Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1035602
22 | OCTOBER 2018 Curtain Wall & Window Wall For its part, Noram will continue to partake in projects whose key points of design will include challenging architectural features and projects pursuing leadership in energy efficiency. "We are continuously growing our unitized and pre-assembled glazing systems, and Noram will be targeting the residential and commercial high-rise sector as well as continuing to pursue building projects that work towards industry innovation," explains Redlarski. Leonard Pianalto, building science and restoration and associate at RJC Engineers, says that the focus on net zero is challenging conventional thinking when it comes to the window wall and curtain wall sector. "People still want mass glazing to create a sense of openness and comfort, but with that comes the challenges of energy consumption. While change can be a little slow, we are seeing triple glazing being used more widely, as well as vacuum insulated panels," says Pianalto. Perhaps most exciting, however, are the advancements being seen on the mar- ket that include phase change materials (pcm) that can store heat energy from the exterior temperatures, dramatically reducing the output of building mechanical (both heating and cooling) systems. "Smart glass, such as photochromic and electrochromic glass, is receiving increasing attention," says Pianalto. "I am currently involved in a project in Richmond, B.C. that is using View Dynamic Glass, a coating that tracks where the sun is and changes opacity by introducing a curve to the material. The system reduces overall HVAC energy consumption and costs by limiting unwanted heat gain in summer but allowing beneficial passive heat gain in winter." In fact, View Dynamic Glass can tint during peak cooling demand periods, thereby blocking more than 90 percent of solar radiation and resulting in tre- mendous savings in peak load cooling energy use. This can reduce peak loads by around 30 percent on mechanical plants. However new technologies, as one would expect, are often received with skepticism by the big players in the industry who are waiting for others to try and test new products, and only time will tell what these innovations will be. A Springdale Library, Brampton, ON. Rundle School, Calgary, AB. PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY NORAM ENTERPRISES; ALL WEATHER WINDOWS