THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
All the best, The Editorial Team We will keep adding business units that enhance our offering and separate us from our competition. “ ” Editor From The Dear Reader, Welcome to the latest issue of Construction Source Canada, the magazine that highlights the best in building and building products across the country. In this edition, we’ve highlighted a variety of companies across Canada, from developers, to builders, to architects, to companies that do all three. The businesses featured in this issue are behind some of the most eye-catching, innovative, and noteworthy projects of the last few years. One example is Groupe Dura – they are a real estate developer, manager, private equity investor, and consultant that was founded in Vancouver, now based in Montreal, and that does projects in both locations. We spoke to co-founder and CEO Steve Di Friscia about some of those projects, including ‘YUL’ in Montreal, ‘Horizon 21’ in Coquitlam, and the ’Cambie + King Edward Condos’ in Vancouver. According to Steve, each of those projects exceeded even Dura Group’s expectations in terms of design and quality. Also in this issue is Griffith Homes, an award-winning, familyowned company that has been building and renovating in B.C.’s Comox Valley for two generations. To tell their story, we caught up with founder and owner Tavis Griffith. He walked us through his vision to be recognized as “conscientious and quality builder” of “forever homes.” He also talked about their passion for building to passive house standards, like they did with their recent award-winning ‘Eagle Eye Passive House’ project. Then there’s Rocky Point Engineering – a building services mechanical engineering company, with offices situated in Vancouver, Langley, Victoria, Nanaimo, Kelowna, Kamloops and Nelson. For a company with 90-plus employees, they are unique in that they are still powered by their principals, who all take a hands-on approach and work closely with clients. We spoke to Aaron Mullaley, the principal in charge of the Nanaimo office – he explained their approach, the advantages of it, and the longlasting relationships it has helped them maintain with clients and partners. For those stories – and many more like them, about other industry leaders in the design, building, and development spaces – keep flipping the pages. We hope you enjoy, and that we’ll see you back here next time.
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THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA With over 90,000 senior executive readers, The Construction Source is proud to offer an attractive platform to share you message with the people that matter most - your customers. Whether your objective is to promote a new condo development, attract financial investment in your upcoming projects, or to build brand recognition, we stand ready to help! To find out more about having your company or latest project feature in The Construction Source, please contact our Group Publisher. Jermaine Poulsen e: info@theconstructionsource.ca The Costruction Source Canada 2201 - 250 Yonge St Toronto, Ontario M5B 2L7 E: info@theconstructionsource.ca Group Publisher Jermaine Poulsen General Manager Alexandra Box Operations Manager Josh Stewart - Boyd Head of Editorial Content Allen Bishop Production Manager Vicki Lee Editor Zach Janes Graphics Design Pranim Thapa
MARCH 2022 GRIFFITH HOMES Conscientious quality ROCKY POINT ENGINEERING A hands-on approach GROUPE DURA Develop to last ECKLUNDSON CONSTRUCTION GROUP Construction satisfaction F2A ARCHITECTURE Socially relevant design MODBOX Building a beacon KELTIC CANADA DEVELOPMENT Setting a new standard SUNSET HOMES Total transparency RNDSQR Making meaningful connections VELOCITY PROJECTS Striving for perfection INDUSTRY INNOVATIONS INCINERATING TOILETS IN THIS ISSUE MARCH 2022 F2A ARCHITECTURE SUNSET HOMES
THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA RNDSQR
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THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA Water connection not required Requires little space No odour Easy installation No frost protection needed Secure for children ash to be emptied No waste handling, only and more Bunkies, For Home, Cottages, Shops, 3 - 4 visits per hour High capacity Propane&Electric models ABOUT CINDERELLA ECO GROUP Cinderella Eco Group is a family-owned company located in the north-western coastal community of Midsund in Romsdal, with deep roots in the beautiful Norwegian fjord-landscape. We have more than 20 years’ experience with the Cinderella Incineration Toilet, a water-free, ecological solution for the management of toilet waste. Cinderella, the natural first choice for those who place high demands on quality and functionality. HIGHLIGHTS OF INCINERATION TOILETS:
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Conscientious quality Griffith Homes is an award-winning, family-owned company that has been building and renovating homes in B.C.’s Comox Valley for two generations. Led by founder and owner Tavis Griffith, they specialize in forming personal connections with theirclientsandbuildinghomes thatexceedtheirexpectations every time. For over 25 years, they have been servicing their region and building not just homes, but relationships. In that time, they have become known as local leaders for their environmental innovation, their attention to detail, modern designs and their history of customer satisfaction. Photo: LSP Media
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“There are many builders and general contractors in the Comox Valley who can offer a quick, cookie cutter solution to your home-building needs, and they may be able to build something for you that is good enough,” says Tavis Griffith, founder and owner of the company. “We aren’t those people.” “We specialize in getting to know our clients on a personal level and building superior homes that will last more than just a lifetime – not just in craftsmanship, but in how happy our clients are living in them.” Tavis is a journeyman carpenter that specializes in custom home builds. Hebeganhis career in the industry in the early 90s, initially working alongside his father. Once he realized the work was “rewarding and satisfying,” he enrolled in an apprenticeship program and went on to earn his Certificate of Qualification in carpentry in 1996. Over the following decade, he honed his skills working with other people and companies in the area, until he felt ready to strike out on his own in 2006. From the start, Tavis says the goal of GriffithHomes was “to be recognized as a conscientious and quality builder,” as well as a builder of “forever homes.” “I’ve never been focused on quantity,” he explains. “It’s THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA “We specialize in getting to know our clients on a personal level and building superior homes that will last more than just a lifetime – not just in craftsmanship, but in how happy our clients are living in them.” Photo: LSP Media
always been about the quality. If I only do one project per year, and I have a very happy client at the end of it, then I’ve achieved my goal. I’d much rather build one home for one satisfied client than build 20 homes per year and leave anyone unsatisfied.” Over the years, Griffith Homes has grown slightly, but their focus on quality-over-quantity hasn’t changed. Really, the only major change is they now focus on building energy-efficient homes – to that end, Tavis has personally become certified as a passive house tradesperson with Passive House Canada. “We like to build comfortable and healthy living environments for our clients,” Tavis explains. “That means building energyefficiently, and focusing on insulation and air-tightness. When you build that way, there are just so many benefits to the client.” “Energy efficiency has recently become part of the B.C. building code with the changes to the STEP Code,” he adds. “It’s the way of the future. We want to stay a step ahead, and we want to help our clients stay a step ahead.” These days, Griffith Homes’ output includes both renovations and new homes, and they can vary widely in size and value. The company typically takes on three or four “good size” projects per year, and those can range anywhere from $300,000 to $3 million. According to Tavis, they don’t believe that bigger is necessarily better. “Our number one priority is comfort,” he explains, “and you don’t necessarily need a really large home to have a comfortable home. We like to work with clients who understand that.” “We also like to work with clients whoarewilling togo through the proper planning that a project requires,” he adds. “If they’re in a rush, maybe we’re not their best option. We like to take the time to really understand their wants and needs, and we want to work with them to deliver a home that is going to achieve and exceed their expectations for a long time to come.” MARCH 2022 Photo: LSP Media
A huge accomplishment As a recent example of Griffith Homes’ quality and capability in action, Tavis cites their awardwinning ‘Eagle Eye Passive House’ project. That was a new 2,217 square foot home that was designed and built to passive house standards, equipped with a blend of start-of-the-art features, and complemented with a modern, west coast design. At the 2021 Vancouver Island Building Excellence (VIBE) Awards, hosted by the Canadian Home Builders Association of Vancouver Island (CHBAVI), the Eagle Eye Passive House won several prizes – including ‘Best Single Family Home under 3,000 square feet,’ and the ‘Golden Blower Door’ award. The latter accolade is given to projects that record the lowest air changes per hour (ACH) as measured according to the Energuide Rating System. “That means a lot to us,” Tavis says of the recognition. “That was a huge accomplishment for THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
MARCH 2022 Photo: LSP Media
our team.” Headdsthattheyareparticularly proud of the ‘Golden Blower Door’ award, because in that case they proved something not just to the industry, but also to themselves. “We know we can build a nice house if somebody takes the time to design it and if the client is willing to put the resources in,” Tavis explains. “It’s still nice to be recognized, the ‘Best Single Family Home’ award still means a lot, but we knew we could do it.” When it came to the air tightness, however, he says they “set a target that seemed unattainable – andwe exceeded everyone’s expectation.” “It was a team effort,” he says. “We came together, we all really focused, and we achieved something spectacular. That’s something we’re really proud of.” Tavis clarifies that he is proud of all the projects he does, but this one stands out because its Comox Valley’s first built-tostandard passive house – which means that it was also a first for Griffith Homes. Tavis and his team were excited to pull it off. When it came to achieving that passive house standard, one of the most important features was the Zehnder Heat Recovery Ventilation System (HRV), which Tavis calls “the lungs of the home.” The Zehnder HRV is one of the most efficient and innovative on the market – it cleans the air and removes pollutants, pollen and dust, making the air inside the home cleaner than the air outside. It also extracts moist air and keeps the house dry – “a necessity on the West Coast,” according to Tavis. Another important feature of the home is the continuous THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA Photo: LSP Media
insulation – there is 8″ of mineral fiber insulation for a total of 14” wall thickness, 6″ of EPS under the floor and an average of 8″ of polyisocyanurate insulation on the roof. The windows also add to the high performance – they are triple-glazed, high-performance glazed units in PHI certified fiberglass frames. The design also utilises passive measures to keep the house cool and comfortable. For example, the house is purposely protected by large Douglas fir trees, which provide shading during high noon in the summer. The home is eye-catching and appealing in its own right – the ‘Best Single Family Home’ award is evidence of that. On that score, Tavis believes the most striking element is the custom white oak floating staircase, which took “immense collaboration” between their team, the engineers, the steel fabricators, the railing specialist, and even the homeowner, who fabricated the white oak treads himself. Tavis says the end result is “show stopping.” In general, Tavis credits much of the project’s success to the collaboration between the different stakeholders. In particular, he says Fold Architecture deserves a lot of the acclaim. In fact, they were the ones that brought Griffith Homes on to the project: “They had some clients who were interested in building a passive house,” Tavis recalls. “They contacted us and interviewed us, and eventually they rewarded us the project.” By all accounts, they were happy they made that decision. Mark Ashby, architect for Fold Architecture, told the Comox Valley Record that “Griffith Homes exceeded our expectations.” “It was important for us to have a contractor who understood good design and quality,” Mark said. “There are a lot of wins with the quality of the space and the energy efficiency, and Griffith met the owners’ needs with very little compromise.” MARCH 2022 Photo: LSP Media Photo: LSP Media
THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA Photo: LSP Media
Growing slowly Moving forward, Griffith Homes’ goal is to continue delivering projects to “the highest standards of energy efficiency.” They want their projects to be able to meet or exceed the province’s evolving energy requirements, and they want their clients to live in the most comfortable environments possible. MARCH 2022 To that end, the company wants to keep doing both new homes – ideally “smaller homes,” Tavis says, “as they make the most sense from both an energy perspective and a cost perspective” – as well as renovations – “because we can be reusing our existing inventory, we should be taking the homes we already have and making them better.” As for the size of the company, Griffith Homes would like to keep growing. They intend to do that in collaboration with their subcontractors, suppliers, and other industry partners – including their accountant partners. For example, they work with Reach CPA, a firm based in the Comox Valley that focuses on technology, business and tax advice for small and medium privately owned businesses. Working in partnership with their clients – including small business owners in the professional services, restaurant industry, and construction industry (like Griffith Homes) – they help set up systems to automate as much as possible and delegate the rest, so clients can focus on what they do best and achieve their goals. With the help of partners like that, Tavis says there is plenty of opportunity to get bigger and seize more market share. He clarifies, however, that the company will only grow if they can bring in the right people to accommodate that growth. “Hopefully we’ll find those people and grow slowly,” he says. “Rapid growth I don’t think is ever a good idea. But as long as we can find those key people and put them in the right positions, I think slow growth over time would certainly benefit the company as well as our clients.”
Moving forward, Griffith Homes’ goal is to continue delivering projects to “the highest standards of energy efficiency.” They want their projects to be able to meet or exceed the province’s evolving energy requirements, and they want their clients to live in the most comfortable environments possible. To that end, the company wants to keep doing both new homes – ideally “smaller homes,” Tavis says, “as they make the most sense from both an energy perspective and a cost perspective” – as well as renovations – “because we can be reusing our existing inventory, we should be taking the homes we already have and making them better.” As for the size of the company, Griffith Homes would like to keep growing. They intend to do that in collaboration with their subcontractors, suppliers, and other industry partners – including their accountant partners. For example, they work with Reach CPA, a firm based in the Comox Valley that focuses on technology, business and tax advice for small and medium privately owned businesses. Workinginpartnershipwiththeir clients – includingsmall business owners in the professional services, restaurant industry, and construction industry (like Griffith Homes) – they help set up systems to automate as much as possible and delegate the rest, so clients can focus on what they do best and achieve their goals. With the help of partners like that, Tavis says there is plenty THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA For more on Griffith Homes, their services, their processes, and their past projects – and to get in touch with Tavis and his team – visit https://griffithhomes.ca/ Photo: LSP Media
A hands-on approach
Rocky Point Engineering is a building services mechanical engineering company, with offices situated in Vancouver, Langley, Victoria, Nanaimo, Kelowna, Kamloops and Nelson. Since their establishment 25 years ago, they have provided a wide range of services to a diverse array of clients, and they have become known for their creative solutions and hands-on approach. Spearheading that approach is their team of principals – all of them experienced industry experts, all of them intimately involved in all aspects of their projects, from initial concepts all the way through to the end of construction. Nanaimo Airport Stage 1 / office of mcfarlane biggar architects + designers & Checkwitch Poiron Architects Inc. Photography: Andrew Latreille
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“We’re all working principals, we all work closely with the clients,” says Aaron Mullaley, one of those principals, as well as the senior project manager in charge of the Nanaimo office. “We’re personally involved every step of the way. We take a hands-on approach with every single client.” “With some companies, clients just deal with junior staff,” he says. “At our company, they deal with the people in charge. We work closely with them to make sure we understand their goals and objectives, and to make sure we meet those goals and objectives. We believe that’s the basis for genuine long-term successful collaboration.” Aaron started his career in building mechanical consulting engineering with a small firm in Calgary in 1999. He joined Rocky Point Engineering in Nanaimo as a Project Manager in 2005. Over the course of his career with the company, he was developed a strong interest in environmental and sustainability issues, and has assisted in moving projects toward greater sustainable practices. He became a LEED accredited professional in 2007, and has designed and participated in numerous buildings on Vancouver Island that have attained LEED certification. In 2011, he ascended to his current role. In his time with the company, THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA “We’re all working principals, we all work closely with the clients,” says Aaron Mullaley, one of those principals, as well as the senior project manager in charge of the Nanaimo office. “We’re personally involved every step of the way. We take a hands-on approach with every single client.” Nanaimo Airport Stage 1 / office of mcfarlane biggar architects + designers & Checkwitch Poiron Architects Inc. PPhotography: Andrew Latreille
Aaron has seen Rocky Point grow and evolve considerably – when he joined, they were a team of 10 between two offices, now they’re a team of 90 between seven offices. He’s also seen the company continuously strive to improve and enhance their customer care and to add new capabilities to their service offering. “We’ve strived to maintain a leadershipposition inall aspects of our business,” he explains. “This includes our technical designs, business operational systems, client relationships, community involvement, and employee relationships and policies.” Today, Rocky Point’s services include the design of mechanical heating, ventilation and air conditioning, plumbing and fire protection systems for innovative projects throughout British Columbia and beyond. They also include energy modelling and auditing services as well as green building consulting. The company also get involved with the testing, balancing, commissioning and building optimization services for both new and existing buildings for their varied clients, who range from residential home owners to developers, large public institutions, school districts, and health care. The company’s projects also vary greatly in terms of size and value. According toAaron, they’ll do jobs that “take a couple of hours,” like designing a sewage pump for a custom home, to multimillion projects that span years – projects such as the Nanaimo Airport Expansion, the large-scale seismic upgrade of the GP Vanier Secondary School in Courtenay, and the brand new Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver. Aaron says that those kinds of clients largely choose Rocky Point Engineering because of their previously-mentioned “hands-on approach” and access to the company’s leadership team. At the same time, he also credits the costefficiency of their engineering solutions. He credits that efficiency, in turn, to the rest of MARCH 2022 Nanaimo Airport Stage 1 / office of mcfarlane biggar architects + designers & Checkwitch Poiron Architects Inc. Photography: Andrew Latreille
their stakeholder relationships. “We form good working relationships with all the consultant teams – architectural, structural, civil, electrical,” he explains. “We’re very good at coordinating and integrating design.” Also, they use technology to enhance their efficiency. A lot of their work now is modelled in 3D with Revit BIM software – they’ve been using that for mechanical and plumbing design for a while now, but they’ve even started using it for fire protection design, where it’s not commonly utilized, “but is becoming a great value for our clients,” Aaron says. As a result of their efficiency, Rocky Point Engineering has been able to form some lasting relationships with many client groups. For example, they work closely and repeatedly with a number of school districts – Aaron estimates that there are at least 50 that they work with on a continuous basis. He’s personally been working with the majority of Vancouver Island School Districts on-andoff ever since he first started at Rocky Point in 2005. “I think that’s a credit to how easy we are to work with,” he says, “andalso tohowaccessible we are. When a client calls, we always answer the phone. If they have a question or need support, we get back to them right away. That sounds simple, but it goes a long way.” Aaron reiterates that meeting their clients’ objectives also goes a long way, and that’s something the team at Rocky Point takes a lot of pride in. Aaron believes they can do that consistently because of their depth of in-house expertise and experience: “We’ve been around for a long time and we’ve seen it all,” he says. “For example, when it comes to mechanical upgrades to schools, we’ve done so many; we’re pretty much familiar with all the possible challenges, and we’ve overcome those challenges. We’re able to utilise that experience and provide improved designs and THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
improved project management to our clients.” Over the years, Rocky Point has been very successful at retaining that experience. Aaron is himself an example, as he’s been there almost 17 consecutive years. He credits that loyalty, firstly, to their success at recruiting people who are passionate about the industry in the first place. Secondly, he says they try to provide a lot of “opportunity for people to learn and grow” – and when management positions come up, they look internally first. “We’ve tried our best to create a positive and inspiring workplace,” he says. “We want everyone here to be happy to be here.” “Over the years, I think we’ve been very successful at that. Like any other company, we’ve had some turnover, we’ve had people who come and go – but we also have a lot of longstanding staff. We have many employees who have been here for five, 10, 15 years.” As previously mentioned, Rocky Point also forms close relationships with consultants and suppliers, and those relationships also tend to go back many years. OneexampleisIBCTechnologies – a Vancouver company dedicated to improving the world of hydronic heating. They supply new and reliable heating equipment for both residential and commercial use and are known as a market leader and product innovator in their space. Since 2019, they have also been part of the RHEEM family – the brand leader in water heating and the only manufacturer in North America that produces heating, cooling, water heating, pool/ spa heating, commercial boilers and commercial refrigeration products that are sold in more than 50 countries. According to Aaron, market leaders like IBC and RHEEM are the kind of partners that Rocky Point seeks out. Once they find partners like that – partners that offer a strong product and responsive customer service – they try to hold on to them for the long run. MARCH 2022
Working as one Currently, Aaron says that Rocky Point Engineering is doing a lot of varied work within Nanaimo. “We’re doing some multi-family, some healthcare, some light industrial, we’re working with a lot of school districts – we’re pretty diversified, and we’ve been that way for a number of years,” he explains. “There’s no one sector we’re overly focused on.” “That can be very beneficial,” he adds. “If the market ever shifts, or if public funding starts going in another direction, we’re able to adapt easily.” And though he’s managing the Nanaimo office, Aaron says he and his team are also contributing to the work done in other offices, and vice versa. “We have seven different offices, but we try to work as one team,” he explains. “We communicate with each other. We get together and we talk about what we’re working on all over the province. We strive to THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
olympicinternational.com Proud to partner with Rocky Point Engineering on this successful project. • Custom Air Handling Units • Air Source Heat Pumps Customized HVAC and ZERO CARBON Energy Solutions work as if we’re one large office, even though we’re spread all across BC. We know we have a lot more knowledge and experience as a group than as individuals.” Moving forward, Aaron concludes, the goal is to continue expanding that group and to deepen that knowledge base. In Nanaimo alone, he says they have a deep backlog of work and a lot of room to grow. He says the same is true for most of their offices. “Company-wide, we want to keep building relationships with clients, new and old,” he concludes. “There are still a few school districts we haven’t worked with, and we’d love the chance to show them what we can do.” “We also want to expand our expertise in the recreational field. We think there’s a lot of room to grow there. We haven’t promoted that asmuch as some other groups, but we think we can provide a lot of value to those projects and we have a lot to offer those clients.” MARCH 2022
Nanaimo Airport Stage 1 / office of mcfarlane biggar architects + designers & Checkwitch Poiron Architects Inc. Photography: Andrew Latreille THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA For more on Rocky Point Engineering, their culture, their services, and their past and present projects – and to get in touch with their team today – visit https://rpeng.ca/ Photography: www.andrewlatreille.com
Develop to last Dura Group is a real estate developer, manager, private equity investor, and consultant based in Montreal, Canada. They are a company founded with the philosophy to “develop to last.” Their mission is to create maximum value for their clients and partners, while at the same time generating social and economic benefits for the communities in which they invest in. Though now based in Montreal, Dura Group was originally founded in Vancouver in 2011 by Steve Di Friscia and Yinghua Qu, both experienced developers – in just over a decade, they have developed over 1,800 units in Montreal and Vancouver. Together, in the early days of Dura, Steve and Ying successfully developed several luxury villa projects in Vancouver and quickly earned a reputation for high-end craftsmanship and design. In a short time, they had attracted a lot of industry attention, both in the local market and abroad.
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In2013, DuraGroupsuccessfully introduced the Tianqing Group – one of the 500 largest real estate companies in China – to the Canadian market. Soon after, both companies teamed up to form Tianco Group in Canada. Steve Di Fruscia is also the President and CEO of that company. Today, Dura Group remains known for their high-end multifamily projects, but they are also known for their work in the retirement home sector. In 2016, they signed a partnership agreement with Groupe Château Bellevue, the fifth largest developer of retirement homes in Quebec. Since then, they have jointly developed over 700 units of retirement homes in cities surrounding Montreal and Quebec City. On the multi-family side, Dura has also partnered with other industry-leading developers and investment groups in order to realize some inspiring projects. Notable examples in both Quebec and B.C. include ‘YUL’ in Montreal, ‘Horizon 21’ in Coquitlam, and the ‘Cambie + King Edward Condos’ in Vancouver. In the case of YUL – which was one of their first projects – Dura and Tianqing through the Tianco group joint ventured with Brivia Group, a local investment and development company, to develop one of the largest private residential condo THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA “In 2013, Dura Group successfully introduced the Tianqing Group – one of the 500 largest real estate companies in China – to the Canadian market. Soon after, both companies teamed up to form Tianco Group in Canada. Steve Di Fruscia is also the President and CEO of that company. ”
projects in the city’s downtown. That project consists of two 38-storey condo towers with 17 townhouses along the back. It is located at 1400 René-Lévesque West, between Lucien l’Allier and Mackay Street. The project broke ground in early 2015 and is now approaching full completion and delivery. Horizon 21, meanwhile, is a more recent development. There, Dura Group formed a partnership with Centred Developments, a Vancouverbased developer, in order to jointly develop a 21-storey mixed use tower project in the greater Vancouver area. That project includes 142 condominium units, four ground-floor retail units, five second-floor office units, and a separate three-storey building compromising eight townhouse units, all above four levels of underground parking. Steve describes it as “perched on a Coquitlam hillside,” where residents “can soak up stunning views from deep-set balconies.” He also praises the “designforward façade,” the amenities offered, the overall quality of the project, and its proximity to services. Then there’s the Cambie + King Edward (CKE) project – in that case,DuraGroup, inpartnership with the Tianqing group, independently developed a LEED Gold certified project consisting of 70 units of highend condos and townhouses. Steve says that project sold out within two hours, which he credits to the “remarkable location, breathtaking views, high-end finishes, and unique design.” Each of those projects has plenty of individual points of difference and unique selling points – as do all Dura Group projects. What they share in common, however, is quality, and design. MARCH 2022
That quality starts with the design. According to Steve, they always strive to come up with designs that are “higher-end” and “more energy-efficient. “They’re projects of tomorrow,” Steve says. “They’re not cookie cutter designs where all that matters is being cost-efficient.” “We’re not necessarily revolutionary,” he adds, “but we do our best with the capacity we have in order to make sure our designs are unique and we use as much new technology as possible. Our goal is to have projects that connect well with their communities and the people that live around. We don’t believe that’s possible to accomplish if you’re not willing to innovate and try new things.” Dura Group is also set apart by the relationships they have formed, Steve believes. He says they take a “human approach” with every stakeholder – that includes their investors, their buyers, and their partners and consultants. As a result, they “do a lot of repeat business” with all stakeholders. For example, on the consultant side, a frequent collaborator is RAAW Design – a Vancouverbased interior architecture and design studio that specializes in residential and hospitality interiors, educational and institutional tenant improvements. They are also pioneers in energyefficient building practices and boutique development projects. On every project, they are determined to push for efficient-building practices while providing solutions that increase the short and long term investment returns for clients and their stakeholders. Developers – including Dura Group – often seek to onboard them at the beginning of the planning process in order to benefit from their integrated THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
process and achieve the best possible space within their budget projections. Another close partner is BTY Group, an independent consultancy with 44 years of project delivery expertise in real estate, infrastructure and energy assets, across North America and Europe. The firm is an industry leader in providing integrated project management, cost management and construction loan monitoring services for major developers in fast growing markets, including Vancouver and Montreal. Over the past four decades, they have built a business that routinely invests in continuous learning and development and technological innovation in order to provide solutions best suited for each project and its environment. Like Dura Group, they always work towards the best possible outcomes – not just for the project, but also the community and the environment. With partners like those, Dura Group’s goal is to build longstanding relationships. Similarly, they try to build longstanding repeat relationships with their buyers and investors. Steve partly credits the loyalty of those stakeholders to the most obvious factor: “Of course, you have to look at the key metric for investors, which is returns,” he says. “We are able to consistently produce satisfactory returns. Our investors appreciate that.” At the same, he also believes that Dura Group’s transparency and openness goes a long way: “I think that’s another thing that’s very well-appreciated by our partners and stakeholders. Even though we’re a fully private company, and I think we’ll always remain a private company, we take a very public company approach in terms of how we present information. We’re very open and honest in terms of our reporting and in terms of our communication. Our investors and our stakeholders always understand very clearly what’s happening with their projects.” MARCH 2022
Achieving their vision YUL was one of Dura Group’s first investments. When Steve and Yinghua Qu first started the company, they immediately started looking to acquire some land in some prime locations. Early on, they were presented with the opportunity to partner with Brivia Group and jointly develop something special in downtown Montreal, and Steve says they jumped at the chance. “It’s always great when you get the chance to develop a project of scale, a project of quality, and a project that’s going to be really well-appreciated by the people of the city,” he says. “YUL ticks all those boxes. It’s something we’re really proud of. The project was a huge success for everyone involved.” Steve credits that commercial response to a confluence of factors, including the political situation in Montreal and the corresponding rise in foreign investment. He says all that has really “spiralled at the right time” and “created an environment THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
where Montreal has really put itself on the map.” “In just the last six or seven years, the amount of growth in Montreal has far outweighed what has happened in maybe the last 30 years,” he says. “The city has really taken its spot on the world stage.” Steve also credits the popularity of YUL specifically to a number of factors, starting with the location, and continuing with the quality of the product. “We did design a building that has a higher quality offering than what you’re used to seeing in other projects downtown,” he says. “I think that value and that quality have really pushed buyers to our project.” That quality, in turn, is a credit to the team that delivered the project.Thebuilder,forexample, was Magil Construction – they are a company that has a lot of experience working on significantprojects indowntown Montreal, and they have access to some of the top trades in the city and province. Magil was also responsible for the construction work performed with the Cambie+King Edward project. They are a key part of our success. The design team was of a similarly high calibre, Steve says. That team comprised world-renowned Montréal architectural firm Menkès Shooner Dagenais LeTourneux Architectes in collaborationwith Stefano Domenici Architect. “A lot of times you look at early stage renderings and then the final product, and you go ‘Oh, well this is nothing like the renderings,’” Steve says. “But in this case, the end result was even more stunning! I think MARCH 2022
that’s because we had the right collaborators. They knew how to achieve what the teams’ vision was from day one.” Another project that exceeded the original vision was the Cambie + King Edward development in Vancouver. The interiors there were by RAAW +design, which joined the consultant team in 2016. They were given a brief that targeted “livability, durability, and longevity.” RAAW is led by Allyse Y. Li, a registered interior designer and LEED professional. She says that they designed those interiors to be “beautiful” but also “truly universal.” Unlike when designing an interior renovation or tenant fit-in, their approach to new construction development is to give the future residents space and freedom to make their own design decisions. “Part of my mentality when it comes to designing the interiors for development projects – on any scale, large or boutique – is that I don’t know who lives in them upon and beyond completion,” Allyse explains. “I care deeply for sustainability in the sense that I don’t want people to be able to live in these homes without having to prematurely modify the interior built environment.” “Spaces that are tastefully and carefully designed, but let their occupiers’ get creative and personal are better loved and last much longer,” she adds. “I absolutely stand behind my design philosophy and professional approach.” For his part, Steve describes the results that RAAW achieved on that project “as modest, contemporary and timeless.” THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
Again, he says Allyse and her team deserve a share of the credit for the project’s commercial success, with all units selling out within two hours of being put on sale. A more recent project, which shares many similarities to YUL, is theHorizon21project, located in Coquitlam, BC. Like YUL, that project was very advanced with its preconstruction activities. Dura Group joined Centred Developments to bring in its experience and its resources to get the project moving forward. “We were able to come in and combine our resources with the existing group,” Steve says. “We provided additional capital and the missing expertise, and we helped them get over that last final hurdle so we can start construction shortly.” Sales for Horizon 21 began even prior to Dura Group’s involvement and have so far been very strong, which Steve credits to the great work Centred has done with their sales team. Again, he also believes the buyer response has a lot to do with the emerging location: “Three years ago, you probably would never have even imagined that there would be high rise towers in this part of Vancouver,” he says. “This was primarily a low-density area with single-family homes. There wasn’t much market demand for high-rises and master planned communities. But as Vancouver becomes more and more expensive, as the need for housing rises, and as SkyTrain expands, there’s been more and more of a push outside the city.” “As developers, we’ve started to see a lot more opportunities,” he explains. “We’ve seen that MARCH 2022
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you can invest here and build here, and people will come.” Steve expects people to come to Horizon 21 specifically because it, like all their projects, “ticks all the boxes.” “It’s a great location, it’s a high qualityproduct, andwebelieved in the design,” he explains. “The recipe was definitely there. The original developer was also able to successfully pre-sell certain amount, even during the early days of the pandemic, which was a very difficult time. They just needed a final push to get there. So everything made sense for us. We were at the right place at the right time, and we’re very happy to have finalized that joint venture.” Moving forward, Dura Group will continue to look for similar opportunities in both Vancouver and Montreal. At the same time, Steve says the company doesn’t necessarily want to grow much bigger in terms of staff: “The important thing for us is we have a lot of fun,” he concludes. “Our team is really lean and mean in both Vancouver and Montreal, and our intention is for it to stay that way. We’re a family office and we like that. We have no intention of having 50 people in our office. We like to be personally involved in every project and build personal relationships with all our stakeholders, including our team members. That’s a big part of why enjoy what we do, and we don’t want to lose that.” MARCH 2022
THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA For more on Dura Group, their philosophy, their social commitment, and their past and present projects – and to get in touch with their team today – visit https://www.groupedura.com/ For more on their YUL project, specifically, visit https://www.yulcentreville.com/ And for more on Horizon 21, specifically, visit https://horizon21living.com/
Construction satisfaction Ecklundson Construction is a group of Vancouver Island-based construction companies with many areas of expertise – including commercial project management, land development opportunities, civil infrastructure, and pre-manufactured homes. Since forming in the early 2000s, they have strived to continuously grow and learn in order to expand the capabilities, add value to their projects, and enhance the customer experience.
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Today, between their four different divisions, Ecklundson Construction Group can handle a wide variety of projects from the very beginning stages to completion, managing all details along the way to ensure the project runs smoothly, on schedule, and within budget. By the end of the process, their goal is to always deliver a highvalue, high-quality outcome that achieves all the clients’ goals and objectives. “We offer satisfaction in all aspects of construction,” says Drew Fisher, Project Manager & Estimator. “Every day we pride ourselves on providing our customers with superior value and customer service.” The pride that Ecklundson Construction takes in their quality and customer service starts with the owners and principals, Rod Ekland and Christopher Cross. Both are backed by more than three decades of experience in the construction industry, and they play hands-on roles with the company today – Rod specializes in commercial and residential construction and acts as Operations Manager for the commercial division, while Chris specializes in civil construction and serves as Operations Manager for the civil division. Originally, Ecklundson Construction was established by Rod as a residential THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA “As a result, we’ve had a lot of success earning initial projects through competitive bids,” Drew says, “and then we’ve been able to turn those clients into repeat clients. These days, we have a lot of repeat clients.”
homebuilder and developer. Since then, the company has expanded dramatically, both in terms of size and service offering. In 2016, in particular, the company took a big leap when Rod and Chris teamed up, and Chris brought his civil construction capabilities and experience the group. Drew also joined the group in 2016. In the years since, he has personally witnessed the company continue to grow and evolve. He was there in 2019 when they acquired Gordon’s Homes Sales – which builds modular and manufactured homes – and later when they saw an opportunity in the prefab products space and created PacRim Log Structures– which provides pre-fabricated wood structure kits for a variety of residential and recreational uses. These days, no matter the sector they are working in or the kind of project they are working on, Drew believes that clients choose Ecklundson for their superior service. “We approach every project with the goal of having a repeat client,” he explains. “We want to make sure their experience is really positive.” Of course, it also helps that Ecklundson is cost-competitive – Drew says that’s how they “get in the door” and prove the quality of their service in the first place. Drew credits that cost-efficiency to their experience and expertise, which gives them the ability to find more economical solutions tocommonchallenges on site. He also credits their internal depth of capabilities and the size of their team – they have team members inhouse who can directly perform a wide range of site services, from excavation, to pipe-laying, concreting, carpentry, framing, MARCH 2022
and more. They don’t have to rely on subcontractors as much as some of their competitors. “As a result, we’ve had a lot of success earning initial projects through competitive bids,” Drew says, “and then we’ve been able to turn those clients into repeat clients. These days, we have a lot of repeat clients.” Accordingly, Ecklundson Construction Group has been able to transition over the years from primarily designbid-build contracts to more construction management jobs – and that’s the direction they want to continue heading. They like being involved in projects early, and they like having the opportunity to use their industry contacts and in-depth local knowledge to add value during the design process. Recently, for example, the company was able to provide value engineering services on the acclaimed Snaw-NawAs Marketplace in Lantzville. At the 2020 Vancouver Island Real Estate Board (VIREB) Commercial Building Awards, they received the ‘Retail Award of Excellence’ prize for their work on that project. Drewsaysthateverystakeholder in the project deserves credit for that accolade. Those stakeholders include: Nanoose Economic Development Corporation, Snaw-Naw-As First Nation, Iredale Architecture, Fraserwood Industries, Fenrick Construction, Osprey Electric, Western Oil Services, Corgan Mechanical, Atlas Truss, Insulpro Insulation, McGregor & Thompson Hardware, Mid Island Glass, Van Berg Painting, AME Consulting Group, McElhanney, Muir Engineering, and AME Consulting Group. Maybe the biggest stakeholder was Nanoose First Nation. This was one of their first major commercial projects, and it THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
was a long time in the making. Drew says it took them 25 years to get it in motion, so “to see it happen and be able to play a role is great.” The Snaw-Naw-As Marketplace is located on a main transportation vessel in the community, and caters to upwards of 25,000 motorists who pass by every day. It provides those motorists with a stop that includes shopping, a restaurant, gas fill-up, electric vehicle charging, pump out for RVs, and outdoor seating with a children’s play area next to the restaurant. According to Drew, Ecklundson Construction Group was the right choice for that project because of their ability to save on costs without compromising quality. On that project in particular, the design initially came in over budget, but Ecklundson’s in-house experts were able to collaborate with their local trades to find ways to make the job a little more affordable without losing design intention. “We were able to get that thing to a price that worked,” Drew says. “We were able to achieve the same product but with a slightly different approach. The result is one of the most beautiful gas stations on the island.” The result was also a VIREB award – which Drew calls “an honour.” For him, though, he says the bigger wards is just seeing and appreciating the project every time he drives out there. “Every time I drive by, I feel good about it,” he says. “The project stands out. It’s definitely a focal point in the area. So yes, the awards are great, and it’s great to have that recognition – but the thing I’m most proud of is the impact we had on the community.” “ It’s a big pillar for that community,”headds. “ForSnawNaw-As, it was one of the first big projects from an economic development perspective. Not only is it is a building, it’s a gas station that’s providing economic growth to their community, and it’s providing jobs to their community. It’s definitely contributing a lot, and that feels really nice.” MARCH 2022
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