Growing the Workforce Gen Z May Have the Answer A Foundation of Value-Driven Action ABC DELAWARE Success through Courage, Adaptation & Dedication GORDON BARR LTD apeiron-construction.com | SEPTEMBER 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 September edition of Apeiron Con- struction. As we meet the end of summer, it is vital that we take stock and recognize the successes and challenges of 2023. Despite a less than positive outlook in some quarters, projects are breaking ground all around us and positive developments are happening all the time. While the seasons may be changing, the construction industry remains the same. Innovation and hard work are a guarantee, and the construction world remains a key aspect of global development and growth. In this issue, we are delighted to share some of the exciting and positive projects taking place around the construction world. From the innovative skills within the steel industry, to the dedication of family run businesses that started out as dream to make positive change. We have stories on futuristic transport networks and building materials that not only sus- tain but grow. In our September issue, we report on it all to share the best of the industry with our readers. As always, we are delighted to bring you these stories. 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 FIONA SHERIDAN | AOIFE CHANEY | MANUELA ARMINI ERIC O’CALLAGHAN | CHRISTOPHER CARTER KAYLA BROWN LINDSAY BAILEY ALEX MULVEYFor the past year, forecasters have been predicting a downturn in the construction sector. Throughout this period, the prospect of a recession has loomed over the industry and it seems that a combination of challenging factors such as supply concerns and skilled worker shortages have created ripples of anxiety to spread in some quarters. However, the difficulty with accepting the viewpoints of small industry cohorts is that it is rarely representative of the industry as a whole. These challenges certainly exist, nobody is claiming otherwise. However, the construction industry in North America is not quite on the precipice of meltdown just yet. 8 Growing the Workforce – Gen Z May Have the Answer12 Success through Courage, Adaptation & Dedication GORDON BARR LTD 20 Pushing the Glass Envelope BASS INSTALLATION 26 Supplying Ontario through Knowledge and Experience FORM AND BUILD SUPPLY 32 Building Dreams, One Deck at a Time HICKORY DICKORY DECKS 38 Generational Pride ROBERTS ONSITE 42 Hydrogen Highways 6 3 Positive News Stories 46 A Foundation of Value-Driven Action ABC DELAWARE 52 Building on a Legacy: Three Generations Strong NOWLAND ASSOCIATES 58 Living Building Materials 62 Running with Opportunity BRISTOL STEEL & CONVEYOR CORP 68 The Alleguard Advantage ALLEGUARD 72 Fifty Years of Putting People First WESTERN PACIFIC ENTERPRISES 78 Wood Cities 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. Empathic Design As we attempt to migrate our built environment to a position that better reflects the environmental challenges facing society, many avenues are cur- rently being explored. Retrofitting, deconstruction, and sustainable materials are all invaluable tools in the battle to rebalance our energy consumption and the earth’s natural resources. One element that can be overlooked is the need for both flexibility and equity in terms of design, usage and context. With many sustainable practices now becoming ubiquitous, an element of rigid thinking can unconsciously encourage barriers to social equity. Empathic Design is a concept that has been around for many years but is now gathering pace. It is a set of techniques based on observation and integrative consultation with the end user of a building. By placing the person at the cen- ter of the process, building designs can be identified and tweaked. According to a team leading Empathetic Design processes as Stanford University, the process is grounded in empathy and equality. “Empathic design translates equity principles to equity in design. Currently, racial and gender bias in AI and other algorithm-mediated technologies is receiving due attention. This provides a relatable point of reference for students to envision how equity relates to computer engineering.” | 6 SEPTEMBER 2023Net-Zero 5G While the ICT industry is one of the most innovative and forward-thinking sectors around the globe, it is not without its problems. Though the industry is utilizing its technology to identify, test and support the decarbonization of industry and business, its own energy consumption and emissions are areas that require further scrutiny. If we consider that approximately 66% of the global population –5.3 billion peo- ple—are using the internet on a daily basis, it is no surprise to learn that corrective action by the ICT industry could result in a decrease of around 15% of all global emissions. However, 3G networks can be as much as 70% less efficient than 4G networks. This means that, while there may be increased traffic, there are also increased benefits. In fact, things are going even further than that. Red Sea Global has collaborated with Zain KSA to launch the very first net-zero 5G network. According to the a recent press release, the net- work promises high 5G connectivity speed powered by 100% renewable energy from over 760,000 solar panels to power the entire 10,810-square-mile (28,000-kilometer) destination. John Pagano, CEO at Red Sea Global believes that it is a game changing development. “We aspire to be global pio- neers of regenerative tourism development, adopting 100% renewable energy at our flagship destination, The Red Sea, and working towards the achievement of a 30% net conser- vation benefit by 2040.” Data Center Energy As online usage and cloud storage grows to become an indel- ible aspect of human society, we are becoming ever more used to the concept of the data center. Vast warehouses that are filled with the servers that contain and transport our online information are big business these days. In fact, the hard- ware and software needed to maintain cloud storage globally sits at around 2% of the overall consumption of energy. While this may seem large as it is, the figure is expected to grow to a staggering 20% by 2025. While the energy needed to run these centers is unavoidably large, mitigating initiatives are being put in place to offset this usage with surprising, com- munity focused results. Codema is an energy efficiency agency in Dublin, Ireland. Working with a local governmental department, the Tallaght District Heating Scheme, the company has put in place a mechanism to capture the waste heat that is generated from these centers and use it to heat subsidized housing. Accord- ing to John O’Shea, an energy systems analyst at Codema, the potential for unconventional heat sources such as these “could supply as much as 10% of the EU’s total energy demand for heat and water. The Buildings Show NOV 29 - DEC 1, 2023 | TORONTO, ON informaconnect.com/the-buildings-show | 7 APEIRON CONSTRUCTION| 8 SEPTEMBER 2023WRITTEN BY DAVID O’NEILL F or the past year, forecasters have been predicting a downturn in the construc- tion sector. Throughout this period, the prospect of a recession has loomed over the industry and it seems that a combination of challenging factors such as supply concerns and skilled worker shortages have created ripples of anxiety to spread in some quar- ters. However, the difficulty with accepting the viewpoints of small industry cohorts is that it is rarely representative of the indus- try as a whole. These challenges certainly exist, nobody is claiming otherwise. How- ever, the construction industry in North America is not quite on the precipice of meltdown just yet. In fact, it is far from it. While it may seem like an exaggeration to some, the North American construc- tion industry is booming at a level that has never been seen before. According to expert data analysis, the market is esti- mated to grow at an annual rate of 3.3% between now and 2027. This is, in part, due to an increase in spending from both the private and public sectors in the areas of energy and infrastructure. Furthermore, data suggests that the industry market size is expected to reach an incredible $1,772.5 billion this year. So, with these figures allay- ing the fears of some within the industry, the question now is; where do we go from here? Interestingly, the answer is… backwards. As the industry prepares to meet the demands of increased funding and projects, there is a genuine need to increase the workforce. Recent analysis from Associated Builders and Contrac- tors revealed that the industry will need to attract an additional 546,000 workers on top of the typ- ical pace of hiring this year. When this is coupled with the inevitable depletion of a workforce where roughly a quarter of workers are over the age of 55, we can identify potential pitfalls to capitalizing on the success happening within the sector. | 9 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONNext >