National Bank

Relighting the National Bank of Canada’s Trading Floor

 

The National Bank of Canada’s Montreal headquarters possesses a Grand Hall that is an ornate masterpiece. Its rose, Italian Tavernelle marble walls, Corinthian colonnades of syenite, with black Belgian marble bases, its bronze railings and door frames, golden ornamented moulding, ceiling panels, and large colonnades are a majestic throwback to a bygone era. The lighting design needed to accentuate and celebrate this historic structure’s arresting grandeur without washing out the ornate details, while also creating a functional and welcoming workplace.

 

Vigilant Global

Creating Dynamic Functional Lighting for an Architectural Firm

 

Vigilant Global, a Montreal-based research, development and information technology company, mandated Provencher Roy to redesign its offices in Montreal. LumiGroup, a key collaborator in lighting for the project assisted the interior designers in enhancing each room with lighting adapted for a refined, modern and dynamic environment.

 

 

Residential Construction

Q2 Residential Construction Investment Up 7.7% YOY

Residential construction investment in Canada totalled $33.2 billion in the second quarter, up 7.7% from the same quarter in 2016. Higher investment in every component except cottages contributed to the total quarterly increase. Investment in renovations totalled $15 billion (up 6.6%) and accounted for almost 40% of the year-over-year change at the national level. Investment in single-family dwellings was up 12.9% to $7.4 billion, while acquisition costs related to new dwellings rose 8.2% to $3.7 billion.

 

 

Bill Burr

Guide to the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I — Instalment 28

In this article: Section 56 — Optical fibre cables. Section 56 is a supplementary or amendatory section of the code and applies to the installation of optical fibre cables in conjunction with all other electrical systems. Rule 56-002 provides a special terminology definition for an Optical Fibre Cable — a cable consisting of one or more optical fibres that transmits modulated light for the purpose of control, signalling or communications.

Economy

Investment in New Housing Rose 7.2% in June YOY

 

Investment in new housing construction rose 7.2% from June 2016 to $4.7 billion in June. The increase resulted mostly from higher investment in single family dwellings (+$257.9 million). All but one province saw an increase in new housing investment. The largest increase was in Quebec (+$82.6 million), followed by Alberta (+$72.5 million) and British Columbia (+$57.4 million). Newfoundland and Labrador posted a decrease of $7.4 million (-26.2%) compared to June 2016. 

 

Shawn McCadden

3 Financial Strategies for a More Scalable Business

 

Economic reports continue to forecast growth for the remainder of the year. For contractors, this is great news, but it can also present the challenge of scaling up to meet growing demand. Scaling up requires not just hiring more workers and buying more material, but also adjusting your financial strategy to cover increased overhead expenses without hurting cash flow and profits. Here are three financial strategies for successfully scaling up in 2017 and beyond.

 

 

Cable

Choosing the Proper Components for Your Cable Assembly or Wire Harness, Part 1

A key component of any electronic or electrical system is the cable assembly/cable harness, yet it typically is one of the last components to be addressed. When designing a system the cable assembly should be addressed as early in the design stage as possible to allow for the best design to be specified for the application at hand. Many components will be involved in the assembly design, and each component will have an impact on the performance of the finished cable assembly or wire harness. If an assembly that is either over-designed or under-designed is used, there will be negative consequences of the performance of the finished system.

 

Wire

Choosing the Proper Components for Your Cable Assembly or Wire Harness, Part 2

 

In this second of a two-part series, we continue discussing options to consider when designing a cable assembly or wire harness, such as the best materials to use to meet the expectations of the assembly installation, the proper termination method for the type of signal that will be transmitted over the assembly, and what safety certifications the assembly will need to comply with based on the environment. Here in Part 2: conductor twisting/cabling, shielding, outer sheaths, connectors/strain reliefs, and safety certification.