[DougB]

That was my first thought as well. I'm happy to see that parkade go but all those trees are so mature and healthy, it would be a shame to lose them.

They

There is a clear case for government intervention though: scale is needed to make cost reductions real and across the country and governments need to stop blocking its use. It is also useful as a competitive benchmark to reduce profit of contractors by growing productive capacity.

When has government every:
-achieved scale to reduce costs? Generally, any scale achieved by government works in reverse due to inefficient organizational structures
-reduced profits of contractors? Government could only do so through subsidies and if that worked, why should government target reduced profit margins in certain sectors? The market determines profit

 

[jdpv]

Noticed fencing (couldn't make out the contractor's logo) around the parkade across from Bow Valley and the Library (610 3 St SE). Photo from Google Maps, for context.

Anyone know what's going on there? Couldn't find anything on DMAP.

View attachment 713188

It’s Boom Construction, but couldn’t find any supplementary info: https://www.boomltd.ca/

 

[adamyyc]

Early stages, but it looks like Calgary Housing Company is going to be doing a Marda Loop project, based on this RFP:

Alberta Purchasing Connection

purchasing.alberta.ca

Enmax Substation 4 is located at the NW corner of 14th Street and 34th Ave SW:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.ca

So I’m glad that something is going to happen on that site, but was holding out hope that they’d find some sort of commercial opportunity for the old substation building (just the white building, not the brick building).

 

[CallmeCatbread]

If an "innovative construction method", or really any technology or service for that matter, is only viable with gargantuan public subsidy then it bretter be a truly magical golden unicorn of a technology. VMC is not that. Sure some of the modular buildings in Scandinavia are decent looking but at the end of the day the quality is at best comparable to traditional construction. Cost is not lower just because construction is being moved to a factory - whatever cost savings may come with that are lost by adding the cost of operating a massive factory and shipping the modules from the factory to the site. Really the only benefit to modular is the massively reduced time of on-site construction.

I'm not saying VMC doesn't deserve to exist or has no benefit, I just do not for one second believe that it is the panacea to the housing crisis the industry is saying it is. Those advocating for that need to get their history straight because I have yet to hear a coherent argument for why now is the time for modular to catch on when it has failed time and time again for decades. So far the argument I hear from people is "well we just didn't try hard enough"

 

[DiscoStu]

Anecdotal, but I share office space with some architects/builders... and the number one thing I hear them bitching about are the delays/roadblocks in terms of permits, environmental assessments, and the slow back and forth with whatever bureaucrat is assigned to the file. I hear zero complains about construction methods not being innovative enough.

I'm no big-city urban planner, but it kind of seems like the best thing governments could do is look for ways to make the existing rules, endless consultations, and permitting processes more efficient on their end. Otherwise, let everything else (design, technology, price etc.) be handled by free market forces. If modular construction is the answer, then the market will figure it out (it probably already has, but came to a different conclusion).

The path towards efficiency/affordability in any field rarely involves more government involvement. Set the framework, make them efficient as possible, and then get the fuck out of the way.

 

[jhappy77]

That parkade has sat pretty much unused for a LONG time. Anyone know the story behind it? Maybe structural issues?

Far from unused! It has proudly served as Calgary's largest and most refined public toilet for many years now.

 

[CallmeCatbread]

Anecdotal, but I share office space with some architects/builders... and the number one thing I hear them bitching about are the delays/roadblocks in terms of permits, environmental assessments, and the slow back and forth with whatever bureaucrat is assigned to the file. I hear zero complains about construction methods not being innovative enough.

I'm no big-city urban planner, but it kind of seems like the best thing governments could do is look for ways to make the existing rules, endless consultations, and permitting processes more efficient on their end. Otherwise, let everything else (design, technology, price etc.) be handled by free market forces. If modular construction is the answer, then the market will figure it out (it probably already has, but came to a different conclusion).

The path towards efficiency/affordability in any field rarely involves more government involvement. Set the framework, make them efficient as possible, and then get the fuck out of the way.

All of the literature I've read (which isn't exhaustive and doesn't make me an expert by any means) corroborates this. The construction productivity crisis is as much if not more of a regulatory problem than it is a technology problem.

 

[DougB]

Anecdote: My brother owns construction companies in Dallas and Calgary focused on commercial buildings, mostly warehouses. His opinion is that building in Dallas is much easier due to:
-predictable timelines. He has to put deposits down to cover inspection fees. If he isn't ready for the inspection, he forfeits the deposit. If the local government or its contract inspectors do not complete the inspection on the agreed upon date, they pay a penalty
-approvals and inspections happen in parallel. The assumption is that everything will be approved, allowing the builder to schedule activities in parallel rather than gating them based on approval gates

 

[Mountain Man]

Building in Calgary is a nightmare, unpredictable rules and interpretations from the very risk averse City, and contractors that struggle to find competent people.

 

[trtcttc]

Then Vancouver/Toronto/Montreal/Ottawa is probably infinitely worse than what Calgary has.

 

[Mountain Man]

Vancouver definitely is, haven't done a building in any of the eastern cities. I did a few in Winnipeg and they seem much more critical of your drawings if you are from out of town. My boss let his registration lapse because of how difficult they were to deal with.

 

[DougB]

Vancouver definitely is, haven't done a building in any of the eastern cities. I did a few in Winnipeg and they seem much more critical of your drawings if you are from out of town. My boss let his registration lapse because of how difficult they were to deal with.

Part of the problem is cultural. In hyper competitive markets like Texas, developers won't accept regulatory delays and municipalities are scared of being branded as antibusiness. I've seen developers sue municipalities and even activist groups that cause delays.

 

[Mountain Man]

Developers have tried to sue the City of Calgary, but it almost always gets tied up in the courts and they settle outside.

 

[DougB]

American lawyers are far scarier

 

[BigWoofer]

My understanding is that the American court system moves much faster than the Canadian one. Perhaps that makes this type of litigation more effective and feasible - if it will take six years for your claim to get to trial, oftentimes it isn't even worth it to bring an action. Or settling out of court becomes much more attractive.