Bus station GOes ‘green’

The recently opened GO Station in Oshawa, Ont., has incorporated sustainable building elements in its design while making commuting easier for travellers.

The 14,864-m2 (160,000-sf), $52-million facility houses 68 buses, a fuelling station, bus wash, and repair shops.

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Two Canadian projects win concrete awards

A retirement centre and a mixed-use structure were the two Canadian winning projects in this year’s Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) Design Awards.

The predominately U.S. competition had 28 winners from across North America. Along with a number of best-in-class awards, it recognized industry advancement, sustainable design, and the best all-precast concrete structure or solution.

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MPI moves testing south of the border

At the end of the month, the Master Painters Institute (MPI) will be moving its coating performance lab testing operations out of its Vancouver headquarters to KTA-Tator Inc., an accredited lab in Pittsburgh, Pa.

MPI has been testing proprietary coating products in its Vancouver lab since 1995 to determine whether they meet the third-party group’s performance standards and should be listed on its Approved Products Lists.

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Royal flush: Toronto restroom best in the country

Toronto’s e11even restaurant has been named Canada’s best restroom. The recognition comes out of a competition held by Cintas Canada, a uniform, data management, and restroom-cleaning company.

Designed by New York’s The Rockwell Group, the washrooms—located in a downtown restaurant adjacent to the Air Canada Centre sporting venue—contain modern sink basins and washlets for women.

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Ontario cement plant earns continent’s first ISO 50001

The first International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 50001, Energy Management System, certification in North America has been given to St. Marys Cement in Bowmanville, Ont.

“Certification to ISO 50001 enables our organization to follow a systematic approach to achieving continual improvement in energy performance; including energy efficiency, use, and consumption,” Fabio Garcia, plant operations manager, told Construction Canada Online.

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Heating the home’s core to save on energy costs

Toronto researchers have discovered rethinking insulation, along with small lifestyle changes and a heat pump, can save up to 80 per cent on energy usage in homes.

Developed by Ryerson University professor Russell Richman and University of Toronto professor Kim Pressnail, a nested thermal envelope design incorporates zonal heating in residences that will cut down on energy and heating costs in the winter.

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