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DECEMBER 2018 | 31 Walls & Ceilings PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY SOUND SOLUTIONS Also new to Sound Solutions is the made-in-Can- ada Akustus' Sereno Panels, which also successfully blend acoustic functionality and design esthetic in a wide range of playful colours. These panels are adaptable and environmentally sustainable, contain- ing 50 percent recycled material originating from recycled water bottles. And for those looking for visual as well as acoustic privacy, room dividers can provide just that: "The Parasoleil metal panels have been used in some residential applications as a visual break, barrier, and privacy screening within the home," explains Conicella. I N S TA L L AT I O N I N S P I R AT I O N Of course, as ceiling and wall designs change over time, so too do installation methods and tools. For 2019, Andrew Cole, executive director, Canadian Urethane Foam Contractors Association (CUFCA) predicts that new spray foam blowing agents will make their way into the mainstream. "Two-pound closed cell spray foam insulation has become the gold standard insulation of choice for high-end builders across Canada," says Cole. Why? Known for its multiple control layer performance, it's an all-in-one solution for vapour barriers, air barriers, and high-thermal insulation, and acts as a struc- tural member that increases rack and sheer wind resistance in conventional wood frame construction by 300 percent over conventional batt products. The problem until now, of course, was that the industry had to face the facts that the current generation of HCFC blowing agents were cause for environmental concern. "While the performance levels achieved with this on-site manufactured product are impressive, the industry has still had to deal with known environmental concerns with higher than desired global warming potential scores as a result," says Cole. As a new generation of these HFO blowing agent foams is rolled out by the spray foam industry, those worries about sustainability thankfully will change. "Blowing agents are the gasses that expand the foam to its rigid shape, and those tiny bubbles of gas act as insulators. They're found in extruded polysty- rene [XPS] board stock and two-pound closed cell spray polyurethane foam," Cole explains. "What dif- ferentiates one blowing agent from another are the molecules. The new class of hydrofluoroolefin mole- cules contain at least one carbon-carbon double bond that makes them highly reactive in the atmosphere, giving them a very short life, which is why they have such a small impact as a greenhouse gas and are yielding incredibly low GWP indexes." While the global warming potential of HFC blow- ing agents was as high as 1,430, the new HFO blowing agents measure in at just one. "This massive reduction in GWP levels is a game-changer," says Cole. "Many builders that were very environmentally-focused stayed away from spray foam for the reasons of neg- ative impact to the environment. With these new results, this is no longer an argument." These new HFOs are non-toxic, have zero ozone depleting substances, and are not considered a volatile organic compound by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Demilec Inc. is one company that has introduced its new HFO lines this year, while CUFCA will be testing this new HFO foam for its existing CUFCA Radon Control System (RCS) for inclusion in its first and currently only CCMC evaluated Radon Control System for underslab applications of foam in basements as a com- plete soil gas barrier. In the past, it may have been enough to work away for long periods of time to put up a few drywall panels, and then whatever the room sounded like – or what- ever environmental impact the products had – was just a side effect. No more: today's living walls, smart panels, and faux concrete are key ingredients in truly making a space comfortable. A Akustus' Sereno Panels. Wallworks.indd 1 2018-10-25 9:49

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