Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/178320
Digital Overhead As manuals go online, the roofing and cladding sector opts for more high-tech and shop-based systems by Godfrey Budd A sk contractors in almost any sector of the con- the RCABC's Wiki-based manual seems struction industry about the 'paperwork' aspect likely to improve awareness of new of their work and most will concede that there is products and encourage their develroom for improvement. This aspect can be sub- opment. stantial, covering a range of functions and issues, including But in the rapidly growing PV solar costing and developing a quote, compliance with standards panel sector there seems to be no shortand regulation, best practices, information on products and age of new products and developments. prices and HR. It can also be dif icult and frustrating, espe- An example, from Ontario Panelization, cially for smaller out its where owners may have to do all this is described as "Canada's irst buildingwork themselves. At big contractors, because of their sheer integrated photo-voltaic wall system." size, each major sector within the irm usually has a special"We've created a mounting frame ist to take care of it. Unlike the small contractor, no one at a system for it. You don't see any frame, big construction irm has to become a quasi-expert in half a just glass from edge to edge," says Travis dozen different specialized areas of paperwork. Whatever the Conrad, a sales representative and techarea of paperwork-related information, however, having all nical advisor with Ontario Panelization. the information at one easily accessible location – virtual or Wall panels can be any colour, otherwise – can only expedite the process. although black is the most ef icient. "You In the B.C. roo ing and cladding sector, developments at the lose some ef iciency with colour: green, Roo ing Contractors Association of BC (RCABC) are underway pink, etc. But people are surprised at how that should assist its members in dealing with some aspects of little you do lose," says Conrad. The company's mounting system this often complex area. The association has had a hard-copy roo ing practice manual available to members for years and has been redesigned to accommodate a hard-to-search PDF version has also been available online the new frameless solar system, which for some time. The manual has provided a great deal of useful is integrated within the exterior raininformation – on standards, best practices and products. Updating the manuals involved mail-outs to members who Weather-Tite laminate shingles from Building Products of Canada. wanted everything in hard copy. But now the association is close to completing what is described as a Wikibased manual, and it is possible that even those RCABC members who prefer the supposed comfort zone of hardcopy may start to give the new websupported product a closer look after it is fully rolled out this summer. (It is currently in Beta launch.) "The format is very searchable. When changes are made you can see where the change has come from, say, a standard from 2009. You'll see the current standard or product but you'll also know when it changed and what it changed from. When [the manual] refers to a manufacturer and its product, we put a hyperlink there," says Ivan van Spronsen, executive vice president of RCABC. An advantage of the Wiki format is that it is transferable to any platform. "You could look something up on your smartphone while on site. This allows a discussion to be settled quickly." While manuals don't themselves account for the development of great, new products, the level of access and speed of updating to be delivered by Roofing/Cladding Materials p.10-17Roofing & Cladding.indd 11 screen panel system. Ontario Panelization works with a consulting irm to ensure its solar PV products match Canadian electrical standards. The cladding for the rainscreen assembly is a 'porcelainized' ceramic that was super-heated and compressed as part of the manufacturing process. The scratch-resistant and shatter-proof ceramic, which includes ibreglass for tensile reinforcement, can also be used for looring as well as rainscreen cladding. Expect products and systems of this sort to become more widespread. Conrad notes that Odersun, a German company that specializes in customized photovoltaics for architecture, now offers a free application for the iPad. The SolarmoduleDesigner is an easy-to-use software tool for designing solar modules that can precisely match a client's requirements. The free software includes a CAD exporting feature and won design awards both last year and this year. The European in luence also continues to manifest itself in areas less immediately associated with the high-tech world, for example, in products with the esthetic charm and warmth of genuine wood. The ProdEX panels from Prodema SA are made with wood veneer. The composite panels have a Bakelite or phenolic resin core and the natural wood veneer of the exterior has a proprietary synthetic resin-based coating that JUNE 2012 /11 5/25/12 11:39:06 AM