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DECEMBER 2019 | 15 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY EUCLID CANADA Concrete Salazar notes, "Where these fibres are gaining the most growth is in the area of interior industrial slabs – for projects such as the new one-million square foot distribution warehouse in Brampton, Ontario. We'll be seeing synthetic fibres used in many more projects of this magnitude, facilitated by our design software that determines the proper dosage rate for appli- cations by inputting rack loads, the wheel loads of vehicles that will be rolling along the slabs, and other criteria." He points out that while eight inches is the standard thickness for fibre-reinforced industrial slabs, sometimes up to 10 inches is required for facili- ties such as food storage with extra heavy point loads. Brian Hall, managing director of the Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (CPCI), is continuing his endorsement of precast concrete sys- tems being well placed to respond to the demand for higher thermal performance, "as a broad range of R-values can be provided by changing design details. It's important to keep in mind that more insula- tion, better airtightness, and less thermal bridging will be required by future codes and green building programs regardless of the type of enclosure wall system considered. Some jurisdictions have even indicated a desire for energy codes to provide a path to net zero or net zero ready performance." CPCI's web-enabled software provides designers, builders, and owners with a program that quickly calculates the thermal performance of precast con- crete walls, to ensure compliance options for modern building energy codes and suitable methods for quickly estimating at an early design stage. Hall says that, "precast concrete envelope systems can be used in all types of projects from residential to commercial, to institutional and industrial. They can also be used in everything from low-rise to high-rise construction. Precast concrete wall panels are ver- satile components that can be used as architectural, structural, or combination elements within a building's design. Wall panels can be designed as loadbearing or non-loadbearing components and can be used in a number of different structural configurations designed to provide moment and lateral force resistance." Finally, 2019 has been good to the floor-finish- ing sector. "The market for one particular service we do has grown a lot," says Frank Guida, VP of Tri-Con Concrete Finishing in North York, Ontario. He is referring to his company's provision of joint free floors and architectural polished floors. "Twenty years ago we would do maybe one project of this type a year, but this year we did three joint-free floors, and more projects are waiting in the wings." With over 25 years experience, $2.5 million in advanced equipment, and over 100 employees, Tri-Con provides multiple solutions (for retail, indus- trial, and commercial floors) utilizing steel fibre blowers, laser guided screeds, automated hardener spreaders, curing systems, and sealers to produce high quality maintenance free floors with excellent flatness and finishes. Of the joint-free floors, Guida remarks, "They used to be a hard sell, but perhaps there's a grow- ing awareness out there that saw-cut joints break and can even curl up with extended traffic use. Plus, more and more clients require maintenance-free floors. Such was the case with a Gordon Food Service warehouse freezer and dry storage facility that we recently worked on. We also provided a joint-free floor for an Air Canada airport hanger this year and are currently working on a hanger at the Hamilton International Airport." Guida concludes, "Like any floor system, joint-free floors must be properly engineered and poured, with steel fibres mixed into the concrete in the proper proportion to support the required loads. We're in a market where competitors try to cut prices and corners, but our work speaks for itself in terms of durability – and that's why we're confident that the market for our service will continue to grow." A Installation of fibre-reinforced interior industrial slabs. Concrete Waterproofing by Crystallization XYPEX integral crystalline technology waterproofs concrete foundation structures as they're poured and cannot be damaged during installation or backfilling. Unlike membranes, Xypex is added to the concrete at the time of batching avoiding application errors. This sustainable technology also contributes to LEED credits. When you select Xypex Crystalline Technology, you've chosen the best… more than 40 years of independent testing, experience in over 80 countries, unmatched product and service standards … and still No Equal. Call 1.800.961.4477 or visit us at xypex.com Electron Microscope Images are the property and copyright of Xypex Chemical Corporation. Concrete (Untreated) Xypex Crystallization (Initiated) Xypex Crystallization (Mature)

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