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Skilled Worker Shortage Can Education Help Construction Reach its Potential? A Lifetime Commitment to Industry Success CAROLINAS AGC For Highbury, Safety is Concrete HIGHBURY CONCRETE apeiron-construction.com | FEBRUARY 2022CONTACT US NOW! NORBEC.COM 18776672321 NEED MORE INFORMATION? Our teams will be pleased to answer you. THE NEW WAY OF BUILDING FOR A PERFECT MATCH BETWEEN VERSATILITY AND PERFORMANCE. INSULATED SOLUTIONS FOR BUILDING ENVELOPE Quick and easy to install Significant energy efficiency Cost-effective solution Design fl exibility and creativity CONTACT US NOW! NORBEC.COM 18776672321 NEED MORE INFORMATION? Our teams will be pleased to answer you.W elcome to the February edition of Apeiron Construction! Since our last issue, much has changed around the world and construction is no different. The days are brighter and there is now a renewed sense of optimism beginning to circulate. What were carefully considered, albeit tentative, plans are now becoming lived realities. Projects are being greenlit, shovels are hitting the ground and jobs are being created. We have moved past the darkness that encapsulated the last two years and are moving into a better place as an industry. While the headline story throughout the industry continues to be the Infrastructure Bill and what it will mean for construction, we examine whether construction firms have the resources needed to capitalize on this massive opportunity. Elsewhere, we take a look at diversity in construction, ground-breaking innovation in both products and projects alike and we report back from the first of many in-person trade events. We have tried to bring our readers a flavor of the most interesting things that are happening right now in construction. Our industry is enormous and much of the great work that takes place happens quietly and without fanfare. In this issue we try to share these positive developments. As always, we are delighted to bring you these stories. Thanks for reading! | 3 APEIRON CONSTRUCTION A note from the Editor APEIRON-CONSTRUCTION.COM APEIRONMEDIAINC.COM CHIEF EDITOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR SENIOR CONTENT DEVELOPERS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER DIRECTOR OF SALES DAVID O’NEILL LINDSAY BAILEY MARK PETERS | PETER SWALE | DARRAGH GILLIGAN EMMA KILCAWLEY HEMANI | GEORGIE DOWNES AOIFE CHANEY | DAN SCANLON ALEX MULVEY COLIN O’NEILLAn industry is only ever as good as its workforce and construction is no different in this regard. Going right back to the formation of the state, construction and the building trade in general has been one of the most reliable, trustworthy and innovative groups of workers that can be found. Quite literally, this is a workforce that has built the country from the ground up. 12 Skilled Worker Shortage – Can Education Help Construction Reach its Potential? 6 3 Positive News Stories 16 For Highbury, Safety is Concrete HIGHBURY CONCRETE 24 A Lifetime Commitment to Industry Success CAROLINAS AGC 28 Moving Earth in Sweet Carolina LANGSTON CONSTRUCTION 34 Deep Roots in the Carolinas BLYTHE DEVELOPMENT CO. 38 The Concrete Cutters ADVANCED CONCRETE CUTTING & CORING 44 Collectively Changing the Climate 48 Material Shortages, Price Volatility and Lack of Workforce Hurting One of America’s Largest Sectors NATIONAL ROOFING CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION 54 If It’s Tech On The Roof, It’s Rooftek ROOFTEK 58 Focusing on Growth Through Adversity JR & CO. 62 The Education Flywheel HEIDLER ROOFING 66 Diversity in Construction 70 What We Learned at The Buildings Show 2021 76 The Future Is Foam AIRFOAM INDUSTRIES 80 Construction for Change − Innovation through Equality 84 Spreading the Word CONSTRUCTION & DEMOLITION RECYCLING ASSOCIATION 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. EV Longevity Despite the sustained push to encourage the sale and use of EVs in the region, take up has not been an unequivocal suc- cess. Its market share is currently far below where it needs to be to make a genuine contribution with carbon emissions. Despite that, the market is a large one and, given the sheer numbers involved, even a small percentage of the market is a lot of vehicles being sold. The problem, however, and one which is proving to be a difficult one to navigate, is the short shelf life of the vehicles battery and what options, if any, are there to repurpose the technology. According to McKinsey Sustainability, “The rapid rise of EVs could supply a storage application market with a global value exceeding $30 billion by 2030, since the second-life batteries coming out of EVs will be suitable to meet several storage applications.” However, given the size of the bat- teries and the labor intensive methods required to do this, there are barriers. In order to alleviate these problems, Andreas Bittner of Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research has put together a collaborative group in Germany which pairs a number of vested interests such as recyclers, battery manufacturers, scientists and carmakers to develop a viable alternative to the EV battery materials as the end of their life. According to Bittner, “It is imperative that these [critical raw materials] are recovered and recycled.” Encouragingly, by harnessing the most cutting edge technology, around 90% of the battery materials are now potentially recyclable. bit.ly/3KtYuBx Wellbeing Living As we now find ourselves two years into the pandemic, the onus is on us all to develop new and innovative ways of living alongside COVID. Given that travel, business and everyday liv- ing can be difficult areas to mitigate the risk of transmission, it falls, once again, on the construction industry to come up with novel solutions to protect people as best it can. In Miami, Royal Palm Companies have unveiled, in partnership with Legacy Hotel & Residencies and numerous healthcare providers, an ultra-modern building that offers unsurpassed levels of testing, environment and mitigation. Billed by Miami Mayor, Francis Suarez as “the world’s first COVID-Conscious, Pandemic-Ready, all-in-one, residential, hotel, and medical center skyscraper in downtown Miami.” The unit, which will feature “310 MicroLuxe residences, 219 hotel rooms, and 10-floors of medical facilities” such as, hos- pital-grade ventilation systems throughout, UV robots, touch- less technology, voice-activated technology, water filtration system, and even antimicrobial material on all the furniture throughout the project. According to those at Legacy, “All of these technologies are proven to reduce the spread of viruses and germs. In the event of a public health emergency, Legacy will be equipped with medical gases and even ventilators.” bit.ly/33EZrq9 | 6 FEBRUARY 2022New York Build Expo 2022 MARCH 2-3 | JAVITS CENTER The largest tradeshow for construction and design in New York and the Tri-state area is back bigger than ever. This industry leading show is officially supported by the State of New York and is free to attend for all AEC professionals. The show features 300+ top-level speakers across several conference stages, AIA CES approved workshops, 250+ exhibitors, thousands of attendees, multiple exciting networking events including the largest gathering for the annual Women in Con- struction networking event, live entertainment, plus much more! Register for your free tickets: www.newyorkbuildexpo.com/apeiron-construction BUILDEX Amplified MARCH 23-34, 2022 VANCOUVER CONVENTION CENTRE WEST, BC informaconnect.com/buildex-vancouver NASCC: The Steel Conference MARCH 23–25 DENVER, CO www.nascc.aisc.org | 7 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONGreen Infrastructure Growth across the construction industry has long been a bal- ance between the habitation and infrastructure needs of an ever growing population and the requirements of the planet to remain sustainable. As we dig deeper into the undoubtedly finite resources the earth has to offer, we are tasked with finding additional ways of maintaining the levels required by all living people. Water Wise is a collaboration founded in 2013 as a partnership between Dana Brown & Associates, Recharge NOLA, Imagine Water Works (formally known as Water Works), Bayou Land, and Global Green. According to those at Water Wise, their mission is manifold. They collaborate with community-based organizations to advance green infrastructure, raise awareness and provide education on green infrastructure. By growing a network of community advocates, known as the Water Wise Neighbor- hood Champions, they install green infrastructure projects at the homes of Water Wise Neighborhood Champions, at small businesses, churches, community centers, on vacant lots and in public rights-of-way. Angela Chalk, a 7th Ward resident who founded the organi- zation Healthy Community Services, has been the key point of contact for Water Wise activities in her neighborhood. She acknowleges that by remedying the flooding, soil subsidence and local air temperature needs of communities at risk of cli- mate-change-induced chronic flooding, the collaboration has been paying huge dividends for both the infrastructure and environmental needs of the communities, giving autonomy to minority groups in the process. “When history is written,” Chalk says, “There will be black and brown faces all over the beginnings of the green infrastructure sector, at least in New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana.” waterwisegulfsouth.org | 8 FEBRUARY 2022DMD Triangle Drywall & Acoustics Ltd is proud to be associated with The Dalton Company for the past 50 years and many more years to come. 418 Hanlan Road Unit 28, Vaughan, ON L4L 4Z1 (905) 850-9562 dmdtriangle.com | 9 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONNext >