Growing the Industry to Keep Workers Safe Sometimes Dreams are Unexpected PRAZTEK CONSTRUCTION Facilitating, Educating and Communicating FLORIDA PRESTRESSED CONCRETE ASSOCIATION apeiron-construction.com | AUGUST 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 August edition of Apeiron Construc- tion. We are now in the second half of the year and trends will once again shift. While not imminent, project managers and business owners will no doubt have one eye on the year end. Budgets and planning will be con- sidered and the inevitable review of all things construction will start to take place. The industry is currently in a state of flux, it seems. Huge sums of infrastructure money are being balanced against ongoing workforce and supply chal- lenges. Additional safety regulations are continuing to add pressure on businesses, and the ever-increasing develop- ment of new technologies is proving to be both benefit and challenge in their training and use. However, these headline challenges don’t show the full picture. Much is happening on the ground, and incremental success demonstrates the true resilience of the industry. In this issue, we will be sharing those small details that can be overlooked. The rate and scope of projects break- ing ground every day is inspiring. Businesses and workers across North America are changing the way we live in real time. We are proud to bring you these stories. We take a look at how science and weather experts are making our homes safer, how invasive plants are being transformed into build- ing materials, and how modern solar technology can make our windows SMART. With that, we are bringing stories from across the industry that demonstrate the skill and ability on our jobsites. As industry commentators start to cast their judgement on the industry, we are happy to present the real stories of the construction sector. Thanks for reading! | 3 APEIRON CONSTRUCTION A note from our Chief Editor APEIRON-CONSTRUCTION.COM APEIRONMEDIAINC.COM CHIEF EDITOR SENIOR CONTENT DEVELOPERS CONTENT DEVELOPERS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS DIRECTOR OF SALES CREATIVE DIRECTOR DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER DAVID O’NEILL COLIN O’NEILL | PETER SWALE CHARLIE MCCANN | MARK PETERS DARAGH KIERNAN | MARCO GUANNUE | PRINCE ANTHONY ERIC O’CALLAGHAN | CAROLINE EBBS | LUKE SHEEHAN CHRISTOPHER CARTER | EMMA KILCAWLEY HEMANI AOIFE CHANEY | JAMES O’NOLAN | MANUELA ARMINI KAYLA BROWN LINDSAY BAILEY ALEX MULVEY“We all know the numbers. And we know that four primary hazards account for about 60 percent of construction fatalities every year. We need to continue to focus these well-known hazards to drive down the number of construction workers who are injured or killed on the job. The fact is that we all can and need to do more.” These were the words of Doug Parker, Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA. He was speaking at a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) in June of last year. 8 Growing the Industry to Keep Workers Safe12 Sometimes Dreams are Unexpected PRAZTEK CONSTRUCTION 18 A Reputation for Success UNITED STEEL 22 The Value of Process STAINLESS PIPING SYSTEMS 26 Restoring the Past to Build the Future MAXCON INC. 30 The Power of Glass 34 Facilitating, Educating and Communicating FLORIDA PRESTRESSED CONCRETE ASSOCIATION 6 3 Positive News Stories 38 An Ongoing Journey LEESBURG CONCRETE COMPANY 44 Adapting to Change with AI 48 Reinforcing Success BARSPLICE PRODUCTS INC 52 The Right Way for the Highway LONG ISLAND CONTRACTORS’ ASSOCIATION 56 Invasive Materials – Construction, the Natural Way 60 A Rising Tide for the Precast Industry PCI MOUNTAIN STATES 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. Wood Cities For many years, people have looked to Scandinavian coun- tries for examples of innovative thinking and creative ideas. From automotive industries to the education sector, new models of design and practice have come from this part of Northern Europe. As Sweden, like every other country, expe- riences huge challenges in relation to meeting its emissions targets, it seems that it will need to come up with a solution that ensures viable growth and sustainability for residents. Its plan, scheduled to begin in 2025, aims to redefine urban living through ‘sustainability, innovation and aesthetic excellence.’ The way this will be achieved? By creating a wooden city. Urban development company Atrium Ljungberg aims to pro- duce the largest wooden city in Stockholm, Sweden. The first of these buildings are due to be installed by 2027. Spanning over 250,000 sq m, the city will be a combination of commer- cial and residential structures, created with timber. Annica Ånäs, CEO of Atrium Ljungberg, believes that the project is one that sets Sweden out as a global leader in the race to produce more sustainable living. “We are proud to introduce Stockholm Wood City. This is not only an important step for us as a company, but a historic milestone for Swedish innovation capability. Stockholm Wood City manifests our future. From tenants, there is a strong demand for innovative, sustainable solutions – a demand that we meet with this initiative.” bit.ly/3rYkYpu Illustration: Atrium Ljungberg / Henning Larsen | 6 AUGUST 2023Living Building Materials The nature of the construction industry is one of perpetual change. While historically this may have come in waves, the modern world does not allow for pause and the rise of innovation and new technologies mean that the industry is constantly adapting. Many of these changes are the result of scientific breakthroughs, but sometimes ‘necessity is the mother of invention,’ as the saying goes. In this instance, it is crucial that alternatives to the carbon heavy materials used on jobsites around the world. Led by Associate Professor Wil V. Srubar III, the Living Materi- als Laboratory is a team of researchers and scientists based in University of Colorado, Boulder. Their aim is simple, to ‘Build with Biology.’ Having received over $16M in research funding, the team has set about identifying, testing, and discovering alternative ‘living’ materials that can be used in the construction industry. With projects such as load-bearing and self-repairing sand, it seems the team are leading neces- sary change. “By maximizing resource productivity, longevity, and recovery, sustainable materials exhibit a transformative potential to enhance the global sustainability of our built and natural environments.” spot.colorado.edu/~wisr7047 Hydrogen Highways The prospect of super-highways where hydrogen powered vehicles travel at speeds similar to those of airplanes seems to be the stuff of science fiction. Even more futuristic is the technology that would be involved in the highways themselves. Maglev (derived from magnetic levitation) is a process that has been around for over a century but is rarely used. Maglev trains hover about a track while the pull of electromagnets guides them. With no road or track friction to slow the trains, the vehicles can reach huge speeds. Scientists have now created a new technology which is based on concept of maglev. Cars containing supercon- ductive material are suspended over a magnetic guideway. While these superconductors can conduct electricity effi- ciently, they only work at incredibly low temperatures which is why hydrogen is used to cool the system. SClev, the name given to this method, has been proposed by Zhifeng Ren –a physicist at the University of Houston. Ren believes that with research funding, this could be a breakthrough of enormous proportions. “I do not see any big questions on the tech- nology unanswered, but more on the financial support,” he says. “I hope to see either government or private investment to start a real project to demonstrate actual installation of the concept.” bit.ly/3OcsSmR The Buildings Show NOV 29 - DEC 1, 2023 | TORONTO, ON informaconnect.com/the-buildings-show | 7 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONWRITTEN BY DAVID O’NEILL “W e all know the numbers. And we know that four primary hazards account for about 60 percent of construction fatalities every year. We need to continue to focus these well-known hazards to drive down the number of construction workers who are injured or killed on the job. The fact is that we all can and need to do more.” These were the words of Doug Parker, Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA. He was speaking at a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) in June of last year. The committee is a statutory body that is charged with providing advice and assistance to the Assistant Secretary in relation to construction standards and policy matters. What that means in real terms is that ACCSH holds meetings and public workgroups that engage in research, hold open discussions, produce materials, and deliberate on industry matters with a view to making recommendations. | 8 AUGUST 2023| 9 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONNext >