Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/354800
likely helping the spray foam sector. Cole underlines that foam is a field-made product and that all CUFCA members are trained and licenced applicators in accor- dance with government mandated standards. He adds that CUFCA members have recently been increasing their share of the spray-applied market by about 20 per cent annually. Standards and concerns around volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have sharpened lately and spurred product improvement on many fronts. Solvent-based anti-carbonation protective coating has been used on concrete-faced structures with steel reinforcement for many years. But Durabond Products Limited is now introducing a waterborne product, Acrotel EC-A. It is a 100 per cent acrylic, high-build elastomeric coating to protect reinforced concrete against carbon dioxide dif- fusion, which can lead to corrosion of steel reinforce- ment in concrete structures. This high-performance coating features a tough durable membrane which is UV-stable, low in VOCs and can be applied in tempera- tures as low as minus 10 degrees Celcius. Also on the environmental front, Lafarge Canada Inc. is working with consultants and other experts to develop an environmental building declaration ( EBD). It is based on the same principle as an environmental product declaration (EPD). EBD diverges from LEED in its approach, but has an essentially similar objective. "There's no spin. The EBD doesn't involve a guideline for designing a build- ing. There are no prescriptive check marks. The build- ing is assessed after it's built," says Don Zakariasen, director of marketing for concrete products at Lafarge North America. The company has just opened a 19,000-square-foot technical research hub in Edmonton that includes A new vapour barrier is a self-adhesive product from 3M. Shown above being installed at the Moose Jaw hospital, SK. Photo courtesy Skyline Group. AUGUST 2014 /19 Building Envelope