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October 2016

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OCTOBER 2016 | 15 Insulation C Insulation products rapidly evolve to meet stringent code requirements by ANGELA ALTASS Changes to building and energy codes are impacting the insulation industry with increasing consideration and focus on energy efficiency, climate change and the environment. "There are numerous jurisdictions that are in the process of revising codes, increasing insu- lation requirements and working with new energy models," says Ryan Hunniford, operations manager, Tech-Crete Processors Ltd. "Our perspective is cer- tainly guided by the nature of our business. As a man- ufacturer, our greatest focus is on serving our niche as best as possible." Some markets have experienced increases in adop- tion of the use of spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insu- lation due to new energy codes that have been rolling out over the past few years in each province, says Andrew Cole, executive director, Canadian Urethane Foam Contractors Association (CUFCA). "We see this trend continuing as builders look at overall energy effi- ciency performance requirements." The adoption of a new National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings will greatly impact the way build- ings, such as condominiums and office towers, are being designed and constructed. "The codes are going to keep getting tougher, which they should because we spend a lot of effort with LEED and green building rating systems about the material used in a building," notes Brian Hall, managing director, Canadian Precast Prestressed Concrete Institute (CPCI), "but 85 percent of all the energy that is used is in the operation of the building, so it's only 15 percent during construction." In B.C. and Ontario, where the cities of Vancouver and Toronto have drawn the most attention for the construction of towering floor-to-ceiling glass build- ings, new legislation is demanding that owners and developers provide the overall actual energy perfor- mance value of new developments. Products are continually evolving with better insu- lation factors, says Hall, but calculating the overall R factor is essential to creating optimal energy solutions. There are several types of R-values reported in the industry or demanded by codes. The installed R-value, or nominal R-value, is arrived at by adding the thermal resistance of all layers, such as the outer concrete, insu- lation and inner concrete in concrete sandwich panels. As a result, insulation providers are working hard to deliver products with greater R per inch, lower moisture absorption, conforming blowing agents and chemical compositions, says John Carson, executive director, AltusGroup Inc. "Industry has consolidated and retrenched to the new construction environment and market, and offers more tools and education pro- grams than ever before," says Carson. AltusGroup, a consortium of leading precast- ers in North America, has recently introduced the CarbonCast precast wall system into the Canadian market. The CarbonCast system uses a carbon epoxy fibre grid composite truss reinforcement as the wythe connector. CarbonCast high-performance insulated wall panels are typically composed of two prestressed concrete wythes separated by EPS or XPS continuous insulation and connected by high strength C-Grid car- bon fibre shear trusses. The C-Grid shear trusses and patented internal pilasters render a panel with full composite action for superior structural behaviour and improved durability. Non-composite panels are also available. "Our CarbonCast system is unique," says Carson. "We strive to market precast insulated sandwich walls that are fully ci and provide full composite action. Carbon is stronger than steel by weight, is chemically inert and ideal material for a superior non-corrosive solution with low thermal transfer." A Great Performance Icynene high-performance closed cell spray foam insulation.

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