Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/687429
+ Impact resistent Vanguard shingles from Building Products of Canada. Air handling unit lowered onto a spring isolated curb custom built by Vibra-Sonic Control. J UNE 2016 | 17 Roofing/Cladding Materials Roofing and cladding experts offer solutions for the unintended consequences of modern techniques by GODFREY BUDD I nnovations and trends in modern design and construction practices bestow many benefits and improvements from lower energy costs to more comfort- able interior work spaces. Change, however, has brought some unintended con- sequences, not all of them desirable. Fortunately, according to experts, there are usually solutions available. Evolving techniques and materials used in roof construction are one example. The current proliferation of lighter weight roof structures consisting of metal and poured concrete is boosting demand for products that attenuate noise and vibration from HVAC equipment, says Tony Adamson, senior project co-ordinator at Vibra- Sonic Control. Spring mounts, bases, rails, curbs and other plinth-like devices for sound and vibration isolation are typically installed above the cladding and just beneath mechanical equipment. Spring mounts, for instance, are used to isolate the vibration created by electrical equipment with rotating components and prevent the trans- fer of energy into the structure. "Curbs block off an area of the roof through which ducts come up to the HVAC system. A curb provides physical and acoustic isolation," Adamson says. Another modern product, EIFS, has been embroiled in controversy in the past. The sector, however, continues making improvements, and, in the case of an ini- tiative at Dryvit Systems Canada, has started to provide a 20-year impact resis- tance warranty for its High Durability Continuous Insulation (HDCI) product line. "If, within that time frame, the lamina is punctured due to normal wear, Dryvit will pay to have the damage repaired," says a recent Dryvit bulletin announcing the new warranty. "We are targeting schools and supermarkets, places where there is a high chance of impact on the walls," says Eric McCathie, marketing and technical service asso- ciate at Dryvit. Impact resistance, to address the increasing incidence of severe hail and extreme weather weather events is also very much the raison d'etre behind a new shingle product from Building Products of Canada. The testing procedure for the product involves dropping a two-inch-diameter steel ball from a height of 20 feet twice at sev- eral locations of the shingle without there being any cracking or fissuring. "Vanguard was researched and developed so that it would have UL 2216 Class 4 impact resis- tance," says Gilles Landry, product line manager at Building Products of Canada. Over And Above