KTECT Canada SBS

05/15/2017

Let KTECT Sustainable Building Solutions help build your .

05/12/2017

A before and after look at a modular KTECT build in Los Angeles, California.

04/24/2017

This month we are featuring executive member Rusty Wm. Crozier and his thoughts on building with meaningful relationships.

What specific values do you bring to your projects?

"I guess to start, I bring over 40 years of experience in detailed thinking, fine wood working and an appreciation for creative integrity to the projects I work on. But within that experience, there are of course the things you learned from making mistakes, and the things you learned from completing amazing projects! I try to be authentic, and somewhat vulnerable about that because others need to be free to avoid the mistakes I have made, in order for them to enjoy the completion of their projects in an excellent way.

I have seen buildings come and go, and people come and go, but by far the most impact is from people. Now if the two experiences can be combined in the context of great relationships, both the people and the buildings become parts of our lives that we want to revisit often with joy. I think I bring the potential for joy at the completion of an excellent build to the table. I value integrity, because who I am in the hidden areas will affect the work we do in the hidden areas of a build. I want the work in the hidden areas done at the same high level as the finish trim in full sight of everyone. This will protect the relationships in the project that are at risk if we work without integrity, honesty, and authentic vulnerability.

My classical music training taught me that it is sometimes far more affective to lead from the second seat rather than from the first seat. This is invaluable when working with clients who rightfully want to lead their projects from the first seat. I am content to listen, learn, and then at the right time, table ideas that create solutions, solve problems, instigate innovation and break through to new and different products and methodologies in the building industry."

04/13/2017

This month we are featuring executive member Rusty Wm. Crozier and his thoughts on building with meaningful relationships.

Do you prefer working with the same people for every project or with many different people? Why?

"There are always those people to be found that bring out the best in you as far as ideas, dreams, and sometimes even behaviour. Those are the people I want to work with for every project in one way or another. Sometimes it is a deep engagement in the project where details and ideas are discussed, and hammered out to the best result for the client and the community. Other times it is just calling and having a coffee and run ideas past a person for their wise input. That core of people who understand how you think, and know how to get the best out of that, are essential to the design, build and celebrate processes.

That being said, I love meeting new people with new ideas and walking with them from the dream process through to the actualization of those dreams. The small garage is as important to the hobbyist/car-enthusiast, as the 6 floor seniors home is to the whole community. A tiny home is as exciting to a person downsizing, as is the 3 bedroom home to a family welcoming a new baby! That influx of change, and new people is what helps innovation thrive, and I thrive where innovation thrives.

Canada is full of people worth knowing and well-worth working with! It is part of being in Ktect that I enjoy the most."

04/10/2017

This month we are featuring executive member Rusty Wm. Crozier and his thoughts on building with meaningful relationships.

Do you think your identity as a Canadian has influenced your relationships with others or your business strategies? How so?

"Ironically, I was born in France while my father was serving in the Canadian military. So I have a deep appreciation for what it means to be Canadian in a wonderfully diverse world. Being Canadian matters, and if we remember that, while at the same time as maintaining a realistic, humble view of ourselves, we can serve the building community in an amazingly innovative and creative way.

There are at least six different cultures within my own family. Being able to understand each other and listen to the concerns, ideas and dreams of others seems to be something that Canadians value. It is obviously painful when we miss the mark in these areas, but when we get it right, and we do try to get it right all the time, we build relationships in business that allow us the privilege to go any where and be welcome, as well as to return there for other projects and endeavours.

Being Canadian gives opportunities to work with people from all parts of the world without leaving home. It allows us the privilege to build for those who are not worried about finances, and at the same time with the same enthusiasm, build for those who have daily worries about providing for their families and themselves. We all want to experience warmth in Canada when it is 25 below zero. We all want to share the great out door experiences in all seasons. Well, most of us anyway. Some just want to stay warm in the winter! But I think we all recognize that Canada is a great country, and is worth looking after environmentally, and relationally."

04/06/2017

This month we are featuring executive member Rusty Wm. Crozier and his thoughts on building with meaningful relationships.

What does building with relationships mean to you?

"It is rewarding in its own right, to design, build and finish a project by yourself. But the only one enjoying the process is you. It is, however, exponentially more rewarding to work within a team of like-minded people, help each other capture the best of all the dreams and designs within the ‘community-mind’, and then see the finished project at the end of the build process. This ‘building with relationships’ process considers the ‘other’ to be as valuable or more valuable than yourself. It delights both in self-achievement, and perhaps even more so in the achievements of others to reach their goals and see their dreams become reality.

Building with relationships in mind first, is like canoeing with a couple of friends in your favourite lake. You leave a wake of life behind you. Yes, it may be a smaller wake than if you man the wheel of a massive speed boat by yourself, but it is a shared wake that brings deep satisfaction to everyone in the canoe, and even to those watching the process from a safe distance on shore.

Shared projects are easier to celebrate, and easier to replicate. Everyone wants to go there and celebrate with you because the sense that you have considered them to be important to the whole build experience. Having experienced the secondhand wake of problems that come from selfish builds, I am deeply committed to building with right relationships, even if there is a cost to that commitment. The person sitting across the table from you in the build process, whether a partner, a client, or a supplier, or a concerned community member... they are worth the cost to treat with respect, and a deep sense of excellence."

04/04/2017

At KTECT we value building with integrity, environmental resourcefulness, and meaningful relationships. This month, we are featuring executive member Rusty Wm. Crozier and his thoughts on building with relationships. Stay tuned for Rusty's interview, and in the meantime, visit our website to learn more about our values! https://www.ktectsbs.com/values

03/17/2017

The KTECT panels for this home in Aylmer, Quebec were installed in just ten business days, despite the frigid weather conditions. Read more about the home here: goo.gl/vguubp

03/06/2017

How does your work with the First Nation people tie in to your work with KTECT?

"Housing is one of the basic needs of all people - a place free from mould and rot where we can live and breathe in a healthy environment. In addition, as we learn from First Peoples how to live reciprocally and in harmony with the earth we find ourselves building homes that are made from materials that are recycle-able, free from health hazards, long lasting and energy efficient. Ktect is a strong performer in all these categories. Maybe a Ktect home can be one piece of this re-formed, reconciled movement and in partnership with First Peoples we can begin to steward the resources of the earth responsibly - truly living and sharing in humanity together."

Throughout the month of February, we have featured executive member Steve Lapp and his thoughts on building with integrity. Stay tuned to learn more about KTECT's values!

03/02/2017

Why are the First Peoples important to you?

"As Canadians, over the years, we have broken our words, treaties and promises. We have misled and deceived First Peoples, systematically destroying their culture and ultimately robbing them of dignity as human beings. We have taken the land that they were willing to share and then kept it as our own instead of reciprocating a sharing relationship together. We have presented ourselves as a superior people and expected them to adopt our culture and way of life. It is sobering to realize that many First Nations people are courageously raising their children today without the role model of their own parents - a simple yet profound consequence of the residential school system they were forced to participate in.

I would like to be part of a movement that seeks a re-formed, reconciled relationship with First Peoples - one of respect and learning together - sharing the resources of the earth together. The time has come to seek out and advocate for the dignity, success and health of our First Peoples. This may take generations but we must start somewhere. The time is now."

This month, we are featuring executive member Steve Lapp and his thoughts on building with integrity.

02/28/2017