Multiplex Joins IBI Group-Led Smart City Sandbox
Date
May 13, 2021
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– Leading global construction firm joins OCI, OPG, The Weather Network, Slate and other partners in smart city collaboration –
TORONTO, ON (May 13, 2021) – Global construction firm, Multiplex, announced today that it has joined the IBI Group-led (TSX:IBG) Smart City Sandbox. The Sandbox launched in 2018 as a group of like-minded public- and private-sector partners — including IBI Group, Ontario Power Generation, Ontario Centre of Innovation, The Weather Network, Slate Asset Management, EllisDon and Microsoft as technology provider — with a mission to foster innovative new products and solutions focused on improving the quality of life in urban environments. With its interest in construction innovation, Multiplex looks forward to synergies among the partnership and broader community, while bringing its domain knowledge and routes-to-market to bear for Sandbox start-ups and SMEs.
As part of the partnership, Multiplex will gain access to the physical and virtual Smart City Sandbox environments to support the firm’s advancement of innovative ideas and technology solutions for the built environment. In addition to access to events, new product launches, meetings with start-ups, and participation in the exchange of ideas with Sandbox partners and community members, Multiplex brings its territory expertise in the construction sector to the Sandbox community, as well as expert knowledge and guidance on the future of construction and technology innovation demands within the sector.
“Technology is disrupting the entire ecosystem of cities, from the planning and design stages, through to construction, maintenance and operations. I am very pleased to welcome Multiplex into the Sandbox community; an organization that brings insight and domain knowledge in a key area of technology disruption for cities, the construction sector. Multiplex and IBI share a common tenet, that having an open network of collaborators, with both established and emerging players representing all aspects of the urban environment, is where the best and most effective solutions for cities will come from,” said IBI Group CEO, Scott Stewart.
“Multiplex is thrilled to join like-minded industry partners in the Sandbox to innovate and drive Toronto’s built environment forward. Scott and the IBI team behind this project really are visionaries. The Sandbox concept is a marvel, and we are very excited to be part of it,” said Terry Olynyk, Multiplex President and Managing Director, Canada.
The vision of the Smart City Sandbox is to cultivate the next generation of smart buildings and infrastructure in cities. It offers entrepreneurs and start-ups an opportunity to explore new technologies and innovations, while gaining access to expert knowledge, data, mentoring, and potential funding and routes to market through Sandbox partners. Developed by IBI Group, and designed in-house by its corporate interiors team, the award-winning physical Sandbox, (located at 55 St. Clair Avenue West in Toronto) was transformed into a dynamic virtual environment as a result of the pandemic, through a digital twin model designed by IBI’s technology professionals. The virtual Sandbox offers community members the unique opportunity to increase the profile of their brand and latest smart city advances by leveraging a curated digital space alongside themed programming and events.
Visit smartcitysandbox.com for more information, or contact Julia Harper to get in touch with the Sandbox team and/or IBI Group, and Maddison Sharples to get in touch with Multiplex.
