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14 | OCTOBER 2017 Curtain Wall & Window Wall inside the wall space to keep the outer wall cool. In the winter, the blinds are angled to redirect the UV rays to superheat the air space and keep the exterior wall warm for occupant comfort." CGI has worked on a design assist basis for a num- ber of offices and uses materials such as high-perfor- mance window glazing and exterior wall systems to reduce energy consumption and optimize daylight- ing, solar panels to capture energy, and sunshades to reduce glare. These factors contribute to a health- ier and brighter work environment, which in turn improves productivity and the health of the workers. As the technological evolution speeds up exponen- tially, one rather unique system that is gaining momen- tum here in Canada in the curtain wall and window wall sector is the Mull-It-Over mullion trim cap. The cap provides the co-ordinated transition between interior and exterior systems to allow them to perform to their full potential; it reduces both noise transfer between rooms and the risk of fire. This rather ingenious product is the brainchild of construction professional Bruce Burgess. "I was find- ing that every time I worked on a building with glass I was running into the same problem: You can have a conversation with someone in one room and hear them in the adjacent room. I was doing a lot of health- care projects and it was while working on a children's hospital that I decided I wanted to fix the problem. We knew what the problem was but we couldn't find anyone, or any solution on the market, to fit it," says Burgess. So he took matters into his own hands. "After about the 50th time that I heard someone argue whether that section was part of the inside or outside of the building I got frustrated and decided to look into it. We know that curtain wall manufactur- ers primarily focus on weather-related factors. And we know that interior manufacturers focus on dry- wall sound insulation, which ends at the slab edge of a building, yet there's this gap. I went to the sound cham- ber in 2011 with an idea, followed this up with further research and data and it became quite obvious how to fit it," says Burgess. The Mull-It-Over mullion cap was born. Today the system is being used on a lot of the large projects in the U.S. including the 60-storey Auberge Miami and the Minnesota Vikings new practice facility, while Canada is currently taking more of a "wait and see approach," as Burgess puts it, the benefits of this system are slowly being recognized up here too. "Mull-It-Over can now be seen in the Edmonton Oilers new Rogers Place facility where it has been used in coaching areas where where confidentiality is important, as well as the Western Interdisciplinary Research Building in London, Ontario, that focussed on leading-edge research. We are seeing greater demand in particular from the health care and legal sector." And with a finish to match any curtain wall finish, this is definitely one innovation to watch over the next year. A PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY MULL-IT-OVER The Mull-It-Over mullion cap. Aluflam.indd

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