Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/147234
about life cycle costs. Also, more contractors are adding metal roofing to their roofing services as "building owners may see more competitive pricing," says Epstein. He adds that the metal roofing sector has seen incredible improvements in the last few years. These include better underlayments and vapour barriers, easier installation and good access to full-system warranties with larger manufacturers and suppliers like Firestone Building Products. Because of system improvements, warping and oil canning of metal roof surfaces are becoming a thing of the past. The spirit of improvement and innovation are perhaps at the heart of a recently developed cladding mounting system for a new European product. Also, in concert with the trend to mixed media in cladding panels, a new panel system from Ceramitex Inc. involves both porcelain (for the surface area) and metal (for the frame). "Ceramitex is a sintered porcelain veneer that's bonded to an aluminum frame rather like a painting to a frame. It's a proprietary system," says Travis Conrad, the business development manager at Ceramitex Inc. Panels are reinforced with a fibre backing and are available in thicknesses from three to 20 millimetres. The surface is designed to be virtually graffiti-proof and easy to clean. "The pigment does not break down over time and it's completely impermeable to chemicals and UV rays, and is very hard to scratch. "There's been a lot of interest from city planners in Ottawa and Toronto. We expect it may be used for public transit among other applications," Conrad says. Panel slabs rely partly on sinter technology for their form and composition and come from Spain and Turkey. The Ceramitex system was developed in the last two years by Exterior Wall Systems Ltd., but is now marketed by its subsidiary, Ceramitex Inc. As one system enters the market another expands its niche. "Foam panels by Kingspan have been taking more of the market in recent years, especially in government buildings, partly because it's a onepiece system for the whole exterior wall," says Connor Hoffler, an architectural sheet metal instructor with the Roofing Contractors Association of British Columbia (RCABC). Hoffler adds that this is common in cold storage systems and is used by meat processors and some big box stores – with good reason, he suggests. "Most foam panels are classified as having better thermal efficiency than other systems," says Hoffler. He points to the insulation newcomer, aerogel, which holds out the promise of some potentially exciting new design possibilities. "It allows for a translucent panel that's insulated. It would include structural aluminum, with a fibreglass-reinforced translucent face enclosed in structural aluminum grid system," says Hoffler. Modular titanium systems could appeal to those with high-end, exotic tastes wanting the ultimate in enhanced corrosion resistance. But most owners would likely opt for an attractive, albeit heavier, alternative. "With stainless steel, the look is similar, but the cost is lower," adds Hoffler. Blake Merrick, chair of the technical committee with the Metal Cladding Association of British Columbia, is keeping some focus on thermal standards and issues, as well as the impact of the anticipated new codes in this area. The issue of thermal bridging, for instance, has come under sustained scrutiny by many in the industry over the past five years. As a result, there are now a host of approaches to creating thermally-broken substructure framing for metal cladding systems. "Some are going to fibreglass sub-girts. Others are using cork tape as a break between metal sub-girts. The technical committee is trying to come up with a solution for this code change," says Merrick. He believes that the quest for methods to prevent thermal bridging will probably require more than one solution. "It won't be, can't be, a single product," says Merrick, who is also operations manager at Flynn's The Pozuelo de Alarcón Shopping Centre, Madrid, Spain. Courtesy The Size Sintered Ceramics S.A. Lower mainland outlet. Besides the spur of impending code changes and trends, a company's new products sometimes follow in the wake of mergers and acquisitions. That is the case with Robertson Building Systems. "NCI is the parent company of Robertson and recently acquired MetlSpan. This will be our future source of insulated metal cladding panels. One product we're excited about is ThermalSafe that offers one-, two- and three-hour fire ratings, depending on the thickness," says Carla MacLeod, marketing coordinator at Robertson. She points to this and to Metl-Span, Tuffwall and Tuffcast that are two of the new textured applied finishes that have been added to the Robertson product offering. A product line that uses Alluminate finishes from Mayne Premium Powder Coatings could soon start drawing more interest. A cladding system called Longboard Soffit & Siding was recently used on the new Cactus Club and Restaurant in Langley, B.C., says Mike Rayner, president of Metro Roofing & Sheet Metal Ltd. "It's a nice new metal wood system. It's in the medium range as far as its expense," he adds. n Corus Quay building, Toronto, Ontario. Product: Firestone Metal Products RHEINZINK Facade System. Contractor: Semple Gooder Roofing Corporation. Featured solution: Firestone Metal Roofing & Wall Systems. p22-25Metal roofing.indd 25 13-07-12 11:37 AM