Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1469378
16 | J U N E 2 0 2 2 Precast Concrete Fede says, "The building achieved a 90 percent energy consumption reduc- tion thanks to many factors, including panels that provided an R-40 insulation rating." Aspects such as maximizing the south facing windows to increase heat- ing of the building, minimizing north facing windows to decrease heat loss, optimizing the surface area to volume ratio, and having high-performance tri- ple glazed windows all played a role. Fede says, "We're looking at other projects that are aiming for Passive House standards. Meanwhile, we're busy in Etobicoke providing hollowcore components for the hotel portion of the Woodbine Casino project, and in Cambridge we're pro- viding industrial panels for a new Blendtek Canada facility. We're seeing a lot more demand for these panels for warehousing, because they're much more resilient than steel panel and provide better security and fire resistance." Finally, Victoria-based Monolith Systems uses tilt-up concrete insulated panel technology to create a complete wall system that delivers durable, high-perfor- mance homes, impervious to fire, wind, floods, and West Coast wet weather. Damon Gray, general manager of sister company, NZ Builders, earned national recognition after building his family home, Wain Road, using the Monolith System. The result: a passive solar, net-zero ready home with a sub- stantial reduction in total heating and cooling loads. While durability, performance, and low maintenance are generally its most significant selling points, concrete is surprisingly versatile and can be made in a wide array of colours and textures – an attractive feature for homeowners, architects, and interior designers alike. Visitors to Wain Road rarely suspect that even the interior walls are entirely made from concrete. Business operations manager David Phillips points out that while the com- pany has specialized in custom homes since 2013, the team has been hard at work developing predesigned homes that will help bridge the gap between high-performance and financial feasibility – addressing housing affordability issues and offering an alternative to custom homes. "The most important thing high-performance builders need homeown- ers to know is they can always add the flashy stuff later," says Ariel White, head of marketing communications. "It's much more difficult and costly to make performance upgrades on a home that is falling apart than it is to add a new countertop or light fixtures down the road, so choosing materials [like concrete] that create a healthier, more durable framework is always a better investment." As for the future of the sector, Brian Hall concludes: "There are many reasons to be optimistic about the future of the Canadian precast concrete industry. Expanded use of modular, prefabricated technologies is helping AEC firms real- ize new construction efficiencies. Prefabrication and modular construction are both experiencing a significant expansion of interest and use as the construc- tion industry seeks to improve safety, productivity, quality, cost, schedule, and sustainability performance." A The Putman Family YWCA, Hamilton, ON. Predesigned home utilizing precast wall panels. P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E S Y CO R E S L A B S T RU C T U R E S; NZ B U I L D ER S MARDINA Pre-Cast Ltd MARDINA Pre-Cast Ltd O U T S T A N D I N G All-in-one solution, providing insulated structural walls complete with ready for paint interior and exterior finishes. Factory formed and poured, increasing quality control and eliminating weather and other site conditions as potential impacts on schedule. Assembly line construction allows for fast and efficient panel construction . Potential reduction in overall wall thickness reduces cost and increases usuable floor area. Panels poured off-site eliminates need for slab-on-grade or casting beds to start panel construction, allowing for substantial schedule gains and reducing the need for slab repairs. Top and edge picked panels eliminate lift inserts on inside face of panels. Wide variety of finishes are available from ship lap to faux formed walls. P A N E L S info@mardina.ca 604.796.2995 Pre-Cast Concrete panels.