Articles

Promoters and developers are using a procedure of buying properties for the sole purpose of holding onto them over a period of time and letting them deteriorate through non-maintenance so that municipalities would then be more likely to allow demolition to take place. That is the antithesis of good urban planning, and it is a loophole that municipalities need to correct as soon as possible. The above pictured property has been unoccupied for a few years. Whenever a property remains vacant for any length of time, it tends to deteriorate quite rapidly. A broken water entry occurred in winter after ...

We are living in an era of deregulation, and we are now suffering its consequences Urban planning is all about imposing regulations. That’s why it took so long for urban planning to be accepted throughout North America. Back in the 50s it was considered to be communism. Urban planning is all about imposing regulations so that property values can be protected. A common problem that exists today concerns owners who neglect their property, are not doing maintenance or even abandon them altogether. Causes can be social or economic such as poverty, an aging population, an aging housing stock, feeling threatened ...

The pandemic has emphasized ventilation and has made everyone consider what that means. We are being told that good ventilation and the good quality air that it provides is essential to maintain our health, to maintain our immune system and to prevent respiratory problems like those that can be triggered by corona virus or its variants. Here are a few comments from an architect that may be helpful in regard to ventilation in buildings. 1. There are at least three areas in a building that need ventilation The interior where people live, or workThe underside of roofs, the space between ...

The deregulated construction industry in Québec The extent to which the concept of deregulation has taken hold is quite remarkable. Recent articles in Montréal’s La Presse newspaper, sums up rather well just how far the industry has become deregulated. The first article published on June 3, 2021 “Une licence de la RBQ n’est pas gage de qualité” warned consumers that the RBQ, the licensing body for tradesmen/contractors, hardly ever gets to verify the quality of their work [by visiting job sites] once the license is issued. The second article, equally damning, appeared on September 18, 2021 “Surveiller les travaux (chantiers ...

 INDUSTRY HAS IT WRONG The above photo shows a fresh air intake for a typical residential air exchanger/heat recovery ventilator. It is obviously clogged even though this is a relatively new house that was put up for sale. Industry is failing the consumer because these fresh air intakes don't work, they get contaminated too easily because the inlet screen has large openings [typically 1/4 by 1/4] and all sorts of insects and particles fly through. The interior connecting duct is typically corrugated plastic that can never be properly cleaned. Before reading this post please take note of the following   “…. Lung malignancies ...