One of Western Canada’s biggest commercial real estate conferences is about to zero in on some of this city’s smallest residents.

The issue: Mould in the building envelope and what building owners, managers and tenants should do about it.

Engineer Mike Dietrich of Morrison Hershfield Ltd. says Calgary’s commercial real estate industry needs to know two things about mould in Calgary’s public and private buildings. First, mould is not new; it’s part of the natural environment and “if you start looking for it, you’re going to find it.” Second, all building stakeholders (owners, managers and tenants) need to develop better ways to communicate about mould’s existence and what needs to be done in terms of its mitigation and management.

Dietrich is one of four Calgary engineers who will participate in a panel discussion about what can be done about mould in the building envelope at Buildex Calgary, to be held Nov. 2-3 at the Roundup Centre.

File photo by David Lazarowych, Business Edge
A worker employs an ozone generator, which eliminates mould and other harmful materials.

The largest real estate and property management exposition and conference in Western Canada, Buildex Calgary is expected to attract more than 3,000 participants. The two-day event will feature more than 150 exhibits and 25 seminars.

This is the fifth year Buildex has been held in conjunction with the Construct Alberta conference and exposition.

In recent years, the show has grown to include the HomeBuilder & Renovator Expo. Design Trends, Calgary’s leading interior design show, was added in 2001.

Ciphex West 2004 is the newest addition to the Buildex trade show. Organized by the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH), Ciphex West showcases the latest in plumbing, electrical, water treatment, tools, kitchen and bathroom products. Ciphex organizers say the new venue provides the CIPH with a new audience of architects, builders, developers, engineers, interior designers, facility managers, property managers and building owners.

Even before the change, Ciphex attracted representatives of the plumbing and heating industry from across Western Canada and the northwestern U.S.

Mould will be a seminar topic on both days. Golder Associates principal Glyn Jones will participate in the Nov. 3 panel discussion. He also leads a Nov. 2 seminar about mould and risk communication.

“I think the absolute health risk related to mould has been overblown,” says Jones, whose company focuses on workplace health and safety issues.

Seeing parallels between current concern regarding mould and previous interest in asbestos, Jones expects the issue will eventually lead to what he terms a “more rational” approach to mould control and management.

“In the U.S., I think the pendulum has (already) shifted,” moving the issue from “the mysterious to the manageable.”

In the meantime, however, interest in mould north of the 49th parallel is on the rise and stakeholders must develop better ways to communicate risk and management.

Mould, “as an issue, will represent one-third of our business within a year and three years ago it represented zero per cent of our business,” says Jones. Companies that fail to improve their risk communication regarding mould will suffer long-term negative impacts regarding tenant goodwill and confidence, he adds.

Interestingly enough, a fair part of Golder’s new business involving mould is rooted in crime.

Jones estimates that assessing the health risks and devising cleanup plans related to illegal marijuana-grow operations in Calgary now account for one client call a week.

Beyond the need to improve risk communication, Jones and Dietrich say mould management should be part of a building’s regular management and maintenance program. “For mould to grow, it needs food, water and air – and a lot of the time our building materials provide the food,” says Dietrich.

Like Golder, he says proactive mould-management plans should focus on controlling water.

Buildex Calgary is the largest show of its kind in Western Canada, notes Bill Partridge, executive vice-president of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) in Calgary. The show targets people in all facets of the commercial real estate industry, from building owners and managers to contractors, architects and designers. Some of the seminars count as professional development credits for BOMA Calgary.

The two-day program includes seminars on using the Internet to maximize operation productivity; construction law updates for architects, builders, contractors and engineers; and a look at the process and prospects of property and business tax assessment appeals.

With condominium investment and ownership on the rise in Calgary, the co-owners of the Calgary-based Condo-Check/Condominium Support Services Inc. will also lead a Buildex seminar. Louise Challes says she and business partner Bernie Winter will preview Ten Secrets to Surviving Life in a Condominium. That’s the title of a new book the duo plans to market.

Some of the seminars still have space available.

Web watch:
www.buildexcalgary.com

(Joy Gregory can be reached at joy@businessedge.ca)