IoT in B.C. and a striking tower for downtown Toronto

A Closer Look at IoT Improving VT Safety

Although already used in vertical-transportation (VT) systems, internet of things (IoT) sensor technology has the potential to take public safety to the next level as the pace of high-rise construction increases in British Columbia, according to Catherine Roome, CEO of Technical Safety B.C., an independent organization that oversees the safe installation and operation of equipment in the province. Roome wrote an article for the Vancouver Sun in which she described a research project involving municipalities and building owners implementing an IoT system that measured how the speed of an elevator changed. Such data revealed a “hidden pattern of anomalies” that could help identify issues and prevent accidents, she said, concluding that “the use of IoT in elevators will increase in B.C.”

Toronto Condo Tower Incorporates Historic Buildings

A 55-story condominium tower designed by B+H Architects and developed by Davpart Inc. at 481 University Avenue in Toronto will incorporate a pair of historic buildings that once housed Maclean Publishing, Urban Toronto reported. The United BLDG will house 55 residences of various sizes, while the existing structures will retain Beaux Arts and Modern Classical exteriors and offer 224,245 sq. ft. of commercial space and 39,320 sq. ft. of retail from the ground to the 10th floors. ERA Architects is handling the restoration of the historic structures, which will transform a series of arches into a sheltered colonnade that widens Dundas Street.

CTBUH Releases New Tall Buildings Book

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) released Tall Buildings + Urban Habitat: Volume 2 in April. Following last year’s first volume, it continues the themes of forging a more viable, sustainable urban habitat, with increased urban density playing an important role, and that tall buildings need to be seen as integrated pieces of urban infrastructure dedicated to improving cities’ qualities of life with a cohesive, multidisciplinary response. Its global overview of dense urban development involves exploring the projects, technologies and approaches reshaping skylines and urban spaces worldwide. CTBUH said that in this 316-page edition, “innovations in the constituent disciplines that bring tall buildings to life and even extend their lives — construction, the engineering of façades, fire and risk, geotechnical engineering, interior space, MEP, renovation and structural engineering — are all explored.” It can be purchased at bit.ly/2IyqQNI.