It’s always an exciting time when we get to boast about our employees’ professional growth.
Congratulations to Mohsen Dabbaghi on attaining your professional engineering designation (P.Eng) here in British Columbia, Canada. For those who aren’t aware, becoming a P. Eng. is a huge accomplishment which takes years of hard work and commitment.
Mohsen, you truly deserved this. Your hard work and dedication to the engineering field is inspiring and we are so proud to celebrate this achievement with you. We look forward to watching you grow in your career here with us at Hoel Engineering.
Professional Engineer Mohsen Dabbaghi
It has been a busy and successful year for Hoel Contracting with their recent completion of the E&N Rail Trail between Atkins Avenue and Savory School in the Capital Regional District (CRD). But the work doesn’t stop there. The CVRD recently awarded Hoel Contracting with a $300K contract to upgrade 5km of the Cowichan Valley Trail near Waters Road in Duncan.
“The Cowichan Valley Trail is a spectacular multi-use trail that is an integral part of the Trans Canada Trail route on Southern Vancouver Island. The Cowichan Valley section runs from the Capital Regional District boundary at the top of the Malahat, north to Shawnigan Lake and the Kinsol Trestle, west to the Town of Lake Cowichan then north to the Nanaimo Regional District” (CVRD, n.d.).
Trails provide a variety of benefits for those in our community. The recreational value and transportation benefit the trails provide aid in improving your fitness, health, and mental wellbeing. Furthermore, they provide access to natural wonders and historic sites while protecting the habitat of native plants and animals. One could even say that they effect community pride and identity positively while preserving historically significant transportation corridors.
The fast pace of life has more and more people looking for ways to unload their daily stress. As a result, property values tend to be higher in communities with proximity to trails as they provide a safe environment for families to get out and explore their beautiful surroundings.
The CRD and CVRD are committed to keeping our trails on Southern Vancouver Island in tip top shape. As a result, we will have more wonderful years exploring our beautiful surroundings.
Hoel Contracting is looking forward to the Cowichan Valley Trail Upgrade! Stay Tuned for more information.
Happy Trails Islanders!
Engineering steel beams became the viable solution for the ever-increasing cost of lumber and supply issues that have plagued the material during the pandemic. In May 2021, Statistics Canada stated that softwood lumber prices increased 166.3 percent from April 2020. This is the highest year-over-year increase since the series began in 1956.
At the beginning of the pandemic, construction activity declined leaving mills with excess supply forcing them to decrease or halt production and retrench staff. No one could have predicted the housing boom that followed leaving mills unprepared for the explosive demand. With more people competing for limited supply and the bottleneck of cargo ships resulting from some of the seaports being temporarily shut down (Cleveland Construction, 2021), prices began their steep upward trend to levels never seen before such that some began looking for more readily available materials that were once considered uneconomical options such as steel and insulated concrete form (ICF).
According to the CSSBI (Canadian Sheet Steel Building Institute), a recent study conducted by R.A. Smith. Inc., and sponsored by the SFIA (Steel Framing Industry Association) compared the costs of framing a 5-story, 49,900 SF mixed-use apartment building. Light wood framing cost $6,401,779 (with higher construction-phase insurance) while cold formed steel (CFS) framing cost $6,460,696 (with lower construction-phase insurance), a mere $58,917 more (Whalen, 2020). When you factor in the advantages that come with using steel such as less maintenance costs, the fact that it is a non-polluting and recyclable material offering additional earthquake and fire resistance with more design freedom, accuracy, strength, durability, and finally, less market volatility, steel is becoming a far more attractive option.
Given that cold formed steel is a premanufactured product that arrives on site like an Ikea package ready to be assembled sans the allen key, the only disadvantage is the fact that window and door sizes need to be finalized at the design phase leaving little or no room for changes after framing is complete. The long lead times for windows and doors have forced contractors to order their windows and other materials in advance to prevent any possible project delays, therefore this disadvantage doesn’t appear to be much of a hinderance at this time.
Cold formed steel is not the only steel product that can be used as a substitute for timber. I-beams and H-beams which were once reserved for highly architecturally styled structures have become an increasingly more viable alternative for expensive laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and built-up timber beams. The strength of steel beams supersedes timber beams as they allow for larger spans. Steel beams can also be incorporated into frames which can be used as the lateral resisting system allowing for large glass facades which is highly desirable for ocean front homes on Vancouver Island and the surrounding Gulf Islands. Steel members also allow for beams and columns to be smaller in size, making them easier to hide within walls and ceilings, thus promoting a more modern aesthetic.
In conclusion, the ever-increasing prices of lumber has resulted in many turning towards steel as their current material of choice. With steels advantages superseding lumber and lumbers abnormally long lead times, it is not hard to see why. By engineering steel beams as a substitute for lumber, many clients prevented project delays, and overages.
If you would like to discuss options for your project, please contact us.
References
Cleveland Construction. (April 9, 2021). Are Metal Studs a Solution to Escalating Lumber Costs? Cleveland Construction Blog. Retrieved from https://www.clevelandconstruction.com/blog/blog-feed/2021/04/09/are-metal-studs-a-solution-to-escalating-lumber-costs/
Whalen, E. (June 11, 2020). The True Cost of Cold-Formed Steel v. Wood Framing. CSSBI. Retrieved from https://cssbi.ca/blog/the-true-cost-of-cold-formed-steel-v-wood-framing
Statistics Canada. (May 13, 2021). Industrial Price Product Index: Flash Estimates, April 2021. Statistics Canada. Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210513/dq210513a-eng.htm
Hoel Engineering Group has added a 2005 International Tandem Truck to our ever-expanding contracting equipment. This addition benefits customers by providing them with more options while doing business with us. In addition, employing our contracting services gives clients the benefit of our crews having 24/7 engineering support, providing a big advantage in the optimization of projects during the construction phase.
Please review our Contracting Page for more information on Services that we can provide.
To rent this equipment with an operator, please contact Dayn Hoel at dhoel@hoelengineering.ca for more information.
Hoel Engineering Group is proud to celebrate our 60th year of service in Greater Victoria providing Civil EngineeringStructural Engineering Contracting Construction Management
Over these last few decades, Hoel Engineering Group dedicates ourselves to customer satisfaction. In addition to the continuous improvement of its people, purpose and product, we strive to maintain a great reputation. We continue to operate on the belief that by preserving our community interest and integrity, we can benefit everyone.
As a result, the clients who utilize our professional services have success with their projects and greater piece of mind.
Hoel Engineering Group’s new website provides clients with rich content and detailed information.
Hoel Engineering Group congratulates Adrian Hou for his outstanding achievement for publishing his Technical Paper. This paper is titled, “Effectiveness of Hydro-Insensitive Reinforced Resin for Soil Stabilization”.
Adrian is a professional Engineer in Training (E.I.T) in Canada. He has experience in concrete construction and structural projects. Further more and most notably, single-family and multi-family residential design, reinforced concrete and structural steel design.
In addition to structural and construction experience, Adrian has knowledge working with drafting, passive house design, rural and highway road design, and marine engineering.
To learn more about our team, view Our Team page.
Hoel Contracting gets the civil contract for the CRD Elk/Beaver Lake Washroom Facilities Upgrades in Saanich BC. The project will encompass demolishing and replacing the bathrooms and Beaver Beach, Eagle Beach, and the Filter Beds.
For more about the CRD Elk/Beaver Lake Washroom Facilities Upgrades visit their website at: https://www.crd.bc.ca/project/capital-projects/elk-beaver-lake-washroom-facilities
Hoel Contracting was awarded the civil contract for the CRD / E&N Rail Trail from Atkins Avenue to Savory School. This section of trail, phase 3, will fill a gap in the E&N Rail Trail between the railway crossing on Atkins Avenue and Savory School in Langford, creating a continuous 13 km trail between Jacklin Road in Langford and Esquimalt Road in Victoria. The routing and design for this section are now complete and construction is to begin during the summer of 2019.
For more about the CRD E & N Rail Trail projects visit their website here.
We are proud to announce that Brian Topping has joined our contracting team.
Before working for Hoel Contracting, Brian worked for a well-respected contractor performing building drainage, and plumbing services. During this time, he gained experience operating a wide variety of heavy machinery, and heavy equipment.
Hoel Contracting looks forward to having Brian on the team. To learn more about Brian and his work within Hoel, visit our team page.
The Design Build of the Grasslands project was substantially completed for Agius Builders Ltd this Spring 2019 in Sooke BC. Located at 2119 Charters Rd Sooke B.C, this development consists of 22 town homes. In addition, these homes offer a practical design for todays’ living and built sustainability for tomorrows earth.
For more about this project, visit Agius’ website here. Likewise, if you’re interested in our contracting and engineering services, view our services page.
Hoel Contracting completed its civil contract for the CRD Hallowell /E & N Rail Trail Crossing Upgrades – Project Areas 7 & 8 in View Royal BC. In Winter 2018, we were able to complete this section of trail. Hoel worked with the Town of View Royal, Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. In addition, they worked with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure on this section of trail.
For more about the CRD E & N Rail Trail projects visit their website at: https://www.crd.bc.ca/project/capital-projects/e-n-rail-trail
At the beginning of November 2018, Hoel Engineering Group split into three separate companies: Hoel Engineering, Hoel Equipment, and Hoel Contracting. As a result, we can better represent the various services we offer.
Adrian has lived in Victoria since 2012. He graduated from the University of Victoria in 2018 with a Bachelor of Engineering degree. Above all, his focus was on civil, structural, and environmental engineering.
Prior to working with Hoel Engineering Group, Adrian worked for several private engineering firms and government offices in Vancouver and Victoria as part of the co-op program offered through the University of Victoria. We all look forward to working with Adrian as he works towards his licensing as a P.Eng.
To find out more about Adrian, visit our Team page.
The addition of these machines increases the capacity of Hoel Contracting to handle a variety of projects both big and small.
Please review our Contracting Page for more information on Services that we can provide.
Hoel Engineering Group completes its civil contract for the CRD Elk/Beaver Lake Sewer Upgrades in Saanich BC. Hoel would like to thank all the consultants for the great work in making the project a success. This includes: Don Mann, Western Traffic Ltd, Five Star Paving Co., and the District of Saanich.
