Category: Technology

Mass timber building is on the rise in Canada.

Canada’s national building code now approves laminated wood-beam buildings of up to 12 storeys, expanding what can be done with the technology.

In B.C. the province has staked its claim as an havan for mass timber construction. Earlier this year officials launched the Mass Timber Action Plan by announcing funding for four new mass-timber housing and infrastructure projects. 

The province believes it could have as many as 10 new mass-timber manufacturers by 2035. Officials anticipate that boosting the sector’s skills training through trades programs at post-secondary institutions could help fill an anticipated 4,400 additional job openings in manufacturing, construction and design. 

Here are a few companies that are already leading the charge in Canada to boost the mass timber sector: 

1. Adera Developments 

Adera Developments, a multidisciplinary real estate company, has wood in its veins. They were an early adopter of mass timber construction, developing their own proprietary mass timber materials and systems like Quiet Home and SmartWood. They also have a stake in the materials. They are a shareholder in Structurlam, a mass timber product manufacturer based in Penticton which also makes an appearance on this list. Adera recently announced the first SmartWood mass timber community in Surrey Central’s West Village. What’s SmartWood? According to Adera, the proprietary technology is an entirely new class of building material competitively as strong as concrete and steel, yet at a price point that falls between light wood frame and concrete.

2. Seagate

Seagate does it all: Design, installation, prefabrication and procurement. They also are working with the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) on developing and delivering two micro-credential courses on working with mass timber. They worked on the iconic 18-storey mass timber building Brock Commons which was was built in just 47 days with 464 cross laminated timber (CLT) panels supported by 1,302 glulam columns.

3. Structurlam

Structurlam is a leading manufacturer of mass timber products including CLT, Glulam beams, industrial matting and more. In addition to working on major Canadian projects, like Brock Commons, Structurelam has branched out. They worked on Carbon12 in Portland, the tallest CLT structure in the U.S. While they have been based in Penticton, B.C. since 1962, the company recently spent $90 million to buy, renovate and equip a former steel plant in Arkansas where it is expanding its U.S. operations.

4. Nordic Structures

The Montreal-based CLT producer has worked on many projects in the U.S. and Canada, including Canadian Nuclear Labratories, Plate 15, Paul Mercier Library and more. Since 1961, Nordic has been using trees to make construction materials at its industrial complex in Chibougamau.

5. Element5 Co. 

Element5 designs, fabricates and builds custom mass timber buildings. They believe mass timber construction is a revolution set to take the industry by storm. Some of their projects include Sohac – Nshwaasnangong Childcare and Family Centre, WLU Indigenous Centre and the Port Stanley Fire Hall.

“As the world rapidly approaches 9 billion people – three times what it was in less than a single lifetime – our fragile planet is desperate for sustainable alternative,” says the company on their website. “The unifying vision of the those who drive the revolution, Element5 among them, see timber as the essential building material of the 21st century.”

6. Western Archrib 

Western Archrib has been in the game a long time. The company first started designing, manufacturing, and custom fabricating glued-laminated structural wood systems back in 1951.  Archrib’s product line includes the manufacture of douglas fir glulam, spruce pine glulam, and Alaskan yellow cedar glulam into beams, columns, and mass timber panels. Some projects they currently are working on include the Robert G. Kuhn Building at Trinity Western University, a community hub for Peepeepkisis Cree Nation and Frog Lake First Nation Jr./Sr. High School. 

7. StructureCraft

If you want a mass timber project built, they have the brains to do it. StructureCraft calls its primary delivery method “engineer-build” because of the close link between engineering and building have in their process. The Abbotsford, B.C.-based company states that this draws on the historical model of “master-builder” where engineers take a more active role in building the structures they engineer. 

“This is especially important in the field of timber construction, where the structure is featured and exposed,” reads the company’s website. 

Some notable projects include the Soto office building in Texas, the DC Public Library in Washington, D.C., and the Canada Earth Tower in Vancouver. 

8. Spearhead Timberworks

Spearhead’s manufacturing facility sits on the west arm of Kootenay Lake in the Southern Interior of British Columbia. The 30,000 sq.ft. facility houses full-service millwork and timberframe shops featuring CNC manufacturing and timber milling equipment along with design and administration offices. They use BIM software to create fabrication-level digital models which directly interface their CNC machinery. Some notable projects include the Aspen Art Museum, Grand Teton National Park Discovery and Visitor Center in Wyoming and the Strings Music Pavilion in Colorado. 

9. Kalesnikoff Mass Timber

One of the oldest on this list, the Kalesnikoff company history goes back to just after the first World War. In 1922, Kalesnikoffs first moved to the West Kootenays as Russian immigrants to join a communal Doukhobour settlement called Champion Creek. According to the family-owned company, Koozma Kalesnikoff’s parents and his brothers, Sam and Peter, arrived with dreams of peace and prosperity. After getting Timber rights for land near Castlegar, B.C. they operated with a guiding principle: “Take care of the Land and the Land will take care of you.” 

They claim to have North America’s most advanced, vertically-integrated, multi-species mass timber facility. The 110,000 square foot plant makes CLT, glue-laminated timber panels and glulam beams.

10. Brisco Manufacturing

Brisco is relatively new to the scene. The company opened up shop in 2002 to become a specialty producer of large beams manufactured from laminated veneer lumber (LVL).

The company says that Aat that time, LVL beams were primarily used in hidden, interior residential and commercial construction applications. Since then, their team has been working with architects, engineers and general contractors to incorporate the new Brisco Fine Line products into a multitude of new exposed applications. Some of Brisco’s projects include Vancouver’s Joyce-Collingwood Skytrain Station, Qualicum Beach Fire Hall on Vancouver Island and Northern Lights College in Dawson, B.C.

11. Fraserwood Industries

One of the first things international travellers see when they arrive in Vancouver is work from Fraserwood. The company participated in YVR’s Pier D project – the airport’s largest project since the mid 1990s. Fraserwood was started in 1998 and has gone on to become a major player in the mass timber manufacturing and building sector. The company landed its first major commercial project, the Sea to Sky Gondola service buildings and restaurant, in 2014. Since then they have worked on the Crested Butte Center for the Arts, Squamish’s O’Siem and even provided timber for famed architect Frank Gehry’s personal residence.

12. BC Passive House

Their name kind of says it all. BC Passive House is a B.C.-based full-service prefabrication company specializing in the design and construction of high-performance panelized building systems, specialized structural panels, heavy timber packages and a range of hybrid systems. The company was founded and is managed by Matheo Dürfeld, a general contractor with 40 years of construction experience in the province, and Eric Karsh a founding principal of Equilibrium Consulting Inc., an award-winning structural engineering firm based in Vancouver. 

“Energy efficient and sustainable construction practice is a key component of our identity, we make material selection and informed building science a priority for all our projects,” says the company on its website. 

1. Greengate Power

Developing Canada’s largest solar project ever definitely is worthy of a spot on this list. Greengate began work on  the Travers Solar Project in 2017. The 3,330-acre project is expected to generate clean energy for more than 35 years. Other Greengate projects in development include Lathom Solar, Midnight Solar, Luna Solar+ and Jurassic Solar+. Greengate’s website states this goal: “The time to charge into the future of energy, and answer back with vision and innovation, is now. This is how we take the planet to net zero.”

2. Canadian Solar

All those solar panels to fuel the green transition have to come from somewhere. Why not Canada? The company was founded and is still led by scientist Shawn Qu. The company specializes in solar photovoltaic modules and solar energy solutions. Qu started the company in Ontario in 2001 and 14 years later it brings in billions in business. In 2020, the company raised $260 million capital for the company’s module systems and solutions business’ carve-out IPO and completed a $230 million convertible bond issuance. According to its website, Canadian Solar currently has 23.8 GW of solar projects and 27.5 GWh of storage projects in the pipeline.

3. Borea Construction 

When it comes to experience, it’s hard to find anyone better. Borea says that it has constructed more than 6,500 MW of renewable energy across Canada which represents one third of the market and is more than any other contractor in Canada. Borea was responsible for the full engineering, procurement and construction scope on Brooks Solar, a 17-MW solar project in Alberta. Using over 48,000 high-efficiency solar modules, and nearly 3,000 tables of fixed racking systems, Brooks is currently the largest utility-scale solar plant in the province. Borea also worked on Strathmore Solar which was completed on schedule earlier this year.

4. PCL Construction

It’s no secret that PCL’s solar division is exploding. The company announced that the division did more than half a billion dollars in annual revenue in 2021. PCL’s solar sector team also nearly doubled in the same time-period, growing from 119 employees to 214. 

“The demand for high-performing solar facilities will only increase in the coming years as the world transitions away from carbon-producing forms of energy generation,” says Andrew Moles, director of solar for PCL Construction. “PCL has risen to the challenge by assembling an outstanding renewable energy team ready to meet the needs of this ever-growing market.”

5. Amp Energy

This Toronto based giant had humble beginnings as a solar developer in 2009. It has since expanded to have a more than 700 MW portfolio in North America alone. The company has also branched out into wind and green hydrogen projects. The company boasts a grid-edge digital technology platform, Amp X, which utilizes artificial intelligence and machine learning to drive scale globally.

6. Teck Resources

Yes. I know. What does a mining company have to do with solar? According to clean energy Canada, a climate and clean energy program housed at Simon Fraser University, building a solar panel requires 19 mineral products and metals. This includes things like copper, silver, titanium dioxide, gallium and indium. Electric car batteries also require similar materials, meaning that as the economy shifts to more sustainable technologies, they will need to be sourced. In 2018, Teck began work on Quebrada Blanca Phase 2, a mine in Chile that will substantially increase Teck’s copper production. Earlier this year, there were 13,000 workers on the project with a focus on system completion and handover. The team is looking to mine its first copper late this year.

7. Three Sixty Solar

Three Sixty is all about going vertical. While trying to solve the problem of space, the Vancouver company decided to build up. The company says it designed the first commercial solar tower with panels on all sides. 

“Developers no longer need to constrain themselves to broad, flat properties, but can now consider more challenging locations and terrain for solar development – this is a game-changing opportunity,” said Brian Roth, Three Sixty CEO. 

The company says that their clients can save up to 90 per cent of the land they would have otherwise required to install the same amount of power with traditional ground-mounted solar solutions.

Key Takeaways:

• Quebec-based building envelope protection provider Mongrain is looking to expand.
• One of its first steps will be opening a new location in Vancouver.
• Fuelling this initial expansion will be a joint venture with Cascade Roofing.
• The company plans to do more joint ventures and acquisitions as it continues to expand.

The Whole Story:

Building envelope protection provider Mongrain Inc. is looking to increase its footprint across Canada.

The Quebec-based company announced one of the first steps in its strategy will be setting up a new location in Vancouver.

Mongrain has entered into a joint venture with Cascade Roofing of Chilliwack which will be a key part of its initial pan-Canadian growth strategy.

President and CEO Karl Mongrain explained that he has a bold growth plan that will involve the establishment of joint ventures and subsidiaries, as well as acquisitions, in the large Canadian market, which is home to a modern era building heritage that includes all types of constructions erected between 1930 and the mid-1970s. 

Mongrain noted that these older buildings require many repairs to remain sustainable. This means lots of opportunity for the company.

“The strategy is based on the principle of a controlled progression of growth, step by step, towards the East of the country,” said Mongrain.

The company currently has locations in Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver with major projects underway. These include ten stations for the Réseau express métropolitain the brand new Maisons des Aîné.e.s in Longueuil and Saint-Jean, and the new Mother and Child Centre of the Fleurimont Hospital in Sherbrooke and its modern emergency room.

The company hopes its sustainable technology will help in its expansion. One of these is its use of a cold installation system.

“With the cold-lay system, which eliminates the use of flames to heat the raw material, it is the end of an era of what is now commonly known as flared roofs,” said Mongrain, who added that the system significantly reduces the risk of fires or injuries. 

A new report is shedding light on the movers and shakers at the heart of the country’s booming property tech industry. It was produced by Sustainable PropTech, a collaborative think tank of industry leaders in real estate and technology.

“We’re starting to see a shift in the way property technology is adapting to improve building sustainability and meet building operator needs,” said Mansoor Kazerouni, global director of buildings for IBI Group and one of the experts interviewed for the report. “The application of design principles such as digital twins and Passive House will set the stage for the future of sustainable urban development.”

The following is a list of sustainable Canadian property tech companies with the largest capital raises:

10. Brainbox AI – $36,000,000

This Montreal company uses technology to make building HVAC systems smarter and greener. The big brains behind the company are in part a collaboration. BrainBox AI works with research partners including the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Institute for Data Valorization (IVADO) as well as educational institutions including Montreal’s Artificial Intelligence Institute (MILA) and McGill University.

9. Dcbel – $40,000,000

Dcbel wants to charge you up. Dcbel’s home energy station brings premium DC charging to residential customers. The Montreal company says it delivers more energy, a faster full-range charge and the ability to power cars with solar panels. 

8. Encycle – $43,900,000

This company began by studying how honeybees use swarm intelligence to harmoniously conduct their daily tasks. They’ve turned those lessons into more than $10 million in HVAC savings. The company uses their technology to help multi-site commercial and industrial companies drastically boost the efficiency of their HVAC systems using artificial intelligence-based services. Encycle serves a broad range of markets and building types, including retail, commercial and industrial. The company noted that perhaps its greatest appeal to customers is that its programs become cash-flow positive almost instantaneously.

7. Ecobee – $47,000,000

What’s all the buzz about? Ecobee was founded with the goal of offering people smart home solutions that enable planet positive actions. They specialize in smart thermostats, temperature and occupancy sensors, smart light switches, smart cameras, and contact sensors. The bees have been busy. To date, ecobee thermostats have delivered over 25 TWh of energy savings. The company says that’s like taking all the homes in Los Angeles off the grid or 3.8 million cars off the road for a year. 

6. Falkbuilt – $48,000,000

Falk is the Danish word for falcon and this company aims to soar to new heights with digital construction tools. Falkbuilt specializes in digital component construction, a new process that incorporates traditional construction components and methods with next-gen technology. Falkbuilt manufactures everything in its factory and delivers precise components onsite for a fast, efficient and clean install. The company says this means fewer materials are needed, faster schedules and less waste on the job site. They call it “conventional construction on steroids.”

5. Nexii – $85,000,000

This green building technology provider has been making waves in the Pacific Northwest. Nexii designs and manufactures low carbon buildings and products to address the climate impact of the built environment. The company uses its own material, Nexiite, along with its construction process to rapid assembly of high-quality buildings and infrastructure with reduced end-to-end carbon emissions, near zero waste and less disruption to the community.

4. GoBolt – $89,000,000

GoBolt believes that the logistics industry is massive and broken. Their goal is to clean up the mess. The company is technology-enabled fulfillment and last-mile delivery provider for businesses of all sizes – from local ecommerce shops to large national retailers.

3. DIRTT – $100,000,000

They may have a dirty name but their goal is to keep things clean. This industrialized construction company specializes in interior spaces. Their team uses custom manufacturing to translate unique visions into compelling spaces where people collaborate, socialize, learn, and heal. Their focus is on advanced digital tools and a sophisticated product infrastructure. DIRTT operates in the workplace, healthcare, education and public sector markets. The company says that their system provides total design freedom, and greater certainty in cost, schedule and outcomes.

2. Hydrostor – $260,000,000

Founded in Toronto in 2010, Hydrostor develops utility-scale energy storage facilities. Hydrostor uses its proprietary advanced compressed air energy storage (A-CAES) system to improve on the mature compressed air energy storage (CAES) technology by eliminating emissions, increasing efficiency and providing location flexibility. The company believes that by leveraging proven construction techniques with known standard equipment and using only air, gravity, and water it can offer a bankable product around the globe. 

1. Amp Energy – $374,000,000

Toronto-based Amp Energy develops, owns and operates clean energy assets around the clone. Alongside Amp X, its disruptive grid-edge technology platform utilizing proprietary artificial intelligence expertise, the company is looking to reimagine the grid and be a leader in energy transition. While it has Canadian roots, Amp operates throughout North America, Australia, Japan, Spain, Czech Republic, and the U.K.

Key Takeaways:

• Calgary-based Carbon Upcycling will have its low-carbon concrete tested for three years on U.S. highways.
• The company uses CO2-enhanced fly ash to reduce cementitious material.
• Their method will be compared to 14 other low-carbon alternatives as well as traditional concrete.
• Researchers plan to publicly release the study results.

The Whole Story:

Carbon Upcycling, a waste and carbon utilization company commercializing a portfolio of circular and CO2-embedded materials, has wrapped up work on a concrete demonstration project led by the National Road Research Alliance (NRRA).

The project carved out an active section of highway road along Interstate-94 to trial 14 unique concrete mixtures, including Carbon Upcycling. The section of highway is located at the Minnesota Road Research Facility (MnRoad) in Albertville, Minn. 

Mixing it up 

Researchers chose 14 mixture designs that employ a variety of methods to decarbonize concrete, including the utilization of supplementary cementitious materials, portland limestone cement, alternative supplementary cementitious materials, alternative cement and liquid carbon dioxide – all for the purpose of reducing the lifecycle carbon footprint of concrete. 

Researchers are comparing each mixture to a conventional concrete mixture design prepared using portland limestone cement and fly ash.

Carbon Upcycling utilizes CO2-enhanced fly ash in its concrete. The company stated that this method has seen double-digit reductions in total cementitious material – an industry leading achievement for low-carbon concrete.

Down the road

“This demonstration project is intended to give companies an opportunity to put forward the most sustainable concrete mixtures their technologies and materials can achieve, without sacrificing performance,” said Larry Sutter, principal engineer for Sutter Engineering and the demonstration’s technical manager. “Carbon Upcycling has submitted a very impressive mixture design. Their material embeds co2 in the concrete, thereby accomplishing carbon sequestration. Additionally, their process improves the SCM reactivity, allowing for significant reductions in the portland cement used.” 

Sutter noted that Carbon Upcycling’s mixture design accomplished the highest reduction in total cementitious materials of all mixture designs submitted. He added that the data collected from the project will be critically informative to the cement and concrete industry and will facilitate implementation of these new materials as the industry works to reach its ambitious 2030 CO2 reduction targets.

Rolling out data

The NRRA and Mnroad project includes three years of testing and data collection to assess the different mixture designs. They plan to make results publicly available.

“Carbon Upcycling aspires to be the most impactful carbontech company of this decade,” said Apoorv Sinha, Carbon Upcycling co founder and CEO. “Third-party verified data like this further reinforces the industry’s confidence in our solution, and we will be announcing our first commercial-scale projects with engaged partners later this year.”