Award

D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 3 | 15 Concrete P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E S Y P EI K KO C A N A DA I N C . Business at Stubbe's (which includes Stubbe's Precast, Redi-Mix and Cement) was "better than expected" in 2023 according to managing director Jason Stubbe, with an increase in the commercial warehousing sector and recently in seniors housing. "Plus, we have seen an increase of requests for our Whispercrete sound barrier products and recently completed a 13-metre-tall wall for AIM in Hamilton. Our precast stair and elevator cores for buildings that aren't total precast have gained popularity as well – they really help cut construction time, save money, and allow for a superior quality and finish in the cores." The Whispercrete noise wall systems can be designed using either a single-sided absorptive fin- ish or a double-sided reflective (concrete) finish, depending on the acoustic requirements of the site. As for Stubbe's Modular Stair shafts, they have the capability to install stairs and elevators up to nine floors in advance. Other building systems, such as steel, CIP, CLT, or any other type of construction material, can then proceed at their own pace. This solution can greatly decrease the overall build time by giving all trades access to all floors as soon as con- struction begins on each floor. John Carson, executive director at Altus Group (a collaboration of 14 North American precasters), has this to say about the precast market in 2023 and moving forward: "Business in U.S. and Canada remains robust. Data centre work is still very strong, and government/municipal projects spurred by spending and legislations support geographical needs such as water and education." Carson adds that while resilient, the precast industry is still dealing with familiar challenges. "On time delivery and project complexity is par- amount, while labour supply remains a critical concern. Schedule slides and slowdowns are occur- ring as developers and contractors continue to try and cope with significant material cost increases, higher fuel, labour and insurance costs fuelled by rising interest rates, and increasing hurdles to achieve go-aheads." It could be argued that sustainability and other green initiatives contribute to the long list of chal- lenges, and Carson notes that "precast producers are doing their part to implement viable practices and technologies in order to deliver realistic, carbon foot- print-lowering product solutions like CarbonCast wall panels and precast walls with composite design – both of which can reduce the amount of concrete in a panel. Energy efficiency via mass walls and insu- lated sandwich panels are delivering performance on this front, in the face of ever-increasing building code regulations and standards." In fact, CarbonCast panels with carbon fibre grid reinforcing and integrated insulation can reduce concrete use by 30 percent or more compared to solid panels, and the thermal efficiency of the panels results in higher R-values than other tech- nologies, which reduces operational carbon. Along with brisk business in the concrete sector comes the inevitable expansion of manufacturing infrastructure. Cresswell Industries, a Peikko Group Corporation manufacturing partner, is investing in a large-scale Deltabeam slim floor structure facility in Montreal. One of many benefits of this facil- ity is that Peikko's products will be delivered more quickly to the market. Manufacturing in the new factory is expected to commence early in the new year; between 100 and 150 Deltabeam Composite Beams are expected to be produced weekly. Deltabeam Slim Floor allows for lower floor-to-floor heights and maximizes the number of floors in a building, and in some cases additional floors can be gained while maintain- ing the same building height. The composite action between steel and concrete allows Deltabeam to eas- ily span over 30 feet between columns, and since the system is often utilized to support prestressed hol- lowcore slabs, the spans perpendicular to the beam can exceed 40 feet. Deltabeam installation at Amica North Oakville, Oakville, ON. 7071 Oakwood Drive, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada L2G 0J3 Telephone (905) 356-1581 • Fax (905) 354-2077 Email: info@niacoat.com Website: www.niacoat.com Coatings.indd 1 Coatings.indd 1 2022-10-27 2:19 PM 2022-10-27 2:19 PM PROVIDING A COMPREHENSIVE REINFORCING STEEL SERVICE 1-877-561-5025 • rebar@canasteel.com • www.canasteel.com TERRACE 250-635-5002 DAWSON CREEK 250-782-5024 PRINCE GEORGE (HEAD OFFICE) 250-562-5025 CASTLEGAR 250-693-5505 - REINFORCING THE FUTURE - Cana Steel Rebar.indd 1 Cana Steel Rebar.indd 1 2023-10-30 12:46 2023-10-30 12:46

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