Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1408886
Frontek porcelain facade panels. Amazon Fulfillment Centre, Ottawa, ON S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1 | 9 Building Envelope P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E SY EN G I N EER ED A SS EM B L I E S; C A N A D I A N P R EC A S T/ P R E S T R E SS ED CO N C R E T E I N S T I T U T E Versatility remains key as building envelopes face some material shortages by ROBIN BRUNET C onstruction in 2021 is booming thanks to the retreat of the pan- demic. And perhaps influenced by a desire for permanence and reli- ability, developers more than ever want buildings that will perform to the highest possible energy effi- ciency standards. In short, the focus on building envelopes is intense. In B.C., companies such as RJC Engineers are involved in a host of significant projects that encom- pass restoration as well as new builds. "We're just winding down our work on St Andrew's Wesley United Church, a major heritage restoration," says RJC associate Glade Schoenfeld. "We're also gear- ing up on the new St. Paul's Hospital, for which we're providing structural and envelope services including airtightness testing and thermal bridging calculations for use in the energy model." Ryder Architects worked with RJC for two years on the St. Andrew's restoration, which included a seismic upgrade to the original structure along with a new copper roof; the granite facades were repointed and restrained. Construction began earlier this year on the new St. Paul's Hospital at the Jim Pattison Medical Centre, the largest hospital redevelopment project in B.C.'s his- tory. At a cost of $2.1 billion, the facility will consist of over two-million square feet of space and open in 2027. "There are also a lot of starts for residential tow- ers and many forthcoming projects," says Schoenfeld. The challenge isn't designing envelopes per se, but accomplishing these projects during a time when material shortages are severe. "For example, in mid-June we learned that new supplies of vapour permeable wall membranes – which we use acres of in large-scale envelopes – I'm told won't be com- ing until October," says Schoenfeld. "So, coming up with alternatives has been the key to keep moving. In some cases this means upgrading, and it's also an opportunity to try new products. Additionally, we're changing up assemblies if certain product types aren't available, and we're phasing some projects." One of RJC's increasingly important services to clients is energy modelling, which it has developed to include account thermal bridging considerations and then whole building air tightness testing, which ties the whole package together. "We take a holis- tic approach to modelling, and we feel that our in-house expertise in this field is an advantage to clients because, unlike using third party modellers, efficiencies are achieved because we're also doing the engineering, allowing us to iterate to an optimal solution," says Schoenfeld. Brian Hall, managing director, Canadian Precast/ Prestressed Concrete Institute, reports that recent large-scale projects are demonstrating precast con- crete's effectiveness as an envelope material. "For many years, retail companies like Amazon have turned to precast for fast-track resilient construction, and it's interesting that both Amazon and precast concrete are known for their fast delivery," he says. "That is even more prevalent in the Ottawa/Gatineau area, where Amazon has built three Fulfillment Centres, the largest one being 94,761 square metres, or the size equivalent of 60 hockey rinks." Wrap UP