The Canadian green construction startup Nexii announced a partnership with actor Michael Keaton. Nexii will set up a manufacturing plant for its sustainable concrete alternative, called Nexiite, in the actor’s native Pittsburgh, generating about 300 new jobs.
“I’ve always been interested in design and construction, but I only recently learned the game-changing impact the construction industry can have in improving the environment by adoption of innovative, lower-carbon techniques,” Keaton said when the relationship was announced in April. “For me, the opportunity to marry job creation with an environmentally sustainable business is incredibly exciting”.
Nexii’s composite will be used to build the new facility. The material is manufactured off-site into lightweight panels and then assembled into place. The building components are modeled using 3D design software. According to Nexii, this reduces construction waste and speeds development times.
In June, the company also announced an agreement with JLL Philadelphia, intended to help increase the ranks of Nexii certified partners from among real estate companies, developers and other companies in the building sector.
Nexii created a strategic alliance with Honeywell, the building automation technologies company. The deal sets up Honeywell as the exclusive tech supplier for new buildings constructed by Nexii. Nexii has also engaged architect Jason McLennan as an adviser from the regenerative and net-zero buildings movement.
Nexii’s board includes William McNabb, former chair and CEO of Vanguard, and Ronald Sugar, former CEO of Northrop Grumman who is also a board member at Apple and chair of Uber Technologies.
According to Gregor Robertson, executive vice president for strategy and partnerships “Nexii has a twofold mission: To dramatically reduce the embedded carbon associated with buildings — the sector is estimated to account for 39 percent of global emissions — while simultaneously bringing new employment opportunities to Rust Belt and Canadian industrial communities where there is a long history of manufacturing.”
