delivers stories from across the industry to offer high-end, thought provoking content to our readers. Conducting fascinating in-depth interviews with industry leading Executives, Managers, Presidents and CEOs allows us to gain insight and perspective while having the privilege of telling impactful stories. Our unique approach to content creation allows us to gain expert commentary on an ever-changing industry, from the people that know it best. As a media platform, we believe that our world is boundless. We want to share this world with our clients. W elcome to the April issue of Apeiron Construction. With summer on the horizon, the mood through- out the industry is one of positivity. Warmer tem- peratures and blue skies add to the sense that things are progressing to a more positive outlook. The construction industry has shown a remarkable ability to pivot and innovate in recent times, and this has never been more evident than in the way it has navigated a post-COVID world. Adapting to worker shortages and escalating prices is not an easy task. To do this while still maintaining a trajectory of growth and success is nothing short of remarkable. This month we are very excited to be sharing a small fraction of these successes. From utilizing wastewater to generate forests in arid deserts and using SMART technology to reduce road traffic accidents there is much to talk about in the industry. Alongside that we have analyzed the latest research on inclusive practices and share the findings. All the while, we speak to companies at the forefront of the industry, sharing insights and successes in equal measure. Thanks for reading! | 3 APEIRON CONSTRUCTION A note from the Editor APEIRON-CONSTRUCTION.COM APEIRONMEDIAINC.COM CHIEF EDITOR SENIOR CONTENT DEVELOPERS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS DIRECTOR OF SALES CREATIVE DIRECTOR DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER DAVID O’NEILL COLIN O’NEILL | MARK PETERS | PETER SWALE DARRAGH GILLIGAN | CHARLIE MCCANN GEORGIE DOWNES | CAROLINE EBBS | AOIFE CHANEY ERIC O’CALLAGHAN | EMMA KILCAWLEY HEMANI JAMES O’NOLAN | MANUELA ARMINI CAROLINA COIMBRA | LILE KOBALIANI KAYLA BROWN LINDSAY BAILEY ALEX MULVEYEvery year that passes, the construction industry develops and adapts. While sometimes this can be the result of market forces and innovative breakthroughs, occasionally it is a response to societal change. As the industry attempts to meet the increased demands being placed on it by inflation and competition, the voices calling for increased diversity grow ever louder. 8 Improving Opportunities for Women in the Workplace6 3 Positive News Stories 12 Advancing the Industry with Dedication and Advocacy LIUNA 20 Skilled Labour Shortage: The Problem with a Long-Term Solution OGCA 24 Following the Vision ARSENAL CONSTRUCTORS INC. 32 Masters of Efficiency in General Contracting and Construction Management BDA, INC. 38 Building the North, Rooted in the North BUILD NORTH 44 Building on its Niche BERKIM CONSTRUCTION 50 Vision Zero 54 Where Safety is the Main Pillar POWELL FOUNDATIONS 58 A 30 Year Adventure in Architectural Precast ADVANCED PRECAST INC. 64 Touchdown for Mahan Form MAHAN FORM 68 Wastewater Forests 72 Leveling the Playing Field ABC WISCONSIN 76 The Art of Delivering Promises CORPORATE CONTRACTORS INC. 82 Doing Weird Well FRIEDE & ASSOCIATES 86 We Need To Be The Champions Of Our Own Industry BCCA 90 70 Years of Building Communities H. J. RUSSELL & COMPANY 96 Great People Focused On Helping Clients GRIFFIN CONTRACT DEWATERING 100 A Community That Cares VANCOUVER ISLAND CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION 104 Educating Towards Equity 5 | APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONWith all that is happening around us, it can be easy to miss some of the advancements that are being made in the construction industry. Let’s shine a light on some good news stories that are making our world a little better. Vehicle to Grid The Electric Vehicle market is booming. Figures show that sales of both fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles are growing exponentially every year. For example, in 2021, 6.6 million cars were sold worldwide with more EVs being bought each week than there were in the whole of 2012. Evidently, the sector is growing. One interesting aspect of this market is the lifecycle of the batteries and, more importantly, what happens when they have run their course? Connected Energy is a UK based company seeking to become a world leader in battery energy storage. The com- pany is different, however. By using the ‘dead’ batteries from EVs, Connected Energy creates what it calls a second life, which is then returned to the local grid. “By extracting the value from the finite resources already embedded in them, we double their working lives. We are driven by helping to solve the challenges of the energy trilemma by disrupting the throwaway economy. Bringing huge environmental benefits to our partners and our customers.” connected-energy.co.uk | 6 APRIL 2023The Buildings Show NOV 29 - DEC 1, 2023 TORONTO, ON informaconnect.com/the-buildings-show Vancouver Island Construction Conference APRIL 14, 2023 VICTORIA, BC vicabc.ca The International Window Coverings Expo APRIL 20-21, 2023 CHARLOTTE, NC iwce-vision.com LightFair 2023 MAY 21-25, 2023 NEW YORK, NY lightfair.com Recycled Glass While seen in many quarters as an environmentally friendly alternative to single-use plastic, glass is equally problematic. While technically, it is indeed recyclable and is made from mostly natural materials, the simple fact is that most of the glass in use today ends up in landfill, where it can last for hundreds of years. Incredibly, Americans discard over eight million tons of glass each year while the EPA has reported that less than 30% of glass used in the country is recycled. New Orleans start-up company Glass Half Full has taken control of things and is working towards using the natural benefits of recycled glass to promote a circular economy. According to the company, the goal is clear. “We collect NOLA’s glass and recycle it into sand and glass cullet for coastal restoration, disaster relief, eco-construction, new glass products, and much more.” By crushing 100,000 pounds of glass each month, the company works with local businesses to reuse the raw ingredients in innovative ways. From jewelry to landscaping and construction, insulation to water filters, it seems that the sand produced from recycled glass is pure enough to mitigate the need for a material that is already in scarce supply. glasshalffullnola.org Talking Concrete SMART products are now ubiquitous. With the perma-con- nected lives we now live, there is very little in our world that is not monitoring our behaviors and actions in some form. Our houses can tweak air quality or temperature based on our physical movements and the lighting systems in our neigh- borhoods double up as CCTV. So, what next? Well, thanks to an invention coming out of Purdue University in West Lafay- ette, Indiana, the ground we walk and drive on now has the ability to talk. According to research from initial tests and pilot programs, the material benefits on multiple levels. “The invention, a sensor that allows concrete to 'talk,' decreases construction time and how often concrete pavement needs repairs while also improving the road’s sustainability and cutting its carbon footprint. Embedded directly into a concrete pour, the sensor sends engineers more precise and consistent data about the concrete’s strength and need for repair than is possible with currently used tools and methods.” With many interstates ready to adopt the innovative material, the university is claim- ing that millions of dollars will be saved. bit.ly/3TVdSMt | 7 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONWRITTEN BY DAVID O’NEILL E very year that passes, the construction industry develops and adapts. While sometimes this can be the result of market forces and innovative breakthroughs, occasionally it is a response to societal change. As the industry attempts to meet the increased demands being placed on it by inflation and competi- tion, the voices calling for increased diversity grow ever louder. For decades, the North American construction industry has been known as a male-dominated field, with women making up only a small percentage of workers. This is not a new finding, and it is certainly not a helpful one either. The imbalance has long marked the industry out as being one of the least inclusive and diverse across the job spectrum. However, in recent years, the number of women pursuing a career in construction is growing. With the industry struggling to hire skilled workers, resulting in delays and shelved projects, one must question the rationale for excluding half of the world’s population. | 8 APRIL 2023| 9 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONNext >