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Green construction startup Nexii achieves zero-waste certification with Squamish Manufacturing Plant

2023-03-31T13:21:00-04:00

Nexii Building Solutions Inc. has become the first construction manufacturing company in North America to achieve the Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE) Gold Certification for Zero Waste for its Squamish Manufacturing Plant in British Columbia, Canada.

Administered by Green Business Certification Inc., the TRUE Certification for Zero Waste evaluates a company’s waste reduction efforts, including the use of extensive recycling and composting programs, materials used, and the diversion of waste from landfills.

Previously on Archinect: Startup raises $155 million to become ‘rising star’ in prefabricated construction

As stated in a press release, Nexii was able to significantly reduce waste produced by its plant by diverting over 90 percent of waste from landfills. The company also reached this milestone by developing business and education resources for all of its staff and creating a zero-waste purchasing policy.

"We're extremely proud to have achieved the Zero Waste certificat...

Startup raises $155 million to become ‘rising star’ in prefabricated construction

2022-06-28T09:00:00-04:00

One year after the failure of the ambitious construction startup Katerra, another construction technology company is seeking to pick up the mantle as a leader in sustainable, modular, prefabricated construction.

Based in Vancouver, Nexii Building Solutions has been described by The New York Times as “a rising star in the expanding green building industry,” combining a patented modular system with a reliance on 3D modeling software and third-party verification of its sustainability metrics.

Nexii's panels are fabricated in the company's two Canadian manufacturing plants. Image: Nexii/Twitter

Founded by entrepreneur Stephen Sidwell in late 2018, Nexii became the fastest company in Canadian history to reach a valuation of more than $1 billion, doing so in 31 months. Having recently completed its seventh round of funding, the startup has raised more than 200 million Canadian dollars, or 155 million U.S. dollars.

As described in a recent feature in the Times, Nexii’s patented building s...

Deconstruction of building made of alternative concrete resulted in just two buckets of waste

2022-03-30T17:07:00-04:00

Two buckets. That’s all that was left at the end of the day when Nexii, a concrete alternative start-up, tore down one of its first demonstration projects. A 700-square-foot showroom and model home displaying Nexii’s building technology was constructed in 2019 near Vancouver to prove the buildability of the new material, which has far lower emissions than conventional concrete.

Combining their sturdy panel-based construction system with their concrete alternative, Nexiite, which produces about 35% lower carbon emissions than conventional concrete, Nexii was able to deconstruct the showroom in six days, saving almost every part of the building for future reconstruction. In contrast to conventional concrete, Nexiite doesn’t use Portland cement, which is a major source of emissions worldwide. The company’s building panels are designed to be continuously reused, with assembly simply requiring craning the pieces onto a foundation and bolting them together.

The waste produced from the showroom’s disassembly consisted only of the sealant used to connect the panels, small sections of weatherproofing, “a couple of screws,” and some waste generated by the people on-site, such as lunch waste. The building will be reassembled next...