Award

October 2020

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Central Presbyterian Church, Vancouver, B.C. Gilkey International Middle School, Portland, OR. O C T O B E R 2 0 2 0 | 37 Curtain Wall & Window Wall P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E SY P H O EN I X G L A SS I N C .; C A S C A D I A W I N D OWS & D O O R S Curtain wall and window wall innovations impress with their versatility by NATALIE BRUCKNER Driving Change S ustainability has long been top of mind for window wall and curtain wall manufacturers and installers. However, with increasingly stringent codes it has given those innovators even more impetus to deal with not only the challenges of today, but for many years to come. Duncan Rowe, principal, building science and restoration at RJC Engineers, says that while curtain walls and window walls have indeed been around for some time, today they are always being modified and RJC continues to look at new ways to push the envelope on air/moisture and thermal performance. "As our industry moves toward even higher ther- mally improved wall assemblies we see the amount or type of curtain wall changing over the next 10 years. Energy models in the past used to allow for trade-offs between the envelope and mechanical systems, which is being phased out. These trade-offs allowed for highly glazed facades to be constructed, and be compliant, whereas the new codes and stan- dards pressure designers to limit the amount of glazing and glazing framing," says Rowe. This is resulting in the thermal performance of the current generation of curtain walls hitting the upper bound of conventional systems, which is lead- ing to newer technologies, coupled with modified assemblies and innovative materials, being vali- dated and used. "We are seeing a move on projects to get the appearance of a highly-glazed facade using glass cassette panels and modular construction. This allows the glazier to reorganize their typical sup- ply chain to shop fabricate a glass rainscreen panel, using thermally broken clips, off-site, and use typical curtain wall joinery for the installation," says Rowe. While not widely adopted as of yet, it demon- strates how combining the existing expertise at off-site fabrication and detailing can translate to a higher performing opaque area of the building, without bringing in another trade. "We think this switch in the curtain wall module construction – varying the spandrel or opaque section – will become more widespread as the industry reacts to the shift to Passive House and Zero Carbon buildings," he says. For anyone in the sector, understanding a potential new form of architectural esthetic is now essential, and this challenge is being partly addressed by using new materials. "We are currently working with Glascurtain, a manu- facturer of fibreglass framed curtain wall, for specifying their product in a Toronto development. Due to the structural framing being fibreglass it can achieve a much lower U-value, which has a signifi- cant improvement on the large area of glazing on the building," explains Rowe. Partnerships are also essential as we move for- ward. For example, the curtain wall for the 1 Bloor Street West project has been in development with many stakeholders including Gamma, RJC, Foster+Partners, Clark Construction, and Mizrahi Developments. The glass extends past the interior sill area creating a fairly unique architectural look that requires very detailed analysis and design, as well as multiple mock-ups to get the high level of perfor- mance required for the immensely tall building. Rowe sees the move toward Passive House and Zero Carbon buildings as an exciting step forward. "This shift creates many more opportunities for innovative thinking to solve the design challenges in a more holistic manner since stakeholders will not be able to 'keep their blinders on,' an integrated design and construction team is the only way to reach these goals," says Rowe. Over at Phoenix Glass there have been some very exciting developments of late as the company has been awarded the U VIC Student Housing & Dining curtain wall contract – the largest Passive House project in Canada. While COVID-19 may have closed many campus buildings in the spring, the pandemic did not slow down the progress of the three-year, $232.4-million project. The project will use 75 percent less energy for heating and cooling and 50 percent less over- all than a typical building, and the curtain wall will play a big part in achieving that. Another exciting project that the company is involved in is the Post Office Redevelopment podium curtain wall that is currently under construction. It's full steam ahead for Phoenix Glass, which has been receiving accolades for its work. "Another cur- tain wall project we did a couple years back, Central Presbyterian Church, recently received an Architizer Award in the Architecture + Art Category for our work there," says Jim Lebedovich. While Lebedovich understands the sector will be facing more challenges, especially when it comes to conforming to the progressive Step Code, he is excited about the future of building designs and facades, "which are becoming more like works of art as technology is enabling very creative design ideas to come to fruition." Technology and systems continue to rapidly evolve and Cascadia Windows & Doors is one com- pany leading the way with the launch of the world's first fibreglass window wall system, the Universal Series Window Wall. Designed by the B.C.-based team, the fibreglass window wall is said to be a game-changer for the industry, offering dramatic thermal performance improvements compared to traditional aluminum. "For a standard, double-glazed system, the Universal Series Window Wall boasts R-4.1 for vision glass, R-16.2 for metal backpan, and R-8.1 for slab bypass. This means that a typical glass high-rise can maintain glazing area – and in some cases increase glazing area – while at the same time meeting more stringent building code energy requirements," explains Michael Bousfield, technical director at Cascadia Windows & Doors. Cascadia is busy on several window wall projects both in California and B.C. In Vancouver the team is working on the two-building, multi-family mid-rise The Chelsea development by Cressey and the multi- family, high-rise Pacific Point 2 rehabilitation project.

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