Sheet Metal and Air-conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) awarded Toronto Chapter leader Wayne Peterson with the Petersen-Dunn Award.

The honour is distributed to the organization’s executive of the year, and was presented at this year’s 70th annual convention held in Maui, Hawaii last week. It is given to the member demonstrating a substantive contribution to his or her local chapter, as well as the overall SMACNA.

According to a new study, the international demand for aluminum is expected to increase 5.8 per cent per annually through 2017.

In the “World Aluminum” report, released by industry researchers The Freedonia Group, demand is predicted to reach 82.5 million metric tons of primary and secondary (i.e. recycled) aluminum.

The Gypsum Association has developed a product category rule (PCR) document for North American gypsum boards.

The PCR provides a cohesive set of requirements and guidelines for developing environmental product declarations (EPDs) for North American produced gypsum boards in compliance with International Standards Organization (ISO) 14025, Environmental Labels and Declarations: Type III Environmental Declarations: Principles and procedures.

According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC’s) most recent outlook for the country’s housing market, the coming year will be stable.

Annually, housing starts are expected to range between 179,300 to 190,600 in 2013, which is down from 214,827 last year. For 2014, the expected range is between 163,700 to 205,700.

A new environmentally focused design for Toronto Dominion (TD) Bank branches has been made public.

The first branch with the sustainable design elements opened in Mississauga, Ont. The 488-m² (5252-sf) facility is targeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification.

This month, North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) celebrates 80 years in the insulation industry.

The organization, which includes a Canadian division, promotes energy-efficiency in buildings as well as safe production of fibreglass, rock-wool, and slag-wool insulation products.

A new international construction survey suggests an optimistic outlook in the global engineering and construction industries.

KPMG interviewed senior leaders from 165 companies in 29 countries. The majority agreed government infrastructure plans are the biggest factor contributing to growth. Economic growth, urbanization, and population increase were also factors.

Last month, Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC) recognized Québec projects with design awards for excellence.

The groups’ annual Steel Design Awards of Excellence in the province honoured 13 projects in nine categories.

Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has reported private housing, infrastructure, and commercial sectors will be the driving factors in Canada’s construction growth.

Last week, the Ontario Chapter of RICS presented its Canadian Construction Survey Launch Breakfast, where it discussed findings from the recent survey. Led by Simon Rubinsohn, RICS’ chief economist, topics included Toronto’s development, construction trends, and the concern regarding skilled trade shortages.

Now nearing completion, Montreal’s Stinson Transport Centre integrates transportation and greenspace into an urban area.

To minimize noise and the visual presence of a large number of buses, the structure was designed by Lemay Architects to be fully enclosed. The 35,000-m² (37,6736-sf) roof, spanning the length of seven football fields, includes parkland integrated with skylights in the form of trusses.