As a full-service contractor with a focus on heavy civil construction, Weir’s “does everything… from asphalt paving to concrete pouring, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, driveway paving, parking lot paving, and roadway paving,” says Project Manager Jessica Weir, granddaughter of the company founders.

Road and highway services include road building and paving, grading and paving parking lots, and bridge and overpass construction. Core construction duties range from subdivision and commercial site development to installing and repairing water and sewer systems and concrete foundations. Infrastructure work entails gutters, storm sewers, curbs, and concrete sidewalks, and the team can also provide barriers, retaining walls, and various types of heavy equipment.

At present, contracts with municipalities bring in the most revenue. These projects often involve paving work and constructing water and sewer systems. However, residential work accounts for a good share of revenue as well.

A family of businesses
Weir’s Construction owns two other businesses—Cabot Ready Mix and 7J Trucking, the services of which augment its core construction capabilities. Asked if there are any plans to acquire more companies, Weir laughs. “I’d say that’s enough for now. The plate is full as it is,” she says.

Founded in 2003 and also based in St. John’s, Cabot Ready Mix is a fabrication company. A separate Cabot division supplies concrete for residential and commercial projects involving sidewalks, storm drains, retaining walls, basements, and foundations. The company delivers its wares via a fleet of 10 cement mixing trucks and a pair of concrete pumpers. It also does concrete forming and finishing.

7J Trucking, meanwhile, can move residents or freight across the province with its fleet of trucks and can take care of transportation logistics for clients.

Cabot, 7J Trucking, and Weir’s Construction often work together. “Cabot Ready Mix does all of our concrete work,” while 7J Trucking might haul pipe which is then put in the ground by Weir’s construction crew, Weir explains. The company owns “pretty well everything in our fleet. Every now and again we’ll buy a new [machine]. We try to keep our fleet up to date,” she says.

To this end, the company maintains “good relationships with local vendors” of construction and trucking gear, who represent major original equipment manufacturers such as John Deere and Brandt. The company has done business for years “with these people. They don’t charge us an arm and a leg; they’re fair with us because we bring a lot of business to them each year,” Weir says.

Rooted in the community
Weir’s Construction and the companies under its wing work entirely within Newfoundland, particularly in St. John’s and neighbouring regions. “Everything’s kind of been around the Newfoundland area,” says Weir. It has always been that way, ever since the company was founded by Jessica’s grandparents, Jim Weir, Sr. and Geraldine Weir. It was officially incorporated on October 31, 1977.

Jessica’s father, Dennis Weir, and her uncles, Jim Weir, Jr. and Bill Weir, were also instrumental in building the company. Dennis passed away a few years ago, while Jim and Bill remain with the company and work closely with Jessica. A cousin named Johnny Weir is also currently employed with the firm. The company’s equipment yard now features a structure called the Dennis F. Weir Building, in honour of Jessica’s father. “He was a big part of the company. It was a tremendous heartbreak and a loss of great man who was like the glue to our family when he passed,” she says.

The plan is to retain Weir’s Construction as a family business going forward. Indeed, consistency has long been a byword here, and the focus has been on heavy construction ever since the company launched, with the biggest changes being the introduction of concrete pouring courtesy of Cabot Ready Mix, and transportation and hauling courtesy of 7J Trucking.

The company’s formula for success has not changed either; it is a simple matter of doing good work and keeping the client satisfied. “At the end of the day, we try to make our customers happy. We try to make a good name for ourselves. I guess throughout the years, my grandmother, my grandfather, my dad, my uncles, made a good name,” states Weir.

Building the team
At present, Weir’s Construction has approximately 65 people on its staff, a number that typically fluctuates a bit during the year depending on seasonal workload. Recently, the company has been having a tough time attracting new hires, am unfortunate trend seen industry-wide. “We’re finding it very hard this year, and it’s not only us,” shares Weir.

Ideally, the company likes new workers who demonstrate “a good attitude, a good work ethic,” and are “just an all-around people-person. My attitude is: we’re working twelve to thirteen hours a day with each other—as long as you get your work done, you can have a bit of fun too while you’re at it,” she says.

Weir’s Construction’s family-based ownership structure extends to its company culture. “If you were to talk to a few of our employees, [they would say] we treat them as if they were family. We’ve got people who’ve been with us for 30 years. We’ve got people who have been with us 15 years, 20 years, and a lot of them will tell you we are a family-based company.”

Safety, of course, is a key focus of the company’s, and supervisors are held accountable for the well-being of workers under their direction. “We’re always up to date on safety training,” says Weir. “If anyone has any concerns, they bring them to me right away, and if I can’t fix it, I try to get someone else to help fix it.”

Going forward, the basic strategy at the affiliated companies is to focus on what works. “We like to keep [our approach] the same each year,” Weir says, and promotion largely centres on word of mouth, referrals, and long-term relationships with local firms. Currently, the team is completing a big project involving a main trunk sewer for the city of St. John’s. “That’s a big project of ours. It’s a big accomplishment,” she notes.

“I’m proud to be a part of a family business. I work side-by-side with my uncles, who are like father figures in my life. Each day, you put your feet on the floor and go, and you accomplish something. Even if it is just getting a driveway ready or putting a piece of pipe in the ground, it’s a proud moment,” says Jessica Weir.

The post Family Ties<p class="company">Weir’s Construction</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Before opening its office in Halifax, Pomerleau had already delivered five projects in Atlantic Canada. Some of these projects laid the foundation for enduring partnerships, notably with clients such as Defence Construction Canada (DCC) and Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC).

In 2004, Pomerleau secured its first major design-build contract in Atlantic Canada for the Halifax Harbour Solutions project, involving the construction of three rainwater and wastewater treatment plants. Mirroring the significant growth the Atlantic Canada region has experienced in the past two decades, the builder has delivered around 167 projects in the region worth over $3.5 billion in total.

Today, the Atlantic region has 73 employees and 16 ongoing projects, including the Atlantic Science Enterprise Centre (ASEC) in Moncton and the Daniel J. MacDonald building in Charlottetown.

A look at some of Pomerleau’s current projects
ASEC in Moncton, New Brunswick
Pomerleau is building a world-class scientific centre in Moncton where researchers will work together to protect and preserve Atlantic freshwater and coastal ecosystems. The Moncton Atlantic Science Enterprise Centre (ASEC) is a multi-disciplinary science facility being redeveloped on the site of the Gulf Fisheries Centre. This project for Public Service and Procurement Canada is exciting and transformative. It will not only bring scientists together to continue their research, but it is also an opportunity to participate in efforts to reconcile and support the economic participation of Indigenous peoples in a major federal project.

The project aims to create significant long-term opportunities for Indigenous people and businesses in the region. The design and construction of the facility is expected to generate contracts worth over $60 million in total for Indigenous businesses and significant benefits for their communities in New Brunswick. The ASEC will drive collaborative scientific research; foster partnerships; promote community engagement and ocean literacy; build a culture of sustainability, excellence and continuous innovation; and actively focus on traditional ecological knowledge.

Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney, Nova Scotia
When Pomerleau was awarded the construction management contract alongside Lindsay Construction for the expansion of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, it was the largest contract to date for Pomerleau in Atlantic Canada. This $480 million contract includes the addition of three buildings.

The Cape Breton Cancer Centre, a new 8,953m2 three-storey facility, will provide more treatment space, house cutting-edge cancer care technology, and be equipped to accommodate more clinical trials. The 2,924m2 Energy Centre at the rear of the campus will act as the heart and lungs of the entire upgraded campus system. The building will primarily run on environmentally sustainable wood chips.

The new Clinical Services building is a 24,309m2, eight-storey cast-in-place concrete building. When its doors open, it will feature a new Emergency Department, a Critical Care Department, inpatient beds, surgical suites with cardiac catheterization lab, and a Family and Newborn Care unit, all connected to the Cape Breton Cancer Centre and existing Cape Breton Regional Hospital via a pedway system.

Corner Brook Regional Recreation Centre in Corner Brook, Newfoundland
Pomerleau is building the new Corner Brook Regional Recreation Centre for the City of Corner Brook by renovating and constructing an addition to the existing Arts and Science Centre on the Grenfell Campus of Memorial University. The existing portion of the Arts and Sciences Centre that is being renovated currently houses a pool, gymnasium, and additional spaces. The addition will be seamlessly tied to the existing building and will include a welcoming lobby, large aquatics centre, daycare and outdoor playground, child minding space, fitness centre, and additional support spaces for the main uses of the facility.

A leisure pool will be incorporated into the new aquatics centre and will accommodate recreational swimming, leisure, exercise, and swimming instruction. A beach entry with interactive water features and a seated area, including hydro-massage jets, are part of the design plans. A lazy river with the capability to increase current for resistance programming and two cool-down lanes will also be included.

Daniel J. MacDonald Building in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Pomerleau is rehabilitating and optimizing the Daniel J. MacDonald Building, the national headquarters for Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC). The company’s mandate is to replace and modernize the asset’s aging mechanical and electrical systems and to upgrade the outdated interior space to Government of Canada Workplace standards. The project will yield a modern, sustainable, and efficient workplace for VAC.

The project is seeking Green Globes Certification level 3 or better. The goal is to increase energy efficiency, reduce operational costs, and contribute to Government Canada’s reduced carbon footprint.

The project will also include an Indigenous Participation Plan (IPP) that will see 10 percent of all subcontracts awarded to Indigenous businesses, and 1 percent of the contract value provided for skill and capacity building.

Parks Canada’s Visitor Centre in Gros Morne, Newfoundland
Pomerleau is building a mass-timber visitor centre for the Newfoundland and Labrador Park on a UNESCO heritage site. This construction involved the demolition of the original visitor centre, which included a theatre that once was a popular roosting place for a colony of little brown bats, which are an at-risk species.

To ensure that the bats had a more viable habitat, Parks Canada installed permanent bat condos in an effort to relocate the bats. These condos, which are located next to the building, have become an even more habitable place for them thanks to the finishing touches made by Pomerleau. Together with Parks Canada, Pomerleau employees elevated the condos to the same height as the theatre roof, where the bats used to enter to roost. They also removed siding from the old visitor centre and added it to the bat condo to promote tactile familiarity. Throughout the entire construction process, by incorporating schedule changes, Pomerleau has been reducing the amount of noise in the area to not disturb the bats during their roosting period.

Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Pomerleau is the construction manager for the expansion and redevelopment of the International Connections Facility at Halifax Stanfield Airport. The project will play a significant role in keeping up with the demand and capacity for airport facilities in future years.

The project involves the relocation and expansion of the existing International-To-Domestic (ITD) passenger transfer facility run by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA). A new second floor space will be seamlessly tied into the surrounding corridors.

Maintaining the daily operations of the airport is a priority and Pomerleau is working to ensure that passage through the airport can continue normally without any disruption caused by the construction work.

Labour shortage
Pomerleau is experiencing the labour shortage like other partners of the industry. There’s no magic solution but to engage in conversation with all stakeholders.

Within its operations, the builder has established some offices close to the communities where it has construction sites. Pomerleau opened offices in St. John’s and Moncton to be present, to engage with the surrounding communities, and to forge relationships with subcontractors, suppliers, and potential partners.

The company is an active member of the community as well. The builder is strengthening ties with local post-secondary institutions by partaking in career fairs and offering bursaries and internships. For those in the early stages of their career, Pomerleau provides a robust onboarding experience, allowing employees to grow within the company and make connections across the country.

Fostering long-term relationships with partners is key when facing challenges, and Pomerleau is engaging in conversations with various experts to find innovative solutions to the labour shortage. Pomerleau is working with local subcontractors to promote the economic vitality of local communities and develop skills among the region.

Indigenous inclusion and workplace realities
Indigenous peoples comprise a sizable portion of the population in various Atlantic communities, and fostering partnerships with these communities is Pomerleau’s priority. This year, Pomerleau released its first Integrated Report, which combines its Activity and Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) reports. To support Indigenous reconciliation and economic development, the company has made it a priority to make Indigenous peoples its business partners by maximizing workers’ and businesses’ participation in construction.

For more than a decade, Pomerleau has carried out approximately 30 construction projects located within Indigenous communities or in collaboration with Indigenous communities throughout Canada. Pomerleau is currently working on 11 active projects, of which three are in Atlantic Canada, that integrate Indigenous businesses and experts. The builder is bidding on 27 projects that will foster Indigenous participation and promote community capacity building. The company’s number of bids has tripled in the last year, leading to the significant increase in collaboration with Indigenous communities.

Opportunities for Indigenous businesses in Atlantic Canada
Almost one-quarter (23 percent) of the value of the redevelopment of ASEC, located on unceded Mi’kmaq traditional territory in Moncton, is planned to be allocated to Indigenous businesses and communities.

Pomerleau’s Indigenous Participation Plan for ASEC serves as a framework. The company’s project team and Indigenous relations and sustainable development specialists developed it alongside local Indigenous consultants, Indigenous organizations, such as the Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI), and representatives from the Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik First Nations communities. Through this collaboration, Pomerleau intends to propose concrete mechanisms to maximize Indigenous participation in the project.

Pomerleau’s impact in Atlantic Canada extends far beyond construction projects. It represents a testament to the power of collaboration, sustainability, and relationship building, and a commitment to positive social and economic change. As the company continues to grow, it remains committed to community-centric construction in the region, with a focus on local residents and businesses.

The post Pomerleau Celebrates 20 Years in Atlantic Canada<p class="company">Pomerleau</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

When LeBlanc began in the planning and landscape architecture field himself, most of his work was with international clients in areas like Asia, Africa, and Australia. Since then, such work has begun to flourish in and around Atlantic Canada, especially over the past 15 years. LeBlanc and company, as Nova Scotians, find this to be a meaningful shift. He says that it feels good to see one’s home change for the better and to see the growing interest in good design, innovative placemaking, and community building.

The union of the original companies allowed connecting the design disciplines of landscape architecture, planning, and experiential graphic design. This meant that the company could approach its projects in an interdisciplinary manner. Although specialty work can be done individually, most projects involve all the disciplines working together, to great effect. The firm’s fully integrated structure allows architects to work side by side with landscape architects, artists, urban planners, engineers, interpretive designers, archaeologists, writers, researchers, and graphic designers, and together, the team is able to “shape space, tell stories, and foster community identity in the built environment.”

Director of Marketing and Business Development, Nicole Babineau, says that the collaborative approach championed by Fathom can also be seen in the industries in which it works, especially as more operators begin to realize that working together on projects holistically is more fruitful and can lead to faster, better results. As a result, the team frequently works in joint ventures and strategic partnerships with other consulting firms, architects, and planners to execute bigger projects in the field.

For example, Director of Landscape Architecture Segal describes working with firms like Moriyama Teshima Architects of Toronto, often doing significant projects in collaboration. Fathom has also become the first point of contact for firms beginning work in Atlantic Canada and establishing ongoing relationships there. Its history of building trusted relationships with organizations like Parks Canada, Halifax Regional Municipality, Cape Breton Regional Municipality, and the Town of Wolfville in the Annapolis Valley has led to further projects and alliances over the years.

Funding from partner organizations like the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) makes a lot of the company’s work in smaller communities possible. At all times, Fathom seeks to develop relationships with the towns and communities in which it works, leading to greater trust and understanding and to results that truly serve the needs of the community. Fathom’s work is mindful and purposeful, always well-suited to the culture, heritage, and natural surroundings. As the company describes, “Our passion is public space and creating meaningful built environments that inform, engage, and inspire.”

To this end, the company boasts a large portfolio of meaningful projects completed over its 26-year history. To date, its largest project, architecturally speaking, has been the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre in downtown Halifax, which Director of Architecture Crawford says has been an exciting project for everyone. Fathom has in fact been engaged for numerous projects in Nova Scotia’s capital city, including the Argyle and Grafton streetscape downtown and the concept design of Cogswell Transformed, one of the largest urban redevelopment initiatives in Atlantic Canada.

For its efforts, Fathom has received much recognition in its field, including, most recently, the 2023 Royal Architecture Institute of Canada’s Emerging Architectural Practice award. With a breadth of unique projects and the recognition of its field in equal measure, the company is presently in an exciting time, and Crawford says that it has never been busier. The planning side is very active as all levels aim to address the housing shortage and provide hospitals, universities, and other related pieces that must accompany housing. Currently, the team is working on around 60,000 units and master-planned communities across the Atlantic provinces.

To be sure, Fathom has a number of exciting projects underway moving into 2024, including a great deal of investment into more public, community-based projects. The team is learning which projects it loves to do and which have the most potential for to make a transformative impact. Shifts are occurring in multiple industries around topics like net-zero energy, accessibility, and green/renewable infrastructure and materials, so there is a lot of learning still to be done. Fathom will continue to refine its practices while working with communities and groups who appreciate a mindful and collaborative approach, which is where its passion lies.

Now at nearly 50 staff members, the team is finally at a scale where it can begin to pursue larger cultural projects and work on a national scale. “We believe all the pieces we put together under an interdisciplinary lens are our strength as a firm,” says Babineau.

Fathom’s holistic approach is rooted in community engagement because when one spends time learning about the history and culture of a community and spending time with its people, those efforts contribute to every aspect of a project. Projects that involve making local greenery spaces more beautiful and helping locations bring new visions to life are what Crawford considers both dream projects and a huge honour.

“It’s a wonderful time to be working here,” he says of the region. His eagerness mirrors that of his colleagues at Fathom, all of whom are pleased to be bringing the best of all the company’s disciplines together to make Atlantic Canada even greater.

The post Making Better Spaces<p class="company">Fathom Studio</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Prior to the development of PMco, Doucet Developments established relationships with Bedford company rcs construction in 1996 and with growing development operation Tier Too Properties in 2010; today, PMco works in tandem with both rcs and Tier Too, serving the clients of the former while managing most of the latter’s developments in the area.

It is not uncommon for PMco to step in and help a long-standing client of rcs with their smaller renovations or maintenance work. PMco was born from previous rcs employees, so they know the same level of service and care will be used to take care of clients on either side. On the flip side, PMco has built many strong relationships over its three short years in business, and when one of the PMco clients is ready for a flagship build or major redevelopment, PMco can hand that over to the larger outfit, rcs, which is better suited for major projects of this size. PMco has quickly become an integral part of both the Doucet cadre of services and the Atlantic real estate market.

Company Cofounder and Vice President of Operations Craig Duininck always had the idea of starting a small projects and property management company. When the property market began to stabilize after the initial hit of the pandemic, he noticed a shift in it, where bigger clients and customers were requesting smaller levels of renovations and building projects, operations of a size that not many companies were specialized in. Duininck saw this as a perfect time to get going, and through hard work, leveraging prior rcs relationships, and “a lot of luck,” succeeded.

In the beginning, he handled property management and leasing while the company’s only other employee oversaw construction. Thanks to a large influx of work in the first month, he was able to hire a site supervisor and coordinator, and the workforce has now grown to about 20 employees, including a full office in nearby Truro, Nova Scotia and a site management team.

Now three years in, the company operates as a full-service real estate management business that tailors packages to suit the needs of clients, offering services including leasing, rent collection, contract management, common area maintenance, reconciliation, and more. It has seen no shortage of work ever since. PMco has also incorporated a Real Estate Brokerage that can handle all third party commercial leasing, purchasing, and sales.

Duininck says that the three core values of any PMco project are integrity, respect, and collaboration. These are best achieved on any job by working side-by-side with clients to answer any questions as soon as possible and to work together to solve problems. “With that collaboration,” Duininck says, “we treat every client with respect… if you have been in construction your entire life or this is your first job… everyone deserves the same amount of respect.”

He cites a recent example of how the company found cost savings in a project that would save a significant amount of money while not jeopardizing quality. Instead of adding these savings into the profit for what was a lump sum job, PMco shared these savings directly with the client and reduced the contract price. The company is not simply about making money but about creating long-lasting relationships, and acting with integrity always supports that goal.

Being especially proficient in smaller projects, 90 percent of the PMco business comes from repeat clients, who respond to both the company’s unique expertise and its transparent attitude to client relations. A typical project may not have full construction or engineering plans, so PMco will go to a client’s worksite to work on a solution and take care of them.

Duininck says that none of what the business does would be possible without the hard work and ingenuity of the workforce. “It takes a special group with a strong set of values to execute projects like this.”

Although still quite young in its market, PMco has already worked hard to secure significant contracts and to get its name out in its home region. The company recently landed a project with the Kal Tire group, Canada’s largest independent tire dealer, which purchased local outfit GCR Commercial Tires & Service in 2022 and is rebranding all such locations to the Kal Tire brand. PMco has been working on this project for the past year in 14 locations across the Atlantic provinces.

Other notable projects include a newly opened Lindt chocolates store in the Halifax Shopping Centre—a high-end project in terms of both size and name; a new Crepe Delicious kiosk in a major mall in neighbouring Dartmouth; and Bar Sabbia in downtown Halifax, which Duininck remembers as a fun project to work on.

Although these types of projects continue to be successful for PMco, he says there is a degree of uncertainty currently around interest rates and large development projects in the Atlantic provinces. There has been a hesitancy in property management and development circles to begin bigger projects because of this. This has, in turn, led to a degree of greater strength for companies like PMco that specialize in smaller projects, which are a bit more favourable in today’s market as others looking to develop wait and hope for interest rates to settle. “We love to be the go-to to solve problems and help get these projects to work,” says Duininck.

This trend of high interest rates and expensive construction costs spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic and has only continued since, which is a big ongoing issue for Atlantic Canadians and businesses in the area. As an open-book crew, the team is always quick to communicate any cost change and to find solutions within the budget that work for everyone. Rather than setting a price and standing firm, the company prefers to sit down with clients to work out an agreeable solution as part of its trademark approach, which Duininck says is a little out of the ordinary for a construction business.

Looking ahead to the fast-approaching new year, Duininck says that the company’s goal is not necessarily to grow vertically, as it is not looking to add bigger projects, but instead to grow horizontally with the number of projects it runs. PMco still works with bigger clients in the Atlantic provinces like major Canadian supermarket companies Loblaws and Sobeys, but the goal for the incoming year is to continue to increase the number of projects it completes, and to increase the number of new clients it works with.

The company has found a niche in the Atlantic market for its smaller projects but uses a lot of the same trusted vendors as some of the bigger outfits and credits these vendors for being flexible. Duininck says that without that flexibility, the company’s growth could not have been possible. He is also thankful to the company’s clients who trust PMco to work with them directly, which would not happen without ongoing support and trust in the relationships.

Duininck and his staff continue to stay humble as PMco continues its rise, which is evident in both the company’s internal values and the way it continues to approach and value each client.

The post Property Management on the Rise<p class="company">Property Management Company (PMco)</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

A carpenter and builder, Bowers grew up in the construction industry, building houses, running his own companies, managing rental units, “and doing everything from foundation to finish,” he says. Over 20 years of varied experience revealed both the good and the bad of the industry, including the “insane amount of waste” he saw generated during building, vast amounts bound for landfill sites every day.

Believing there had to be a different way—and passionately wishing to leave his family a planet in better shape—Bowers founded PLAEX Building Systems™ to bring to market his concept for a brilliantly simple new building system that would also tackle head-on the overwhelming waste issue dogging the industry.

Cleverly developing his ideas in collaboration with industry leaders, the result is a unique, extremely durable, modular-construction block building system with patents pending, made primarily from recycled waste materials. PLAEX is a low-waste, no-cut system that’s also reusable.

“We still struggle to automate the construction industry, largely due to the materials we work with,” says Bowers, who serves as PLAEX’s Chief Executive Officer and Product Developer.

“Construction materials are complex in nature,” he continues. “We didn’t think about automation when we started with all our building codes, setting the standards for how things are built. Now there’s a big push to modernize construction, and so this is what we are doing at PLAEX: we are one of the pieces helping to modernize construction.”

The company’s building systems are manufactured from a composite material known as PLAEXcrete™, which is itself made from over 90 percent recycled waste materials. Utilized in a construction project, PLAEX saves time and money. As interlocking modular bricks, the system does not require cutting or mortar, unlike brick and stone. Since the expertise of a bricklayer is not required, this speeds up the building process, making PLAEX Ideal for retaining walls, foundations, sheds, and other low-rise building projects.

Since PLAEX pieces are interlocking, they can be put together, taken apart, and reassembled, all without expensive tools, mortar, nails, screws, or bolts. As a fully interlocking modular construction system, PLAEX is waste- and mess-free.

PLAEX sources the materials in question directly from producers—mainly in the agricultural and marine industries—and trimmings from manufacturers. If there is a company that has a consistent waste stream that cannot otherwise be recycled due to contamination or impurities, PLAEX can process and use that waste. “That’s the big thing for us,” says Bowers: “being able to address otherwise difficult-to-address markets.”

The company has partnered with the University of New Brunswick’s (UNB) Off-site Construction Research Centre to assess product mechanical properties and durability. This includes extensive mechanical, compressive, tensile strength, temperature, and other testing undertaken to standards, including ASTM C39 (formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials), and C78 standards.

According to the Project Profile (https://www.unb.ca/ocrc/_assets/documents/plaex-building-products.pdf), PLAEX products meet the compressive strength of normal concrete at around 20-30 MPa (megapascals). PLAEX is also working on other tests through several independent labs.

The team at PLAEX is investigating other sources of recycled materials and finding success testing non-biohazard hospital plastic. Many medical products come wrapped in plastic, while others, such as pill bottles, lids, and caps, don’t have any contaminants in them. To date, the company deals mainly with polyethylene and polypropylene—no polyvinyl chloride (PVC)—and usually steers clear of Number 7 plastics, which are difficult to recycle. “We can deal with some Number 7’s, but it’s very much on a case-by-case basis,” says Bowers.

Formed from difficult-to-recycle waste materials such as glass, plaster, concrete, industrial plastic waste, and more, PLAEX bricks are carbon-negative. Every 100 bricks offsets about a ton of CO₂ currently, and the company plans to double that amount to two tons of CO₂ through technological improvements and scale.

“Even as it stands now, one ton of CO₂ per 100 bricks is substantial,” says Bowers. “The numbers—when we start looking at scale and what we can contribute to the solution—are mind-bogglingly big.”

PLAEX thus presents a scalable solution to one of the biggest issues facing humanity today, namely waste. Addressing the present outrageous amount of waste is something most people agree upon, and it is a subject Bowers and his team are passionate about. “I feel this is one of the most essential risks we face: finding scalable solutions to waste,” he says. “Half of all resources extracted globally go into construction. So if you want to deal with waste, construction seems like a pretty good avenue.”

According to Bowers, PLAEX’s system will help address myriad issues facing the world today, including waste reduction, the rising cost of construction, and labour shortages. More than just another product, PLAEX is creating an ecosystem as a new physical construction platform, offering both a viable and scalable solution to waste while creating simple and sustainable construction solutions which can be used for shelter, storage, and much more. “It’s a truly scalable solution for what humanity faces.”

In the years to come, he sees the company not only expanding its product line but also growing internationally, taking on humanitarian work in developing countries.

“There should be no such word as ‘garbage,’ Bowers believes. It’s ‘new resources,’ and how do we put these resources to use? I teach my kids this, with the result that we have very little garbage here at home, with the end goal of having none. And getting to the goal of no garbage is one piece of the puzzle.”

The post A Huge Journey for a Young Company<p class="company">PLAEX</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.