The country’s largest independent disaster restoration company, FirstOnSite, is expanding its services across the border. The U.S. headquarters, stationed in Nashville, Tenn., will work with commercial property owners and insurers to respond to large-loss catastrophes and natural disasters across the United States and the Caribbean.

Forestry companies and top architectural firms in British Columbia are working together to create playhouses to benefit Habitat for Humanity.

Canfor, a producer of sustainable wood-building solutions, is spearheading the inaugural Playhouse Challenge to design unique outdoor playhouses for children.

Next month, IIDEX/NeoCon Canada makes its annual return to Toronto’s Direct Energy Centre, but with greatly expanded architectural content for the country’s design community.

For the first time in its almost 30-year history, the event will be co-presented by Interior Designers of Canada (IDC) and Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (Architecture Canada/RAIC).

The Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) recently honoured two Toronto architecture firms for their demonstrated creativity and sustainability potential using new wood products.

Williamson Chong Architects was awarded the $50,000 Professional Prix de Rome for its proposal, “Living Wood.”

According to a Statistics Canada (StatsCan) report released last month, investment in non-residential building is on the rise.

After nine months of declining investments across the nation, 2012’s second quarter saw an increase of 1.8 per cent—up to $11.2 billion.

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has established a new standard for specifying tactile walking surface indicators (TWSIs).

For those who are visually impaired or blind, TWSIs provide an alternative to visible signage on walking surfaces in public spaces and facilities.

Based on a 2012 productivity survey, a new FMI report examines the efficiency of methodologies used by construction offices.

Results from the survey, collected from executives at more than 100 construction firms, were used to determine the pros and cons of each methodology.

A Vancouver library and Toronto ‘beach’ were among the winners of the biennial 2012 National Urban Design Awards.

Overseen by Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC)/Architecture Canada, Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP), and Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA), the program honours projects with a positive impact on Canadian cities.

A new study ranks Canada 11^th out of the world’s 12 major economies when it comes to issues related to energy efficiency.

The “International Energy Efficiency Scorecard,” published this month by the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-efficient Economy (ACEEE), rated the United Kingdom at the top, followed closely by Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Université Laval (Québec City) won second place at this year’s National Concrete Canoe Competition (NCCC). The event, hosted by the University of Nevada last month, was the 25th edition of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) race.

Known as “the America’s Cup of Civil Engineering,” NCCC aims to bring awareness about concrete technology, as well as its versatility in construction.