Jamesway Construction focuses on environmentally friendly projects.

In the late 1990s, Jamesway Construction Group in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, began to use insulated concrete forms (ICF) because of their environmental benefits and to simplify the construction process, President Al Way says. “ICF has been around for 20-plus years in North America, but it was mainly used in the single-family home market,” he says.

“We took the product to the next level and used it in the multiresidential and office construction markets.”

Because the construction industry is in extreme need of skilled employees, Way says the company needed to find an easier building process. “It is extremely effective in reducing time, as well as skills required to build it,” he says.

In January 2007, the company received a Canadian patent for its ICF building method for multistory projects, and has a patent pending in the United States. Its building method involves stacking ICFs to create the building structure and installing a concrete floor system. “Through this method, we were able to identify where the strengths of the product were, achieve cost efficiency and reduce the time of construction,” Way says. “[Also] we were able to reduce the number of skilled employees required to build a building.”

The company developed the process while constructing its first ICF building in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The methods developed were put into a construction procedure manual and a patent was applied for the items invented in the process. It took over two years to have the patent application reviewed and patent issued.

The new method allows a crew to build one floor every eight days, as opposed to other processes, which can take 21 to 28 days, Senior Vice President Robert Corsi says. “Large project [owners] are conscious of time and cost,” Way says. “A shorter duration brings huge value to the end-user through reduced carrying costs and earlier income revenue being generated because of the shorter construction time.”

Along with saving time, ICF is also energy efficient. “More customers are requesting environmentally friendly methods,” Corsi says. “ICF optimizes energy performance, uses recycled materials and is more durable in hurricanes, earthquakes and floods.”

The product is eight times stronger than wood and has a two-hour fire rating, as opposed to 15 minutes with wood. It also contributes to a safe workplace, Corsi adds. With ICF construction, a worker’s fatigue level is 20 percent lower than other processes because of the weight of material and the work involved in assembly. “Our safety record is impeccable,” he says.

Industry Leader
Jamesway Construction recently completed the $6 million, four-story Fischer Hallmann Business Center in Kitchener, the tallest ICF office building in the world. It also constructed the $12 million, 11-story, 98-unit Maple Hill Creek Apartments in Waterloo, Ontario, the tallest ICF residential building in the world.

It is currently in the design phase of a $50 million, 24-story ICF apartment building in Waterloo. “[This project] will keep us as the industry leader, trailblazing in ICF design,” Corsi predicts.

The company’s goal is to be in the forefront of ICF construction and become the No. 1 ICF construction company in the world. It has performed $73 million worth of ICF construction so far, with another $276 million worth of ICF projects in the works. “The product is still in its infancy and the market is just starting to realize its potential,” he says.

Jamesway performs projects in the commercial, industrial, multi-story residential and hospitality markets, mainly in southwest Ontario and 26 states.

It uses the ICF method only for office and residential buildings at this point, and has started discussions with an international restaurant chain to test ICF as a method to reduce the construction schedule and energy costs of operations. “We still do many projects the traditional way,” Way says. “It depends on who the client is and their project.”

This product lends itself very efficiently to the multi-story building market where there is a repetitive nature to the building design and/or also where energy efficiency and building comfort is a high priority, he explains.

Canada’s Construction Council has named the company one of the top-50 firms in Canada for the past five years. Also, for the past two years, the council named it one of the top firms in safety.

Showing Passion
One of the company’s ongoing challenges is recruiting skilled labor. Corsi says company employees speak to students about the benefits of the industry and explain to them that it is more than just hammering a nail into a wall.

“We are passionate about what we do, and when we have that type of passion, we talk truthfully about what we do,” Corsi says.

Employees have been a critical part of the company’s success. Corsi explains the company’s turnover rate is low because its management takes time to get to know its employees and their families, as well as what is important to them. “We take time to ensure we really know our employees,” he says.

Using publications, trade shows and the Internet to find innovative construction methods has also helped the company stay on top. “We are able to use our own projects as guinea pigs to provide better quality and more cost-effective building methods for clients,” Way says. “As one of our long-standing customers expresses, ‘I trust them like I trust myself.”