Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1506758
24 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 3 Building Envelope From a construction point of view, Speedwall, which will soon be used on the exterior of the new TELUS Ocean building in Victoria – with the components arranged in strips with an architectural sawtooth effect – can enclose an eight- storey building in as little as a month, depending on its design. Greenstone Building Products also provides a prefab solution. The ICE Panel is an energy-efficient structural insulated building envelope panel for residen- tial and commercial construction. They are made with expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation and galvanized steel stud structural frames. "We believe in innovation and continuous improvement, and that technology is the solution to the climate challenges we currently face," says Tilda Fortier, business manager for Greenstone Building Products. "There is no other panel- ized assembly like ours and we will continue to develop our technologies to improve our offering." The ICE Panels have impressive transverse and compression bearing capabil- ities, and the unique manufacturing process and connection details completely eliminate thermal bridging, which results in one of the most energy-efficient panelized systems sold today. "As building performance codes are adopted across the country, we are excited to be able to offer a practical and proven solution to achieve any build- ing performance target," says Fortier. "Panelized construction and Building Information Modelling [BIM] are relatively new to the building industry, which has a reputation for being slower to innovate and adopt new technologies. And while it does require some forward planning, the benefit to our process is that you can catch errors that might normally not be seen until everything is delivered to the site". Douglas Brady, chief strategy officer at Huntsman Building Solutions (HBS), notes that his company is constantly striving to improve the environ- mental attributes and efficiency of its blowing agents that form air barriers. For example, its popular closed-cell spray foam product, Heatlok Soya HFO, leverages the new HFO (hydrofluoroolefin) blowing agent which was considered a significant step up from the earlier HFC agent, resistant to the most extreme wind loads on the tallest buildings. It is the most environmentally conscious blowing agent produced to date, with a zero ozone depletion potential (ODP) and a global warming potential (GWP) below 1. But now Huntsman Building Solutions has returned to what Brady describes as "our spray foam roots" with Heatlok Soya HP, the latest addition to HBS closed-cell product portfolio, which was released during summer in Canada. This high-performance insulation solution has improved environ- mental qualities and achieves a long-term R value higher than 2.0 making it one of the best R values of any HFO product on the market. "We found that HFC blowing agents distributed insulating molecules into the atmosphere and over a five-year period saw a reduction in R values to 1.5-1.9," Brady says. "The HFO agent has a very weak molecule that does not linger in the atmo- sphere, plus the R value is maintained." In 2023, ongoing advances are being made in the aesthetic appeal of enve- lopes. Ontario Panelization offers extensive experience in pre-panelized and field-applied exterior wall systems, with finishes that include the Ceramitex Sintered Ceramic Façade system, Alcotex Aluminum Composite Panels, Aluminum Plate, Phenolic Resin Panels, and other products. Recently, Ontario Panelization gained recognition for an unusual project: on behalf of the Havergal College Upper School it manufactured 11,354 square feet of copper cladding made of 16-ounce copper pans with two-inch single-lock standing seams, which added a textural pattern to the facade. The pan profiles included a sprung edge to help allow for expansion and contraction of the cop- per during varying weather conditions. Over the decades, admixtures have played an increasingly important role in improving the integrity of building envelopes, as well as repairing faults. "The idea of basements essentially being tanks is relatively new and is the result of more and more cities prohibiting the drainage of water into storm systems," says Kevin Yuers, VP product development at Kryton International. Kryton famously enabled basements to become watertight via application of its Krystol Internal Membrane (KIM), a hydrophilic crystalline admixture that lowers the permeability of concrete and is used instead of surface applied water- proofing membranes. KIM's Krystol technology chemically reacts with water and un-hydrated cement particles to form insoluble needle-shaped crystals that fill capillary pores and micro-cracks in the concrete, permanently blocking the pathways for water and waterborne contaminants. Recent projects of note relying on KIM are Concord Gardens from Concord Pacific, the residential estates of which "are built well into the water table, which in Richmond is typically right at ground surface level," according to Yuers; the high-rise Capstan Village from Pinnacle, also in Richmond, and Concord developments beside Calgary's Bow River. "Concord recently advertised that its basements were waterproofed with the same technology our company used on the Site C Dam, which was very complimentary," Yuers says. Yuers goes on to note that while Kryton doesn't get heavily involved in building envelopes above grade, "We still offer Hydrostop, a high-performance penetrating sealer used by itself to protect concrete, brick, mortar, and masonry from the damaging effects of water intrusion." Hydrostop contains a unique blend of silane and siloxane compounds that chemically react with silicates below the surface of the substrate to form an insoluble, water- repellent barrier. Finally, Brian Salazar, national business development manager with Euclid Canada, reports that on the repair side of building envelope business his company "is supplying repair products for a lot of residential and commercial buildings as well as admixtures for new precast buildings in Ontario." One product in particular is EucoRepair V100, a single component, fast set- ting, very low shrinkage mortar for trowel applied vertical and overhead concrete repair. EucoRepair V100 contains microfibre, unique additives, and a specialty cementitious blend to optimize the physical properties that fight cracking. The result is a concrete repair material with exceptional engineering properties. Salazar says, "Cracking is the most frequent cause of concrete repair failure, but EucoRepair V100 is a great solution for high rise facias and any exposed areas where rebar is showing." This product provides resistance to drying shrinkage, while microfibre provides three-dimensional reinforcement and increased tensile strength. It is also polymer modified for strong adhesion, improved elasticity, and resistance to creep. Also from Euclid Canada is EucoRepair SCC, a pourable and pumpable self- consolidating concrete repair mortar that can be placed from 2.5 centimetres up to full depth without extending with aggregate. Salazar says, "It quickly spread into place, filling formwork and encapsulating reinforcement without the need for mechanical consolidation such as vibration." A R EN D ER I N G CO U RT E S Y F LY N N C A N A DA LT D.; P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E S Y K RY TO N I N T ER N AT I O N A L Speedwall modular exterior wall system specified for the TELUS Ocean building, Victoria, B.C. Krystol Internal Membrane in use at Concord Gardens, Richmond, B.C.