Year: 2015

Rooftop Security

  • Ernie Cecchetto

There is this insane trend called Parkour, where crazy people gain access to someone’s rooftop and then jump off of it! If you haven’t heard of it, don’t search Parkour Fails on youtube, it’s disturbing. That got me to thinking… what are landlords doing to secure their rooftops from unwanted intruders?

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  • Ernie Cecchetto

In recent years the construction industry has been marred by scandals associated with collusion, bid tampering and bribery of elected City officials. The scandals included some of the largest players in the engineering and construction industry, as well as some well-respected and established politicians.

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  • Ernie Cecchetto

In my 20+ years in the roofing business I’ve witnessed a lot of crazy reasons for holes on a roof; Birds, kitchen utensils (thrown from higher roof sections), needles, bullets (YYZ), icicles falling from support wires, heck… even groundhogs burrowing into a roof! But one of the most intriguing theories I’ve heard in recent years is meteor strikes.

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  • Ernie Cecchetto

Bird excrement in large enough quantities can pose substantial biological hazards. The fungus that grows in pigeon excrement for instance can cause Cryptococcosis and Histoplasmosis disease. An accumulation near an HVAC intake, (where birds often tend to seek shelter) at a hospital, for instance, could pose a potential health risk for the building occupants.

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  • Ernie Cecchetto

On a recent trip, I took my daughter to Ek’Balam, one of the best-kept secrets in Yucatán. The pyramid and peripheral buildings were in immaculate condition. We toured with the locals throughout the entire site. My daughter was in awe of its grandeur, she couldn’t comprehend how something could have been built so long ago, yet be in such pristine condition.

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  • Ernie Cecchetto

So Global Warming is real, there is no denying it and the Urban Heat Island Effect is also a very real phenomenon. But what can we do? One of the biggest issues leading to the heat island effect is the materials we are using to clad our buildings and pave our streets.

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