Construction in Space The One Stop Merit Shop ABC MICHIGAN Half a Century in Modular Buildings NORTHGATE INDUSTRIES apeiron-construction.com | MAY 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. Welcome to the May issue of Apeiron Construction. We approach the summer months with a renewed sense of pur- pose and motivation. The rising temperatures and sunlight have pushed through, and it is easy to feel a greater appreci- ation for the positive impact the construction industry brings. While it goes without saying that the industry faces chal- lenges, it seems as though these are being tackled head-on. Our industry is, above all else, a resilient one. Its cyclical nature is the only real constant and despite the problems we face, it is important to remember that we have beaten them before and will beat them again. From SMART building materials to the benefits of recy- cled glass, the level of innovation and forward-thinking is relentless. Alongside that, we look at the ways EVs can be repurposed to provide a more circular economy and share glimpses of some truly groundbreaking construction plans that go further than anything we have seen on earth. We are delighted to bring stories from across the industry, sharing successes and inspiration in equal measures. The construc- tion industry is one that needs to be looked at a macro level. It’s peaks and troughs are omnipresent. We are bringing you something a little more detailed however, the stories of the people within the industry. 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 ERIC O’CALLAGHAN | JAMES O’NOLAN FIONA SHERIDAN | EMMA KILCAWLEY HEMANI MANUELA ARMINI | AOIFE CHANEY KAYLA BROWN LINDSAY BAILEY ALEX MULVEYThe construction industry has existed, in some form, as long as life itself. For millennia, structures have been produced for protection, shelter, and comfort, many of these being as complex and innovative as circumstances allowed. Long before modern technologies had been developed, creative minds have used the tools around them to build and to develop structures. While this has all been of huge benefit to us as a global community, it has not always been a smooth ride. Alongside the tumult of the business world, labor shortages and supply chain issues, the construction industry is in a constant battle with the earth that we are building on. 8 Construction in Space6 3 Positive News Stories 12 Half a Century in Modular Buildings NORTHGATE INDUSTRIES 18 Illuminating Alberta TERRITORIAL ELECTRIC 24 Moulded in the Community MAYSTAR GENERAL CONTRACTORS INC. 30 Building a Better Future with Safety, Cultural Values & Dedication to First Nations Communities RAW GROUP 34 Vehicle to Grid 38 The One Stop Merit Shop ABC MICHIGAN 42 Michigan Master of Construction Delivery WOLVERINE BUILDING GROUP 48 Approaching 100 Years of Trusted Service CONSOLIDATED ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS 54 Glass Half Full 58 Keep on Climbing ABC FLORIDA EAST COAST CHAPTER 62 Building Great Builders JGR CONSTRUCTION INC. 68 Talking Concrete 72 Bridging Academia and the Precast Concrete Industry PCI GULF SOUTH 76 Prestressed Beams with an 82-Year-Old Legacy JJ FERGUSON 80 Growing Technicians from the Ground Up PRO SERVICESWith 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. Grass Grown Wood As building materials become ever more expensive, the con- struction industry is in a difficult place. Costs are rising across the board and as a result, innovative minds are attempting to pivot away from concrete to a more environmental and sustainably produced material, timber. With this in mind, it is little surprise to learn that timber structures are enjoying something of a resurgence. Techniques and practices have advanced to the point where timber is offering genuine alternatives to brick and cement. There is one small sticking point, however, and that is time. Forests, while sustainable by their very nature, do not spring up overnight. So, what can the industry do to offset the lead-in times of these materials. Josh Dorfman, along with two former SpaceX engineers, has founded Plantd. The company’s flagship product is a wood- panel materials designed for homebuilding. However, this material differs from the norm slightly. Incredibly, Plantd’s product comes from a fast-growing species of grass. Accord- ing to Dorfman, the product is right up there with anything else in the industry, too. “We see the greatest opportunity to lock away the most carbon when we make a superior prod- uct than what exists today.” plantdmaterials.com FACTORY OF THE FUTURE Plantd | 6 MAY 2023MAY 17–18, 2023 ENERCARE CENTRE, TORONTO evandchargingexpo.com 2-Story 3D While 3D Printing has certainly made those in the con- struction world sit up and take notice, it hasn’t yet taken over. Techniques are advancing and appear to be close to a level that could be rolled out on a wider scale, but cost and knowledge it still a barrier. The potential benefits of 3D printing in relation to the construction industry are clear. It is incredibly fast, for starters. Amidst a housing crisis, this is reason alone for the sector to be prioritized. Despite these benefits, it is an area still in its infancy. This may not be the case for very long though. The culmination of a two-year collaborative effort between architectural designers Leslie Lok and Sasa Zivkovic, princi- pals of HANNAH; along with PERI 3D Construction, and CIVE, one of the leading engineering and design/build contractors in Houston has resulted in the ‘House of Cores,’ the first ever two-story house built by using a 3D printer. The printer, an enormous piece of equipment that weighs more than 12 tons itself, erected the three-bedroom structure in an incredible 330 hours. With the need for more housing immediately, this could signal the beginning of an end to the crisis. hannah-office.org/work/cores Seaweed Bricks Seaweed, the marine macroalgae that covers around 3.4 million square kilometers of our oceans, has many uses. The biological and environmental service it provides to coastlines and the ocean itself cannot be understated. It is not, however, the most welcomed and loved plant on the planet. To put it mildly, human interaction with seaweed tends to land some- where around ambivalence and frustration. It’s unsightly color washes ashore, leaving bathers to battle against its well-known smell. This was the landscape on the beaches of Riveira Maya, Mexico when, faced with governmental requirements to clear the fowl smelling sargassum variety for landfill, Omar de Jesús Vazquez Sánchez decided to do something dif- ferent. Sargablock is a construction material made from sargassum seaweed. The blocks created using the material have passed building regulations and since 2021, Omar’s company has used almost 6,000 tons of seaweed, building structures all around the state of Jalisco. “When sargas- sum started arriving, it created a similar reaction. Everyone was complaining, I wanted to mold something good out of something everyone saw as bad.” fortomorrow.org/explore-solutions/sargablock The Buildings Show NOV 29 - DEC 1, 2023 TORONTO, ON informaconnect.com/the-buildings-show LightFair 2023 MAY 21-25, 2023 NEW YORK, NY lightfair.com | 7 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONPhoto by NASA | 8 MAY 2023WRITTEN BY DAVID O’NEILL T he construction industry has existed, in some form, as long as life itself. For millennia, structures have been produced for protection, shelter, and comfort, many of these being as complex and innovative as circumstances allowed. Long before modern technologies had been developed, creative minds have used the tools around them to build and to develop structures. While this has all been of huge benefit to us as a global community, it has not always been a smooth ride. Alongside the tumult of the business world, labor shortages and supply chain issues, the construction industry is in a constant battle with the earth that we are building on. Practices have advanced and are now reaching a point where environmental impacts can be offset to a degree, but the construction world is by no means a clean one. Innovation and science are com- bining to produce the most sustainable materials while processes have become so refined that the impact on land is minimal, however, there is still an impact. Unsurprisingly, the industry is looking for alternatives. With unnerving predictions of climate related conditions and the diminishing ability to develop new types of energy, our view has turned slightly further afield. | 9 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONNext >