March 17, 2021

From rendering, to ribbon cutting, to operations, Canadian building projects have never relied more on technology. Smart buildings, which give owners access to a near limitless stream of data, are on the rise across the country. Along with simplifying operations and maintenance, they are helping owners apply a whole life cycle mentality to take projects from cradle to grave.

This new approach to building is recalibrating owner demands on general contractors during the construction phase, as well as leading GCs to set new benchmarks for their subcontractors.

High-cost buildings, such as hospitals and big-ticket office towers, have been the first to go smart, but falling costs for sensors and software, coupled with promising returns, mean smart buildings are likely to become increasingly common across Canada in the years to come.

Join On-Site, HPAC and Electrical Business magazines March 17 at 1 p.m. ET for an hour-long panel discussion on the emerging opportunity. Representatives from three leaders in the space — Black and McDonald, EllisDon and Modern Niagara — will look at the ways smart buildings are forcing job sites to evolve and share some of the steps GCs and subs need to take to ensure they aren’t left behind.

Our panellists:

Colin Flock, vice-president of operations, Facilities Services, EllisDon

Colin Flock is the operations vice-president for EllisDon’s Facilities Services, with over two decades in operations management. Before joining to EllisDon, Flock worked for the University of British Columbia as a leader in the Building Operations group. Prior to his current role, he was the facility general manager at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, on which EllisDon was the general contractor. Overseeing the transition from the construction phase to operations and beyond gives Flock unique insight into industry practices in this area.

Erica Brabon, director, Energy & Sustainability, Facility Services, Black & McDonald

As the director of Energy and Sustainability Services, Erica Brabon manages and implements energy and sustainability initiatives at Black & McDonald nationally. With her technical expertise and professional experience in Smart Buildings & Smart Cities, energy storage, energy management, energy audits, benchmarking, GHG emissions tracking, and sustainability initiatives, Erica plays an essential role in reducing energy costs and environmental impact at B&M and its clients. During her more than 14-year career, Brabon has managed incentive program projects, securing millions in incentives and loan dollars for clients; conducting energy audits and retro-commissioning studies; developing facility operator training focused on sustainable operations, and facilitating environmental training for over 200 operators.

Sam Boyajian, vice-president, Integrated Building Technology, Modern Niagara

Sam Boyajian received a bachelors in mechanical engineering from the University of Western Ontario in 2003. After completing his undergraduate program, he worked in sales positions and as an operations manager, branch manager, and national sales manager at Johnson Controls from 2003 to 2015. Sam worked as area general manager at Siemens between 2015 and 2016 and as vice-president and general manager at Ameresco from 2016 to 2019. Sam joined Modern Niagara in 2019 and is currently the company’s vice-president of Integrated Building Technology.

Register for the free panel discussion here