Building Good

Season 2

Build smarter, not harder- with Jaimie Johnston

When car companies build a new car they don’t reinvent the wheel, and they don’t have engineers assembling each car individually. Pretty much everything in our lives is built out of other smaller components that are prefabricated with some degree of automation. Except for buildings. Jaimie Johnston from Bryden Wood has been working on changing that for over 25 years and he’s had a lot of pushback, but this way of working could reduce costs by a third, reduce the impact on the environment, and make for safer workplaces. It could even help solve the labour shortage while getting underemployed people into work.

Caution: Men at work with Natasha Fritz

Construction is rife with sexism. It’s not just catcalls on building sites, it’s tradeswomen being passed over for contracts. It’s being told you’ll never be as good as a man. It’s bad jokes… and sometimes it’s abuse. When construction and trades are this difficult for women then of course they are less likely to want to work in the industry, and on the occasions that they do they are far more likely to leave it.

Indigenous architecture- with Brian K. Porter

Construction can rub communities the wrong way. Architects roll in with a construction firm and big money decides what’s getting built and where. It’s no fun for the people who live there… but this isn’t how it has to work. Brian Porter runs Two Row Architect, and he tells us that they work differently from mainstream architects. The way they build is inclusive, involving the community right from the start. Their buildings are designed differently, leading to spaces that are both beautiful and wonderfully functional. He also tells us this is a way of building that people are hungry for… so perhaps Indigenous architecture is the future of building.

The future is battery powered- with Annette Verschuren

A lot of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, depend on the weather, making their power output fluctuate. We need to store energy at times of high output. That’s where Annette Verschuren’s company NRStore comes in. They’re providing energy storage solutions (aka batteries) across Canada, and even installing microgrids in remote, fly-in locations. Annette is a true leader in sustainable power, so she knows that working with Indigenous communities is the best way to overhaul the energy grid in Canada, and that’s what we’re talking about with her.

The polymath’s view of architecture- with Anthony Fieldman

Architecture is an intersection of art and science, but the art isn’t just in a beautiful facade. The real artwork in architecture is in the space between. It’s the experience, the livability and now, importantly, the sustainability of a space. Thinking in this way requires a creative mind, and the best of those minds are more than just architects - they are polymaths. Anthony Fieldman is a partner and architect at DIALOG, but he views his role as much more than that. He is someone who takes a broader, holistic approach to Architecture, so we’re speaking to him about the nature of creativity and architecture’s potential as a force for good.

Empowering Indigenous clean energy- with Jordyn Burnouf

The climate crisis is no longer a future problem. As forests burn across North America we turn up the AC, which increases the fossil fuels we burn, which makes climate change happen faster. We need clean energy solutions, and we need people who know how to use them. Jordyn Burnouf is a member of Black Lake First Nation and grew up in a Métis community. She’s also an expert in clean energy from an indigenous perspective… which is about far more than just solar panels and wind turbines. We turned to her for community-led answers to this urgent global question.

A woman's work- with Carol Moen

The construction industry is overwhelmingly male and still suffers from sexist attitudes towards women. There’s also a huge labour shortage, and plenty of women out of work. So how do we get women into those rewarding and lucrative trade careers? Carol Moen is the CEO of Women Building Futures and she’s helping women achieve economic empowerment so they can build good futures for themselves… and maybe change the industry for the better in the process.

How to clean up your supply chain- with Martin Kotula

To build good you need to use materials that have been built good. But how do we know that the materials we’re sourcing have been produced ethically, with sustainably sourced materials in an ethical work environment? The global economy is full of people looking to make a quick buck by producing things quickly, cheaply, and dirtily. Some big companies have even found child labour in their supply chains. Martin Kotula of SAP is an expert in supply chain transparency - he even did his PHD in sourcing and procurement. He helps us unpick those opaque supply chains, and shows how technology is changing global procurement for good.

100 million people, 100 million reasons for change - with Senator Ratna Omidvar

Immigration is key to building Canada’s future, but we haven’t been hitting the nail on the head so far... so how do we do it right? And how do we make sure that it works for everyone in Canada? Senator Ratna Omidvar is part of The Century Initiative, which means she wants to see 100 million Canadians by 2100. She chats to Tim about what our country looks like with that many people and helps us plot a course to get there.

Mental health supports are load-bearing - with Dr. David Goldbloom

Looking after our minds is not something that’s just nice to have, it’s a crucial part of our occupational health. People work better when they have that support. So where do we start? Psychiatrist Dr David Goldbloom walks us through how we build good environments and good jobs that look after everyone’s mental health… and it starts at home. Specifically, it starts with everyone having a home.

Building Good is Back!

How do we build better systems, better lives and a better place to live? How do we build… good? Tim Coldwell and Jen Hancock are back to ask those big questions. We’re aiming to make the construction industry (and the world) a better place to live and work. Back with weekly episodes starting July 7th, 2021.

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