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BUSINESS NEWS SPROULE OPENS OFFICE IN MEXICO CITY Sproule , a leading global energy consulting firm, will open a new office in Mexico City in June to accommodate business growth and leverage the country’s highly qualified pool of oil and gas professionals. In addition to the corporate headquarters in Calgary, Canada, the new Mexican office supports the company’s growth strategy, coinciding with this critical period of energy transformation in Mexico. As a result of ratification of the energy reform in 2014, the Mexican oil and gas market is poised for growth. “Sproule has been paying close attention to the Mexican market. We are responding to new opportunities and are ready to service the market locally with our reserves certification, reservoir characterization, and strategic advisory services,” says Cameron Six, president and CEO of Sproule. “The decision to expand our presence in Mexico was a logical step in our business growth strategy,” says Jim Chisholm, vice president Latin America, “the area is rich in oil and gas talent and the market is primed for local services. We have the opportunity to further expand our capabilities and increase our ability to service current and future energy markets.” Lionel Li, a Sproule employee with 10 years industry experience will be serving as country manager, Mexico. Li brings extensive experience in petroleum engineering, specifically reserves certification, and has a track record of contributing to client success. Li will be responsible for leading a team of local experts to better serve Sproule’s global clients. A global energy consulting firm, Sproule is anchored in deep geotechnical and engineering expertise and a strong commercial

understanding of energy markets and policy requirements. Sproule helps E&P companies, financial institutions and governments minimize risk and optimize business decisions. The Mexico office is located at Andrés Bello N. 10, Col. Polanco, 11560, México, D.F. MODULAR WOODEN LIVING ON THE ROOFTOPS OF POISSY In response to housing challenges and environmental issues in urban areas, extending buildings upwards is a logical solution. As part of an urban development project in Poissy, near Paris, 33 new apartments were constructed on top of existing residential buildings. The apartments were built with prefabricated wooden modules made from fast, light, and green Kerto laminated veneer lumber products. Thanks to the prefabrication and light wooden structures, the construction took only six months to complete. Prefabrication and use of wooden structures make building extensions fast and economical. Metsä Wood’s Kerto laminated veneer lumber is an ideal material for designing and constructing additional floors in urban environments. Wooden modules are light to transport and lift. Prefabrication ensures quick installation. The construction work for the wooden extensions in the Beauregard neighbourhood of Poissy began in September 2016. The building renovation project was managed by the property owner Vilogia and the Parisian architectural agency Virtuel Architecture . The 33 new apartments, each with two to three bedrooms, were constructed on the rooftops of three buildings, with a reinforced structural design. The modular housing units were installed at a rate of roughly one to three apartments per day. The construction project also included

installation of three elevators and extension to the staircases. “What’s interesting about the solution for vertical urban development is the prefabrication”, declares Laurent Pillaud, architect at Virtuel Architecture. “Each house is made up of three or four modules and one roof; the production of the modules took one month. Then the modules were delivered and each was installed directly on the rooftop in one day.” The joints between the modules were carefully planned. The wooden modules could be lifted directly to the right place and quickly connected to other modules and to roof structures. Well- thought of design minimised the amount of work and hassle at the construction site. A company calledCMB assembled thewooden modules at their production hall in Mauléon. CMB is renowned for its exceptional expertise in modular construction. Prefabrication guaranteed the quality at all levels: interior paintwork, toilet facilities, flooring, internal, and external woodwork, etc. Today, the hyper-urbanisation of cities is a multifaceted problem, posing social issues in addition to issues concerning respect for the environment and health. Building vertical extensions using wooden modules is a logical and appropriate solution to the housing crisis in urban areas. Between 1990 and 2011, more than 1,200 vertical developments were authorised in the city of Paris alone, whilst more than 31,000 planning permission files were submitted, along with more than 65,000 planning permission requests. These figures stand as proof of the growing interest in vertical urban development.

suppliers, and consultants. The delivery must be complet- ed collaboratively with a unified goal of quality. Needless to say, there will be challenges, so a common culture where is- sues are transparent is extremely important. Additionally, there are risks and determining where these risks lie and how they are assigned must be part of the contract. It’s im- portant for contractors who assign risk to understand that risks are associated with additional costs and recognizing who is best able to manage the risk will help to reduce the overall cost. “I’m constantly learning and work to be better each day. I’ve had to learn to trust my instincts. I am very much a gut guy and don’t need a lot of information to make a decision.”

CONFERENCE CALL, from page 7

not recognizing the value that we bring to projects. We all need to place a higher value on our industry and expertise and budget our projects accordingly. TZL: What’s your prediction for 2018? BW: We are positive about 2018 and beyond and are see- ing opportunities in all our markets. The 2017 construction season ended earlier than normal and 2018 has been a slow start due to weather, but we are anticipating catching up. TZL: The design-build delivery model appears to be trending upward. What are the keys to a successful de- sign-build project? What are the risks? BW: Design-build is not just another delivery method and requires a highly skilled and coordinated team. Keys to suc- cess include assembling a qualified team of contractor, subs,

THE ZWEIG LETTER August 13, 2018, ISSUE 1260

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