< PreviousWRITTEN BY GARRETH OWEN I n an era where speed, sustainability, and cost-efficiency are considered paramount, modular construction is emerging as a viable way for companies to deliver projects on time, and on budget. With modular components manufactured off-site and assembled with precision, this cutting-edge approach is revolutionizing the way buildings are conceived, designed, and erected. At the forefront of the modular construction boom in Ontario is Central Precast, previously featured in the May ‘22 edition of Apeiron Construction. It’s a testament to the advantages of modular construction that since we last spoke, Central Precast has already successfully delivered several modular projects that were in the pipeline back in 2022. As modular construction enjoys something of a boom in the industry, Stefano Mion— Estimator at Central Precast—believes the advantages for businesses are clear. “I think people can realize the benefits of modular construction such as efficiencies on site, reduction in subcontractors or trades on site that they need to manage. We're able to erect entire structures in one to five days where a conventional build can take weeks or months.” | 71 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONIt’s not just build-time that’s dramatically reduced, adopting a modular approach also greatly streamlines the construction process. “In conventional builds, our clients are organizing multiple trades, contractors, daily supplies etc. Whereas with modular construction, they're really only dealing with us. You're going from managing half a dozen trades down to just one.” Then there are other efficiencies from manufacturing off-site. “There's definitely less waste with modular because we're only forming and supplying what's needed for the build- ing. When a building is erected on site there's significantly more material waste.” As part of the third generation of the Mion family to work at Central Precast, Stefano follows in the storied footsteps of his father, John, and grandfather, Luigi, who started the company 67 years ago after emigrating from Italy in the 1950s. Having made their name as one of the largest and most diversified precasters in Ontario, Stefano and his family are already well- versed in fabricating building materials off-site. “My grand- father started out manufacturing small, simple items, such as steps and slabs; small items that could be fabricated in his garage. Essentially, he was looking for efficiencies in the construction industry and trying to fill a void in the market.” Though the company is now enjoying a period of continued growth, in the early days there was some skepticism around precast materials, “Precast was still a bit of a new concept, even to this day, there's still sometimes a little reluctance to using it. But we always knew that if we kept delivering viable products in a timely manner then it would become accepted by the industry and used more and more.” It wasn’t long before clients and contractors started to real- ize the benefits of precast. “They started requesting different items for their projects and my grandfather kept making more and more and different products.” It’s an approach that’s served Central Precast well over the years as the company’s product offering has expanded rapidly. “We're well known and we're one of the largest retailers for concrete products and we’re always looking for trends to diversify our product line. We eventually got into infrastructure products like pipes and manholes, and then utility products like transformer bases and spun concrete poles. Whenever clients made requests for different products, if we were able to make it, we would try to offer it as a product line.” One such example is Central Precast’s recent expansion into natural stone. “We spotted a trend towards using natural stone, so we just felt it was a good opportunity to expand it to the market.” These days, the Central Precast brand is fast becoming asso- ciated with projects in the modular construction space, includ- ing shipping its largest modular building to date in Geraldton, Ontario. As Stefano explains, however, larger projects can come with their own challenges. “The bigger the building, the more risks are involved. So now you're dealing with overheight permits and there are restrictions on when the building can be transported throughout the day. On top of that, there was construction along the route, so that that minimized the time that the building was actually allowed to be shipped along that route because of its size.” In spite of the challenges, Central Precast was able to deliver the project successfully, further solidifying its stellar reputation in the industry. Geraldton, ON | 72 NOVEMBER 2023Another recent project that showcased the versatility of both modular construction and Central Precast’s approach was the Wateridge Village housing development in Ottawa. Tasked with creating a hydro vault on the development, Stefano and his team were asked to create something that harmonized with the existing structures. “We try to be flexible and to accommodate customer requests as much as possible. Their concern was that they didn't want just plain concrete as a final finish of the product. So, this was a good opportunity to use different finishes and multicolor staining techniques to match the adjacent buildings in that development.” As he goes on to explain, collaboration was key to achieving the desired results. “They brought us physical samples for the brick and siding so we could match the finish to those adjacent houses.” With insulated precast wall panels, simulated brick patterns, and a color palette matching the surroundings, the hydro vault fits seamlessly into the built environment, showcasing Central Precast’s knack for innovation, aesthetics, fire safety, and most importantly, delivering the project on time. It’s this unwavering attention to detail that’s allowed Central Precast to develop such a strong reputation in the industry, something that Stefano highlights as a key reason for the company’s continued success and longevity. “I think it's just about being reliable and having that reputation for continu- ously trying to provide good quality products and customer service for the industry.” Looking at the current challenges facing the industry, labor shortages are frequently cited as one of the key concerns for leaders in construction, but Mion sees this challenge from a different angle. “For us, there’s a larger focus on retainment. Retaining current staff could be as important, if not more important, than recruitment.” It’s not an entirely surprising answer from a company with such strong family bonds, after all, Stefano works alongside his brothers Marco and Carlo L., and cousins Claudio, Carlo E., and John Licari. The family feel is something the company has been keen to maintain. “We run several training and skills programs that we offer to our employees, but we’ve also done a lot of initiatives just to benefit the people that work here, whether that’s company barbecues and food trucks, the branded gear we hand out, even down to the annual Christmas party.” As the team at Central Precast looks ahead, Stefano sees modular construction as a potential way it can meet the growing needs of the industry. “There's demand for faster offsite, modular construction. So, with increasing labor short- ages, total precast systems can help solve these problems. I think this could well be the future of the industry and it’s definitely an area that we’re going to put a larger focus on in the coming years.” Photos by Carlo L. Mion / Central Precast “With insulated precast wall panels, simulated brick patterns, and a color palette matching the surroundings, the hydro vault fits seamlessly into the built environment.” Wateridge Village Ottawa, ON | 73 APEIRON CONSTRUCTION| 74 NOVEMBER 2023WRITTEN BY ERIC O’CALLAGHAN T he American Concrete Pressure Pipe Association (ACPPA) is an association of manufacturers and other interested parties related specifically to the concrete pressure pipe industry. Involved in all aspects of concrete pressure pipe including design, manufacture, application and installation of concrete pressure pipe (CPP); the ACPPA aims to educate owners, specifiers and installers and research all things CPP. As the authority on CPP in North America, covering both US and Canada, ACPPA has a specific niche due to its direct focus on CPP. As an engineered composite product, the pipe’s limit states design process is tailored to be specific to a project’s requirements and is more detailed than steel, iron or PVC pipe. Its uniqueness requires special education. As an engineered product, concrete pressure’s design attributes are not looked up in a catalog and is not typically something that's covered in engineering curricula. That is why the ACPPA is invested in training and promoting the use of CPP. | 75 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONPresident of ACPPA, Kevin Baas, has nearly 40 years of expe- rience in concrete, steel, and fiberglass pipe design, manufac- turing, quality assurance, construction, and pipeline design. Baas was selected President of the ACPPA on May 1, 2023, after most recently serving as ACPPA’s Technical Committee Chair. He is more than familiar with the intricacy of CPP and understands that a distinct, three-pronged approach must be taken by the ACPPA. “The ACPPA has a three-pronged approach: Research, Edu- cation and the Audit Program,” Baas explains. “We perform research, we fund research, and we participate in research to improve understanding of the design, manufacturing, instal- lation, and use of CPP. We also provide education services to owners, engineers and other interested parties through our website and through a number of other applications such as webinars, seminars, technical papers, and individual training. “The third of the three prong is an audit program that ACPPA provides for the industry. Everybody's familiar with ISO and ISO audits to ensure that the products that are manufactured meet current specifications. ACPPA goes a step further. They have developed an audit program for concrete pressure pipe manufacturers that covers over 200 aspects of engineering, material properties, quality and manufacturing processes used in the manufacture of CPP.” ACPPA developed the audit program based on the American Water Works Association (AWWA) standards, which is then implemented by a third party. The third party ACPPA hired to audit each of the manufacturing facilities and make sure that everything from material procurement to pipe design to pipe manufacturer, is Lloyd’s Register. The research aspect of its approach is something that is extremely important to those at ACPPA. The association participates in research projects not only on its own behalf, but partners with a number of different Institutes and associ- ations, such as: The American Concrete Institute, The Amer- ican Society of Civil Engineers, ASTM International, AWWA, The Clean Water Council, AMPP and more. The last — and by no means least — part of this approach is education. ACPPA values the education of its members and the wider industry as being a core facet of the work it does, and there are many ways in which the association achieves this. ACPPA provides webinars and in-person seminars where its members have the opportunity to present technical papers at various conferences. | 76 NOVEMBER 2023Being a member of ACPPA brings with it countless benefits, particularly when it comes to available materials and accessing the latest technology. There are two software offerings devel- oped by, and for, ACPPA. One is the Thrust Restraint Design Program (TRDP). Whether it's ductile, iron, steel, concrete or fiberglass, all materials are subjected to thrust in their appli- cation and every industry has its own method of calculating thrust. ACPPA has the most technically accurate thrust design method for any pipe and it's applicable to CPP. ACPPA has simplified this information for its users and compiled this into a software program that is provided free of charge to anybody that requests it from their newly re-designed website, acppa. org. Ultimately, this means that TRDP can calculate and design a thrust system for concrete pressure pipe. The other software is for the actual design of the pipe. In the late 1980s, ACPPA and its member companies hired an inter- nationally renowned consultant in the concrete pressure pipe world to revise and improve the design method for concrete pressure pipe. The consultant came up with a design process that then went through the AWWA approval process. That approval process included review by manufacturers, con- sultants, owners and other interested parties for technical accuracy and correctness and took over a year to approve. On its completion, AWWA issued a new standard. “The American Water Works Association issued AWWA C304as a new design standard for prestressed concrete pressure pipe. The design method is very accurate, going through multiple load application scenarios. To simplify its use, ACPPA commissioned the creation of a software pro- gram called unified design program (UDP), which we make available to owners, manufacturers and engineers. While Baas explains that this particular software does come with a charge, he believes that its benefits far outweigh any price. “The ACPPA has a three-pronged approach: Research, Education and the Audit Program.” | 77 APEIRON CONSTRUCTION“There is a charge for this software, but it will simplify the design of prestress concrete pressure pipe from the complex design method that is now AWWA C304. You can now do it simply with this UDP software and it follows C304 to the letter.” Within the ACPPA, there are several different levels of mem- bership. The highest is something that the ACPPA refers to as a “Member”. This refers to a company that manufactures concrete pressure pipe. As part of this membership, the company will have access to the audit program, an extensive technical library, marketing functions, and more. Associate members are those that provide services such as tapping or repairing pipes. ACPPA stresses the importance of service providers becoming associate members of ACPPA. If an owner or contractor hires an associate ACPPA member, it can be assured that the procedures, processes and materials the company uses all follow the ACPPA guidelines. With the importance of safety and a need to understand CPP to the highest level, ACPPA plans to step up its education in the future. Its plan is to increase the number of webinars, seminars and training sessions it offers, and it has put a detailed roadmap in place. “We just completed one the end of September, which was a four-day technical presentation to a major organization in Ontario. It's one of the larger water organizations there. ACPPA held an eight-session technical presentation spread out over four days on concrete pressure pipe from design to manufacture, installation, inspection, repair, and modification. We are going to make a similar offer to other municipalities and other water entities as well.” For Baas, these sessions go beyond reaching out to industry pro- fessionals. As he explains, the ACPPA puts great effort into connecting and educating the next generation of workers also. “Now that we're out of the COVID bubble, we're redou- bling our efforts to reach out to people, including universities. We have a several potential opportunities to teach a class; by either performing as a guest speaker at a university, or by hosting a seminar at some of the top engineering schools around the US and Canada. By doing this, we can provide the best information to students and other people that are interested in CPP.” | 78 NOVEMBER 2023In an industry where excellence can come down to minute details, it is vital that the professionals working within the industry are trained to the highest standard. It goes without saying that, in order to achieve this, you need to learn from the best. Becoming a member of the ACPPA is not just an opportunity to learn about CPP from highly knowledgeable educators. It also provides the opportunity to engage, con- nect with, and learn from, the most experienced people within the industry. When it comes to Concrete Pressure Pipe, the American Concrete Pressure Pipe Association is the encyclo- pedia of CPP, with the knowledge and research to prove it. | 79 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONNext >