Southern Interior Construction Association – Industry Issues Luncheon with Design Consultants Featuring 10 Principles for Successful Tendering

This session will cover successful tendering principles, ensuring a tendering process that secures the lowest compliant bid, risk management and plantakers, qualification of bidders, and complicated tender forms. Session will also introduce SICA’s newest service offering, BidCentral, improving efficiency, document distribution control and number of qualified & compliant bids. BidCentral’s online bidding module and publishing utility give you the tools to expertly manage your tendering process at no cost. It will take place on Monday, July 11, 2011 – 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. at SICA’s new office, #101 – 1410 Pearson Place, Kamloops. To Register, please visit http://www.sica.bc.ca/consultantka.pdf

2.0 Core LUs

Cobalt Engineering – High Performance Office Buildings

This session will cover an overview of approaches used to design high performance office buildings. Learn how to develop integrated design strategies and current trends in designing LEED Platinum office buildings. Presenter Goran Ostojic, P.Eng., LEED® AP, Partner embraces a global perspective to extend the usefulness of conventional sustainable applications beyond the current practice. The Southeast False Creek Athletes’ Village project, a LEED Platinum Neighbourhood Development and Discovery Green Building, the first LEED Platinum office building, are prime examples of how Goran is using his holistic, innovative design approach to raise the bar. Session will take place at 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. on June 28, 2011, Suite 180 – 200 Granville Street, Vancouver. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP with Jen Slater, Administrative Assistant (clientseminar@cobaltengineering.com or 604-687-1800)

1 Core LU

The Vancouver Heritage Foundation Summer Historic Walking Tours

Updated July 15, 2011

Celebrate Vancouver’s 125th Birthday visiting historic back alleys and forgotten corners of the city with civic historian John Atkin. For full details, please visit http://www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/projects/walkingtours.html.

Saturday, July 16th – Market Alley: Opium, Laundry and Pawnshops (FULL)

• Meet in the courtyard of the Chinese Cultural Centre, in front of the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens, entry from 50 East Pender Street .

Saturday, July 23rd – Blood Alley, the Early City and its Real History (FULL)

• Meet at Gassy Jack, intersection of Powell, Carrall and Water Streets in Gastown.

Saturday, August 13th – Laneway Housing: Been There, Done That: A look at the history of the Infill (FULL)

• Meet at the south west corner of 11th Avenue and Main Street.

Saturday, August 20th – Trails, Creeks and Lanes: a Westside Ramble (FULL)

• Meet at 33rd and Arbutus, NW corner.

Sunday, August 28th – Eveleigh Street: a tour of the imagination.

This little known one block long street, lost amidst the Bentall development, was once home to a number of CPR employees, a well known architect and some elegant homes. Discover the residents and history of this “lost” street on this walking tour

• Meet at the fountain at 555 Burrard Street in front of the Bentall Towers.

10 am – 12:00 pm

2.0 core LUs

Vancouver SustainaBUILD Conference – Call For Submissions

The third annual Vancouver SustainaBUILD Conference will take place at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver on November 23, 2011. If you are interested in presenting at the conference, proposal deadline is Friday, July 29. (Details here). For inquiries about exhibit and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Lucy Leng (lleng@mmart.com).

West Coast Modern Home Tour

This summer, the West Vancouver Museum continues its annual home tour tradition. This year’s tour features five private west coast modern homes, offering a dynamic display of design innovation from the 1950’s to today. The tour takes place on July 9 from 12:00 – 4:00 p.m., followed by a reception from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Please check-in at the West Vancouver Museum (680 – 17th Street, West Vancouver) at 11:00 a.m. Registration is limited; please register early to ensure a spot. To register, please call (604) 925-7270 and use one of the following codes: 767578 (bus tour with a guide architect, $100); 767579 (self-guided, $100); or 767580 (self-guided, home tour only, reception not included, $90). Comfortable walking shoes are recommended. For more information, please visit the Museum’s website.

Visiting Planet Dubai

By Anne Applebaum, National Post

June 22, 2011

Foreign travellers visiting New York or Chicago in the 19th century often came away with mixed impressions. Some found American cities ugly by comparison to their European counterparts: They seemed vulgar, blatantly commercial, lacking in taste. The natives had higher living standards, but they were crude, and the ethnic mix — German, Irish, Italian, Jewish — was terrifying. More …