Author: Keri-Ann

Founders’ Trail Kfar Vradim

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Founders’ Trail Kfar Vradim - Kfar Vradim Local Municipality

Kfar Vradim, Israel​

Project Objective:​

The Municipality of Kfar Vradim honoured two founders by developing a few walking trails in and around the town. One of these was ‘The Founders Trail’ right at the center of the town, leading to an observatory spot over the valley below. Developed in a natural setting, the requirements included minimizing impact on the surrounding environment, ensuring accessibility for individuals with disabilities, and maintaining a natural appearance. A 550-meter trail with a few wide pads was cast in one day.

The Challenge

As part of minimizing the impact on the natural environment, minimizing the need to excavate the natural in-situ soils and replace them with imported base materials was a must. The selected solutions also had to be based on natural ingredients and be simple to apply. The architect who designed the project previously worked with AnyWay and contacted us to ask if it had a solution that would fit the project. PathWay was found to be a perfect fit. The preparation works for the trail were minimized, local natural stones were used as the boundaries of the trail and the trail base was constructed with compacted crushed by-products from a local quarry. No metal mash or geo fabric was required.

Our Role

AnyWay supplied PathWay with concrete mixers to the site and coordinated the application by a specialist concrete slabbing company using concrete pumps.

The Results

The trail was opened to public about two weeks after completion of all additional works around it, providing sitting benches and drawing stands overlooking the valley.

The trail since then has been the center of many social activities for the Local community of Kfar Vradim.

Meet Matt Fisher – Guidance and Oversight

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Meet Matt Fisher - Guidance and oversight

Matt serves as the Chief Legal Officer of The Metrontario Group, which is the parent organization of AnyWay Solutions. In this capacity, he plays a key role in overseeing a diverse range of business ventures within the Metrontario Group’s extensive portfolio. These ventures span various industries, including residential and commercial real estate development and management, nuclear medicine, marine agriculture and consulting engineering for climate resiliency, to name just a few. 

Matt has played an active role in AnyWay Solutions since its inception over 25 years ago, having co-founded the company alongside Zeevik Halber, the CEO, and Alex Campbell, the Director of Engineering. Throughout his career, Matt has thrived on the camaraderie and shared sense of humor that exists within the company. He values the close-knit, eclectic team of employees who are spread out across the globe, working together to achieve their common goals. 

One of Matt’s most cherished memories from his work with AnyWay Solutions dates back to a project in the early years of the company. AnyWay played a critical role in building soil block homes for a struggling community located just outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. This experience was particularly impactful for Matt as he witnessed firsthand the difference that his team’s work could make in the lives of people in developing regions. It was a defining moment that shaped his understanding of the positive social impact that the company could have. 

Since that pivotal project, AnyWay Solutions has continued to contribute to numerous infrastructure projects in developing regions around the world. The company remains committed to its mission of connecting communities through the development of infrastructure that prioritizes both accessibility and climate resilience. As the team moves forward, it continues to innovate and expand its reach, always striving to make a lasting impression on the communities it serves. 

Looking ahead, Matt is excited about the prospect of further expanding AnyWay Solutions into new countries and regions. “I’m confident that our people will continue to forge meaningful relationships and have a positive impact, wherever we go,” he says, reflecting on the company’s promising future. 

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Restoration of an agent agriculture farm

Posted on by Keri-Ann

The Government of Israel – The Authority of Antequties

Rosh Ha’Ayin, Israel

Project Objective:

Over the past decade, a few cities in Israel have been developed extensively. With new neighbourhoods being developed in outskirts of the cities, in untouched areas. As developments progress, many agent sites are being discovered. Such was the case in the eastern new neighbourhood of Afek in Rosh Ha’Ayin, Israel. An agent 2700-year-old agriculture farm was discovered during the works. “We see a trend all over the world that cities are approaching archaeological sites that were once protected. In a small country as flooded with archaeology as Israel, this is expected to happen” says Ya’ara Shaltiel, Head of the restoration Planning Branch at the restoration Administration of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The approach the Authority took was one that aimed at integrating these restored agent sites in the new neighbourhoods as part of the public areas for the new residents.

The Challenge:

Making an ancient site accessible to the public and adhering to the new standards was a challenge, as the usual work of digging into its floor or bringing in compactors was not possible. From an architectural point of view, the solution would also need to combine the old appearance of the remaining structural elements on the site. AnyWay got into the picture with its solution of low carbon emission concrete, PathWay. Not only would PathWay create an area that would comply with the current accessibility standards of the urban environment, but it would also combine well with the ancient site and complement the architecture. Not need to dig in the floor of the site, no need to bring any metal bars or geofabric, like would be need with cement-based concrete. PathWay was applied directly to the existing floor of the site, as it was found.

Why AnyWay eventually got to be included in the project is the fact that PathWay is a low carbon emission material; it is mineral-based. Also, the main ingredient is quarry by-product material that reaches the soil. In addition, no metal mash was required for the slab. All these comply with the requirements of working in such a sensitive ancient environment.

The Results:

The site was opened to the public within a few days after it was concreted. It is situated with in a park surrounded by newly built buildings and kids could walk through the site without even knowing that their small feet actually walk in a 2700 year old farm.

AnyWay’s Role:

AnyWay supplied PathWay with concrete mixers to the site and coordinated the application by a specialist concrete slabbing company also using concrete pumps.

Meet Alfer Parreño – A Rising Star

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Meet Alfer Parreño - A Rising Star

Alfer Parreno is a Design Engineer at AnyWay Solutions and the newest member of the team. He was drawn to AnyWay after learning about their climate resiliency solutions in developing nations, and about the innovative engineering projects designed to make transport infrastructure more resilient to the impacts of climate change. 
 
Alfer earned his Civil Engineering degree from the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos in the Philippines and became a licensed Civil Engineer in 2021. After completing his studies, he worked at the Philippines’ Department of Public Works and Highways before joining AnyWay in July. 

At AnyWay, Alfer appreciates the learning opportunities provided to him and is always eager to enhance his skillset. He enjoys working on a diverse range of projects around the world, solving unique engineering challenges, and learning from a team of experts. Alfer embraces using new technologies such as Lidar, satellite data, and AI. He enjoys finding ways to integrate these digital tools into engineering solutions to solve clients’ problems while streamlining workflows. 
 
As a young engineer, Alfer finds great satisfaction in seeing his projects come to life. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see how the bridges, roads, and flood mitigation structures I’ve helped create improve people’s lives,” he says. 

Alfer believes that communication and listening are key to both personal and team success. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, exploring new places, and photography. 

Looking ahead, Alfer is committed to helping AnyWay provide climate-resilient solutions to clients, particularly in remote areas of the world. He looks forward to continuing his work with developing countries to provide long-lasting solutions for transport infrastructure and flood mitigation. “The continuous improvement of satellite data, along with advancements in AI, gives us the opportunity to take a data-driven approach to remote locations that lack reliable data. I hope to see this technology continue to improve,” he says. Optimistic about the future, Alfer believes that technology will play a critical role in accelerating climate resilience efforts, enabling communities to adapt and recover from the impacts of climate change. 

Alfer1

Meet the Team – Herb

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Meet Herbert Betz – Bridging the gap

Herb Betz represents AnyWay Solutions in the Philippines. His connection with AnyWay began in 2008 while he was working in Bentiu, South Sudan. Over the years, Herb and AnyWay collaborated to develop the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) base, specifically for Rotary Wing assets. Fast forward to today, Herb continues to work with AnyWay as part of a team in the Philippines, where he focuses on introducing climate-resilient transport infrastructure solutions to government agencies and local partners.

Herb values the family-like culture and tight-knit community at AnyWay. He appreciates the team’s dedication, the multicultural diversity, and the valuable insights he gains from the many leaders within the company.

In his current role, Herb is committed to bringing AnyWay’s solutions to the communities in the Philippines that would benefit from them the most. He describes his work as “bridging the gap”—understanding the challenges the Philippines faces in connecting to outside markets and leveraging AnyWay’s solutions to address these issues. With a strong focus on the effects of climate change, Herb is dedicated to finding solutions that can help Filipino communities become more resilient, especially in the face of recurring flooding. Herb feels that his role is a natural fit because he is passionate about environmental issues and poverty. As he puts it, “No child should go hungry, and every child needs a home. Climate change will create more climate refugees in the future, so we must find solutions now.”

One of Herb’s most memorable experiences was meeting AnyWay’s current CEO, Zeevik Halber, and the team in Tel Aviv during their early work days on the first South Sudan road. He deeply values the trust and friendships he’s built with the company over the years. “I feel blessed to work with this organization and lead the team in the Philippines,” he says.

Outside of work, Herb is motivated by his family and his faith. He enjoys golfing and spending time outdoors, especially in the Philippines, which he describes as one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, with over 7,000 islands to explore. “If I have my family with me, it’s the best,” he says.

Herb believes that his success is found when the team succeeds. He looks forward to continuing to help the country and his company achieve greater success in the years to come.

Observatory Garden – Jaffa

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PathWay - Observatory Garden

Tel Aviv – Jaffa Municipality

Project Objective:

The Municipality of Tel Aviv–Jaffa was looking to upgrade existing gardens and parks around the city so that they would comply with new regulations and standards relating to accessibility for people with disabilities.

One of these gardens was an observatory in Jaffa, which overlooks the old port of Jaffa and the Mediterranean Sea. The goal was to create a walking pad that would comply with the Israeli standards for urban development for people with disabilities, but would also merge nicely with the historic sandstone architectural design of the garden.

The Challenge:

Casting a traditional a concrete pad would have been a lengthy and expensive process, requiring complete excavation of the existing garden and placement of metal web reinforcement throughout the area. Worse yet, a concrete pad would have detracted from the traditional architectural beauty of the garden’s sandstone design. Accordingly, the client turned to AnyWay to see if the casting the garden’s pad with PathWay could deliver a faster, cheaper and more aesthetically pleasing solution.

As this was the first large-scale project for PathWay, it was agreed that it would also serve as a demonstration to the Department of Gardens and City Development of the Tel-Aviv Municipality.

The Results:

The project (360 SM in size) was completed in a single day. PathWay was spread using a concrete pump and levelled to a smooth surface. No metal webbing, re-bar or undelaying geomembranes were used.

The project successfully achieved all three of the client’s goals. The work was completed at less cost and in less time, without destroying the historic gardens. The path was confirmed by the client’s specialist architect to be compliant with the Israeli standard for accessibility of urban outdoor areas (I.S. 1918), and its appearance accentuated the garden’s existing sandstone structures – achieving the aesthetic results the architects were hoping for.  

AnyWay’s Role:

AnyWay handled the work related to garden preparations for the casting of PathWay and supplied the PathWay low-carbon emission concrete and concrete mixers to the site. Additionally, we leveraged our contacts to arrange for the concrete slabbing. 

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PathWay - Observatory Garden

Tel Aviv – Jaffa Municipality

Project Objective:

The Municipality of Tel Aviv–Jaffa was looking to upgrade existing gardens and parks around the city so that they would comply with new regulations and standards relating to accessibility for people with disabilities.

One of these gardens was an observatory in Jaffa, which overlooks the old port of Jaffa and the Mediterranean Sea. The goal was to create a walking pad that would comply with the Israeli standards for urban development for people with disabilities, but would also merge nicely with the historic sandstone architectural design of the garden.

The Challenge:

Casting a traditional a concrete pad would have been a lengthy and expensive process, requiring complete excavation of the existing garden and placement of metal web reinforcement throughout the area. Worse yet, a concrete pad would have detracted from the traditional architectural beauty of the garden’s sandstone design. Accordingly, the client turned to AnyWay to see if the casting the garden’s pad with PathWay could deliver a faster, cheaper and more aesthetically pleasing solution.

As this was the first large-scale project for PathWay, it was agreed that it would also serve as a demonstration to the Department of Gardens and City Development of the Tel-Aviv Municipality.

The Results:

The project (360 SM in size) was completed in a single day. PathWay was spread using a concrete pump and levelled to a smooth surface. No metal webbing, re-bar or undelaying geomembranes were used.

The project successfully achieved all three of the client’s goals. The work was completed at less cost and in less time, without destroying the historic gardens. The path was confirmed by the client’s specialist architect to be compliant with the Israeli standard for accessibility of urban outdoor areas (I.S. 1918), and its appearance accentuated the garden’s existing sandstone structures – achieving the aesthetic results the architects were hoping for.  

AnyWay’s Role:

AnyWay handled the work related to garden preparations for the casting of PathWay and supplied the PathWay low-carbon emission concrete and concrete mixers to the site. Additionally, we leveraged our contacts to arrange for the concrete slabbing. 

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Engaging with Rural Senses to assess our projects’ impacts on progressing sustainable development goals 

Posted on by Keri-Ann

Engaging with Rural Senses to assess our projects’ impacts on progressing sustainable development goals

AnyWay is engaging with Rural Senses an AI-powered solution for community-centered impact evaluation.  This collaboration marks a significant step in assessing and enhancing the impact of AnyWay’s climate-resilient transport infrastructure projects, both past and future, on achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  

For years, AnyWay Solutions has been at the forefront of delivering holistic, climate-resilient solutions tailored to transport infrastructure challenges. By aligning our work with global sustainability objectives, the company has aimed to address critical issues such as reducing carbon emissions, enhancing climate adaptability, and improving socioeconomic opportunities in underserved regions. 

Now, we are able to use technologies to determine qualitative impacts of these projects to ensure we are making valuable progress. Rural Senses will leverage its expertise in participatory and quantitative assessment methodologies to evaluate the tangible and long-term benefits of AnyWay Solutions’ projects. The assessment will quantify environmental, social and economic growth changes. 

“Our projects create a tangible impact—we witness it daily in the communities we serve. With Rural Senses’ impact assessment technologies, we can now officially measure the contributions of AnyWay Solutions’ climate resilient approach to developing transport infrastructure projects and their meaningful role in advancing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals” – Zeevik Halber, CEO, AnyWay Solutions 

By integrating Rural Senses’ tools and insights, AnyWay Solutions aims to refine its strategies to not only meet but exceed global expectations for climate resilient infrastructure and sustainable development. This engagement also underlines the company’s commitment to data transparency and continuous improvement in delivering high-impact projects that support the SDGs. 

Stay tuned as AnyWay Solutions shares insights, lessons learned, and results from this groundbreaking initiative; helping pave the way toward a more resilient and sustainable future. 

Meet Alex Campbell

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Meet Alex Campbell - An AnyWay Trailblazer

Alex Campbell is the Director of Engineering Solutions at AnyWay, with a history that traces back to the early 2000s in South Africa. As one of the original employees, he was instrumental in the company’s early development. His career began with a degree in Chemistry from the University of Western Ontario in Canada, followed by a transition to environmental geochemistry at the University of Cape Town. He eventually undertook grad work in engineering at the University of Waterloo which completed the professional tools he needed to thrive within the transport infrastructure industry with a multidisciplinary background that includes chemistry, geochemistry, and engineering. This diverse foundation has enabled him to tackle challenges from various perspectives.

Starting at AnyWay when the team was still small, Alex was able to engage in multiple aspects of the company. Over the years, his role has evolved, and he has become a crucial member of the consulting services team. “I have seen AnyWay grow and am excited to see where it will end up,” he says.

Alex is passionate about working in developing regions, where he can make a tangible difference. The combination of travel, experiencing new cultures, and solving unique challenges makes his career fulfilling. He values the opportunity to bring positive change to communities and believes that listening, reflecting, and providing thoughtful input are essential skills he brings to his projects and teams.

Throughout his long career at AnyWay, Alex cherishes memories from his early trips to Israel. More recently, he takes pride in his work in Papua New Guinea, where he and his team have improved roads and rehabilitated critical infrastructure for local communities. “To have the opportunity to make a positive impact on people’s lives is pretty cool,” he adds.

Travel is a theme that extends into Alex’s personal life as well. He loves experiencing different sceneries, cultures, and cuisines. An avid golfer with a handicap of 4, he also enjoys spending his summers at his off-grid island cottage in Canada.

Looking ahead, Alex is excited to continue advancing AnyWay’s solutions, incorporating consulting engineering services and new technologies like AI to help clients achieve their goals more efficiently while contributing to AnyWay’s growth and success.

Meet Zeevik Halber

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Meet Zeevik Halber – An inspiring leader

The captain of the AnyWay organization is none other than Zeevik Halber. As CEO of AnyWay Solutions, Zeevik maintains many roles, from navigating operations and managing internal team members to conducting business relations with clients and collaborators. As a global organization, Zeevik must manage a multicultural team across the globe, which is a challenge – but a good one to have.

Zeevik has been a leader most of his life. From early on, he was a basketball coach. He then served the army as an officer before taking various managerial roles at the Metrontario Group (AnyWay’s parent company) and eventually becoming CEO of AnyWay. Through this experience, he has realized the importance of listening to what others have to say to truly engage and motivate them as a team. He references the adage, “A leader needs to be like the sea; all streams flow towards it because it is lower than they are.” When leading his team, Zeevik strives to set a positive influence by being committed to the company, showing respect to other team members, and representing the company wherever they work in a dignified and professional manner.

He loves collaborating with this team – forming a plan, implementing the solution, and getting the reward of seeing the results.

“I am so fortunate to work with a team of great people, each with their own character yet all committed to the values of the company.”

It brings him happiness every time he sees the achievement of a team goal that was set out. He describes a sense of togetherness that the team has when working collaboratively and feels fortunate to work in a place that has such a positive and transformative impact on the lives of local communities.

“We actually take a role in changing people’s livelihood through our work. It is really amazing.”

Reflecting on one of his favorite memories during his tenure at AnyWay, Zeevik recalls the time the company donated medical refrigerators to the people of Enga Province in Papua New Guinea, where AnyWay has done many transport infrastructure projects. He was so proud of the local team and of the organization for not only doing good things for the community through their work but also through charitable initiatives to truly make a difference for the people there.

Personally, Zeevik used to practice Ashtanga Yoga for many years. However, a back problem prevented him from continuing his practice. Nevertheless, he believes yoga is extremely beneficial for the mind and body. He also enjoys swimming three or four times a week, where he gets some of his best ideas. When not at work or practicing his hobbies, you can find Zeevik in his home of Tel Aviv, Israel, where he has raised four daughters

Looking forward, Zeevik foresees AnyWay’s biggest challenge to be transitioning as a company and expanding its services and business focus on climate resiliency solutions for transport infrastructure. “The global recognition of climate change and its effect on transport infrastructure has the greatest impact on what we do now and how we do it,” he says. Through this opportunity, AnyWay is helping communities and using their existing technical strengths to tackle this challenge in developing nations. When asked about the next evolution of AnyWay, Zeevik says, “We are always evolving as a company, and this time it is a major one. The opportunities for us as a company are amazing, both in terms of the places we are going to work and the clients we will work with. I am excited to see how we forge our future.” New and advanced technologies are also presenting an opportunity for AnyWay’s future that will allow them to expedite services that traditionally took longer in the developing parts of the world.

Zeevik considers himself fortunate to work with so many people from different backgrounds and locations—from country leaders to labourers and equipment operators on site. He looks forward to continuing to work with many people around the world while passing his knowledge on to others in the company so that they can grow and develop their careers like he has.

AnyWay Solutions improves safety and efficiency for engineering projects with UP42

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AnyWay Solutions improves safety and efficiency for engineering projects with UP42

To plan for climate-resilient transportation solutions in remote and hard-to-reach areas, AnyWay Solutions turned to the UP42 platform.

Challenge

Most of AnyWay’s work is located in remote areas that are highly vulnerable to climate change, and which usually have very little pre-existing data. In some cases, project sites aren’t accessible by road, and in other cases, political unrest prevents them from getting a team on the ground.

Climate-resilient designs and solutions need to take into consideration multiple factors, all of which depend upon the ability to collect actionable data. The geographic challenges associated with remote areas in developing nations demand unique data acquisition methods and technologies. AnyWay needed a safe method to gather data that was accurate enough to prepare climate-resilient engineering outputs and recommendations for their clients that would take into account local environmental, social, and economic conditions.

Earth observation (EO) imagery was the obvious choice. First, they used free data from Google Earth and government sources. But this data was often very low resolution, and acquisition could be tedious and time-consuming. AnyWay turned to commercial EO data to solve these problems. But here, AnyWay faced another challenge: how to integrate complex data in different formats from a range of providers into their project methodologies and workflows. On top of that, AnyWay had to contend with varying pricing packages, contracts, and terms of use.

Solution

AnyWay initiated a search for a platform to access EO tools in a manner that would allow AnyWay to collect data and develop solutions for its clients in developing nations. It was through this search that AnyWay connected with UP42. Their platform, data offerings, and team proved a natural fit. The UP42 platform hosts data from 45+ of the world’s leading providers, from satellite and aerial to elevation and radar data. AnyWay used UP42’s browser-based console to inspect their desired areas in a map view and draw their AOIs (Areas of Interest). AnyWay could then see if archive imagery existed of their AOIs, or if they’d need to task a provider to capture new imagery.

From there, AnyWay could choose their provider based on the type of data and resolution needed, edit parameters such as acceptable levels of cloud cover, and see a price estimate before placing their order.

All data delivered through UP42 is transformed into standardized cloud-native file formats, which removes the complexity of working with different types of data. And files are easy to search, tag, sort, and filter thanks to UP42’s data management capabilities.

"The fact that we can tap into so many products from various vendors allows us to have access to the best fit-for-purpose data for our projects and clients. And the ability to easily navigate all these options is also very cost efficient. UP42’s centralized approach has enabled us to gain access to many more possibilities.”

- Keren Moshkoviz, Director of Strategic Planning at AnyWay Solutions

Result

UP42 allowed AnyWay to easily collect and analyze EO data from a wide range of providers in order to generate actionable plans for their clients in a fast and cost-efficient way, supporting communities and economic growth in even the most remote areas of developing nations.

As an example, a more manual route alignment optimization project in a remote area would normally take years to complete, whereas access to up-to-date high resolution data allowed for completion in a matter of months.

AnyWay Solutions is excited about continuing to work with UP42, and plans to make use of the UP42 ArcGIS Pro Add-in so that they can use data from UP42 directly in ArcGIS Pro.

“The UP42 support team is fantastic in helping us to optimize our deliverables. They’ve been enthusiastic, supportive, and positive." -Keren Moshkoviz, Director of Strategic Planning at AnyWay Solutions

- Keren Moshkoviz, Director of Strategic Planning at AnyWay Solutions

For more than two decades, AnyWay has been a global expert in providing climate-resilient solutions to the global transport infrastructure industry. AnyWay is a member of the Canadian Metrontario Group of Companies, with over 75 years of business experience. Its total commitment to quality is what has fueled AnyWay’s success.

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