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Greater Vancouver Edition | December 2005

VOL. 9, NO. 12

Portrait Homes Ltd.

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2 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

from the publisher

Dan Muldoon
Publisher

For advertising rates and special
features, to recommend a builder
or for submission of articles for
publication,

call (604) 737-2874 or
fax (604) 648-8418
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This month we are very proud to showcase Multi-Georgie Award Winner: Portrait Homes.
This month we feature: BUILDING INNOVATIONS, our annual report on new develop-

ments in concrete home building, steel framing, engineered wood products, SIPs, ICFs and
other trends that challenge the way we build today.

In January we take a look at THE SMART HOME. Today, homeowners demand technological

innovations that entertain them, protect them and help them to accomplish household tasks.

Product Showcase: home theatres, audio systems and equipment, home security systems,

centralized vacuums and other household innovations.

If you would like to be featured in Builder/Architect as a builder or architect, submissions are

always welcomed.

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ested in a company proﬁle to be featured in Builder/Architect. We are always looking
for submissions that offer new technology or insights for the construction industry.

A special thanks to all our advertisers.
If you have any questions or if I can be of service to you, please do not hesitate to call me at

(604) 737-2874 or e-mail at d_muldoon@telus.net.

For more info, visit www.builderarchitectmagazinebc.com.
Dan Muldoon,
Publisher

GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005 | 3

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Publisher Dan Muldoon

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VOL. 9, NO. 12

ON THE COVER

Multi-Georgie Award Winner Portrait Homes.

DECEMBER 2005

COVER STORY

PORTRAIT HOMES LTD.

FEATURE

BUILDING INNOVATIONS

Our annual report on new developments
in concrete home building, steel framing,
engineered wood products, SIPs, ICFs and
other trends that challenge the way we
build today.

contents

DEPARTMENTS

from the publisher

managing

the business of building

product showcase

the art of architecture

landscaping

inside business

legal insights

Member of:

00-134

GREATER VANCOUVER

our 68th year

PORTRAIT HOMES, LTD.

Multi-Georgie Award Winner Portrait Homes

PHOTOS COURTESY PORTRAIT HOMES

4 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

Portrait Homes Ltd.

By Susan M. Boyce

cover

story

Ambiance. Difﬁcult to deﬁne, impossible to

ignore. Some places have it, many don’t. Like the
hundreds of homes they’ve built since 1989, the
Richmond ofﬁces of Portrait Homes, Ltd., are
deﬁnitely high up on the list of places that have
ambiance — in abundance.

Distinctly comfortable and welcoming, there’s

a quiet yet tangible sense of mutual respect and
trust among the people who work here, an easy
going camaraderie that speaks of a deep-seated
commitment to quality, community and commu-
nication. Rob and Harry Grimm, the company’s
principles and founders, are clear that this is no
coincidence. “We are a strong, cohesive team,”
Harry says. “When we have project meetings ev-
eryone checks their ego at the door. It isn’t about
being right or wrong, it certainly isn’t about what
Rob or I want, it’s about how, as a team, we can

GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005 | 5

improve everything we do.”

“We aren’t interested in just building houses,”

Rob stresses. “Our goal is to build communities
that feel like home from the minute you arrive;
communities that feel good every time you drive
through the front gates.”

AN EVOLVING FOCUS

Although both already had solidly established

careers in the manufacturing industry, Rob and
Harry had long enjoyed and been involved in real
estate, albeit passively. Their ﬁrst foray into the
world of residential development was Creekside
Estates, an 18-unit townhouse development in
Surrey’s Guildford neighbourhood. Stratford by
the Park, a 21-unit condominium project in South
Surrey — and one that led to a three-phase, 125-
suite community — followed quickly.

By 1998, with nine successful multifamily

developments and numerous Georgie Awards
behind them, Rob and Harry decided the market was right to break into the
increasingly lucrative single-family market. “Owning a single-family home
is still the ultimate dream for many home buyers,” Rob says.

But the brothers recognized there was irreplaceable value in their past

experience with multifamily construction. “At Sawyer’s Walk, we used the
same approach we had used for multifamily construction and simply applied

it to single-family homes,” Rob says. “For example, when you’re buying 100
sinks, 100 washer/dryer combinations and 100 refrigerators, you’re going
to have signiﬁcant leverage for volume discounts.”

This ability to think outside the box paid considerable dividends, and

Sawyer’s Walk soon became the recipient of four gold Georgies, including
the coveted Best Residential Development in BC. With each new project,

6 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

efﬁciency levels became more ﬁnely tuned, pricing leverage increased and
client satisfaction continued to soar.

Rob adds that Portrait’s ability to respond quickly to consumer feedback

and market trends is a major beneﬁt of being a smaller, more closely-knit
company. “We can usually make simple design changes the next day and
more complex ones by the end of the week — a time frame almost unheard

of in larger companies.”

Both brothers laugh as Harry admits this

attention to detail often “drives our architects
crazy because of the hours and hours we spend
scrutinizing ﬂoor plans, elevations and ﬁnishing
details.” But the effort has garnered Portrait
Homes accolades from hundreds of satisﬁed
home buyers as well as a broad range of industry
awards, including multiple gold and silver Geor-
gies for Best Single-Family Detached Home and
the ever important Excellence in Customer
Service Award, as well as the prestigious Award
of Excellence for Ground-Oriented Residential
Development — Single-Family from the Urban
Development Institute (UDI).

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPECT

Sustainable design is no mere politically cor-

rect phrase in the Portrait Homes lexicon — it is
a fundamental, guiding principle. “Homeowners

are beginning to demand that we, as developers, ﬁnd new ways of preserving
our environment for future generations,” Rob says. Meeting this demand has
lead the team along many exciting new pathways of innovation — pathways
that extend far beyond preservation of mature trees, creation of lush green
spaces and faithful avoidance of the temptation to “moonscape” a develop-
ment site by simply leveling it.

GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005 | 7

One of many ﬁrsts occurred in 1999 when Rob and Harry accepted

the challenge of bringing to life a large-scale, single-family community on
Coquitlam’s Westwood Plateau. The project was named Autumn Woods.
Lots were a scant 10-meters wide, the topography
steep and the city wanted rear alleys against a
lush greenbelt to avoid creating an unsightly sea
of garage doors from the roadway.

“We proposed a design that articulated the

elevations, pushed the front porches forward for
visual interest and incorporated rock detailing
to make the garage doors less prominent,” Harry
says. The result was an overwhelming success and
set a new standard for single-family, compact-lot
home design.

Perhaps nowhere is Portrait Homes’ com-

mitment to sustainability more apparent than
Silver Ridge, a 105-acre, master-planned com-
munity now entering its second phase in Maple
Ridge. Although zoning was approved for up to
500 homes when they acquitted the property,
the Grimms chose to reduce density by a full
20 percent, allowing more than 40 percent of
the property to be retained as protected green
spaces. Narrower, gently curved roadways lined

with trees, gardens and parkettes provide natural trafﬁc-calming for a safe,
pedestrian-friendly environment, while strategically placed river rock gives
the illusion of a network of creeks.

8 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

But it’s hidden details which truly set this com-

munity apart. A ﬁrst-of-its-kind in Western Canada,
Silver Ridge’s integrated storm water management
system is mainly concealed below ground. State-of-
the-art eco-swales replace environmentally damaging
curb-and-gutter design and mimics preconstruction
natural drainage thus minimizing impact on sensitive
ﬁsh habitats in the site’s creeks and wetlands.

“Maple Ridge deﬁnitely encouraged us to look at

alternative systems of storm water management,” Rob
says. “But this was so new, so innovative, that they also,
quite rightly, insisted we build two systems — ours plus
a backup system using traditional methods of piping.”

Construction methods, too, took a long step beyond

the commonplace. Rather than follow the traditional
route of depositing construction waste into an already
over-taxed municipal dump, an on-site soil screener al-
lowed 80 percent of the materials to be recycled — large
rocks became retaining walls, medium and small rocks
gained renewed life as rock pits or road base and native
topsoil found its way into lawns and gardens. In all, some
5,000 truckloads never had to leave the property.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

With such passionate belief in creating communities and not just building

homes, it’s hardly surprising Portrait Homes has always held a strong mandate to
support the people who call their neighbourhoods home. Over the years, giving
back has become as integral a component of the Portrait Home’s philosophy as
attention to detail and quality.

Regular contributors to a wide range of charities, Portrait Homes takes a

special pride in some of the creative campaigns they have incorporated into
larger projects. “For example, when we built Legends at Clayton Hollow,
we donated one of the townhouses to Z-95’s Y2K Project to raise funds for
the South Fraser Children’s Development Centre,” Rob says.

Later, during construction of Sawyer’s Walk in Surrey, Portrait

partnered with Shell Busey and CKNW to convert a condemned
heritage house on the property into an award-winning home. “We
moved the house to a different lot, completely gutted and renovated it
and ultimately won a gold Georgie for Best Kitchen Reno,” Rob says.
More importantly, the project also raised more than $70,000 for the
CKNW Orphan’s Fund.

LOOKING AHEAD

“Naturally, we’re always on the look out for new properties,” Harry says,

adding he and Rob already have their eyes on a second large land parcel in
Maple Ridge and another on Coquitlam’s up-and-coming Burke Mountain.
“If you aren’t open to new opportunities, you can’t grow. But we aren’t aim-
ing to become one of BC’s bigger developers, because we are very happy
with our core group and what we do.”

There’s a genuine fondness and respect in his voice as he talks of Sally, the

company controller, and Jeff, who ran Portrait Homes’ ﬁrst job site and has
remained an integral part of the team as project manager ever since. His tone
augments the reality of the words themselves leaving no doubt that at every
level this team functions more as a family than an impersonal corporate entity
— yet another element of that elusive quality named ambiance.

■

Portrait Homes, Ltd.,

#200–6660 Graybar Road, Richmond, BC V6W 1H9;

TEL: (604) 270-1889; FAX: (604) 270-1841.

Visit us at: www.portraithomes.ca.

1 0 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

How Do R-Values Stack Up?

By Vera Novak, LEED AP, Environmental Specialist, ECO-Block

With the cost of natural gas doubling over

the last few years, energy savings has become
an increasingly important factor in building
design and construction. Typically, the solu-
tion is to increase the amount of insulation,
from the code level R-14 to an R-19 level.
Great! But what about these insulation ma-
terials that claim effective values of R-40 or
higher? Can those claims be true?

Understanding the fundamentals of energy

will help provide a key to interpreting these
claims. The stated material R values are
measured in a controlled laboratory environ-
ment, in something called a guarded hot box.
This measures the resistance of a material
to the conduction of heat — or how much
heat can be transferred through a material.

While this is a good measure, heat also ﬂows
through other mechanisms: convection, which
is typically the movement of heat molecules
through air; and radiation, which is the trans-
fer of heat through electromagnetic waves;
e.g., from the sun.

Let’s examine a typical frame construction

with ﬁberglass insulation. The R-Value at any
given point in the batt insulation is indeed the
stated value — let’s say R-19. On the other
hand, the R-Value of the wood framing is
only about R-8 (depending on the type of
wood). Now add in the heat transfer through
air movement. This happens anywhere the
insulation has a small gap, along the framing,
around the electrical receptacles and any
other penetrations. One can easily see how

the overall effective R-Value of this assembly
is considerably less than 19.

Now consider the claims of other insula-

tion. Blown in insulation, such as icynene,
will eliminate the air inﬁltration and thus
have an effective R-Value that is more true
to the tested value. Mass enhanced systems,
such as insulating concrete forms, also have
no air inﬁltration since the concrete is poured
in place, thus ﬁlling any voids. They also have
the advantage of continuous insulation, which
provides a continuous R-Value. They will
perform to the level of their tested R-Value.
So how can they claim even higher R?

Other factors also come into play with a

concrete mass, primarily the heat capacity
of a material. Solid materials, such as stone,
brick and concrete have the ability to absorb
a great deal of heat. We all know this ability
of thermal mass to store extra daytime heat
and release it back on cooler nights is part of
the passive solar strategy. But how does this
work when the mass is insulated between two
layers of EPS foam, in a moderate climate like
that of British Columbia?

In the cooler months, the heat is want-

ing to move from the inside of the building
outward. First, it must move through the
continuous R-11 of the interior foam panel

GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005 | 11

Build Different. Build Better.

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– based on the ability to get the job done. That’s where Reward Wall Systems ICFs

deliver the performance you need to complete jobs more quickly and safely, using

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Build_Arch 11/18/05 5:50 PM Page 1

(using as an example the ECO-Block ICF
system, with 2-1/2 inch panels sandwiched
around the concrete). Then, the heat is ab-
sorbed into the concrete wall system up to
the point of saturation of the concrete. Only
then will the heat ﬂow through the exterior
R-11. This whole process can take over 8
hours, by which time the sun is back up and
heating the building through radiation.

Two other beneﬁts come from the steady

temperature of the concrete walls, when
this is paired with highly insulated windows.
First of all, you can put a chair right next to
the wall and not feel chilled, because the
temperature of the wall is the same as the
temperature of the air. Also, there won’t be
any drafts around the windows and doors.
The end result is that you can set your ther-
mostat lower and still feel comfortable.

The sum total of all of these beneﬁts

translates into energy savings that could
only be achieved in standard construction
by building the equivalent of a double wall,
with a double batt. Says Jari Vuorensivu,
regional manager for ECO-Block Insulat-
ing Concrete Forms, “Our homeowners
are amazed not only at the energy savings
realized, but also the superior comfort level
of the homes. No more drafts!”

This helps explain why consumer de-

mand is driving the growth in Insulating
Concrete Form (ICF) construction.
Building contractors, facing shortages in

qualiﬁed tradespeople, are turning to ICFs
as a construction system that is easy to
teach and to supervise. They are also eager
to adapt a system that eliminates call-back
issues of mold or rot.

With consumer awareness about energy

consumption and the need for sustainable
design practices, ICF construction is rap-
idly gaining popularity. “Concrete homes

offer the same aesthetic qualities as any
modern home design—often with more
design options because of the strength
concrete adds to the design. The beneﬁts of
lower energy bills, and a healthier living en-
vironment make ICF home construction a
true sustainable choice.” says Larry Baloun,
vice president, Sales and Marketing, Lehigh
Northwest Cement Limited.

■

1 2 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

LOEWEN UNVEILS THE

CYPRIUM COLLECTION OF

HAND-WROUGHT WINDOWS

AND DOORS—LIVING FINISHES

IN COPPER AND BRONZE

Loewen is excited to announce the launch

of the Cyprium Collection, a robust and

timeless copper and bronze clad addition to
our extensive selection of Douglas ﬁr and
mahogany windows and doors.

This new signature collection from Loewen

is available in awning, casement, picture and
specialty windows and terrace doors.

Discover the Cyprium Collection online at

www.loewen.com/home.nsf/why/cyprium.

W O R D O R I G I N A N D

PRONUNCIATION

Aes Cyprium (sip’-ree-uhm) was the name

ancient Romans gave to the copper that was
ﬁrst mined in Cyprus.

For luxury homeowners — and the

architects, designers and custom build-
ers they employ — Loewen is the wood
window and door brand that delivers an
unrivaled combination of artisanship, inno-
vation and design leadership in an extensive
line of Douglas ﬁr and mahogany products.
A privately held Canadian corporation,
Loewen has distribution around the world
with a focus on the United States, Canada,
Japan, the United Kingdom and Latin
America. Loewen celebrates its centennial
year in business in 2005. Discover more at
www.loewen.com

■

The Cyprium Collection features copper

and bronze clad windows and doors that are
unique in proﬁle and construction. Artisanal in
detail — down to the soldered exterior joints
and rich, tactile depth of texture in the thick
metal cladding — these hand-wrought living
surfaces develop distinct patinas that both adopt
and deﬁne the individual aesthetic character of
the homes to which they belong.

Patinas, the living ﬁnishes that cloak copper

and bronze with evidence of authenticity, are
as unique as their location. A palette of custom
patinas is available within the Collection:
Natura (unpatinated) and the unique and
characteristic Umbra (brown) and Verdigris
(green). Treasured as a mark of lasting value,
each patina is distinct and ever changing.

Nominal .040-inch thick copper and

bronze is used to craft a cladding of excep-
tional strength for sash and frame segments,
as well as for Simulated Divided Lite (SDL)
bars. The collection features a distinctive
proﬁle that offers a richly layered appearance
and classic sightlines.

Country Lumber Ltd

Builders Prices Lumber Plywood

Interior & Exterior Cedar Pressure Treated Lumber

Engineered Wood Products

22538 Fraser Hwy

Langley BC V2Z 2T8

Bus: 604-533-4447

Fax: 604-533-0451

Proud Supplier to Portrait Homes

1 4 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

An Olympic Opportunity

By Jim Taggart, MRAIC

For more than a century, British

Columbia’s forest industry has been a
mainstay of the provincial economy.
For much of that time, our seemingly
limitless supply of timber and ready ac-

Exterior of the Olympic Hall in Hamar, Norway. The glulam lattice structure spans 300 feet x 800
feet, covering the speed skating oval.
Olympic Hall, Hamar, Norway; Architect: Niels Torp Architekt

Interior of the Salzburg Arena, Salzburg,
Austria.
Salzburg Arena, Salzburg, Austria
Timber Structure: Wiehag GMBH

The glulam roof of the Karlsruhe Convention
Centre in Karlsruhe, Germany creates an
interior clear span of 260 feet.
Karlsrue Convention Centre, Karlsruhe,
Germany
Architect: Gerber Architekten
Timber Structure: Wiehag GMBH

The seven courtrooms of the Tribunal de
Grans Instances in Bordeaux, France are
raised on concrete platforms within a glazed
atrium. Their truncated conical forms are
framed in glulam and clad in Western Red
Cedar.
Tribunal de Grans Instances, Bordeaux,
France
Architect: Richard Rogers partnership
Timber Structure: Ove Arup + Partners/OdH
Sud Ouest

prescriptive building codes also rein-
forced a distinction between combustible
and noncombustible construction that
resulted in two essentially different

cess to the high-volume U.S. housing
market meant that the industry could
maintain proﬁtability simply by milling
endless lengths of dimension lumber and
shipping them south. Historically, our

GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005 | 15

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types of building: those (mostly small
in scale) that were of all-wood construc-
tion, and those (including all large scale
buildings) that contained no structural
wood at all.

Until recently, little attention had

been given to exploring the potential
of wood in other, more sophisticated
market sectors, nor had the necessary
investment been made in research and
development of products suitable for
higher end uses.

Widespread concern about the sus-

tainability of our forest management
practices and the ongoing softwood
lumber dispute with the U.S. are just
two indications that the market is chang-
ing, and that our forest industry must
adapt to survive. The adaptations are
well underway, with investment in new
products and manufacturing technology,
widespread certiﬁcation of sustainable

forest management practices and a move
toward performance-based building
codes. In western and northern Europe,
these conditions have existed for a decade
or more, and it is by observing European
practices that we can best appreciate the
potential for a greatly expanded role for
our own wood industry.

In Europe, wood is seen almost

universally as the ultimate sustainable
building material, not only because the
resource itself is renewable, but also be-
cause trees have the unique ability to give
off oxygen and, at the same time, absorb
and bind in carbon-based (greenhouse)
gases, making a positive contribution to
the health of the atmosphere.

European countries also hold wood in

high esteem for its structural, aesthetic
and acoustic qualities, incorporating
highly sophisticated engineered beam and
panel products into prestigious civic and

cultural buildings, including courthouses,
concert halls and convention centres—as
well as into countless sports and leisure
facilities. The integration of wood with
other industrially produced materials is
made possible, in part, by the dimensional
stability and superior structural perfor-
mance of engineered wood products, and
partly by the ready access to high-preci-
sion computer numerically controlled
(CNC) manufacturing technology.

However, what used to be a signiﬁcant

technological gap between Europe and
North America has begun to close. Engi-
neered wood products of various kinds are
widely available, and in western Canada
architects and engineers now have access
to CNC machines capable of shaping and
drilling structural components of almost
any size and shape. In the last few years,
this technology has begun to inﬂuence the
design of some signiﬁcant public projects

1 6 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

in the BC interior: In Merritt, Busby Per-
kins + Will’s Nicola Valley Institute of
Technology, uses faceted glulam columns
to support the concrete ﬂoor slabs, and in
MacFarlane Green’s Prince George Air-
port expansion elegantly turned glulam
members are used to create a structure that
evokes the progressive spirit of stewardship
and renewal that has emerged in the local
forest industry.

Also in BC, Bing Thom Architects in-

cluded innovative exposed wood structures
in several locations, including the roof

The 90 feet x 420 feet retail galleria at Surrey Central City is covered by a heavy timber roof
truss comprised of paired glulam top chords, turned spruce king posts and steel cable tension
members.
Surrey Central City
Architect: Bing Thom Architects
Timber Structure: Structurecraft Builders, Inc.

Glulam is the predominant structural
material in the Prince George Airport
expansion, used to support the entrance
canopy, glazed curtain walls and the roof of
the central concourse.
Architect: MacFarlane Green Architecture
and Design
Timber Structure: Equilibrium Consulting, Inc.

Glulam arches will span 250 feet across
the indoor soccer ﬁeld at the Complexe
Multisports in Laval QC.
Complex Multisports de Laval
Architecte :Giasson Farregut
Concepteur Structure : Jean-claude Baudry
Ingénieur : D’Aronco et Associés

Panoramic view of the glulam tree columns
from the third ﬂoor of the atrium at the
Carlo Fidani Peel Regional Cancer Centre in
Mississauga, ON.
Carlo Fidani Peel Regional Cancer Centre
Architect: Farrow Partnership Architects
Timber Structure: Halsall.

See Page 18

When an Olympic host city feels it has already

‘WON GOLD’

(5 years prior to 2010)

the Canadian design community is challenged to get on the same ‘

WINNING TEAM’.

By using innovative wood products in the construction process, wood is ultimately the winner.

By using innovated wood products in the construction process, you are a winner -- in the eyes of the world.

For more information

please contact Wood WORKS!

www.wood-works.org

1-877-929-9663

Wood - the only renewable building material - grown in BC!

Vancouver BC, 2010 Olympic host city

www.cwc.ca

Gold

Going for

Gold

in Wood.

WW Builder Arch F/P 12/2/05 2:24 PM Page 1

1 8 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

of the ﬁve-storey retail galleria, in its 1
million-square-foot mixed-use redevelop-
ment at Surrey Central City. Elsewhere
in Canada, the roof of the three-storey
entrance lobby of the Carlo Fidani Peel
Regional Cancer Centre at the Credit Val-
ley Hospital in Mississauga, ON, designed
by the Farrow Partnership, has glulam tree
columns protected by a ground level mister

system that effectively renders the structure
non-combustible. These last two projects
in particular required the negotiation of
performance-based code equivalencies, and
their success is a signiﬁcant encouragement
to others to pursue new and innovative ap-
plications for structural wood.

In addition, two new Canadian sports

facilities hint at the opportunity that

awaits us here in BC with the approach
of the 2010 Olympics. The new arena
in Armstrong, BC, designed by Graham
Edmonds Cartier/CEI, is built almost
entirely of wood with a glulam and
steel trussed roof structure. Even more
impressive is the Complexe Multisports
designed by Giasson Farrigut, now under
construction in Laval QC. The larger of
its two halls will include an indoor soc-
cer ﬁeld and seating for 5,000 spectators
under a glulam-arched roof measuring
330 feet x 240 feet.

The Olympics will put British Colum-

bian culture and technology under the
international spotlight, and provide an
unparalleled opportunity to showcase
the talents and capabilities of our forest
industry. Previous host countries, such as
Norway and Japan, have shown the way,
creating signature structures in wood
that have left an appropriate and endur-
ing legacy. Unfortunately, our record on
major public projects gives little cause
for hope. The precast concrete arcades
of Library Square ignore this aspect of
our local industry and culture, and at the
YVR Airport the forest of tree columns
is inexplicably made of steel. The new
Vancouver Convention Centre, now taking
shape on the city’s waterfront, continues
this regrettable trend. Recently, the last
elements of structural wood were elimi-
nated from the design, to be replaced with
imported steel. This must surely be value
analysis at its most short-sighted. One has
to wonder whether the convention centre’s
much touted green roof will ultimately be
replaced with imported Astroturf, because
it is less expensive and maintenance free.

The contracts for several major struc-

tures of the 2010 Olympics are currently
being let and, in some cases, schematic
design is underway. Let us hope that in
these structures, wood will be given a
role commensurate with its economic
importance, and our local talents and
capabilities put on show before new audi-
ences in the global marketplace.

■

Continued from Page 16

GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005 | 19

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GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005 | 21

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■

2 2 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

The High-Performance Path to Success

By Ted Garrison

managing

The reason that high performance is so important is very simple:

high-performing contractors make higher proﬁts!

This claim is supported by a

Harvard Business School-funded case study as reported in Corporate Cul-
ture and Performance

by John P. Kotter and James L. Heskett. The study

revealed that businesses that focus obsessively on meeting the needs of
customers, employees and owners while developing leadership through

the company, outperform the competition in four critical areas:

1. Revenues increase four times faster.
2. Job creation is seven times faster.
3. Owner equity grows 12 times faster.
4. Proﬁt performance is 750 times higher.

THE PROBLEM STARTS WITH QUALITY

While the author assumes everyone appreciates the beneﬁts of

high-performance, the real question is simply this: What is high-per-
formance? Most contractors claim they provide high-performance;
however, typically clients have a different opinion. Unfortunately
for the contractor, the only opinions that matter are the clients’. The
problem starts with quality. The author declares that quality consists
of three essential elements. The ﬁrst is the bricks and mortar, and most
contractors do a reasonable job in that area. After all, contractors can be
forced to go back and ﬁx any defective or unsatisfactory work. Service
and relationship are the other two elements that make up quality. In
these two areas, there is a substantial difference between contractors.
However, contractors who master them differentiate their companies
from their competitors and experience extraordinary beneﬁts. When
conducting interviews with contractors’ clients, the author has heard
statements that illustrate the importance of service and relationship.
One common statement is, “They are the best contractor in town,
yet if they improved their close-out procedures and communications
skills, they could substantially improve their performance.” The high-
est-performing contractors listen to their clients.

The key to adding value is better understanding of the concept

of client. The author’s preferred deﬁnition of a client is, “someone
under the protection of.” How long would you keep your attorney,
your ﬁnancial planner and your CPA if you didn’t think they were

GEN

See Page 25

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Store Hours: Mon. to Fri. 8am. To 4:30pm

Sat. 10am to 4:30pm

Sunday & Holidays closed

1150 United Blvd., Coquitlam, BC V3K 6T4

Tel: 604-523-3404 Fax: 604-523-3405

www.qualityﬁreplaces.com

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Store Hours: Mon. to Fri. 8am. To 4:30pm

Sat. 10am to 4:30pm

Sunday & Holidays closed

1150 United Blvd., Coquitlam, BC V3K 6T4

Tel: 604-523-3404 Fax: 604-523-3405

www.qualityﬁreplaces.com

2 4 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

Arxx Project Profile

Located in the countryside near Victoria, BC, this home built

with Arxx Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs) perfectly illustrates
the numerous beneﬁts provided by the Arxx system to both the
homeowner and home builder. Arxx ICFs have been used for the
foundation and all of the exterior walls of this three-level 16,000-
square-foot home, including an additional 3,000-square-foot pool
building. The home’s owners heard of the Arxx system while liv-
ing in Europe, and insisted on Arxx because they wanted a home
constructed with materials that they trusted, such as concrete and
steel, as opposed to wood, which they viewed as an “unreliable” ma-

terial. Not only did
they desire to build
a home that would
be extremely en-
e r g y- e f f i c i e nt ,
quiet and healthy,
but also wanted to
ensure that it was
“built to last.”

Experienced Arxx contractor Gordon Hemsworth completed

the framing of the exterior and interior walls in 2003. By building
with Arxx, Hemsworth was able to produce a superior structure
built to intricate speciﬁcations. Some of the home’s highlights
include a spacious foyer entrance with a 30-foot ceiling, a library
with a 23-foot ceiling and an exterior that is ﬁnished almost
entirely with acrylic stucco. The homeowners are not only satis-
ﬁed with their ﬁnished house, but were also incredibly pleased
with their Arxx
contractor, “Gor-
don did a fantastic
job! I love Arxx
and would defi-
nitely build with
it again!”

Gordon Hems-

worth has built
more than a dozen
Arxx ICF homes,
and has garnered
a solid reputation for quality construction in the Victoria area.
“Because of our reputation in Victoria, many people come to us
when they want an ICF building and, of course, many people
have tried unsuccessfully to use other brands of ICFs.” Gordon
sees Arxx as an integral component of quality in the homes that
he builds, “We just had our ﬁrst R-2000 home certiﬁed, and the
technician doing the blower door test said that as far as air tight-
ness, he’d ‘never seen anything like it.’ When told that it was an
Arxx home, he said, ‘Well, that explains a lot!’”

NEW ARXX PRODUCTS

12-inch High Short Form
The Arxx system is perfect for achieving any desired wall

height. Six courses of Standard Arxx 16-3/4 high forms will
create a wall height of 8 feet 1-inch after the concrete ﬂoor is
poured. Basement walls that are 9 feet 1-inch in height can be
easily formed by adding a course of the new Arxx 12-inch High
Short Form to a standard six course Arxx wall.

Arxx Hook
An important part of the complete Arxx job is anchoring the top

course of forms to the course below. Arxx encourages this practice
to eliminate the possibility of form movement during concrete
placement. Traditionally tape has been used to perform this task,
but can be a problem in inclement weather. The new Arxx Hook
will do the job in any weather more quickly and efﬁciently.

■

GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005 | 25

managing

protecting you? How long should a construction client keep his or her
contractor if they are not protecting the client? Yet how many construc-
tion clients think their contractor is out to protect them?

Instead of protecting the client, contractors often ﬁnd themselves in

conﬂict with the client. This serves no one. And yes, the author under-
stands that many clients create many of the conﬂicts. However, instead of
protecting the client from himself or herself,

the contractor retaliates in an effort

to level the playing ﬁeld. But instead of jumping into the gutter with the
client, the contractor would be better served by protecting the client.

WIN-LOSE BECOMES LOSE-LOSE

The confrontational approach has a fundamental ﬂaw. There is

no such thing as a successful win-lose situation, regardless of which
side of the equation you are on. The reason is the loser will sabotage
the process until it ﬁnally ends up in a lose-lose situation. Therefore,
the only sustainable relationship is a win-win-win environment that
includes clients, employees and contractors.

Of course, contractors must use their heads and avoid potential

clients that will exploit them. But they need to aggressively seek out
clients who understand value. However, as in any relationship, each
party must be willing to give more than half. Relationships are not
always balanced; therefore, good partners are willing to give more
than 50 percent at appropriate times.

Cooperation is the spirit of the Best Value Procurement Approach.

This approach works, because it delivers the greatest value to the client,
doesn’t exploit the workers and rewards the contractor for the high
performance delivered. Of course, the author realizes that not every
prospect will buy into the concept that it’s better to create a win-win
situation. Some customers will insist on hammering the price in an
effort to get something for nothing. The alternative is for contractors
to seek out clients who understand the concept of value. Contractors
who do that are rewarded with higher proﬁts and growth, and have
happier clients.

BETTER, NOT CHEAPER

Dr. Dean Kashiwagi, in his book Best Value Procurement states, “Quality

contractors earn more proﬁt because they are more efﬁcient, are not
price-based, perform work properly the ﬁrst time and are requested
by [clients] who want work done right.” The author doesn’t want to
mislead you; he is not suggesting this approach is easy. It takes hard
work, but it is certainly better than the alternative of competing on
price. When a contractor is trying to ﬁgure out how to do it cheaper-
cheaper-cheaper, instead of how to do it better, he or she is not a
high-performing contractor — at least not as deﬁned in this article.

Contractors should adapt Tony Alessandra’s platinum rule, “Do

unto others as they’d like done unto them.” Kashiwagi says contractors
should always be asking themselves, “If this project [were] your own
house or building, would you accept the things that you are suggest-
ing to me?”

The choice is yours, but when you ﬁnd clients that realize you’re en-

titled to make a fair proﬁt for the value delivered and you treat them the
way they want to be treated, your business will soar to new levels.

Ted Garrison, president of Garrison Associates (www.TedGarrison.com), is a

catalyst for change. As a consultant, author and speaker he works with businesses
in the construction industry to grow their business by improving proﬁt margins
and increasing productivity. He focuses on critical issues in leadership, project
management, innovation, strategic alliances and marketing. He can be reached
at (800) 861-0874 or by e-mail at Growing@TedGarrison.com.

■

Continued from Page 22

2 6 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

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Insulspan SIPs Performing at 2006

Winter Games

Insulspan structural insulating roof panels,

manufactured in Aldergrove, BC, Canada,
is being used as the energy-efﬁcient rooﬁng

system for the BC Canada Place at the 2006
Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in
Torino, Italy.

The house will host international media and

visitors coming to the 2006 Winter Games,
and serve as a showcase for BC business,
tourism and culture. It is an opportunity to

promote BC in advance of the 2010 Games
in Whistler and Vancouver.

The house is being built by Sitka Log Homes

of 100 Mile House, BC, one of Insulspan’s
prominent customers. “The log house in-
corporates Insulspan roof panels into this
wonderful design,” says Dave Stevenson, of
Insulspan Corporation. “The product was
shipped ready-to-assemble on site.”

Walter Bramsleven of Sitka Log Homes

worked with the Insulspan roof panels in
Torino. “It came together quickly, helping
us meet our strict construction deadline and

worked well with our design. Insulspan was
the right choice for this project, as it is for a
number of other projects we build.”

Construction began in August and is expected to

be complete at the end of December. For construction
photos, visit www.sitkaloghomes.com/torino.htm or
visit www.bccanadaplace.com.

■

2 8 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

�

Brownfields Offer Hope for

Affordable Housing

By Daniel Johnson

the business of building

Is it possible for home builders to provide

affordable housing while cleaning up the
environment and still make money? With
a focused strategy, some risk and a lot of
cooperation between the public and private
sectors, brownﬁelds redevelopment might
just be the missing link to solving these
seemingly disparate endeavors.

Although there may be some disagree-

ment on a single definition, generally,
brownﬁelds are abandoned or underutilized
commercial or industrial properties that
usually have some environmental con-
tamination. The redevelopment of these
neglected sites is becoming one of the

most feasible ways to generate opportunity,
provide more housing, create a better envi-
ronment and yield healthy proﬁts for those
who know how to use them.

In some extreme cases, the cost of re-

mediation is too
expensive for the
property to be re-
developed by the
private sector. In
others, the proper-
ties may be caught
up in receivership
or bank ruptcy,
with no responsible

party able or prepared to bear the cost of
environmental remediation.

Some brownfields are actively in use,

such as gas stations with leaking storage
tanks, shopping centers impacted by
solvents from dry cleaners or historical
industrial or manufacturing areas still
suffering from chemical spills of long ago.
A surprisingly large number of brown-
field properties are owned by federal,
state and local governments, particularly
the military.

The shortage of developable land and

continuing urban sprawl is an increasingly
crucial problem, shared by both the pri-
vate and public sectors. Adaptive reuse of
our nation’s inner-city brownﬁelds offers
incredible opportunities to reverse this
trend. They can serve as a sorely needed
source of underutilized, inﬁll land for
housing and as a practical way to clean up
our environment, while providing risk-
adjusted returns on real estate.

For home builders, land must be ac-

cessible, conveniently located, properly
zoned (or able to be re-entitled) and sup-
plied with necessary public services, such
as utilities and transportation.

For the public sector, a new develop-

ment must generate public revenue in
excess of public costs, improve the sur-
rounding environment and provide an
appropriate mix of both commercial real
estate and housing for all income levels.

Inﬁll areas often ﬁt all of these criteria,

becoming perfect candidates for redevel-
opment projects.

THE PARTNERSHIP
APPROACH

Public-private partnerships are the key

to successful transformations of brown-

The University

Heights projects

turned a brownﬁeld

site into affordable

housing.

GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005 | 29

HighestPerforming! BUILDING SYSTEM

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1-888-446-5377

www.plastifab.com

ﬁelds. The private sector brings
development expertise and eq-
uity capital to the table, and
can expect an above-average,
risk-adjusted rate of return for
undertaking these projects.
The public sector, on the other
hand, must think creatively
and seriously about density
and height, and be prepared
to provide appropriate infra-
structure or improvements to
support a new project. In some
circumstances, economics
demand that certain regula-
tory and compliance costs be
waived for the project to work.
Also, because the public sec-
tor has a mandate to facilitate affordable
housing in redevelopment areas, states and
municipalities often can bring tax-free
ﬁnancing, tax credits, credit guarantees
or other incentives to bear.

Successful development of a brownﬁeld

sometimes requires the use of a munici-
pality’s eminent domain powers to push
property owners to clean up their sites or
provide unity for dismembered tracts.

To ﬁnd possible brownﬁeld sites, build-

ers can turn to redevelopment agencies
and real estate brokers. Redevelopment
agencies may know of sites, but it may be
helpful to phrase the question in terms of
“blight” rather than brownﬁelds, as there
may be disagreement about what consti-
tutes a brownﬁeld. Traditional means and
methods of real estate acquisitions (for
example, real estate brokers) may also
yield some results, but the traditional
broker may not provide adequate incentive
to recognize and bring these often chal-
lenging properties to market.

After a brownﬁeld site is selected, the

completion of due diligence is critical.
Home builders must conduct a thorough
Phase I site assessment. A typical Phase I
is conducted by a qualiﬁed environmental
consultant and includes site reconnais-
sance, interviews with on-site and off-site

sources, regulatory reviews and thorough
analysis of the site and site vicinity history.
New EPA regulations for “All Appropriate
Inquiry” should guide these efforts.

After due diligence efforts

have been completed, home
builders still must determine
how to incorporate any iden-
tiﬁed issues into the overall
acquisition process. To ex-
ecute the transaction in an
orderly and efficient man-
ner, builders should consider
retaining an independent con-
sultant to review or manage
the due diligence or reme-
diation process. Conceptual
cost estimates of remediation
using the assumed land should
be carefully constructed to
evaluate project cost and fea-
sibility.

In addition, builders should consider

the following:
• Consulting with ﬁnancing sources to

understand their needs upfront;

The brownﬁeld site in University Heights had to be excavated and
remediated to make it usable for new building.

the business of building

3 0 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

��

• Environmental insurance;
• Obtaining seller disclosures and collect-

ing all available information;

• Incorporating known areas of con-

tamination into a project design to help
minimize remediation costs;

• Determining agency participation in case

agency oversight is required;

• Selecting a cleanup program and deﬁning

it in the scope of work;

• Identifying a preferred contract struc-

ture for all remediation and demolition
work;

• Allocating cleanup costs and establishing

a workable cleanup standard; and

• Evaluating disclosure obligations to

determine what to say to prospective
tenants or buyers.

AN EXAMPLE

In San Diego, the private and public sec-

tors have teamed up for the remediation of
a full city block of brownﬁelds in the Uni-
versity Heights area. The property, formerly
occupied by a McDonald’s restaurant, a
gasoline station, a car dealership and, most
recently, a California Department of Trans-
portation right-of-way, was transformed into

an ofﬁce building and affordable housing.
The redevelopment could not have been pos-
sible without the partnership between the
city of San Diego’s Redevelopment Agency
and a number of community stakeholders,
including the San Diego Revitalization
Corporation, private
environmental consult-
ing companies and the
County Department of
Environmental Health.
This coalition of stake-
holders made possible
this successful redevel-
opment of a brownﬁeld
site, which included soil remediation and
management strategies that were protective
of the health of the residents.

The affordable housing created by the

project was particularly important to the
city because the lack of affordable housing
in San Diego has forced the city into a state
of emergency. According to the San Diego
Regional Chamber of Commerce, the city’s
Housing Affordability Index, a measure of
the share of households that can afford a
home at the median price, has fallen from
27 percent to 12 percent.

THE CHALLENGE OF
BROWNFIELDS

The challenge of these projects is that

they require highly specialized expertise to
evaluate constraints, remediation costs and

project schedule. One must also take into con-
sideration the entitlement risk and impact of
density creation on the remediation cost. For
example, most inﬁll projects demand below-
grade parking, which can drive remediation
costs due to soil excavation into contaminated
soil. Additionally, in our experience, it is
frequently cost-effective to integrate the en-
vironmental remediation with the overall site
construction project because of economies in
site access, equipment and labor.

Municipal governments need to work

with these risk-adapted developers be-
cause the demand for affordable housing
and inﬁll development continues to grow;
otherwise, those governments face contin-
ued underutilization of properties, blight,
loss of tax base and loss of developable
land due to brownﬁelds abandonment.
Many home builders ﬁnd that the rewards
outweigh the additional efforts of dealing
with the environmental concerns of these
projects. Speaking from our experience,
the way to do this is to cultivate public-
private partnerships, which we feel are the
key to successful reuse of the abandoned
brownﬁelds that exist today.

Daniel E. Johnson is the principal of Envi-

ronmental Business Solutions, which functions
as the San Diego office of SCS Engineers.
SCS Engineers is a full-service environmental
engineering consulting ﬁrm that provides engi-
neering, construction and contract operations
services to private and public sector clients. For
information, go to www.scsengineers.com.

■

the business of building

any home builders ﬁnd that the
rewards outweigh the additional

efforts of dealing with the environmental
concerns of these projects.

Take a closer look. You might be surprised.

If you looked inside your walls, what would you see? Framing
lumber. Insulation. OSB. Housewrap. But you might be
surprised to find something that shouldn’t be there: moisture.

As you know, moisture can lead to all
sorts of problems, including that nasty
four-letter word that’s been getting a lot
of attention these days—mold.

Your most effective solution is to choose
a housewrap that’s proven to be the best
at keeping water out (water holdout)
and allowing moisture vapor to escape
(moisture vapor transmission).

Typar delivers industry leading
performance for water holdout and
moisture vapor transmission, both
during and after construction. Plus,
Typar does not support the growth
of mold on its surface

(per ASTM D 3273)

When it comes to water
holdout, don’t settle
for less than the best.

It’s not complicated. You wrap your
homes with a housewrap. The rain
can’t get in. But what if there’s a delay
and your homes are exposed. Then,
a weather front hammers your site
with driving winds and rain. Are you
confident that your choice can take
whatever Mother Nature dishes out?

Only one housewrap delivers the
#1 tear strength in the industry.

Typar’s tear resistance is five times greater
than the leading competitor. So when it’s
properly installed, it resists heavy winds

better. Housewrap is a

lot more effective when

it’s not been ripped to

shreds. And when water

is kept at bay, it reduces

the chance for rot,

mildew and mold.

Surfactant resistance

comes in handy in

the long run.

Does it really matter how your housewrap

performs after final inspection? Absolutely.

Surfactants—including oils and tannins

from siding and OSB, and soaps from

powerwashing—can wreak havoc on most

housewraps. When the integrity of the housewrap

is damaged, water can seep into the wall cavity. And you know
what can happen next.

Choose the housewrap that’s proven to perform.

If you’re looking for the absolute best performance, and
the peace of mind knowing your homes are better protected,
there’s only one name you need to know. Typar.

To learn more, call 1.800.284.2780

or visit typarhousewrap.com.

WHAT’S INSIDE YOUR WALLS?

TYP

HOUSE

TEAR STRENGTH

measured in lbs.

TYP

HOUSE

200

150

100

. c

WATER HOLDOUT

measured in cm

Based on published
results according
to AATC-127 testing.

Based on
published
results
according to
ASTM D-4533
testing.

Typar is proven to offer the best combination
of keeping water out and allowing moisture
vapor to escape from the wall cavity.

Proven to Perform.

3 2 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

LEVELTON

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Levelton Consultants Ltd.

#103 34609 Delair Rd.

Abbotsford, BC V2S 2E1

Tel: 604-855-0206

Fax: 604-853-1186

Email: abbotsford@levelton.com

Website: www.levelton.com

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PORTRAIT HOMES�

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product showcase

GLASS BLOCK

Hy-Lite Products introduced an energy-

efﬁcient product called Solar Block Plus that
is a new acrylic block. A nonmetallic tint is
added to the raw acrylic in the fabrication
stage and then molded evenly into the block.
The result is a consistent, smoke-colored
tint that blocks solar heat gain, making
windows more energy-efﬁcient than regular
glass or acrylic blocks. The tint is molded
only into the exterior half of the block, the
side facing the sun. The clear interior offers
privacy through obscurity. The block has a
.40 solar heat gain coefﬁcient when used in
aluminum-framed windows.

For more information, go to www.hy-lite.com.

HOT MELT TECHNOLOGY

Dow Corning Corporation introduced

Instant Glaze II, which allows easy ap-

plication and installation of glass for
residential window and door manufactur-
ers, while increasing productivity up to
33 percent over tape glazing. Responding
to customer feedback on the successful
launch of InstantGlaze I in 2004, In-
stantGlaze II is a lower-viscosity, softer
material that squeezes down during ap-
plication to increase contact surface with
the window, while offering the same
green strength, reduced hold time and

increased efﬁciency. The softer texture
of InstantGlaze II also increases elastic-
ity and elastic recovery performance,
which have passed tests to meet the Dade
County, FL, hurricane standards. The
sealant’s patented formulation delivers the
superior performance of silicone without
the squeeze-out problems and cure hold
times of other wet glazing methods.

For more information, go to www.instantglaze.com.

FOUNDATION FOOTING

Form-A-Drain Foundation Footing Sys-

tem by CertainTeed can be used in place of
wood for forming the footing of a home, then
remain in place after concrete is poured. The
product is both the footing and the founda-
tion drainage system, and is easily adapted
to vent harmful radon gas, so a construc-
tion crew can carry out a job efﬁciently in
areas where code or local practice require
it. Form-A-Drain lineals and ﬁttings are
manufactured in CertainTeed’s molding and
extrusion plants, and contain a percentage of
high-quality recycled materials. Lineals are
12’ long, 2-1/2” wide and available in 4”, 6”
and 8” proﬁles. They weigh between seven
and 14 pounds and are easy to transport.

For more information, go to www.certainteed.com.

ENGINEERED SIDING

LP SmartSide siding is a unique treated

and highly engineered siding that provides
the beauty of natural wood, without much
of the cost and maintenance. LP SmartSide
products are made of wood strands that are
layered for structural integrity. The strands
are treated with zinc borate to make them
resistant to termites and fungal decay. These

Solar Block Plus.

LP SmartSide siding.

Instant Glaze II.

Form-A-Drain Foundation Footing System.

GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005 | 33

strands are then bound together with an ad-
vanced adhesive resin to provide additional
structural integrity, as well as strength and
more protection against moisture. The siding
is easily painted, and it comes with a 30-year
warranty that includes a full seven-year labor
and materials replacement guarantee.

For more information, go to www.lpcorp.com

WOOD WINDOWS/DOORS

AuraLast real wood windows and doors

by JELD-WEN are the ﬁrst to provide a
20-year warranty against wood decay, water
absorption and termite infestation. AuraLast
wood helps lower maintenance and replace-
ment costs by preventing external moisture
and insect damage, yet its wood treatment
process is environmentally friendly. JELD-
WEN’s proprietary treatment process is
unlike standard dip treatment, in which
wood is dipped into a solution that gives it
a thin top coating, AuraLast wood is cre-
ated using a vacuum/pressure process. This
forces the active ingredients into the wood,
all the way through to the core. Screws and
nail holes will not compromise the integrity
of the wood.

For more information, go to www.jeld-wen.

com/auralast.

SEPTIC TANKS

FRALO Plastech Manufacturing uses

the world’s largest blow-mold machine to
manufacture polyethylene septic, holding
and potable water tanks, risers and other
on-site products. FRALO’s process uses a
patented multilayer coextrusion technol-
ogy. Blow-mold technology offers top-level
design characteristics, performance and lon-
gevity. More than 37 percent of all new

AuraLast real wood windows and doors by
JELD-WEN.

I would like to take issue with an as-

sumption expressed by writer Geoffrey
Graham in his “The Business of Build-
ing” column published in the October
edition of Builder/Architect magazine.

Mr. Graham makes some excellent

points in stressing the need to raise the
bar on customer satisfaction, including
paying close attention to data obtained
from customer surveys, but he went
a tad too far when he wrote, “most
building professionals view overall qual-
ity management as an afterthought.”
Perhaps that is true in Mr. Graham’s
market — Mount Pleasant, SC — but
it is certainly not the case with most
building professionals in the Greater
Vancouver area.

I contend that overall quality man-

agement is at the top of any reputable
builder’s must-do list.

Peter Simpson, BIAE
Chief Executive Ofﬁcer
Greater Vancouver Home Builders’

Association

Letter to the Editor

product showcase

homes constructed today use on-site waste
treatment systems that have traditionally
been constructed with concrete tanks, ac-
cording to the company. FRALO alternative
polyethylene tanks are third-party certiﬁed
by IAPMO, CSA and NSF, and are approved
in over 43 states and Canada. The tanks offer
a 50-year warranty.

For more information, go to www.fralo.net.

ENERGY SOFTWARE

The Sustainable Buildings Industry

Council released Version 1.7 of Energy-10
software. The energy simulation tool helps
professionals make informed decisions about
the energy performance of buildings and
homes. It can be used on existing buildings,
as well as throughout the design process. The

FRALO Plastech Manufacturing polyethylene
septic tank.

See Page 35

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GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005 | 35

software helps identify the best combination
of several energy-efﬁcient strategies, includ-
ing daylighting controls, passive solar heating
and high-efﬁciency mechanical systems, to
name a few, and can result in energy savings
of 40 to 70 percent. SBIC offers training
workshops nationwide for both beginning
and advanced users of the product.

For more information, go to www.sbiccouncil.org.

ESTIMATING SOFTWARE

Builders Software Enterprises offers

Estimator 2005, which is integrated with
QuickBooks Pro and features a built-in sched-
uling system and master database structure
that simpliﬁes price retrieving and updating.
The product is a powerful, yet simple, tool
that houses a Primary Master File, which
contains price structures and formulas. A
builder only has to ﬁll in the quantities to the
program, and the system will do the rest. It
produces estimates in a fraction of the time
it would take manually, and it can retrieve
historical data at high speeds. When the es-
timate is complete, data is imported through
QuickBooks’ new back door.

For more information, go to http://teambse.com.

BACKUP POWER

GridPoint, Inc. announced the avail-

ability of GridPoint Connect, which allows
customers to easily integrate renewable en-
ergy and leverage instant, automatic, silent
backup power. GridPoint products are the
ﬁrst energy management and backup power
appliances to seamlessly combine advanced
battery storage with power electronics into
a single “plug-and-play” cabinet designed for
use inside a home or other building. During
a power outage, GridPoint Connect custom-
ers continue to live and operate without
interruption. Made especially for renew-
able energy customers, GridPoint Connect
is a grid-tied battery backup product that
integrates and converts energy from solar
panels into electricity that can be used im-
mediately by the customer or stored within
the product for future use. The product
can also determine the amount of energy
used from solar panels, versus the utility
company, as well as peak usage throughout
the day. In addition to providing backup
power during outages, GridPoint Connect

also enables users to sell excess energy back
to the utility. GridPoint handles all service
and support after installation and provides
a comprehensive warranty.

For moe information, go to www.gridpoint.com.

ENGINEERED WOOD

CMI manufactures MiraTEC Treated

Exterior Composite Trim. During the Mi-
raTEC manufacturing process, wood ﬁbers
and other ingredients are bonded under heat
and pressure, combined with phenolic resins
and then treated with zinc borate, an EPA-
registered wood preservative. Phenolic resins
are extremely durable and provide excellent
moisture and temperature resistance. Zinc
borate is a wood preservative that provides
protection from wood-destroying organ-
isms. The manufacturing process patented
by CMI to create MiraTEC incorporates hot
platens, steam injection and a sealed press.
The technology is engineered speciﬁcally to
produce trim, not as an accessory to a siding
line. The product is one single piece and is

not laminated in any thickness. It is available
in 16-foot boards, as well as 4/4 and 5/4
thicknesses, and a variety of widths from 2”
to 16”. A clear cedar texture on one side and
a contemporary, smooth ﬁnish on the other
offers design possibilities for decorative trim,
gables, dentil trim, corner posts, porch trim,
rooﬂine fascia, window and door trim, and
nonstructural architectural components.
MiraTEC is backed by a 25-year warranty.

For more information, go to www.miratectrim.

com.

■

product showcase

Continued from Page 33

MiraTEC Treated Exterior Composite Trim.

3 6 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

Land Planning/Architecture Can

Work Together on Density Challenges

By Kerrin West

the art of architecture

Land planning and architecture must

complement one another, especially when
it comes to one of the greatest challenges
building faces today: creating outstanding
homes with less land available. To create
a sustainable and successful community,
land planning and architecture profession-
als must be knowledgeable of each other’s
goals, and aware that what they are creating
are timeless neighborhoods.

TODAY’S MARKET NEEDS

Unbelievable land prices, a remarkably

hot real-estate market, local municipality
requirements and constraints and afford-
ability have created numerous challenges for builders and developers

today. The ongoing density issue is a thread that ties all these
aspects together.

Maintaining desirable neighborhoods is a balance of developing

land zoned as higher density, designing homes that are priced so
people can buy them and keeping cycle times running smoothly.
One of the largest groups of potential buyers, the “echo boomers,”
(the generation following baby boomers), is waiting for housing to
become attainable. Our goal as architects and land planners is to
develop concepts that address the density issue and buyers’ current
needs, including those of the echo boomers.

PRIVATE VERSUS OPEN SPACE

We must get out of the mind-set that we are still designing for

the traditional suburban buyer. Instead, we must realize we have an
untapped demographic that is perfectly willing to accept, and, in
fact, often prefers, a smaller yard, a courtyard or in some instances
no yard at all. This buyer would rather have open space within their
community they can enjoy, but do not have to maintain. Since these
values are a shift in thinking, we need fresh ideas as solution. Yet
this is a delicate transition for many jurisdictions, so we need to be
positive and encouraging, while educating those jurisdictions on
density alternatives. This process becomes even more challenging
when we need to educate a rural municipality.

HIGH-DENSITY AND MULTIFAMILY

Many buyers today are simply priced out of the detached home

market, yet they want to purchase real estate. Virtually all build-

Instead of large singular yards, smaller lot building encompasses the park concept — greenery
and beauty that invite a stroll through the area.

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GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005 | 37

The Pull-a-Part concept puts homes close together, but detached and uses common areas differently, such as this parking area.

ers have recognized they need to consider the high-density and
multifamily market in some way. Many are focusing on fee-simple
town home designs or block condos, while others are building
condominiums or venturing into podium or midrise projects.

There are also some new alternatives in attached housing. Mixed

density (as opposed to mixed use) is one way to creatively design a
community. This method optimizes density by blending the edge
between urban living and traditional suburban neighborhoods.
Higher density detached communities also can provide a stepping
stone for builders not ready to take the leap into multifamily.

“PULL-A-PART” TOWNHOMES

Many municipalities and some Not-in-My-Back-Yard mentalities

have asked for something new — an alternative to multifam-
ily complexes — but something that will maintain sensitivity to
property values of neighboring communities. One alternative to
traditional attached housing is “Pull-a-Part” Townhomes (“Pull-a-
Part” is copyrighted by Bloodgood Sharp Buster). This design is an
example of a solution that encompasses both land planning ideals
and an architectural solution. It takes the traditional town-home
design and separates the home enough to meet minimum setback
criteria of building codes to be detached housing.

“Pull-a-Part” town homes provide higher densities, but blend

in with the surrounding neighborhoods. They also provide an op-
portunity for ﬁrst-time home buyers to own, for professionals to
invest or for move-down buyers to ﬁnd a comfortable home. The
concept also alleviates many insurance and liability issues builders

face with attached housing.

Pull-a-Parts is a cluster concept that allows builders to purchase

land that might not have been a feasible buy, because it so expensive
for building one home. The concept has been very well received as
an alternative to traditional cluster conﬁgurations. It is unique in
that it offers town home living in a detached house. The homes can
be designed in 10-pak or eight-pak cluster conﬁgurations, yield-
ing 12 to 17 units per acre. The paseos not only provide access to
the front of some of the homes, but also connect the community
by creating pedestrian-friendly meandering walkways that link to
parks, club facilities and other amenities.

The plans for Pull-a-Parts are diverse and can accommodate

different philosophies and building company ideals. The beneﬁts
include small, but usable yard spaces, and dynamic architectural
designs that minimize garage dominance. The addition of architec-
tural elements, such as integrated balconies and dormers, creates

the art of architecture

3 8 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

This conﬁguration shows an eight-pack of homes in one general area.

Colors can create both an overall neighborhood feel and personalization of individual homes.

an elegant and rich streetscape. Detailing and color palettes can
give the buildings a look of historical authenticity.

Each municipality has individual requirements in developing Pull-

a-Part town home programs, so builders considering this type of
development should check with the municipality in question.

“MICRO LOTS”

We once thought that 4,000-square-foot lots were small. Now

we commonly see lots that are 1,600 square feet. This led our ﬁrm
to believe that “small” didn’t quite describe what lot sizes really
are, and we coined the term and idea of “Micro Lots” (“Micro
Lots” is copyrighted by Bloodgood Sharp Buster). Although this
isn’t a new concept, we challenged ourselves to consider what a
small lot really is today, and how to make the land look great while
providing for living well.

This product type can yield approximately 16 to 17 dwelling units

per acre. The eight-pak clusters consist of a single paseo court that each
home fronts, and uses short alleys for vehicular access to each residence.
These homes can be designed for a variety of buyers, including an ur-
ban loft style or a more traditional family design. The plans consist of
two- and three-story layouts, with small courtyards or usable porches
and decks, which provide outdoor living spaces for these compact lots.
The varied building heights offer wonderful design opportunities for
exterior detailing and creating neighborhood character.

LANDSCAPING, COLORS AND DETAILING

Landscaping, coloring and detailing can provide critical ﬁnishing

touches to high-density neighborhoods. Landscaping that is lush,
colorful and full of texture creates a lasting impression on both the
residents of the area and those that drive past the homes. It can also
soften the harder edges of buildings and bring an inviting presence
to private and public spaces.

Colors create emotional response, and when properly selected

and carefully placed, they enhance exterior styling of the homes.
Color is also an integral part of design that should be carefully con-
sidered, because it will create an important perception of personal
identity for homeowners. Appropriate detailing, which some have
called a lost art form in the building industry, has made a comeback,
and is once again a signiﬁcant part of successful design. The scale of
those details must be sensitive to the fact we are no longer looking
at a front elevation from 25 feet away, but rather ﬁve or 10 feet. We
must realize that proportions should be delicate, not bulky.

The long-term success of any high-density project will depend

on the cohesive strength of the design team. If consultants work
together to overcome challenges and execute the original vision,
they can create a project that will stand the test of time.

Kerrin West is a partner with Bloodgood Sharp Buster Architects and

Planners, a nationally acclaimed ﬁrm located in more than 12 markets. West
specializes in higher density, single-family detached community and home
design. The ﬁrm’s website is www.bsbdesign.com. All renderings and concepts
are copyrighted and the sole property of Bloodgood Sharp Buster.

■

the art of architecture

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4 0 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

The Bungalow Style, The Cottage Style
and the Inspired Natural Dwelling

By William Langdon

an architect’s viewpoint

At the turn of the previous century,

the “Bungalow Style” emerged from the arts
and crafts movement as an outgrowth of
the “Craftsman Style” promoted by Gustav
Stickley in his magazine, The Craftsman
House

. The Craftsman Style bungalow with its

low-slung simple gables, wide overhangs,
expressed wood beams, rafters and angle
braces unfolded in designs of the southern
California architects, Greene and Greene.
By 1908, “Bungalow” precut house kits were
sold through the Sears Roebuck catalog.
By 1910, the style was so popular that
variations of the Bungalow Style were being
constructed, street-after-street, in cities
from coast-to-coast. In the eastern U.S.A.,
the Bungalow would usually have steeper
roof pitches and a partial second story.

The “Cottage Style,” also popular today,

is similar, but has subtle differences and
quite different origins. The Cottage Style
originated in small, simple homes with
steep thatched roofs built by British and
European farmers 500 years ago. The
colonists who ﬁrst settled in Massachusetts
in 1620, built thatched cottage houses.
Over the next 100 years the cottage form
gradually morphed into the “Cape Cod.” The
“Cottage Style”

remerged again in 1845 as a

countrywide style, popularizing the front
porch attached to simple story and a half-
gable form. Originally the Bungalow and
Cottage

styles were distinctly different, but

over time, so many variations of these styles
emerged that they can become almost one
and the same. Today these styles can be
applied to the mountain home, scaled-up
to larger ﬂoor plans, higher ceilings, steep
roofs of two or more stories and “cottage
style windows,” which keep the fenestration
in-scale with the other elements. Other
styles that may influence the design of
the inspired natural dwelling include: the

Shingle Style

, the braced Timber Frame, the

Organic Style

, the half-timber or Tudor Style

and the Modern Movement.

The Modern Movement?

Many consider

modernism to be totally passé nowadays.
Modernism brought us the boring shoebox
ranchers of the 1950s, or worse, the stark
contemporary boxes of that time with ﬂat
roofs and stripped of all ornament. Don’t be
so quick, however, to totally abandon mod-
ernism. Probably many of the cherished
features of the home design you construct
will be as a result of the modern movement,
which embraced the changing technology
of construction to allow large glass open-
ings in walls and freed the ﬂoor plan to be
as open as you like in selected areas of your
home. Traditional covered porches are nice,
but so are open sun decks, which emerged
during the experimentation of the modern
movement. Structural systems, like the
timber frame, can be expressed beautifully
in the open plan “great room,” with two-story
plus vaulted ceilings and large gables ﬁlled
with glass. The “window wall,” or wall ﬁlled
with glass, you will not ﬁnd in these historic
precedents. Your penchant for antiques may
bring history into your interior, but the
plasma screen showing images on your wall
will always keep modernism in the mix.

Clients often suggest a particular his-

toric style to their architect as they begin
to work together on the design of a home.
This discussion of a referenced house style
is a signiﬁcant point of departure. Usually
the outcome of the design will draw from
more than one style, and will include more
recent inﬂuences as well. The opportuni-
ties for house design are also shaped by
the available materials and construction
methods of the time, as well as the available
artisans or skilled workers to construct and
express the detail of the design. The design

must be to the speciﬁc needs of the client
and must embrace the style of family living
and entertaining common today.

Although it is helpful to discuss and

reference historic styles with your archi-
tect, even more important are the crafted
details, house massing and roof forms that
you like from in a referenced style. Often
a photo clip or 3-D line drawing of the
style’s form, materials and details is worth
a thousand words. There are a half a dozen
different roof shapes that may be indicated
by the term, “Dutch Colonial,” but those
who use the term usually have only one of
these roof shapes in mind. There are few
building shapes and forms that haven’t been
previously employed somewhere at some
time, so referencing past forms and styles
can be helpful.

The design of your home may draw from

several historic styles, but ultimately, it
must embrace the materials and living styles
of the 21

century. It will express its own

emergent style with the freedom afforded
by modernism, combined with references
to past forms, details and building methods.
Energy is once again becoming a signiﬁ-
cant determinant of your home’s design,
as we strive for energy conservation and
ecological balance. Today’s materials and
methods provide more opportunity for
distinctive home designs than ever before:
homes that capture the natural settings that
surround them, homes ﬁlled with natural
light and homes that express the structure
and detail of the best natural materials
available today.

William Langdon, AIA is principal of Wm

Langdon Architecture PA. We provide consulta-
tion and architectural services for residential
and commercial projects. Please visit our website
at www.WLangdon.com, or call us (828) 252-
0296.

■

GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005 | 41

Ferns, Mosses and Lichens

Indicators of a Healthy Environment

By Andrew J. White, APLD, CLP

landscaping

According to the American Heritage College

Dictionary

, a lichen is “a fungus, usually of the

class Ascomycetes, that grows symbiotically with
algae, resulting in a composite organism that
characteristically forms a crustlike or branch-
ing growth on rocks or tree trunks.”

In simpler

terms, a lichen is an organism that is the
result of a symbiotic relationship between
a fungus and an alga(e). Symbiosis is a re-
lationship of mutual beneﬁt or dependence.
The fungus in the lichen lacks chlorophyll
(as do all fungi), so it cannot make its own
energy through photosynthesis. However,
it does have the ability to anchor itself to
surfaces such as rocks and tree branches.
The alga(e) in a lichen has chlorophyll and
can produce its own energy, but has no
ability to attach itself to a substrate. The
alga(e) provides the fungus with energy in
exchange for a place to anchor itself, both
the alga(e) and fungus beneﬁt. Without
each other’s help, neither would survive.

Most homeowners are not that familiar

with lichens. They think the lichens they
see are hurting their plants. Nothing could
be further from the truth. Lichens do not
hurt plants. They are benign organisms that
simply use plants as a surface on which to
complete their life cycle, much the same
as a bird uses a plant for nesting purposes.
Lichens are excellent indicators of good
air quality. You will not ﬁnd lichens where
there is a problem with air pollution. So,
be thankful if you have lichens, because
they are a sign that the air you are breath-
ing is healthy.

Mosses and ferns are also indicators of

healthy environments. Ironically, mosses
are to the plant world, what snakes are to
the animal world. Thoughtless, almost
instinctive, attempts are made to eradicate
both. Mosses constitute a very diverse

group of plants. There are many different
genera and species. “Since they obtain all
their nutrients from the air (moss has no
true roots

), moss plants require nothing

more than shade, acidic soil and adequate
moisture to flourish. All moss plants
need is a ﬁrm soil bed in a location with
adequate shade. It is imperative that the
area in which moss plants will be grown
is blown or swept
clear of any exist-
ing plants, leaves
or debris. Moss
also seems to pre-
fer poor quality
soils with low-nu-
trient levels.” This quote is from Moss Acres
at www.MossAcres.com. Mosses ﬂour-
ish naturally on most of our mountain
sites. We need to reverse the eradication
mindset with regard to mosses, and begin
encouraging them instead. Most people
who are lucky enough to have a good low-
maintenance moss “ lawn” spend a great
deal of time and money trying to replace
it with a turf lawn. Why? Usually, they
do this unwittingly to keep up appear-
ances. I challenge my readers to change
their thinking with regard to moss plants,
especially if you want a natural looking
landscape. In my experience, mosses are
very intolerant of pollutants, whether they
are air, water or soil borne. They thrive in
relatively undisturbed, unpolluted areas.
If you are lucky enough to have mosses,
appreciate their healthful characteristics
and let them be, or better yet, encourage
their growth. The Moss Acres Website listed
above provides a wealth of information
on mosses.

Ferns are perhaps the best plant indica-

tors of a healthy environment. In general,

ferns are extremely sensitive and intolerant
of pollutants and destructive soil distur-
bance practices. Ferns are the “ jewels” of
the forest ﬂoor. Consider yourself fortunate
if your residential environment is suitable
fern habitat. The aesthetic qualities of ferns
have been cherished for centuries.

The Olympic Peninsula in Washington

State is one of the most beautiful places in

the world. Here, the magniﬁcent conifer-
ous forests are adorned with blankets of
ferns, mosses and lichens. The same thing
can be said about the old growth forests
of Joyce Kilmer National Forest in North
Carolina. Both places represent relatively
undisturbed, unpolluted ecosystems.
Wouldn’t it be nice to feel the same way
about your own backyard and neighbor-
hood? Hopefully, the next time you see
a fern, moss or lichen, you will resist the
urge to eliminate that “weed,” and begin to
appreciate how valuable they are as indica-
tors of a healthy environment.

The author is president of Wayside Landscape

Services, Inc. He is a registered landscape con-
tractor, a licensed general building contractor,
a certiﬁed member of the Association of Profes-
sional Landscape Designers (APLD), a Certiﬁed
Landscape Professional (CLP) and a participating
member of numerous industry organizations, in-
cluding LGMA and PLANET. More information is
available at: www.waysidelandscape.com.

■

osses and ferns are also indicators

of healthy environments. Ironically,

mosses are to the plant world, what

snakes are to the animal world.

4 2 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

Chaos Management for

the Resilient Manager

By Scott Love

inside business

You’ve just been promoted to a new

department and have to get up to speed
quickly. How can you assess the history,
current situation, challenges and strategic

direction of an organization in a short
period of time and cope with it all? Or
perhaps your best customer has just made
a huge deviation from their normal pat-
tern of orders, and it’s going to take some
maneuvering to get everyone else in the
company to increase capacity or modify
the specs of the original product design.
You’ve never experienced anything like this
before, and you only have a short period of
time to take action. Welcome to chaos. So how
do you manage it?

Change within your organization is

nonstop, and its ensuing byproduct is the
unknown. The quicker we can get a handle
on the situation, the sooner we can bounce
back to a state of conﬁdence and a com-
mand of the situation and start feeling like
we have a clue again. Resilience is a core
competency of strong managers and high-
performing sales people.

In the martial arts, your stance gives you

power and a position of advantage over your
opponent; when it comes to winning in a
competitive market, managers who learn
how to stand on solid ground operate from
a position of power and a sense of control
over those circumstances.

There are ﬁve steps that the resilient

manager must follow to quickly recover to
a position of strength:

1. Assess the situation.
2. Assess the options.
3. Get input from smart and knowl-

edgeable people.

4. Determine a direction and make

decisions.

5. Execute.
Recovery is actually quite simple, as long

as you know which questions to ask and
how to think. Follow this line of question-
ing to help you quickly get a grip on the
situation.

WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE,
WHY AND HOW

Here are a few examples of how these

short and simple phrases can be integrated
into tools of analysis. Don’t let the sim-
plicity of this line of questioning keep you
from using it. Try it out and see if it works
for you.

• Who are the players associated with

this new development?

• Who do I need to have on my team who

are not already on it?

• What steps have been taken so far?
• What steps need to be taken in the next

two weeks?

• When did this change occur?
• When are the deadlines associated with

action items that I need to take?

• Where did the change feel the biggest

impact?

• Where do I need to spend my time?
• Why did my client change their or-

der?

• Why did my staff respond this way?
• How did this affect my relationship

with my client?

• How do I need to manage that rela-

tionship?

You get the picture. When we start using

basic principles of analysis, we can start
thinking critically and asking those ques-
tions that eventually lead to the information
and ideas needed for recovery. If you need
to, write the questions on a single sheet
of paper with a few spaces between the
six words. You’ll ﬁgure out which speciﬁc
questions to ask as you start investigating
your situation.

Here are a few words of caution: Spend

30 percent of your time in the analysis
portion of your job and 70 percent in the
actions. That’s 30 percent going over steps
one through four, 70 percent on step ﬁve,
which is to execute. It is your action that
gives you momentum, power, velocity and
traction. When you step forward with your
left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot, you
are going forward and you still have time to
think while you are moving ahead.

When you have nearly all the facts, then

that's enough. You don’t need to know
everything. In a fast-paced world, some-
times you have to live in the land of ‘good
enough.’

And when it comes to resilience,

action is the balm that soothes the wounds
of chaos.

“Management is how you direct the

efforts of others. Leadership is how you
manage yourself.”

Scott Love improves employee performance by

showing managers how to put meaning back into
work. To have him speak at your annual asso-
ciation or corporate meeting, call him at (828)
225-7700. To access his archive of leadership
articles visit: www.scottlove.com.

■

esilience is a core
competency of strong

managers and high -
performing sales people.

GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005 | 43

Attorney-Client Privilege

in an E-Mail Age

By Julie M. McGoldrick

legal insights

The attorney-client privilege is an impor-

tant protection to enable businesses to seek
open and frank legal advice in conducting
their business affairs. When the privilege
applies, statements and documents that
normally would be open to inspection and
discovery remain conﬁdential, unless the
client waives the privilege. The privilege
enables clients to freely consult with their
attorneys for conﬁdential advice and can,
therefore, help clients to avoid legal problems
or disputes before they even arise. However,
in the unfortunate situation that a dispute
grows towards the need for a more formal
resolution, privilege becomes even more cru-
cial as it protects from disclosure documents
that outline legal strategy or that explore
strengths and weaknesses. In a time when
e-mail communications are economical,
convenient and prevalent, it is particularly
important to understand the basic principles
of attorney-client privilege and to be aware
of the unique problems that e-mail presents
in protecting the privilege.

Because the attorney-client privilege is

an exception to the general concept of open
disclosure of evidence during litigation, the
privilege is strictly construed. In order to be
covered by the privilege, a communication
must be made:

1) between an attorney and a client,
2) in conﬁdence and
3) for the purpose of seeking, obtaining or

providing legal assistance to the client.

Generally, the presence of or disclosure to

a third party will prevent the privilege from
attaching. There are some exceptions. For
instance, if the third party is necessary to the
attorney’s complete representation of a client,
the privilege may still attach. A necessary
third party might be an accountant that the
attorney has hired to help interpret books,
or a paralegal researching an issue of law.

Similarly, a client might require the presence
of a translator in order to communicate with
the attorney. Also exempt from the deﬁnition
of “third party” are employees of a corpora-
tion that is represented by the attorney, as

long as the employees are speaking about
things within their scope of employment and
understand that they are being questioned
for the purpose of obtaining legal advice for
the corporation. The general rule remains,
however, that a third party who is not neces-
sary to the representation will prevent the
privilege from attaching.

Communications covered by the privilege

remain conﬁdential, unless the client waives
the privilege. Once a communication is
shown or repeated to a third party not cov-
ered by the privilege, the privilege is deemed
to be waived. Waiver can occur voluntarily,
such as when a client instructs the lawyer to
reveal information to a third party (such as in
settlement negotiations), or when the client

herself reveals the communication. Waiver
can also occur inadvertently. If, for instance,
a client had a letter from his or her lawyer
sitting out in plain view during a crowded
meeting and a third party saw it, the privilege

may be deemed waived as to that letter. A
client must take reasonable steps to preserve
the conﬁdentiality of his or her privileged
communications.

Just as e-mail has become incorporated

into daily business activities, it is also a con-
venient and quick way for an attorney and
client to communicate. E-mails may become
privileged just like any other communica-
tions. Although the issue of the security of
e-mails is beyond the scope of this article, the
attorney-client privilege generally has been
held to apply to e-mail communications. As
such, e-mail is also subject to the same rules of
waiver and, for the following reasons, e-mail
communications are particularly susceptible
to the unintentional waiver of privilege.

GEN

4 4 | GREATER VANCOUVER BUILDER/ARCHITECT DECEMBER 2005

Antell Insulation ....................................................................................................... 37
Arxx Walls & Foundations ........................................................................................ 15
B & B Contracting Ltd. ............................................................................................. 27
Brick Commercial Sales Division ............................................................................... 16
Calvert Design Studio ................................................................................................ 25
Coast Mountain Gutters ............................................................................................ 14
Country Lumber Ltd. ................................................................................................. 13
Damax Consultants Ltd. ............................................................................................ 35
Dick’s Lumber & Building Supplies Ltd. .................................................................... 30
Gienow Windows & Doors ......................................................................................... 26
Heat & Glo ................................................................................................................ 23
James R. Enders ....................................................................................................... 22
Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Limited ........................................................................ 10
Kitchen Korner .......................................................................................................... 35
KPMG ....................................................................................................................... 28
Levelton Engineering Solutions ................................................................................. 32
Lehigh Northwest Cement Limited ....................................................Inside Front Cover
Maax ........................................................................................................................ 24
National Home Warranty .................................................................. Inside Back Cover
Northwest Stoves Ltd. ................................................................................................. 9
Plasti•Fab ................................................................................................................. 29
Quad-Lock .................................................................................................................. 2
Reward Wall Systems ................................................................................................ 11
Satin Finish Hardwood Flooring ...................................................................Back Cover
St. Paul Travelers ..................................................................................................... 18
Super Foam .............................................................................................................. 22
Typar House Wrap .................................................................................................... 31
Tyvek .......................................................................................................................... 1
Wessex Fencing & Landscaping Ltd. ......................................................................... 25
Winvan Paving Ltd. ................................................................................................... 33
Wood Works ............................................................................................................. 17

advertisers’ index

First, e-mail is easily shared. The “for-

ward” button is an easy way to convey a lot
of information with minimal effort. With
the stroke of one key, the recipient can
receive a string of e-mails that contain not
only your instructions, but the history and
context of the problem. However, if an e-
mail from your attorney is included in that
string, what once may have been a privileged
communication may now be available for
discovery during litigation if the recipient
of the e-mail string is a third party. An e-
mail from your attorney is privileged, but
once you forward it to anyone not covered

by the privilege, the e-mail is no longer a
conﬁdential communication.

Inadvertent waiver is particularly a risk with

e-mail software containing an auto-text feature
that automatically completes e-mail addresses.
This convenient feature is perilous to the attor-
ney-client privilege, especially if you have more
than one contact with similar e-mail addresses.
You may think you are sending your estimation
of damages to John White, your attorney’s
paralegal, but in fact, your computer took the
liberty of sending it to the ﬁrst “John” in your
recent directory — John Smith, the subcon-
tractor you are considering suing.

Just being aware of the relatively frail na-

ture of the privilege in e-mail can go a long
way towards protecting your conﬁdential
communications. There are also a few pre-
cautions to take in order to lessen the chance
of inadvertently waiving privilege:

• As noted above, take care not to forward

e-mails from your attorney. If your attor-
ney e-mails you with advice about how to
handle a situation, start a new e-mail to
give instructions to the proper people.

• Similarly, when following your attorney’s

advice, it is usually better not to explic-
itly state that. Instead of writing, “My
attorney said that I should research the
issue of my liability for negligence on the
job before I sign anything,” just request
the information that you need.

• Remember facts are not privileged, so

you can share factual information with
anyone without worrying about waiv-
ing your privilege. It is your attorney’s
advice and counsel that is protected. If
you reveal that, you may be inadver-
tently waiving the privilege over that
communication.

If forwarding e-mails is a convenience

you cannot forego, at least be sure to for-
ward only the e-mail that is relevant to the
recipient. That way, you are less likely to
inadvertently send privileged information.
Likewise, be particularly careful if your e-
mail software employs an auto-text feature
for e-mail addresses. Consider deactivating
this feature if possible and double check the
recipient list before you send out a particu-
larly sensitive message.

Finally, if you want to communicate

information and you are worried that it
might waive your privilege, it is always a
good idea to consult your attorney. She may
be able to communicate factual information
orally for you in such a manner as to avoid
concerns of waiver.

Julie M. McGoldrick is an attorney with the

Los Angeles office of Wickwire Gavin, P.C.,
and focuses her practice on construction law
matters. Reach her at (213) 688-9500 or at
jmcgoldrick@wickwire.com.

■

legal insights

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For more information call 1-800-661-5939 or e-mail dab@satinﬁnish.com

Photo Courtesy of the Murano Condominiums, Toronto

www.satinﬁnish.com

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