VANCOUVER ISLAND – Successful construction companies need more than good material and trained staff.
They need to be tech savvy, and able to utilize online tools and programs to take advantage of new developments in building science, if they want to increase customer satisfaction, productivity and enjoy a better bottom line.
While the industry, like most, was crimped by COVID-19 pandemic precautions this spring, construction continued, for the most part, albeit with a reduced workforce. As sanctions have lifted, building has ramped up to keep up with the strong demand that exited pre-COVID, and has given every indication that it will continue on into the future. With Vancouver Island a preferred – and safer – destination for residents and young and old, growth projects should maintain with more residents arriving, particularly from the Lower Mainland.
While demand from the Asian market has decreased, buyers are arriving from the Vancouver region, flush with cash after selling principal residences that have accumulated equity over many years and looking for less expensive housing and a slower lifestyle.
Not just that, but with employees forced to work remotely during the pandemic, many have realized that working from home offices is a true alternative. Online meetings through Zoom, TELUS Business Connect and other services have introduced new benefits to virtual employment, including tax benefits realized through having an in-home office.
Companies of all sizes, including in construction-related industries, have had to resort to online virtual meetings to keep team members updated on projects during the pandemic. Not only does it provide for social distancing, it also eliminates down-time and some travel for employees, who can participate where they are working.
Client demand for eco-friendly construction and structures has caused designers, architects and engineers to seek out solutions that are more efficient and less-intrusive. The result? Net zero homes and buildings that are kept warm through a combination of body heat, high-tech insulation and windows. More effort in the planning and design stages is resulting in less wastage of construction materials.
Canada’s construction sector is a $170 billion industry that employs 1.4 million workers, and within that, the Vancouver Economic Construction has identified a $426 million sector dubbed the “Contech Ecosystem”, an abbreviation of Construction Technology. This includes companies that are dedicated to meeting the demand for more affordable, better, safer, energy-efficient construction materials.
In order to remain competitive, construction companies need to be up to speed on new methods and products from not just an operations standpoint, but to meet and exceed ever-changing building code requirements, which differ from region to region.
Design-build options have become staple offerings from many larger construction companies, like Island Westcoast Developments with its Nanaimo and Victoria operations and projects throughout the Island. Clients see the advantage of working through the design process with industry professionals, resulting in them receiving exactly what they want, while reducing product waste due to inefficient design.
Kinsol Timber of Mill Bay utilizes technology to maximize usage of wood in the structures it builds and highlight its beauty in the end product, much to the delight of customers.
There have been a few “positive” byproducts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In order to complete projects with a reduced workforce, companies have been accessing technological advances to do more with less staff.
It has also resulted in the introduction of more sanitation facilities on construction sites, most notably handwashing stations. Companies have either brought in or constructed stations that will remain standard on-site equipment for years to come.
