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J UNE 2018 | 23 Roofing/Cladding Materials PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY ENGINEERED ASSEMBLIES Closer to home, Longboard's product design department created a natural effect algorithm that enables architects and designers to achieve a realistic wood appearance using two different wood grain colours; this algorithm in turn was used by Kori Chan, principal at Proscenium Architecture + Interiors Inc., to create a unique look for the Vancouver Lawn Tennis & Badminton Club. Chan notes that the challenge of this project was to "marry a contemporary solution with more traditional elements like badminton hall," and by reviewing prospective materials for this renovation it became apparent that real wood would not meet code standards – so Longboard was the best esthetic choice. "It did a much better job than other products we were looking at," he says, adding that although Proscenium had a very short window to get product approved and installed, Longboard facilitated the process, as well as helped with custom profiles and detailing: "We're very happy with the way it turned out – it's a much more pleasant building to look at." The neighbourhoods surrounding Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Park are being substantially redeveloped, and this is giving developers the opportunity to create an esthetic that is modern and yet references traditional elements. In this regard, Engineered Assemblies is especially proud to have contributed to the creation of 35 Park West, three distinctive six-storey buildings positioned along a curvature in the same-named tree-lined heritage boulevard. The project's bold, contemporary design is enhanced by the extensive use of one-by-three metre Savoia porcelain panels as a luxurious and resilient cladding material. Darren Smith, national sales manager for Engineered Assemblies, says, "This is one of the largest porcelain panel installations in Western Canada ever done in a rear ventilated rainscreen facade assembly. Usually, the public sees these types of panels in shopping malls and other commercial settings, glued directly to the substrate." Tried and tested throughout Europe, porcelain panel ventilated facades (made possible by Engineered Assemblies' partnership with Fiandre Canada) represent the evolution of building envelope technologies. Not only are they green, frost resistant and UV stable, they are also available in an enormous range of colours, textures, and size formats. For 35 Park West, the panels were fastened by the company's BearClaw system, whereby the clips are fastened to the panel in a controlled environment Savoia porcelain panels, 35 Park West, Vancouver, B.C. The Fence People.indd 1 2018-05-01 11:47 AM

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