hardness, and corrosion at NanoPhyll’s Hamilton lab and a third-party lab. The coated boards are being tested in several commercial multi-storey construction projects in Ontario and Quebec. The results of these pilot projects led the company to collaborate with key players such as Avenue Building Corporation and ET Construction. Feedback for the AntiStick solution has been highly positive, and NanoPhyll looks forward to demonstrating its benefits on future projects. Ahmmed adds that the company is proud to be a recipient of the TCA Award, noting, “We want to thank The Forge and the Velocity Garage, two startup incubators located in Hamilton and Waterloo, respectively, for helping us during our product develop- ment journey. We also want to thank McMaster University for their support.” 2018 TCA INNOVATIVE PRODUCT AWARDS THIRDPLACE Modu-Loc Fence Rentals Engineered Fence on Jersey Barrier System Modu-Loc’s award-winning fence-on- jersey design did more than push the barriers of construction, it re-invented them. The system was first designed in 2015 to bolster security at the Athletes Village for Toronto’s Pan Am Games and has since been adopted on construction sites across Canada. “What we discovered while working with the Pan Am Games was that few systems were designed and engineered to meet proper codes and standards – particularly when covered with hoarding or screening,” says Chris Muc, executive vice president and chief operating officer with Modu-Loc. “This left construction industry stakeholders open to various liabilities and posed a risk to public safety. Without an existing standard in Canada, we developed the highest possible level of strength and stability for an 11-foot-high temporary barrier.” The Toronto company is the first to admit that mounting fence on jersey barrier is nothing original. What is new, however, is Modu-Loc’s extremely modular design which allows the fence to be rapidly dismantled, adjusted and re-installed, and which goes beyond current industry practices for safe- guarding the public against jobsite risks. “The challenge with today’s urban construction activity is that it must coexist with businesses, residences and institu- tions that are all located within extremely close proximity. This means that members of the general public are frequently in direct contact with the site, with these barriers being the only thing separ- ating them from a live and potentially dangerous project,” says Muc. “These are all opportunities for a system like our fence on jersey to make a major impact on the lives of industry stakeholders and members of the general public.” Many components of Modu-Loc’s fence concept were conceptualized and developed by Bill Matthews, the company’s vice president of operational risk. Together with his colleagues, he designed adjustable “winged” jersey saddles to mount the fence to the jersey barrier, thereby broadening the appli- cation of its existing fence system and eliminating the need to custom design saddles to suit the specs of each custom- er’s jersey barrier. Stability bars were also created to provide an additional connection point between the fence and the jersey barrier, further enhancing the integrity of the system and reducing its susceptibility to wind. Since its inception, the barrier system has been incorporated into large-scale developments and major infrastructure projects, including light rail transit initia- tives in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal. It has also been used on numerous jobsites with higher-than- average wind conditions, e.g., elevated bridge work, and sites that require addi- tional security such as airports, cannabis facilities, high-profile condominium developments and controversial projects that could attract protesters. “Feedback for the fence-on-jersey design has been extremely positive because it has allowed proponents to spec a system which is properly designed and engineered, thus limiting any project risk that could otherwise result from their contractor using substandard solutions,” says Muc. “It has allowed contractors to show proper due diligence in selecting an engineered system versus other solutions, which may add considerable risk.” Muc says Modu-Loc is honoured to be recognized by TCA, noting, “We are committed to developing forward- thinking solutions for our customers, and we are thrilled that this commitment has been acknowledged by the industry.” |BD 20 | Builders' Digest Quarter 4 2018