Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/182553
Energy efficiency and more demanding building envelope standards continue to force advancements in window and curtain wall systems, says Jim Lebedovich, general manager of Phoenix Glass Inc. "As building standards continue to rise, building designs are driven by their overall energy and enveloping requirements," he says. This has translated into new NAFS requirements, which increase testing of windows and doors to ensure they are in compliance with the industry standards. This year Phoenix launched its Columbia Aluminum Products i675HP Series – a new high-rise window wall system that meets a 0.38 overall weighted U-value, which includes swing and sliding doors, as well as vents. "It is designed to have a curtain wall appearance with the performance and installation of a window wall," says Lebedovich. The system has been deployed on the Granville at 70th project in Vancouver for Icon Pacific Construction & Westbank Corporation. "It's a unitized system completely manufactured in-house and accelerates installation and reduces man power requirements," says Lebedovich. This system is being installed in the New Westminster Civic Center for PCL Constructors. A new 4SSG unitized curtain wall system called the Columbia Aluminum Products i625 Series was also used. When it comes to manufacturers, they are responding to a desire for windows with improved thermal energy efficiency, says Warren Elmer, president of Glastech Glazing Contractors Ltd. "Glass manufacturers are adding Low-E coatings to multiple surfaces, including newly advanced outer surfaces that would not normally have coating," he says. ENERGY EFFICIENCY STANDARDS Window Wall & curtain Wall p18-23Windowwall.indd 21 Columbia Aluminum Product i625 Series was used on the New Westminster Civic Centre for PCL Constructors. Rendering: Phoenix Glass. Glastech has a new patented product called Zip Clip that can change a sealed unit in a four-sided structural silicone application without going back two times. "Normally a unitized curtain wall is built in panels in a shop with a fast curing two-part silicone that sets up in 24 hours," he says. "When changing a unit in a tower, such as the wall centre, you cannot use the twopart. This clip system leaves a tidy interior strip [no black silicone or gasket], holds the unit in place with enough strength to meet the wind loads and allows us to apply the finish bead on the same day as the installation. Once we leave a floor, we do not have to go back." LEED certification is also launching improvements to curtain and window wall systems, says Paul Arnold, general manager of preconstruction services at Starline Architectural Windows Ltd. ALL ABOUT U october 2013 /21 13-09-13 3:36 PM