Canada and Prince Edward Island reach agreement under new federal infrastructure funding programs

The governments of Canada and Prince Edward Island are making investments that will help create jobs and grow the middle class now while building a strong foundation for a sustainable economic future. Read More.

NB universities receive nearly $100M in new infrastructure funding

New Brunswick’s four universities will look to build new facilities and upgrade existing ones with nearly $100M in new funding from the provincial and federal governments. CTV News reports that the federal government will contribute half of the overall amount, while NB will commit $35M and the schools will be responsible for the remaining $14M. NB Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Donald Arsenault noted that the funding will offer significant new opportunities to the province’s universities. “There’s definitely some major projects in terms of a brand new facility being constructed and so forth” he said. “At the end of the day, there’s a lot you can do for $98.6M.” Read more.

Justin Trudeau pledges $116M for transit and water projects in Nova Scotia

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Bridgetown, N.S., today as part of an East Coast tour and announced nearly $116 million in federal funding for projects related to transit and water in the province. Read more.

How Startup Byfusion Is Turning Plastic Trash into a Construction Commodity

New York-based startup ByFusion is turning plastic waste into construction blocks known as RePlast. The company’s technology can use any form of plastic, including marine debris, in its process. Read more

Chinese 3-D Printing Company in Talks with Saudia Arabia to Help Build 1.5M Homes

Chinese company WinSun met with Saudi Arabia officials to discuss the possibility of using its 3-D printing technology to help the country reach its goal of constructing 1.5 million homes over the next five years, according to 3Dprint.comRead more

4 Construction Technology Innovations Enhancing Productivity in the Field

When industry professionals reference construction technology, the first topics that might come up are likely drones, building information modeling (BIM), 3-D laser scanning technology,virtual reality, 3-D printing and advancements in high-performance versions of long-time material staples like concrete.  However, how often do construction experts associate progress in technology to the worker in the field? Read more

Can Urban Highways Solve Problems Instead of Causing Them?

“Infrastructure in the city has acted as a type of monoculture,” says Michael Maltzan, design principal at Michael Maltzan Architecture. “It’s really just done one thing: It was intended to get cars from one place to the other as quickly as possible.” In a new proposal, the architects show how freeways could be redesigned to help solve multiple problems at once. Read more

Google Gets Ready to ‘Disrupt’ with Tango

Imagine being able to walk to the centre of a room, hold up your smartphone, then turn around. Tango will present a three-dimensional map of the room. Pair that technology with the augmented reality app called Through the Wall and the user would be able to hold up his or her device and be able to see where pipes, electrical wires and ducts are positioned. Read more

BIM Perception, Use Vary Among Construction Team Levels

A recent Dodge Data & Analytics study on how various large construction project stakeholders — with $50 million or more in annual value — use and perceive building information modeling (BIM) revealed that 50% of trade contractors, construction managers and general contractors use BIM on more than half of all projects, according to the Engineering News-Record. Read more

Construction Boot Camp for Teens Builds Greenhouses, Grows Skills

A group of Edmonton high school students is celebrating a new-found passion for construction, sparked by a two-week summer course. Read more