Our Services

Hello, it has been awhile since we posted! alliance7 has revamped its services page as many new clients have asked. Since most of our clients are repeat clients it slipped our minds, so we hope this helps. We still do some construction management projects, but most of our focus is on Owners Representative/Project Management services in the ICI and Multi Residential markets, within Toronto, the GTA and Hamilton Areas.

https://www.alliance7.ca/services

OWNERS REPRESENTATIVE

At alliance7, we understand that you have many other responsibilities and priorities on your plate. That’s where our Owner’s Representative services can help. This service acts as an extension of the project team and streamlines delivery of development by advising and representing a client throughout the planning and construction process.

We support a client’s vision and intent during design development, municipal approvals, pre-construction coordination, procurement, construction, building commissioning, and, of course, project finalization. With our executive team’s combined years of technical experience, we have the knowledge and insight to efficiently and effectively represent and manage our client’s interests and expectations.

Included among the offerings of our Owner’s Representative services is an on-site representation to ensure the scheduling of deliverables, contract document analysis, and cost control management. As with all facets of our approach to project delivery, we provide consistent and open communication among all stakeholders to allow for prompt issue resolution, mitigation of delays, and cost implication avoidance.

FEASIBILITY STUDY

We provide an assessment of the practicality of a proposed project. A feasibility study analyzes the viability of a project to determine whether the project or venture is likely to succeed and provide the profit required. The study is also designed to identify potential issues and problems that could arise while pursuing the project. We help landowners with potential purchases or sales of their properties to see what the best use is for the property to either maximize their purchase or sale. We can also, assist developers in oversight or we offer third part assessments of proformas.

In this service we offer the following; Planner review, Architectural input, including Site Plan, Review of comparables for projected revenue and Construction costs/Hard costs and Soft costs at a high level and if required a Proforma.

CONSULTANT SERVICES

Here a few services that we can be hired for separately or included in our Owners Representative services:

  • Work with the Owner and Regulatory bodies to manage and track reports and all documents required for SPA, Permitting and Public Utility Coordination

  • Prepare Request for Proposals for Consultants and assist in the awarding process

  • Assist Owner and Consultants in Design development

  • Preparation of Detailed Construction Budget on a trade-by-trade basis as well as detailed site overheads 

  • Client advice on project procurement; tender documentation preparation, tender analysis and recommendations, contractual documentation preparation and scope of work

  • Engage trades for availability, interest, schedule, competitive pricing and market changes and advise on alternatives if necessary

  • Assisting in trade interviews and awards

  • Developing and agreeing on Schedule of Values for contract price

  • Approving monthly payment invoices from trades as well as site overheads

  • Monthly site visits to establish work completed and assess progress claims

  • Engage early with preferred trade contractors to interest them in project with intention of ensuring competitive and preferred pricing.

  • Working with Developer where required to appoint suitable Consultants and Construction Manager

  • Preparing Request for Proposals or Quotations and manage tendering schedule

  • Periodic Site Visits

  • Change notice review and recommendation, where required

  • Anticipation of and assessment of Contractor Claims and giving advice on avoidance, resolution and settlement of disputes, including negotiating with interested parties

World's Tallest Modular Building

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101 George Street

38-Storey & 44-Storey Residential Modular Buildings

Parties:

Client: Greystar Real Estate & Henderson Park
Contractors:
Tide Construction
Architecture Firm: HTA Design

Overview

Construction is rolling in the Greater London Area to construct the world’s tallest modular buildings in the world. Currently, the world’s tallest modular building is located in Brooklyn, New York. Built in 2016, the building referred to as 461 Dean consists of 363 residential units and spans 32-storey. Once the buildings at 101 George St in Croydon, London is completed, it will replace the building in Brooklyn’s building. It will be at least 6-storey taller and feature roof gardens at the top of each tower, a podium-level sun lounge, panoramic viewing galleries, and fully equipped gyms. At of the time of this article, the construction of the structure’s skeleton has been completed and its module fittings have started.

For more information on the project, please visit the architect’s website at: http://www.hta.co.uk/projects/101-george-street

Modular construction

Modular construction is the process of fabricating components assembled in a factory and are transported onto a site entirely or mostly completed. This process is the exact opposite of the traditional method of construction as it limits the amount of labor on-site. Modular construction is known for its short duration and excellent quality as everything is built in a controlled environment. To put things into perspective, Troy Tomasik, Managing Director of Investment for the project at 101 George St stated that the project will be finished within two years and this short duration is in large part due to the use to modular construction. He had stated that if the project had used the traditional construction method, the duration of the project would have been extended to at least four years.

It is important to note that modular construction is not perfect and does have its fair share of disadvantages. Some of the disadvantages include:

  • Extended duration needed during the planning process to plan logistics and ensure the site is accessible for modules of different sizes

  • Traditional construction allows for design changes later on in the project, modular construction does not. Once designed is agreed and signed, the design is finalized.

  • Logistics and planning of individual module assembly will need rigorous planning

Transpired Air Collector - Solarwall

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Transpired Air Collectors

Overview

With a focus on building green and limiting carbon footprint in today’s construction/housing market, there are a lot of technologies/systems that are marketed to save you money by reducing energy consumption. Today’s article is about a system which isn’t actually new, but is proven to save money. The system is called transpired air collectors. It provides the best economics of any renewable energy systems and has no negative side effects. It’s main purpose is to provide pre-heated air into the building which reduces the load required by the existing heating system. At the moment, the system is designed for industrial and commercial applications - large buildings that require constant ventilation loads.

Benefits of the system includes:

  • Reduces building operation cost

  • Reduces reliance on fossil fuels, pollution, and greenhouse gas generations

  • Maintenance free

  • Eliminates temperature stratification - where this is a problem.

  • High return in investment and payback value


Source: http://solarwall.com/en/products/solarwall-air-heating/how-solarwall-works.php

Source: http://solarwall.com/en/products/solarwall-air-heating/how-solarwall-works.php

Process

  1. Outdoor air is drawn through the pin holes of the metallic sheet under negative pressure.

  2. The dark metal sheet and interior framing heats and warms the air cavity.

  3. As the air heats up, it rises and is ducted into the building through a connection to the HVAC system (Hot air naturally rises as it is relatively light)

  4. System runs all year round - in the summer heated air is bypassed based conditions monitored by sensors.

  5. Building heating loss is recaptured on the face where the system is installed.


Projects

Because the system is not new, there are case studies on many of them. The company SolarWall has thousands of projects in over 35 countries. I’ve linked some case studies of their projects in the Greater Toronto Area. For more information, please visit the SolarWall website.

Autoclaved Aerated Concrete

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Autoclaved Aerated Concrete

Overview

Concrete is one of the most used construction material in today’s society. It’s a fundamental element in our buildings, infrastructure and has positively impacted the our overall quality of life. Concrete is a popular product because it’s economical but at the same time, provides characteristics such as strength and durability. That being said, not all concrete are the same. There are various types of concrete and according to what the application is, you select the concrete that best suits you. In today’s article, I’d like to talk about autoclaved aerated concrete, a popular building material in some parts of the world.

Background

Autoclaved aerated concrete (ACC) was developed in Sweden during the 18th century. It is a prefabricated material that are made at local manufacturing plants and shipped to site. Unlike conventional modern concrete block, ACC are porous and light because it contains no aggregate and its procuring method is different from the conventional method. The material is made out of five elements: sand, cement, lime, natural anhdride, and aluminum powder. Depending on the manufacturer, the mix fluctuates but at the end of the day, some kind of mix is steamed and pressured and an ACC block is created. As mentioned previously, ACC is a popular choice worldwide. It’s popular in the European markets and Asian markets but it has not gained traction in North America. One reason why it hasn’t gained traction in countries such as United States, Canada and Mexico isn’t because of a lack of interest, but there is no manufacturer that are capable of producing the material at a sufficient rate - one source cited there is only one manufacture for all three countries.

Advantages

  • Lightweight
    As mentioned above, ACC is a lightweight material because it contains no aggregate. In theory, this would result in a cheaper labor and delivery cost.

  • Favorable Thermal Properties
    ACC is known to have better thermal properties than their counterparts. The performance is based different for each manufacturer. For example, YTONG -one of biggest ACC manufacturer - had recently had an energy study done by the Center of Renewable Energy Sources of Greece. The study concluded that if you build your house with YTONG Blocks, you can achieve 6.6% reduction of the energy you spend in order to heat the building and 41.4% reduction of the energy you spend to cool the building.

  • Ecological
    Concrete is known for having high embodied energy. A lot of energy is needed from its extraction, manufacture and transportation. With regards to ACC, its embodied energy is lower than your typical concrete as less material is needed. There have been claims from multiple manufacturers that ACC takes less 50% less energy to produced since there are no aggregates and its Portland cement quantity is lower than your conventional concrete unit.

  • Sound Proofing Technology
    ACC are great sound insulators. Their porous structure allows them to absorb more sound than an average concrete unit.

Disadvantage

  • Learning Curve
    Many contractors in North America are unfamiliar with ACC, and are unused to the special thin-set mortar required to lay it.

  • Little to no supplies in North America
    ACC itself has an initial cost per unit higher than ordinary concrete. In addition, the small number of manufacturing facilities in the US could make using AAC very expensive for projects where the material must travel long distances from a manufacturer.

Electrochromic (Smart Glass) - View

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Smart Glass

Overview

In this time and age, it seems like we are being constantly introduced to new and smart innovative technologies. We have grown accustomed to smartphones, smart TVs, and smart watches. One new smart technology I would like to introduce to you today is smart windows. Developed by Silicon Valley startup View Dynamic Glass, these "dynamic window" react accordingly to the outside environment and automatically tinting itself to reduce glare, decrease energy output, and improve occupant comfortability. Occupants also have the choice to manually control windows to their personal preference through View's mobile app or wall switches.

Benefits:

  • Unobstructed Views
    With View's Smart windows, blinds and shades are no longer needed.

  • Adaptable windows
    Window's tint adjust accordingly based on environment or personal preferences.

  • Energy Efficiencies
    Helps reduce energy consumption by more than 20% and allows buildings to achieve LEED certification.

  • Smart
    Interface with HVAC and lighting system for superior comfort and climate control.

  • Maximize Daylight
    Uses coordinates to calculate sun's position, adjust window tints according thanks to light sensors and real-time weather feeds,

How It Works?

Above: Layers in View's Window

Above: Layers in View's Window

“The concept is very simple: It’s like wearing sunglasses and adjusting them to how bright it really is,”

-CEO of View Rao Mulpuri

View’s main technology is its electrochromatic material. The process to manufacture these windows take between six to eight hours and consists of three main steps. It begins with metal oxide gases being spread along a glass pane to create a ceramic coating that is about a micrometer thick. Then a low voltage wiring is added so the window can be connected to a building's central management system. The last step is to have an other piece of glass so that everything is sealed together. To change the tint of the glass, a small electric voltage is applied to the glass. The ions begin to move in between each layer of metal oxide causing it to react and therefore changing the window's tint.

alliance7 Rebrands with a Clear Vision!

Logo on White Background

Logo on White Background

Logo on Black Background

Logo on Black Background

Overview

Today our company is rolling out major changes to the branding of alliance7. Our business has grown a lot over the years; our team has grown, our team culture has been improved upon, and our vision as a company is clearer than it has ever been before. To prepare ourselves for the next phase of growth, we wanted to revitalize the branding of the company so it spoke true and represents who we are today. 

New Logo

Like previously stated, as the company grows over the years, we wanted a symbol that represents who we are as a company. The logo consists of a symbol that has seven curved 7's joint together and meeting in the center. The 7's in this case represent different parties coming together and working collaboratively to reach the common goal. We had a focal point on 7 's during this re-branding process as it is one of the rare numbers that is great in both Eastern and Western cultures but more importantly, it as a meaning of partnering as well.

With regards to the colour selection, we wanted something that relates to the future state of construction. Moving ahead, with a focal point on the environment and constructing sustainable buildings, we wanted colors that are associated with the Earth and represent innovation and sustainability!

Our Purpose

Our purpose is to fulfill the vision together; we construct, design, assist and deliver anything imaginable.

Message from the President and Founder of alliance7:

I asked myself why I truly started this company and the main reason is I like working with a large team to achieve a goal. There are many differences in people, which I find interesting and its great how all these different people can work together and achieve a hugely successful project! Over the years as I made “mistakes”, either caring too much about my previous employer’s profit objective, or trying to always be right, or obsessing over something nobody else on the team cares about, as it as nothing to do with the common goal. I realized what makes our trade partners, consultant partners and most importantly our client happy and that is working together towards the goal. This helps improve schedule, quality, building performance and everyone’s profits and particularly the owner’s vision and profitability of their proforma/budget. This is why our purpose is the fulfill the vision together!

 -Simon DeGroot

Future Material: Aerogel Insulation

Spaceloft Aerogel Blanket Rolled Up

Spaceloft Aerogel Blanket Rolled Up

Spaceloft Aerogel Blanket Being INstalled on Church Roof in Northern Ireland

Spaceloft Aerogel Blanket Being INstalled on Church Roof in Northern Ireland

about

Aerogel is a relatively new material being used in the construction industry.  However, the material itself has been used for centuries. Invented in 1931 by American scientist Dr. Steven Kistler, aerogel is a lightweight solid made out of mostly compressed air. The material characteristics include being thin, breathable, fireproof, light-weight, but it's largely known for its ability to be a highly effective thermal insulator - twice the performance of rigid board.

Because it is fairly expensive, the material has yet to become mainstream and is only currently popular for high-end industrial applications. Clients such as NASA has been using it for years; the material is a main component for their space suites and more recently, their Mars Rover Spacecraft. Other companies have been using it to insulating water pipes and oil pipes.

As the price of the material continues to decline, we're expecting the material to one day become the main choice for building insulation. Currently, there two companies offering their aerogel product for commercial use. One company is called Aspen Aerogel and the other is called Thermoblok. According to company executives from Aspen Aerogel, the company has installed its Spaceloft Aerogel Blanket on in buildings across the United States and the United Kingdom.

 

Pricing

Aspen Aerogel offers a wide array of products. For more information regarding specification and pricing of each product, please click here. On the other hand, those who wish to seek more information regarding Thermoblok products and their pricing, please click here.

 

Guillotine - Vitrocsa

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About

With increasing popularity in the last couple of years, vertical sliding windows with a mechanical component are beginning to take center stage for luxurious homes. These windows are a great way to instill an "openness" feel into your home as its frame is minimalistic and all you see is glass. In today's blog, we will be focusing our attention on an Australian company called Vitrocsa and their vertical sliding window, the Guillotine.

Since the 1990's, Vitrocsa is known in the industry as the inventor of the minimalist window. They utilize their patented Vitrocsa Invisible Wall system on all their products to provide clients with a simplified window. They recently released their Guillotine window to the public. These windows consists of two vertical sliding frames that are able to hold up to 500kg of glazing. The windows have many configurations, panels can be slid up, slid down into a cavity into the ground, or slide up and down thanks to their counter-weight system - they also be motorized if preferred. What makes these windows so special is that with the combination of the company's patented wall system and its ability to hold large panels of glass, the windows provides homes with a more immerse feeling than other similar products.

Regarding availability, Vitrocsa products are all manufactured in-house and then installed by a certified contractor to ensure the highest quality. Vitrocsa USA is the exclusive manufacture and distributor for Vitrocsa products in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbeans. For more information regarding availability in your region, visit Vitrocsa website.

 

Features

  • Aesthetically Pleasing
    Thanks to the tracks being recessed into the building, these windows are pleasing to look at cause most of it is glass.
  • Glazing Options
    Clients have to option of choosing single glazed, double glazed, and triple glazed.
  • High Performance
    The windows have extreme air/water resistance with high thermal and insulation qualities.
  • High Quality
    Fabricated using Swiss components in conjunction with Australian glass to provide top-class quality.

 

Configurations

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Cabrio Balcony - Velux

A Danish window manufacturing company called Velux has developed what could be the next big thing. Known as the Velux Cabrio, these windows are installed onto rooftops and are a great way to bring some life into your attic-space by providing it with natural light, ventilation and openness.

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How Do They Work?

The windows are quite simple to operate. When not in use, they are simply fixed windows. They look good and they provide your room with an abutment amount of natural light. To turn it into a balcony, all you do is unlock the levers and push the windows outwards. The top half of the window folds outwards to provide you with some head space and the bottom half folds downwards and provides you with a fenced off environment.

Features

  • Thermo Technology
    The windows uses high-performance materials to provide excellent thermal performance.
  • No Leak Promise
    Velux provides a 10-year installation warranty, 20 years on glass, and 10 years on product.
  • Built-In Air Filter
    There is a built-in reusable air filter that keeps dust outside and promotes clean air in your home.

 

What Else Should I Know?

Availability

Velux products are available in both Canada and the United States at a local home improvement stores such as Home Depot and Lowe's. For more information regarding availability, please visit the Velux website

Pricing

The pricing for the window is based on your roofing condition. For those with a roof cavity and want to replacing their existing skylight, the price will range between $4,450 - $4,850 USD for each window. On the other hands, for those who want a new skylight, the price will range between $5,350 - $5950 due to the labor of cutting a cavity into your roof.

Customization

The windows offer a couple of customization assortments to fit personal preference. Beginning with the interior finish, the window can be either a pine finish which will illuminate a nature feel thanks to its wooden appearance or a simple but elegant white coat. Regarding exterior finishes, Velux offers three choices. One of the choices is a gray aluminum finish, this is their normal finish that comes with every window by default. The two other choices are called Copper and Titanium Zinc and these must be requested in order to get them manufacture. In all, there are six different combinations to choose from when choosing these balcondow - balcony windows.

 

Pine Wood - Interior

Pine Wood - Interior

White Painted Finish - Interior

White Painted Finish - Interior

Titanium Zinc - Exterior

Titanium Zinc - Exterior

Copper Finish - Exterior

Copper Finish - Exterior

Aluminum Finish - Exterior

Aluminum Finish - Exterior