By Francis Moran
A developer who hopes his new building will soon be certified as the most environmentally benign mixed-use building in North America told an Ottawa audience yesterday afternoon that achieving the most exacting green building standards in the construction industry was “actually not all that difficult.” And, he added, if similar practices were adopted across the construction industry, it would mean a reduction in the emission of climate-changing greenhouse-gas emissions equivalent to the entire output of the transportation sector.
Jonathan Westeinde, managing partner of Windmill Development Group, was speaking at the Ottawa Cleantech Initiative’s Green Building Showcase held yesterday at the Irving Greenburg Theatre Centre, part of a mixed-use complex his company built that also includes 43 condominium apartments. Built on a remediated brownfield property that used to house less-than-benign automobile-related industries, the complex has been submitted for certification under the Canada Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System that certifies higher energy and environmental performance of buildings and communities. Even if the building fails to achieve the highest platinum rating, something Westeinde said it was within a few points of hitting, it should still qualify as the highest-rated LEED mixed-use building in North America.
Getting there required “nothing bleeding edge” in terms of technology, he said. More time had to be spent planning the job, sourcing materials and allowing for such things as the longer curing time required for the high fly-ash concrete the developer chose for the lower GHG emissions it produces during its manufacture. The well-established technologies, approaches and products used in the building include a passive solar heat wall on the building’s deliberately southwest-facing facade that contributes fully five percent of the building’s heating requirement, a system that captures and recycles stormwater and required an amendment to municipal rules to implement, dual-flush toilets, compact fluorescent bulbs and natural lighting, and a range of products, many of which required Windmill to “redo our whole supply chain,” that emit no or little volatile organic compounds.
Westeinde maintained the building cost no more than a conventional approach, something confirmed by LEED Canada’s Anne Auger who earlier told the session that achieving the lowest level of LEED certification adds less than two percent to construction costs, something that can be recouped in less than two years. Achieving higher certifications may cost more, but the return on that higher investment is still measured in a time frame that makes eminent sense for developers and building owners.
The impact of Canada’s built environment on greenhouse gas emissions is massive, with our homes, buildings and infrastructure contributing more of the climate-changing gasses than any other sector of the economy. “We can achieve 1990 (emission) levels or even carbon-neutral levels,” Westeinde insisted. “If we start doing everything that this building represents … the savings (in carbon emissions) that could be realized in the construction industry are equal to the entire emissions of the transportation sector today.”
By Danny Sullivan
It was with a spring in my step that I set off to the Scottish Technology Showcase last week. Two years previously, I had visited the same event and it was where I first came across the incredible company that is Touch Bionics. If this year’s event could boast some stories with even half the appeal of that little gem, then I’d be well satisfied.
As it turns out, the number of products-oriented companies that presented potentially interesting opportunities for a PR firm were relatively thin on the ground. There were a lot of manufacturing and design services firms that don’t usually present the most interesting of prospects for a PR firm – although you should always scratch beneath the surface before making that call.
There were certainly a few shining lights (literally) among the clustered booths in Glasgow’s SECC. The light was primarily thanks to an outfit from the University Edinburgh called NIPHT, which has developed kits that allow customers to grow decorative bioluminescent mushrooms at home or in the garden. These glowing fungi could be used to illuminate a garden pathway or flowerbed at night. Nifty indeed.
At the opposite end of the technology spectrum, Perth company, Ewgeco, has developed a fascinating device that will allow small businesses and consumers to accurately measure their utility consumption in real time. In today’s ever increasingly energy-conscious society, this could indeed be a timely device.
Alongside these two examples, and despite the larger number of services firms, there were plenty of other innovative products companies on display, from CRM and mobile security software to satellite systems and advanced loudspeaker technology, proving that entrepreneurship of the very highest standard is still a trait in Scotland.
By Francis Moran
itWorld Canada leads its morning news bulletin this morning with a story about a new initiative at technology-focused University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada — a so-called “dormcubator” that will see one of the school’s residences retooled to accommodate 70 students who, it is hoped, will collaborate on new ventures in web, mobile and digital media applications.
Many of the business people quoted in the story applaud the innovative move but caution that it will fail if the proper real-world mentorship is not offered along with the physical infrastructure. It’s a key observation that too many Canadian technology ventures, while brilliant in the development department, are inadequate in the management department.
I am encouraged that the new residence, which will be completed over the summer and begin its programming with the beginning of the new school year in September, has already accepted applicants from the arts, business and other non-technical disciplines. It takes more than just a brilliant idea to create a successful new company.
We’ll keep an eye on this initiative and let our readers know how it’s working.
By Francis Moran
What does an RFID infrastructure company from St. John’s, Newfoundland, have in common with the Livingston, Scotland, outfit that makes the world’s most advanced prosthetic hand? Well, besides being inmedia clients, Cathexis Innovations and Touch Bionics both find themselves this week at the same trade show, Arab Health 2008 at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre in United Arab Emirates.
Touch Bionics is there to exhibit its i-LIMB hand, the world’s first artificial hand featuring five individually articulating digits that has been been fitted to scores of patients worldwide since being launched this past summer. Cathexis, whose mobile RFID reader IDBlue is also a world first, is demonstrating its event-management application at the show, a massive undertaking billed as the largest science gathering in the Arab world.
I can’t help being tickled by what I’m going to do next — email Cathexis’s CEO Steve Taylor and Touch Bionics’ marketing director Phil Newman and suggest they look each other up. At the risk of sounding — hell, let me be honest, at the risk of being — a bit self-promotional, it’s a lovely example of both the broad range of technologies represented in our client portfolio and the truly global scale on which these companies operate. I only wish I could be in Dubai to personally introduce these two chaps to each other.
By Danny Sullivan
In my post about analysts back in December, I promised to expand a bit more on the differences between the large analyst companies and the smaller, boutique firms.
The large, global analyst firms that publish all those high-profile industry reports are the undisputed top dogs. They command huge consultancy fees and can have a significant influence on companies looking to make technology decisions. As such, these firms are usually the first to be mentioned when technology companies start thinking about getting in front of analysts.
This is completely understandable, and engaging with these analysts may well prove to be a good decision, but tech firms embarking on their first round of contact with analysts should not put all their eggs in one basket. For almost every technology discipline, there are also smaller analyst firms that specialize in research and analysis of those sectors.
These firms, while not necessarily commanding the same level of influence as the big boys, still present a potentially valuable option to tech companies. Their tight focus on an industry sector can mean that they are better equipped to share advice and insight with companies operating in those sectors.
The smaller firms’ sphere of influence among the companies that represent your prospects is likely to be less than that of the larger players, but it should not necessarily be assumed to be so. I have worked with boutique analyst shops that had the ear of IT executives at some of the world’s largest organizations.
Ultimately, the big firms may still end up being your preferred choice for pursuing an analyst relationship, but companies should always look closely at all the players that are out there before making their decision. Taking the time to find out more about the analysts your space may result in some pleasant surprises.
