< PreviousBefore a shovel could hit the ground though, all stakehold- ers had to ensure that the project was viable. Community engagement took place between 2016 and 2019, involv- ing public and block club meetings. These were attended by more than 2,800 people. The main concern initially was access. The land is parcelled, with barriers on all sides. However, this was successfully overcome with plans to develop large scale infrastructure, namely realignment of existing Metra tracks, a CTA Redline station, water taxi station and building sufficient through roads and bicycle lanes. By having no parallels by which to compare, the project has been enabled to dream big. Alongside infrastructure, the planners faced the daunting prospect of integrating The 78 into an already thriving and bustling city. This vision of a new neighbourhood, while achievable on paper, needed a sense of community and natural development in order to knit into the fabric of its surroundings. Related Midwest identified key components to achieve this. The space will be home to both residents and workers, public art spaces, walking zones and green areas. In addition, the development will maximise the river- side location by including waterfront pathways for walkers, joggers and cyclists. It is hoped that tweaks such as these will ensure The 78 is accepted by Chicagoans. This integration into the fabric of the city is encouraged hugely by the partnership with the University of Illinois System’s Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) which has committed to building a new innovation centre in The 78 on land donated by Related Midwest. Related hope that the centre will become ‘a one-stop workforce solution to cultivate and retain new-economy talent at scale, expand the diversity of Chicago’s tech workforce, and boost research and development activity to drive our economy.’ The goal is, by cultivating an area that is at the centre of tech developments and training, The 78 can become a vital piece of the city jigsaw. Governor JB Pritzker goes further, stating that this partnership and subsequent ongoing work will put Chicago out there as a global leader in tech innovation. ‘We are launching a new era for Chi- cago as an extraordinary focal point for an unparalleled tech workforce and research and development that will attract talent to our state from around the world.’ While the DPI’s immersion facility will attract up to 2,000 national and international students annually, one aspect of this development that should not be overlooked is how positively this reflects back on to the existing workforce and people of Chicago. Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot was highly appreciative of this partnership and keen to stress the importance of this for the development of the city as a whole. ‘DPI's decision to anchor in Chicago is a vote of confidence in the talent of our people and strength of our diverse, local economy, and we look forward to col- laborating with them on our shared goals of developing inclusive, long-term economic growth through an array of investments that will create jobs, start companies, and help shape the future of our city for generations to come.’ | 10 JANUARY 2021A key component to ensure that The 78 retains a sense of community and becomes, as envisaged, the next great neighbourhood of the city is employment. The balance between residential and commercial, commuting into and out of the area, is of paramount importance and cannot be overstated. Without this mix of work and home, the area could become another business district. Mr. Bailey is con- fident that The 78 can become more than that. ‘Our vision for The 78 is to create Chicago’s next great neighborhood. With a dynamic Phase One plan that includes DPI as its centerpiece, we’re showing how a 21 st -century neighbor- hood, created from the ground-up and connected to so many exceptional areas, will bring new opportunities to all of Chicago.’ Initially, these opportunities come by way of construction jobs. In addition to the 9,000 permanent positions that will be realized in the area during Phase One, the project is also creating 9,500 trade, construction and professional ser- vice jobs. On completion of the whole project, The 78 will have generated a staggering 15,000 trade construction and professional services jobs and will be home to 24,000 permanent jobs. What is worth noting also is that Related Midwest is committed to exceeding the City of Chicago’s traditional participation requirements for women- and minority-owned businesses by awarding a minimum of 40% of contract work to minority, women, disadvantaged, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, and/or veteran business enterprises. While it may seem trite to laud the company for this endeavour; the modern construction industry val- ues skill and innovation above all else and many would hope that diversity would be a natural and obvious result from a project of this scale. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. However, Related Midwest, and The 78 by extension, is making decisions, both professionally and commercially, that stand out while attempting to develop a sense of place, a sense of people and a sense of community. Chicago has a rich history. It is not necessarily easy to push into that and find a space for something new. A neighbourhood needs an identity and a spirit. By creating an area that is built on innovation and is built by a diverse and skilled workforce, The 78 is getting off on the right foot. “When completed, it will be a hub of progressive and innovative businesses and community led initiatives like gardens, breweries and restaurants.” | 11 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONWhen communities found themselves squeezed out of city living, town planners in Toronto were forced to meet the challenge head on. With innovation at its core, the Missing Middle is now becoming an exciting new opportunity for development. | 12 JANUARY 2021WRITTEN BY EMMA JACOBS T he city of Toronto is home to almost three million people. Located on the western edge of Lake Ontario, it is the vibrant and multicultural epicentre of arts, culture and finance in the region. In addition to this, it happens to be the most populous city in Canada. Similar to many other capital cities, it has a sense of duality. It sparkles with innovation and creative glamour by being home to both the national ballet and opera companies while also wheez- ing under the weight of the busiest stretch of North American highway in Highway 401. This density provides boundless opportunities for business development and growth. However, it is also a contributing factor in the ‘Missing Middle’ phenomenon; whereby a lack of affordable, mid-sized and multi-unit housing developments lead to the exclusion of many families and average income workers. | 13 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONA term adopted by urban planners in Canada and Amer- ica as far back as 2010, the Missing Middle is neither a new development, nor is it exclusive to Toronto. What does make the city unique however, is the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods report which was requested by Toronto City Planning in 2019. This report unequivocally provides evidence of a lack of housing units in neighbourhoods throughout Toronto city while exploring options to rebuild and repatriate individuals and families that have been priced out of living options in these areas. While reports can identify pressure points and begin to influence city planning, ultimately it is the involvement of the construction industry to source innovative and cost efficient solutions in situations such as this. R-Hauz Solu- tions Inc. have been crafting and honing a viable alterna- tive to labour intensive and costly building developments. The company is close to completion on Toronto’s first mass timber six storey residential building. Located in the Queen Street East area of the city. Aside from the founda- tion, the structure is completely timber. It is prefabricated offsite and has a build time of an astonishing six weeks once foundations have been laid. This enables the project to be completed a number of weeks quicker than by using traditional methods. R-Hauz Solutions Inc. is a venture put together by Michael Barker, Leith Moore and R-LABS. The company aims to ‘self-solve’ the market’s housing needs and empower urban property owners’. Inspired by mid-rise multi-unit buildings in Europe, the idea was to create housing ‘as a product’ in order to serve communities with access to living space that currently does not exist for them in central locations and neighbourhoods. Michael Barker states that the prod- uct is borne of necessity. ‘In the Greater Toronto Area, average-income households are faced with the problem of the ‘missing middle’; a significant shortage of housing options that fall between high-rise condominiums and semi-detached homes. So we asked ourselves why there isn’t a rental product or housing product for someone mak- ing a decent wage? In contrast to ‘affordable housing’ for lower-income households, our goal was to create essential housing throughout Toronto.’ With a social mission driving the project forward and bolstered by the recent approval for laneway homes, the vision of an innovative solution to the cities housing concerns without the need for further expansion began to emerge. ‘With 300 kilometres of laneways in the city and room for about 30,000 six-story townhouse prod- ucts along the avenues, our strategy could allow more than half a million people to live in Toronto’s existing neighbourhoods without requiring the city to build new infrastructure or transit.’ With this in mind, work quickly commenced on the 13,500 sq ft pilot project. “In contrast to ‘affordable housing’ for lower-income households, our goal was to create essential housing throughout Toronto.” | 14 JANUARY 2021Proud to be the Contractor of the 1 st Mass Timber 6-storey Residential Structure in Toronto in Partnership with R-HAUZ & CMV Group Architects GENERAL CONTRACTING CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT DESIGN BUILD DESIGN BUILD FINANCE INTEGRATED PROJECT DELIVERY OTTAWA 308 PALLADIUM DRIVE, SUITE 104 KANATA ON K2V 1A1 T: 613.383.0505 | BUTTCON.COM TORONTO 8000 JANE STREET | TOWER B, SUITE 401 CONCORD ON L4K 5B8 T: 905.907.4242 | BUTTCON.COMIt is envisaged that this will be a ‘repeatable project’ that is time efficient on many levels of the process, from design and development right through to construction. In addi- tion to this, the project’s general contractor Buttcon Ltd, advise that the project benefits from less safety issues on site due to the construction taking place remotely. While the project requires a similar number of carpenters on site to traditional construction work, the nature of the build itself has knock-on benefits for other aspects of the project. According to Mark Butt of Buttcon Ltd, the build- ing can be made watertight much faster than concrete structures. This key strength allows sub traders to work on lower levels while the building continues around them. According to Michael Barker of R-Hauz Solutions Inc., this combination can result in the project being ‘able to get permits, demo existing structures, construct the new home and move people in all within one year.’ The attraction of using this material is clear. The unmis- takable evidence shows an unsustainable level of green- house gas is produced in the construction industry. Using timber is one immediate way of lowering emissions and ploughing a path towards a more ecologically viable future. However, the developing structure is not without challenges. Timber brings with it a different set of chal- lenges such as an enhanced level of precision required. Due to the limited 2-3 millimetre tolerance allowance of timber, the concrete foundation must be exactly level and the CLT anchor bolts precision placed. This is coupled with the more market dependent challenges of dealing in high cost materials. The structure is made with cross-lami- nated timber and, unfortunately in this case, needs to be imported from Europe. However, industry experts are watching this burgeoning market closely as a CLT man- ufacturing plant is scheduled to open in early 2021 in Ontario. This may encourage further developments and shifts to a more sustainably sourced solution. The city of Toronto is currently facing chal- lenges that require a shift in mindset. Sustainability is now a key facet in the construction industry and embracing this helps to reap both business and socie- tal benefits. The feel- ing in Toronto is “I think once developers and builders realize how successful and how fast you can build with little impact on the footprint coming out of the area, it is going to take off.” | 16 JANUARY 2021that the goodwill and positivity that grows from the gradual rising of a solid timber multi-unit structure is beginning to catch on. Ryan Moxam, Project Manager, recognises that the surrounding area may serve a greater good in terms of community spirit and driving the discussion around sus- tainable and affordable neighbourhood housing. ‘It is really important to have a building like this because it brings up the entire community around it.’ The project is in partnership with Local 27 Carpenters. Tony Currie, Program Director in the College of Carpen- ters and Allied Trades, an institute that has close links to the group, believes that the project is a game-chang- ing response to the issues highlighted in the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods report. ‘I think once developers and builders realize how successful and how fast you can build with little impact on the footprint com- ing out of the area, it is going to take off.’ This sentiment is one echoed by Mike Yorke, President of the Carpenters’ District Council who feels that this is the beginning of a transformative in housing development and one that can be replicated on a larger scale. ‘It is an incredibly exciting project. It is unique and innovative and it is going to totally transform our cities.’ While this may currently be a standalone project rather than a full blown industry, there is a belief that this model can work and grow exponentially. ‘This could really lead to evolution and reinvigoration of many of our main streets across Ontario and certainly across our country.’ In tandem with answering the concerns of city planners in Toronto, there is a real chance to cut greenhouse gas across the sector along with reducing waste, costs and the pollutive effects of such projects. This building, in isolation, seems to be a success. It offers an encourag- ing insight into the creative potential that stems from the deep need across the city. The question now is whether an affordable alternative to city neighbourhood living that encourages a more sustainable development can gener- ate enough interest to fulfil that potential. With emissions growing annually and a greater acknowledgement of the need for innovation and change, New York is pressing ahead with a bold new venture that might demonstrate a way forward, one that could be rolled out on a far wider scale. | 18 JANUARY 2021WRITTEN BY WILL HENDERSON The logic behind the law is straightforward; large build- ings in the city are responsible for a staggering 67% of the cities emissions. If any bill is to be accepted as more than tokenism, it needs to start by addressing and sup- pressing this issue. In addition to a requirement on new buildings to have either a green or solar roof, Law 97 mandated all buildings, new and existing, to lower their emissions by 40% by 2030 and by 80% by 2050. Build- ings are granted a carbon budget based on size with large fines imposed once these budgets are exceeded. The way forward, it seems, is through heavily penalties and strict margins. In addition to emissions targets, the law is seen as a positive step towards improving the health of New Yorkers. According to Council member Ydanis Rodriguez, ‘Polluted Cities have impacted areas like Washington Heights to the South Bronx, where we see some of the highest levels of asthma in the country. New York City must be taking the lead in green energy initiatives. The new sustainable roof requirements will ensure that we use our mostly untouched roofscapes for renewable energy technology.’ It should be noted that the spirit of this law is not new. As mayor, Mike Bloomberg tried to pass an almost identical law in 2009 but the political and social sup- port wasn’t there. In stark contrast, the landscape of 2020 is one where societal pressure is combined with an increased acceptance that renewable energy and climate action are necessary aspects of life. Things have changed since 2009. This has bolstered support for the law and locally it is now seen in positive terms. Though it is widely accepted that emission cuts are needed, the sheer enormity of these targets is not lost on businesses and many are finding them almost impossible to meet. One aspect of the law which may be lacking is that it seems to ignore the issue of den- sity and efficiency. It has been noted that the Bank of America building, a LEED Platinum structure, would currently fall in excess of its mandated requirements “Climate change is an existential threat to a coastal city like ours, and innovative technologies will help us meet this challenge head on.” A divisive presence on both sides of the politi- cal aisle, the proposed Green New Deal has, in some shape or form, been a spectral pres- ence in American life. It is a topic that divides opinion throughout a cross section of society, portrayed as life or death decisions that polarize community lead- ers, business owners and citizens alike. If passed, the scope of ramifications for citizens around the country would be broad. While the general public struggles to make sense of their own potential responsibilities and requirements in living more sustainably, the business and construction world has not had the luxury of wait- ing. Sustainable practices and clean energy usage are already major targets and selling points, giving the con- struction industry viable goals to work towards. The Green New Deal goes further than this however, identifying specific reductions in carbon emissions and setting yearly targets. This legislation is still being debated and disputed on a national level with no reso- lution in sight. Currently, it is mostly theoretical and yet to be tested by practical issues or concrete concerns. However, a form of this law currently exists; it is already in existence and operational in New York City. This may yet prove to be a model for a nationwide roll out. ‘Every day we wait is a day our planet gets closer to the point of no-return. New York City's Green New Deal meets that reality head on.’ These were the words of New York Mayor, Bill de Blasio when the comprehensive, far reaching and ambitious Law 97 was announced – on Earth Day—in April 2019. The law solidified and put real world parameters and goals onto what had up until then been hypothetical state- ments and well meaning, but aspirational proposals. The message, one that had been spoken about in platitudes for long enough according to de Blasio, was clear; New York was officially committing to being a world leader in sustainable development and lowering carbon emissions. | 19 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONNext >