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Building Envelope

April 25, 2008

Getting the envelope wrong is just too costly

Over time, we have come to understand that without the practice of the discipline now known as building science, these buildings, and all others constructed without the benefit of a building science perspective, just don’t function properly, efficiently, effectively or with any degree of comfort for residents.

April 24, 2008

Contractors work in dead of night to complete make-over of Museum subway station

Re-cladding the track walls of the Toronto Transit Commission’s redesigned Museum subway station required tradesmen to work the graveyard shift. Jeviso Construction Corp. was the general contractor on the project.

April 24, 2008

Davies-Smith Development’s Rowe rises

Davies-Smith Development Partnership began the 12-storey, 131-unit project in July 2007; completion is scheduled for February 2009.

April 8, 2008

ASHRAE develops tools to help designers create “net zero” energy buildings

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is intent on development of tools to help designers create "net zero" energy buildings by 2020.

April 1, 2008

Louisiana Superdome renovation lets in the light

Sunshine will make its debut this summer in the cavernous interior of the Louisiana Superdome when four windows are added to the famously monolithic exterior of the silver-skinned New Orleans stadium, according to a story in New Orleans City Business.

March 14, 2008

HOK’s Killbear Provincial Park Visitor Centre minimizes impact on Georgian Bay environment

Demonstrating environmental stewardship was front and centre on the agenda when HOK set out to design the $4.5 million Killbear Provincial Park Visitor Centre.

March 12, 2008

PCL Constructors create walls of windows at RBC Centre

Installation of exterior glass continues at the RBC Centre office tower on Wellington St. W. in Toronto.

March 11, 2008

After 12 years of delays and setbacks, Toronto Life Square prepares to open its doors

The long-awaited Toronto Life Square, a 360,000-square foot, 10-storey mixed-use project at the corner of Dundas and Yonge Streets, will finally opening its doors this spring.

February 27, 2008

Remington Group shows fine form at Downtown Markham Phase One development

A form gets a lift at the Downtown Markham Phase One development in Markham, Ontario.

February 22, 2008

Atlanta Green-Roof renovation

Strong design geometry combining a fully landscaped garden roof, outdoor dining terraces, two new 56-foot dome skylights and a walkway connection to the office tower highlight the recently completed green roof renovation project at Atlanta’s Northpark 500, leased and managed by CB Richard Ellis.

April 27, 2007

Software models daylight, indoor air pollutants

The National Research Council (NRC) is promoting two electronic tools — Daylight 1-2-3 and IA-QUEST — developed to assist design practitioners in creating buildings that are comfortable, suitable for the Canadian climate and environment-friendly.

April 27, 2007

Indoor, outdoor environment meet at the flooring

More attention needs to be paid to the design, use and testing of slab-on-grade construction, according to a building envelope specialist.

April 27, 2007

Pushing the envelope requires consideration of challenges

For a generation now, our industry has been “pushing the envelope” and stressing the need for a science-based approach to the building envelope. Why? The cost of envelope failure is simply too high to ignore.

April 27, 2007

U.S. markets seeking air barrier expertise

While air barriers are a common feature of Canadian construction projects, only an estimated one per cent of commercial buildings in the U.S. are protected by the systems. Canada’s National Building Code (NBC) incorporates air barrier requirements for commercial buildings, while only a few U.S. states have any requirement at all.

April 27, 2007

Quantifying the effects of window choice on human comfort levels

An office worker sits at a desk beside a window designed to exacting specifications. It contains an inert gas that insulates it from the outside elements and uses a special coating to reduce the effects of ultraviolet radiation on building occupants.

April 27, 2007

Index assesses moisture rates

The increasingly globalized economy is presenting Canadian builders with a wider choice in building materials than ever before.

April 27, 2007

Challenging design places demands on installation

When architect Frank Gehry designs a building, such as the addition and renovation of Toronto’s Art Gallery, heads turn and tongues wag.

April 27, 2007

Roofers, roofing designers not always the same

Looking in the yellow pages for a roofer could be the worst business decision that a designer or contractor ever made, a roofing consultant told members of the building envelope profession recently.

April 27, 2007

Designs not popular in Canada's harsh climates

The University of Toronto’s Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research is among those buildings designed with a dual skin.

April 27, 2007

Checklists identify potential

Building code changes, evolving materials and technologies, and the challenges posed by an over-stretched construction industry are just some of the items required on a building envelope checklist.

April 27, 2007

Polymer spray protects building occupants

A polymer material that started life as a tough coating to protect truck-beds is now protecting soldiers and government buildings as well.

April 27, 2007

Manuals keep designers on top of developing issues

The American-based Gypsum Association’s 18th edition of the Fire Resistance Design Manual Sound Control, published last June, isn’t the only directory offered to designers and contractors with information on fire resistive and sound control systems. It is simply the best, say industry pundits.

April 27, 2007

Common sense approach reduces water infiltration

A Quebec-based building envelope consultant has a common sense approach for those whose aim it is to reduce water infiltration.

April 27, 2007

Masonry construction - sounds like the right choice

One important reason for building with masonry is that it provides superior sound control. Whether it’s concrete block, clay brick, or stone, masonry possesses an inherent resistance to the passage of airborne sound, which makes it a superior performer in attenuating low-frequency, airborne noise caused by building mechanical systems, elevators, amplified music, traffic and aircraft. Although some alternative systems may perform as well as masonry for frequencies in the speech range, these lower mass systems have difficulty insulating against low-frequency noise.