NEWS BRIEFS BRITISH COLUMBIA UBC's $392.5 million capital project plans focus on renewal and innovation CONSTRUCTION ACROSS CANADA Commons Phase I) project will deliver as many as 400 student residence beds, and apply “advanced wood- based building systems, physically demonstrating the applicability of wood in the tall-building market.” The proposed 157,000 sq. ft. build- ing to be constructed with co-opera- tion from the Canadian Wood Council, has a $44 million budget. Projects currently under construc- tion on the campus include a new $106.7 million Student Union Building (SUB), the $165.5 million Pondorosa Commons for student housing, a soon-to-be-completed $19.5 million Alumni Centre, and Orchard Com- mons, a second academic-student housing hub with a $127.43 million budget. Further details about current and planned projects are available at ww.infrastructuredevelopment.ubc.ca. Construction Council of Vancouver Island continues trend to organizations involving additional stakeholders The University of British Columbia (UBC)'s five year capital plan includes priority academic projects totaling $392.5 million, with a focus on interna- tional educational faculty renewal and innovation, key priorities for govern- ment, as well as other initiatives, in- cluding what will probably become North America's tallest all-wood struc- ture, a 16-to-18 storey student resi- dence building. The university's website says the “Tall Wood Student Residence (Brock The new Construction Council of Vancouver Island (CCVI) has been structured as an arms-length body as- sociated with the Vancouver Island Construction Association (VCCA), when more than 60 contractors, con- sultants and construction owners met recently to increase dialogue between the stakeholders. This organization reflects a growing trend in BC and elsewhere to connect the interests of owners and designers with builders in larger over-view organ- izations. "The meeting brought together rep- resentatives of all the major public owner organizations on the island – municipalities, universities and col- leges, school districts and health sec- tors – and professional associations representing architects and engi- neers," Greg Baynton, ex-officio mem- ber of the group's executive council and CEO of the Vancouver Island Con- struction Association (VICA), has been quoted as saying: “The goal (of the 12 – February - March 2015 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report council) is to recognize how powerful relationships and connections can help us all address challenges and seize opportunities.” CCVI has scheduled an educational meeting and discussion forum in Nanaimo on May 13. “We're hoping for between 100 and 150 attendees,” Bay- ton said. CCV's chairman is Anthony Minniti, director, Century Group Inc. – Con- structors, and vice-chairmen are Bruce Johnson, managing principal, RJC Consulting Engineers, and Richard Brown, manager, design and construc- tion, Vancouver Island Health Author- ity. Other regional construction associ- ations are developing owner outreach programs, including the Southern Inte- rior Construction Association (SICA), which held its Contractor Consultant owner Workshop in Kelowna on Feb. 12. On a provincial scale, B.C.'s Public Construction Council (PCC), formed in 1974, promotes relationships between the industry and government organiza- tions. “We meet about five times a year, in either Victoria or Vancouver, to dis- cuss public procurement questions,” a publication quoted Mark Russell as saying. “We get an average of 10 to 20 attendees at the meetings, depending on members' work loads.” He told the Journal of Commerce the organization is looking at revitaliz- ing itself, to bring it more into the pub- lic eye. “The council is more than 40 years old, and it's become gradually eclipsed by regional organizations,” Russell said. ALBERTA Consulting engineers hold line on rates to encourage continued infrastructure spending The crash in oil prices – and result- ing impact on Alberta's budgets and in- frastructure projects – has caused the Consulting Engineers of Alberta (CEA)