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12 May

Posted at 17:13h in Innovia News

Last November and December, Innovia conducted interviews with leading architects (MJMA and BNKC) and engineers (RJC) working at the forefront of mass timber in Canada. This interview rounds out our three-part profile series by bringing you a conversation with the founder of one of the country's most exciting young firms: Element5. Innovia’s founder and principal, Rowley Mossop, sat down virtually with Patrick Chouinard to hear first-hand how the firm is helping to spur an industry-wide shift towards sustainable — and affordable — mass timber solutions.   Can you tell me about the original insights...

15 Dec

Posted at 23:18h in Innovia News

We sat down with Leon Plett and Terry Bergen, Managing Principals at RJC's Victoria office, to discuss an area of increasing interest to business leaders in AEC industries: mass timber. Image (above): The Clayton Heights Community Centre, currently under construction in Vancouver, employs a two-way wood system that allows the structure to span to discrete column locations without the need for drop beams. Architect: HCMA Architecture + Design. Engineer: RJC. Image courtesy RJC and Michael Sherman Photography. RJC foregrounds a strong commitment to sustainability. When and how did the firm...

15 Nov

Posted at 21:19h in Innovia News

We sat down with BNKC Architects Principal Jonathan King to discuss an area of increasing interest to business leaders in AEC industries: mass timber. Tell me about BNKC’s transition into mass timber. How has the firm positioned itself to work in this sector?  The first major mass timber project we've been working on is 77 Wade Avenue for Next Property Group. The decision to go with mass timber was not a foregone conclusion, but rather the result of natural exploration with our clients. Many clients come to you with a set...

15 Nov

Posted at 18:45h in Innovia News, Architecture, Guides, Engineering

We sat down with MJMA Partner Ted Watson to discuss an area of increasing interest to business leaders in AEC industries: mass timber. Are there any particular steps that MJMA has taken internally to ensure that your team stays up-to-date on the latest developments in mass timber? How can you help your team members, from a capacity-building perspective, develop the right skills? One of the things we did about two years ago was bring on our Director of Sustainability, John Peterson. He’s there to ensure that we're pushing hard from...

28 May

Posted at 17:44h in COVID-19 Resources, Innovia News

MANY QUESTIONS, FEWER ANSWERS As millions of Canadians continue to work from home, business leaders are looking ahead to a return to the workplace. Not surprisingly in the current context, there are more questions than answers: when will we be able to start working together again?; how restrictive will public health guidelines be?; will we need to make material alterations to the office space?; will everyone be confident enough to return? will they even want to return? Creative businesses have traditionally operated on the premise that collaboration and collective creativity...

28 May

Posted at 17:39h in COVID-19 Resources, Innovia News

LOOKING AHEAD, AND BACK, FOR SIGNS OF WHAT'S TO COME It's difficult to make predictions about the impact of the current situation on the AEC industry right now. Just the same, early hints seem to be emerging already about how competition will change for architectural and engineering firms. And those first signs tell us what we should be looking for in the months to come. Yes, it's true. Some market shifts will be impossible to anticipate. After all, the economic, political and cultural impacts of the pandemic have never been seen...

14 May

Posted at 15:04h in Innovia News

  LEADERS HAVE TAKEN UNIQUE MEASURES TO ENSURE BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY Since early March, the unprecedented events of the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in employers making difficult decisions to manage liquidity challenges and ensure business sustainability. One such early decision made by many firms was the implementation of temporary layoffs. Unfortunately, the majority of these temporary layoffs happened before the government announced a number of measures to help stabilize the economy as part of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan.   IMPLEMENTING TEMPORARY LAYOFFS CAME WITH RISKS While a temporary layoff can be valuable in helping with...

07 May

Posted at 16:28h in Innovia News

SURVIVAL TACTICS ONLY GUARANTEE SURVIVAL FOR SO LONG It has been 8 weeks since Canadian architecture and engineering practices moved their operations online and adjusted to the reality of working from home. There is uncertainty about how much longer this will last, and perhaps more still about what returning to ‘business as usual’ will look like. Business leaders have been focused during this time on survival, damage limitation and responding to other immediate challenges. Understandably, emphasis will have been on cutting costs and preserving capital. It’s important now, however,...

01 May

Posted at 16:36h in Innovia News

PROTECTING CULTURE IN TIMES OF CRISIS Lockdown life is teaching us some unexpected lessons. And we're learning truly surprising things about the nature of professional and creative work that I think will matter long after social distancing has been relaxed.  As we've been helping clients take care of their people in this crisis, we're noticing that leaders are increasingly concerned about preserving their office cultures. Why? Some degree of social distancing will likely be with us for some time to come. Workforces will be reduced in size and remain at...

29 Apr

Posted at 14:58h in COVID-19 Resources, Innovia News, Industry News

FINDING THE SILVER LINING IN CLOUDY SKIES In times of crisis it’s common to focus primarily on the negative effects experienced; loss of revenue, loss of jobs, uncertainty, risk, disappointment. However difficult, it’s worth exploring how this time can also be an opportunity to rethink, revive and reinvent areas of your business that may not be working to full effect. REFOCUS ENERGY TOWARD THE BIG PICTURE When everything is running smoothly and your team works at full or near full capacity, it is rare to take the time to think about...

23 Apr

Posted at 19:25h in Innovia News

WHAT MIGHT THE 'NEXT NORMAL' LOOK LIKE FOR AEC FIRMS? It’s safe to say that disruption will be a big part of our ‘next normal’ in the architecture, engineering and design world for some time.   We’re starting to get signals from leading indicators - such as those produced by the American Institute of Architects - that suggest the size of the economic shock generated by COVID-19 will be very large indeed. And their gauges of market sentiment hint that the shock will take years to work its way through the...

14 Apr

Posted at 19:01h in COVID-19 Resources, Innovia News, Architecture, Design, Engineering, Industry News, Technology, Articles, Communications, Media, Strategy

COVID-19 HAS ACCELERATED THE USE OF "NEW" TECHNOLOGIES BY YEARS Our consultants at Innovia have been monitoring recent developments closely to understand our clients' needs and how we can better support them. An interesting observation has been made by numerous commentators on how COVID-19 has dramatically accelerated the adoption of new technologies by businesses suddenly working from home. Architects, engineers, and designers are among those that rely most on face-to-face and happenstance interactions to drive the creative process. Within days, entire studios had acclimatized to new communication and collaboration...