Canada’s newest architecture school is coming closer, with construction on Laurentian University’s School of Architecture set to begin over the next few weeks in Sudbury, Ont.

Purchased from the City of Sudbury, historic buildings such as the former Market Square in the city’s downtown core will be restored in addition to new construction.

Awards were presented to designers and architects at a ceremony last month honouring Ontario residential, interior, and commercial wood projects.

The national WoodWorks! initiative, led by the Canadian Wood Council (CWC) recognized projects through the program, ranging from an interior assembly to the rehabilitation of a provincial park.

ComFORT Downtown, a project created by two architecture students, set up playful fort installations in various locations across Edmonton, providing a way to bring the whimsical, creative nature of fort building to the city.

Tara McCashin (Dalhousie University) and Safira Lakhani (University of Waterloo) met during an internship program in Edmonton and were later inspired by Peter Kageyama’s “For the Love of Cities” talk to come up with their own way to energize the city.

North America’s largest panelized wood structure, the 17,500-m² (188,368-sf) Earth Sciences Building (ESB) at the University of British Columbia (UBC), was officially opened in November in Vancouver, B.C.

The $75-million, five-storey facility was designed by Perkins+Will and Equilibrium Consulting and includes laboratories, a lecture hall complex, and computer lab spaces.

In the first project of its kind in Canada, 12 shipping containers are being converted into affordable housing units for women in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

BC Hydro and housing company McQuarters donated two units each, while the remaining eight were purchased by Atira Women’s Resource Society, the organization behind the project.

Last month, National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) recognized its new executive committee, as well as appointed new board members, including many Canadians.

The newly appointed board members, who will each serve a three-year term, include: Sneh Kumar (Kawneer, an Alcoa Company); Jeff Baker (WESTLab Canada); Mahabir Bhandari (Oak Ridge National Laboratory [ORNL]); and Gary Curtis (Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance).

Last week, BASF Canada hosted a seminar on sustainable building for architects, engineers, and building owners to introduce the U.K. Building Research Establishment’s (BRE’s) Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) system and lifecycle approach.

An interactive research project developed at the University of Calgary (U of C) aims to save the construction industry time and money by providing real-time communication.

Developed by U of C students and led by Professor Janaka Ruwanpura of the Schulich School of Engineering, the i-Booth kiosk allows construction workers immediate access to building information management files from anywhere on the jobsite.

A new study conducted by a market research group on insulation products has forecasted global demand for the material will rise 5.5 per cent by 2016. After North American requests for insulation fell during the housing market decline in 2008/2009, this is a substantial increase for the industry.

In its report, “World Insulation,” the Freedonia Group predicts the continent’s residential market demand will steadily rise 9.2 per cent from last year to 2016.

A new facility for training seminars in the concrete and tile industry has been opened in Mississauga, Ont., by Ardex Americas.

The Pennsylvania company’s Greater Toronto Area (GTA) location offers courses and other training programs at no charge for installers, contractors, and additional members of the industry.