corners: legal
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Insurance
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Environment
Fall 2007
Providing Greater Value to Construction Project Design & Delivery
Bringing beauty and safety into
everyday spaces BIM and other construction trends Keeping communication flowing District energy boosts development
Now Inside!
PM 40063056
Supplementary Focus on
Building Envelope
Following Page 28
Providing Greater Value to Construction Project Design & Delivery
Contents 20 Construction trends
Is BIM set to transform the design and construction industry? Many industry observers are predicting that Building Information Modeling (BIM) is going to completely transform the way we design, build and maintain buildings.
Editorial 6
Sound control in multi-dwelling buildings Acoustical design is often over-looked in architecture and construction, yet it is a critical factor in keeping residents happy in multi-dwelling buildings.
29 Office considerations
Tips for selecting a mobile office The mobile office trailer has evolved and transformed into something more than just a box on a work site. Keeping vital communication flowing Missed phone calls, old voice messages and telephone tag have no place in the construction industry with its massive details and critical time lines.
35 Project Profile
Elevating the lowly bus terminal Airy, open, voluminous yet warm and inviting are not the usual adjectives used to describe these spaces typically for people eager to be elsewhere.
40 Profile
51
T he time has come for energy and water saving ideas in Building Code revisions
News
Steel scores high for airport facility The creative and dominant use of steel made this project a twocategory winner in the Ontario Steel Design Awards. 15
A spectacular new structure replaced a tired old transit terminal and raised the bar in providing a welcoming and safe space for local and international bus passengers. See page 35. Cover photo courtesy of Glos Associates Inc.
Greenfield development gets district energy boost Billed as North America’s largest LEED-registered mixed-use development, Markham Centre aims to have townhouses and condos adjacent to corporate offices, stores, parks and entertainment venues so residents can walk to work, shop and play.
46 Building Envelope Supplement Keeping architectural precast walls dry Tips on ensuring a moisture free assembly from both the exterior and the interior.
Office construction boom drives 8 record profits this year • WCB gets tough on N.S. employers lax with safety • CSC predicts Ontario can meet rising labour demand • Govt advisor looks at skilled trades compulsory certification • World Architecture Day devoted to climate change • Online tool compares green roof costs, benefits • Community improvement encourages energy efficiency • ARIDO Awards honour Ontario’s interior designers • Consumers group argues for energy efficiency in building code • CCA notes scarcity of LEED-certified builders • Showtime for Canada’s building industry
Legal Corner (Sponsored by: Glaholt LLP) 16 Protecting your rights through registered fixture interests
Environment Corner (Sponsored by: Tri-Phase Environmental Inc.) 18 Detecting and eliminating mould Now Inside!
Metal regains favour for roofs and walls Architectural metal finishes offer the sophistication of design, simplicity of structure and the assurance of a complete building envelope system. Options for enveloping your building Putting a good face on a well-built structure involves a number of visible elements, such as wall coverings and windows, as well as some not-sovisible protective features.
26 26
Following Page 28
Building Strategies Fall 2007
5
Editorial
The time has come for energy and water saving ideas in Building Code revisions
O
ne of the perks of being a journalist and having a window seat at the forefront of an industry is witnessing shifts and trends coming from a variety of angles and developing critical mass. Two profiles in this issue happen to involve district energy. Their local municipalities are each providing a single source for distributing heat and cooling to multiple buildings for both economical and environmental reasons. Expect to see many more district energy systems whether both heating and cooling or just one or the other. Toronto's cooling project is still said to be the largest of its kind in the world and the only one that offers both drinking water and cooling. At last count, nearly 60 buildings had signed on to use the system which brings cold water from Lake Ontario to cool buildings and save energy. Also in this issue, a news item cites the Consumers Council of Canada as joining the growing voice for energy conservation again for both economical and environmental reasons. A new report released early October by the Council, called Energy Efficiency in Building Codes, recommends adopting energy efficiency as a core objective in Canada's Building Code to protect home buyers and fight global warming. The Council points out that the National Building Code, which does not consider energy efficiency or even incorporate a minimum level of insulation and thermal efficiency for windows, has been adopted by Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Territories.
Joan Huzar, past-president of the Council and current chair of the Council's Energy Committee, observed: "The Council assessment of public opinion polling indicates that consumers overwhelmingly believe in, and want, energy efficiency standards in their Building Codes. The next edition of the National Building Code is due in 2010, so now is the time for citizens, politicians, officials and regulators to begin the effort to ensure the new Code reflects the interest of a majority of Canadians, not just home builders. The time has come to protect consumers from unnecessarily high heating and cooling bills, cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce energy consumption." Let’s not forget water conservation! I look forward to a wave, so to speak, of public sentiment that calls for mandatory water-saving measures such as dual flush toilets or, for retrofit applications, products such as the Magic Flush (www.magicflush.com) or the TwoFlush from Aquanotion Ltd. (www. twoflush.com). Kudos to First Capital Realty Inc. whose recently announced list of 30 development projects currently underway, or in the planning stages of development, being built according to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification standards, prompts it to claim to be “the first shopping centre company in Canada to fully commit to green development.” All these would seem to be ideas whose time has come.
Providing Greater Value to Construction Project Design & Delivery
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Building Strategies Fall 2007
News
Office construction boom drives record profits this year After more than three years of growth, profits in Canada’s non-residential construction industry are expected to peak at $2 billion in 2007, according to the Conference Board’s Canadian Industrial Outlook: Canada’s Non-Residential Construction Industry – Summer 2007. “Construction of office buildings, especially in Alberta and Ontario, is the main reason for the record financial performance in recent years,” said Valerie Poulin, Economist. “However, rising material and labour costs are starting to trim
“
WCB gets tough on N.S. employers lax with safety In an effort to improve injury rates and return to work performance in Nova Scotia, the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) is,
A large percentage of costs to the system are due to the injury and return to work performance of a small percentage of employers, yet all employers are bearing these costs.
builders’ profit margins. Since labour accounts for a third of all costs, the tight labour market is of particular concern for the industry.” Solid economic growth is pushing office vacancy rates down and spurring construction activity, leading to record price increases last year and this year. Both revenues and costs rose by more than 20 per cent in 2006, and are forecast to increase by more than 10 per cent this year. In 2007, revenues will again rise faster than costs, as they have for the past two years. Growth in demand for new construction is forecast to ease slightly in the next two years. Meanwhile, labour and material costs will increase faster than revenues beginning in 2008. Profit levels are expected to fall every year through 2011, but they will still be considered high by historical standards. As it is too early to assess the impact of the subprime mortgage crisis on the overall economy, the current uncertainty is not included in the outlook for Canada’s non-residential construction industry. The outlook examines commercial, institutional and industrial construction
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segments. It is the first release of the Conference Board’s new Canadian Industrial Outlook: Canada’s Non- Residential Construction Industry. Published twice a year, the content for this report was previously included in the Board’s broader construction industry report. Details at www.conferenceboard.ca.
Building Strategies Fall 2007
for the first time, levying surcharges on 79 employers with consistently poor safety and return to work records. The WCB recently mailed packages to the 18,000 employers it covers, notifying them of their 2008 workers’ compensation assessment rates. The average assessment rate remains unchanged from the last three years at $2.65 per $100 of payroll, although individual industry rates will shift, either up or down, depending on that industry’s claim experience. Among the 18,000 covered employers, 49 per cent will see their rates decrease, 50 per cent will experience an increase, one per cent will see no change and 0.5 per cent will receive a surcharge. “In an ideal world, the WCB would not need to issue surcharges,” said Nancy MacCreadyWilliams, WCB CEO. “But assessment rates are one lever we can push to help employers embrace a workplace safety culture in Nova Scotia and reduce the human and economic toll of workplace injures. A large percentage of costs to the system are due to the injury and return to work performance of a small percentage of employers. Yet, all employers are bearing these costs.”
Last year, over 30,000 Nova Scotians were injured on the job. There is a workplace injury in Nova Scotia about every 15 minutes. Last year 22 people died as a result of a workplace injury – about one every two weeks. There is a huge potential to reduce the human suffering associated with workplace injury in Nova Scotia. In order to be surcharged, an employer’s safety and return to work performance must be at least 200 per cent worse than the average for their industry for at least four consecutive years. The 79 employers who will receive a surcharge in 2008 have already received two warning notices, one in each of the past two years, allowing them time to take action to prevent workplace injuries and avoid or reduce the amount of the surcharge. Among the 18,000 employers receiving packages, 162 will get a first warning notice that a surcharge could be applied to their premiums in 2010 while another 80 employers will receive their second warning notice that a surcharge could be applied in 2009. The 79 employers facing a surcharge in 2008 will see increases in their rate ranging from $0.09 to $1.82 per $100 of assessable payroll. This will mean an increased premium owing in 2008 up to $360,000 depending on the rate increase and reported payroll of each company. Under this program, a surcharged company can continue to see increases of up to 20 per cent each year with no maximum. “The surcharge is an incentive for those employers with the most potential to improve their performance to focus on injury prevention and early and safe return to work,” adds MacCready-Williams. “Many of these employers have already started to make improvements. Safe and healthy work is incredibly valuable to individuals and to the province as a whole. When injury takes that away, everyone stands to lose. Creating safer workplaces and fostering safe, timely return to work is in everyone’s best interest. It can translate into lower premiums for employers, and most importantly, it means fewer Nova Scotians being injured, fewer lives disrupted due to injury.”
CSC predicts Ontario can meet rising labour demand Ontario is well equipped to handle the need for more than 85,000 new construction workers during the next nine years, according to a forecast released earlier this year by the Construction Sector Council (CSC). Construction Looking Forward: Labour Requirements from 2007 to 2015 for Ontario, says the province’s construction industry will need 50,000 workers to replace retirees and another 35,000 to keep pace with steady growth during the forecast period. The report predicts average annual growth of three per cent in the residential sector and two per cent in the non-residential sector in the period leading up to 2015. According to the forecast, attracting, recruiting and training the needed workforce at this pace will be a manageable challenge for
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CONSTRUCTION LAWYERS www.glaholt.com
News operators, equipment mechanics and truck drivers. They also highlighted these key trades with younger age profiles: floor covering installers, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics, roofers, trade helpers and labourers, residential and commercial installers. A new feature to this year’s Construction Looking Forward report permits customized data searches online. This tool in intended to help individuals source out the exact data that is relevant to their needs. Details at www.csc-ca.org.
Govt advisor looks at skilled trades compulsory certification
employers, labour groups and training institutions. The report examines Ontario’s construction industry in five regions, Greater Toronto, Central, Northern, Eastern and the Southwest. Construction Looking Forward: Labour Requirements from 2007 to 2015 for Ontario, says regional mobility within the province will help balance the need for workers but warns that Ontario’s labour markets could be disturbed in the short term as workers seek job opportunities in tighter labour markets, such as the Western provinces. The CSC produced the forecast with input from all sectors of the construction industry and government through the region’s Labour Market Information (LMI) Committee. “The increasing need for more construction workers in Ontario and across Canada compels industry and governments to target their efforts to ensure all potential workers, including Aboriginal peoples, women, youth, unemployed and underemployed workers and immigrant workers are part of a thoughtful and comprehensive solution,’’ said CSC executive director George Gritziotis. Recruiting, training and certification programs must be sustained through periods of weak construction activity. That was the key message delivered by CSC’s Ernie Stokes and Bill Empey to participants in the Atlantic Construction Symposium held in Nova Scotia Community College last June 2007. Their presentation of the CSC LMI Forecast for the Atlantic Region cautioned that late in the forecast period (2007 to 2015), more than four per cent of the workforce must be replaced annually. They singled out these key trades with older age profiles: bricklayers, managers and supervisors, crane operators, equipment
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Building Strategies Fall 2007
Tim Armstrong, public policy advisor, legal counsel, author and recipient of the Order of Ontario, has been appointed to review compulsory certification in the skilled trades, Chris Bentley, Ontario Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities announced in August. "Tim Armstrong brings extensive public policy experience in apprenticeship, trades and labour relations to this position," said Bentley. "His review will take a look at compulsory certification to make sure our apprenticeship system continues to meet proper safety standards, provides value to consumers, and serves the needs of our growing economy." Currently, 21 of the more than 140 skilled trades in Ontario that involve apprenticeship require compulsory certification. Among many career highlights, Tim Armstrong practised law in Toronto for 16 years, specializing in labour and other administrative law litigation. He served in the Ontario government for 18 years, including terms as deputy minister of the Ministry of Labour and the former Ministry of Industry, Technology and Trade. Armstrong is currently the Japan Bank for International Co-operation's chief representative in Canada, chair of the Radiation Safety Institute of Canada, vice chair of the Ontario Press Council, and serves on the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. Bentley announced the compulsory certification review in May. As advisor, Armstrong will study the implications of expanding compulsory certification, including such factors as health and safety, consumer protection and economic impact, and deliver his written report around February 2008.
World Architecture Day devoted to climate change October 1, marked by members of the International Union of Architects (UIA) as the world day of architecture, was devoted this year to climate change and one of its principal causes: carbon dioxide emissions. As noted by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), about half of all greenhouse gas emissions are produced by the construction and transportation sectors. The construction sector alone is responsible for half of the annual energy consumption. “Every
actor in the building industry bears a part of the responsibility for this situation, but every actor also has the ability to make a difference in mitigating the effects of climate change. Architects are on the front line to engage this struggle,” reads an UIA release distributed by the RAIC. “Architects must be exacting in terms of energy performance for all the materials that go into their works,” noted Gaetan Siew, UIA president. “They must also consider the carbon footprint made by these materials during fabrication, transportation, construction and maintenance. It is every architect's responsibility to preserve the natural resources of the planet, to eliminate waste, recycle, and use local resources with the imagination and ingenuity that characterise our profession. All know-how, techniques, technologies and innovations must take us closer to these objectives.” The UIA represents over 1,300,000 architects around the world, many of whom are already committed to this goal. www.uiaarchitectes.org; www.raic.org
Online tool compares green roof costs, benefits A tool to compare the short- and longterm costs and benefits of green roofs and conventional roofs has been launched by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, in partnership with the Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance and the Athena Institute. Called the GreenSave Calculator, it is said to be the first web-enabled life cycle cost-benefit tool of its kind for professionals such as architects, designers, engineers, developers and building owners. The GreenSave Calculator was designed under the leadership of Ralph Velasquez, Sustainable Technologies Manager, Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance, along with the members of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities' Life-Cycle Cost-Benefit Sub-Committee, and the Athena Institute. The calculator is said to facilitate detailed comparisons of up to three different roofing options over the defined life-span of the project (typically ranging from 25 to 60 years), providing a more accurate, comprehensive picture of the long range impacts of each option. Among the many elements that can be considered are the life cycle study period, discount rate, general and energy price inflation, investment cost data, residual or resale value, recurring operating and maintenance and replacement costs. The GreenSave Calculator is also capable of capturing other possible roof benefits such as storm water and heat island mitigation, extended roof durability, related energy costs and savings, development fee savings, marketing benefits, increased rental income and tenant health and productivity improvements that can be ascribed to a roofing system. With the online availability of Version I, the Life-Cycle Cost-Benefit Committee will continue to enhance the breadth and scope of the GreenSave Calculator in the months to come.
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News "For years, we've been researching the multiple benefits of green roofs. Now for the first time we have a practical tool, the GreenSave Calculator, that can incorporate many of these benefits into the decision making process," said Steven Peck, president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. Green (vegetative) roofs involve the use of high quality waterproofing, drainage, filter cloth, growing media and plants. Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is a Toronto-based association for the green roof industry with over 4,000 individual and 75 corporate members. The organization provides tools, information and services to their members, and advocates for supportive government policies and programs by working directly with cities. It is also launching an accreditation program for green roof designers and installers. www. greenroofs.org.
Community improvement encourages energy efficiency By Barbara Carss
A recently approved community improvement plan (CIP) in Welland provides the first example of incentives for energy efficiency and sustainability that Ontario municipalities are now allowed to offer to the private sector. Welland’s Brownfield CIP uses LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) benchmarks as a basis for grants,
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The performance-based criteria for grants could also help make the economic case for extra or bigger ticket items that could move a project up to the next level of certification.
permit/planning fee reductions and development charge exemptions. In recent years, several Ontario municipalities have adopted CIPs as a means to encourage downtown redevelopment or the cleanup and redevelopment of derelict lands known as brownfields. Amendments to the Ontario Planning Act passed earlier this year have broadened the range of development eligible for incentives to include “the provision of energy efficient uses, buildings, structures, works, improvements or facilities.” Although Welland’s CIP is targeted to brownfield lands, the provincial legislation would allow a municipality to provide incentives for energy efficiency on greenfield lands or on a citywide basis if the approach for doing so was defined in a CIP. “We were just finishing work on our CIP as the Planning Act changed so the timing worked out to our benefit,” says Don Thorpe, General Manager of Planning and Development Services for the City of Welland. “I think the critical component of what we’ve done is including the costs associated with LEED as an eligible cost for the rehabilitation grant program.”
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That program is funded through the tax increment, which is the increased property tax revenue arising from the owner/developer’s investment in upgrading the property. Eligible recipients are rebated a sliding portion of that increment over a number of years to help recover their costs for environmental remediation, infrastructure investment and/or LEED construction.
Building Strategies Fall 2007
Grant amounts are scaled to the LEED level achieved. Developers/owners of projects that do not achieve LEED certification would be eligible for a rebate equivalent to 70% of the tax increment in the first year of the 10-year program, with rebates dropping off to 20% by the 10th year. Rebates increase with each level of LEED so, for example, a LEED gold project would recoup 80% of the tax increment in each of the 10 years of the program. (For more information, see www.city.welland.on.ca/ Development/BF-Presentation.pdf ) Projects attaining any level of LEED would collect discernibly better returns than noncertified projects. The performance-based criteria for grants could also help make the economic case for extra or bigger ticket items that could move a project up to the next level of certification. “If a green roof is part of the LEED certification on a Welland brownfield site, the extra cost of the green roof can be included as an eligible cost and rebated in the form of a grant from the City,” notes Luciano Piccioni, President of RCI Consulting, a firm specializing in municipal financial incentive programs and brownfield redevelopment, and
the consultant who prepared Welland’s CIP. The City of Toronto has not yet explored options for a CIP to support initiatives in the recently adopted Climate Change, Clean Air and Sustainable Action Plan, which includes plans to institute a by-law requiring and governing green roofs. “I wouldn’t want to speculate on that,” says Joe D’Abramo, Manager of Policy & Research with Toronto City Planning. “We have the [green roof pilot] incentive program now and that’s what we are going to rely on.” Toronto City Council approved a Green Roof Incentive Pilot Program for 2007 and increased the incentive to $50 per square metre. While the application deadline is December 31, 2007, Toronto’s well-known budget problems have delayed implementation of the program.
ARIDO Awards honour Ontario’s interior designers The Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO) in September announced the winners of its 23rd annual Awards of Excellence at a gala dinner at the Direct Energy Centre as part of IIDEX/ NeoCon Canada. The award program recognized 26 entries in 12 different categories. Among the winning entries, there were two Projects of the Year, four Awards of Excellence and twenty-one Awards of Merit. This year revealed a shifting emphasis on the re-design of public spaces, as the majority of awards were from commercial and retail-based sectors. The focus on retail was demonstrated by Diego Burdi of burdifilek design who won five awards in total: three Awards of Merit for spectacular luxury retail designs in Holt Renfrew, an Award of Excellence for his work in Capezio as well as the coveted Project of the Year for his design of the retail and tasting areas of Stratus Winery.
News
Consumers group argues for energy efficiency in building code A new report by Consumers Council of Canada recommends adopting energy efficiency as a core objective in Canada's Building Code to protect home buyers and fight global warming. Called Energy Efficiency in Building Codes, the report released Oct. 3, 2007, outlines how the majority of Canadian provinces and territories have inadequate energy efficiency provisions in their building codes for houses, and provides a series of recommendations based on their extensive research to help protect home buyers from rising energy costs and fight global warming. The National Building Code, which does not consider energy efficiency or even incorporate a minimum level of insulation and thermal efficiency for windows, has been adopted by Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Territories. The only provinces with building codes that consider energy efficiency in new house construction are British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and to a lesser extent Alberta. In addition to protecting consumers from rising energy costs, the report highlights that energy efficiency, as a key policy and program objective, will help governments across Canada fight global warming. Energy use in Canada's residential sector is responsible for approximately 17 per cent of Canada's heat trapping greenhouse gas emissions. In September, the Council passed a series of recommendations and finalized their report on the National Building Code which contains data from four recent public opinion polls indicating a significant majority of Canadian consumers strongly support greater energy efficiency. Both the Report and the Council recommendations have been transmitted to the appropriate federal, territorial and provincial governments. The report, available at www.consumerscouncil. com, recommends that: • Energy efficiency in houses be adopted as a core objective within the National Building Code of Canada for inclusion in the 2010 code; and • The National Research Council of Canada immediately update the Model National Energy Code for Houses for inclusion as a reference in the 2010 National Building Code of Canada. Ken Elsey, president and CEO of the Canadian
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Building Strategies Fall 2007
Energy Efficiency Alliance (CEEA), commended the Council for their attention to protecting the interests of Canadian consumers. "Just because a house is built to meet the technical tests of a building code doesn't mean it is adequate from an energy efficiency perspective. These recommendations will help ensure that Canadians are getting the best from their builders and government." Elsey noted the jurisdictions which have essentially adopted, without change, the National Building Code which contains zero provisions for energy efficiency, and singled out Canada's far north and the lack of oversight and regulation for buildings in the Territories. "Many homes in the Territories are built by the Federal Government and are not required to meet any Building Code energy efficiency standard. This is completely unacceptable."
CCA notes scarcity of LEEDcertified builders At a recent Canadian Construction Association (CCA) environment meeting, Michael Atkinson, CCA president, tabled a letter he had written to Brock Carlton, CEO of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, (FCM), in which he
demand. This makes it difficult for builders to compete on municipal projects where LEED certification is required.
Showtime for Canada’s building industry Canada's largest annual exposition and conference on building design, housing, construction, renovation, retrofit and property management is set for Nov. 28 – 30, 2007 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building. Construct Canada, PM Expo and the National Green Building Conference will be held concurrently with DesignTrends, Concrete Canada, and HomeBuilder & Renovator Expo. This is the 19th edition of Canada's largest annual show on building design, construction, housing, renovation and property management. With over 250 seminars, 500 speakers, 1100 exhibits and 23,000 registered attendees, the event will cover the entire building, construction, design, real estate operations and property management sectors. The show is aimed at architects, contractors, engineers, renovators, builders, developers and property managers.
LEED Silver certified condominium residence Radiance @ MintoGardens, Toronto, ON.
Photo courtesy of Minto
Christopher Wright of figure3 scored the other Project of the Year for his dramatic and interactive interpretation of Umbra’s new flagship retail location in Toronto. Indicative of the current commercial building boom, Anna Simone and Elaine Cecconi took an Award of Excellence for their sleek and fashionable Project “X” condominium sales centre. The final Award of Excellence went to Carol Smith of SGH Design Partners who wowed judges with the subtle branding and natural elements found in the reception area, boardroom and salon of the marketing centre of hair care creator Ojon. See more details and award winners at: www.arido.ca.
pointed out the concerns the association has with the relatively small pool of available contractors qualified to respond to tenders requiring green building techniques. He advised that municipalities should check with local or provincial construction associations to determine whether there are enough qualified builders to ensure a competitive bidding process. FCM has 1,600 members and includes Canada’s largest cities, small urban and rural communities and 18 municipal associations. Before mandating that bidders be LEEDqualified, noted Atkinson, it is important to determine whether there are a sufficient number of builders in a given area with LEED-certified qualifications. The CCA has partnered with the Canada Green Building Council to provide LEED courses throughout Canada, and CCA’s Gold Seal committee has officially certified both full and half-day LEED courses. However, these efforts have not been able to keep pace with
The National Green Building Conference, Canada's largest forum on greening new and existing buildings will focus on the latest in best practices for achieving high performance buildings that demonstrate measurable reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Innovations related to materials and technology, energy efficiency, environmental planning, green building economics and project cost controls, building operations and waste management will be featured in the conference program. Exposition dates and hours: are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 28 and 29, then 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30. Free passes to attend the show and over 100 technical updates and product demonstrations are available by registering online at any of these websites: www.concretecanadaexpo. com; www.constructcanada.com; www. designtrendstoronto.com; www.pmexpo.com; www.homebuilderexpo.com.
Legal Corner
By Duncan Glaholt
Personal Property Security Act v. Construction Lien Act
protecting your rights through registered fixture interests
T
he Ontario Court of Appeal is soon expected to release its decision in Kennedy Electric Ltd. v. Rumble Automation Inc. The majority of the Divisional Court in that case had held that the installation a massive assembly line bolted into a factory specifically built to house it did not give rise to a lien since it could neither be considered part of an integrated construction improvement nor a freestanding, independent improvement. This decision has caused many in the mechanical contracting industry to examine forms of security other than the Construction Lien Act. In this regard, the Personal Property Security Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.10 (“PPSA”) is worth another look. Suppliers of services and materials in a construction setting often assume that all materials supplied become incorporated into the improvement and that the lien remedy is the only appropriate remedy. This is not always so. In fact, it may be better for certain suppliers of construction materials to retain title to unpaid goods, perfect their security interest by timely registration under the PPSA, and then enforce payment by repossession, if necessary, free of holdback restrictions, trust fund complexities and the burdensome class action provisions of the Construction Lien Act. On the face of it, the PPSA expressly excludes building materials that have been affixed to real estate from the scope of the Act. Items have been held to be building materials if they are “integral parts of the whole construction” and are “so closely interlinked and identified with other materials generally described as building materials that they must for all practical purposes be considered as building materials”. In other words, material such as lumber or concrete would clearly be building material, while furnaces or stand-alone air conditioning units would not be. Suppliers of materials or equipment other than building material may look to s. 34(1) of the PPSA. This section provides them with a security interest that attaches before the goods become a fixture, with priority over the claim of any person who has an interest in the real property. If the security interest attaches after the goods became a fixture, it has priority only over subsequently acquired interests in the real estate. Section 34(2) of the PPSA provides that this security interest is subordinate to the interest of subsequent purchasers for value of an
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Building Strategies Fall 2007
interest in the real property or creditors with a prior encumbrance of record, to the extent that such creditor make subsequent advances, but only if the subsequent purchase or subsequent advance was made or contracted for without knowledge of the s. 34(1) security interest and before notice of the security interest is registered. “Fixture” is not a defined term under the Act, so that the time at which an item changes from a chattel to a fixture remains to be determined by the common law. Chattels even slightly affixed to the
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Suppliers of services and materials in a construction setting often assume that all materials supplied become incorporated into the improvement and that the lien remedy is the only appropriate remedy. This is not always so.
land may be considered fixtures unless the circumstances show that they were intended to continue as chattels. In light of the recent case law dealing with access to the Construction Lien Act, suppliers and installers of stand-alone heating, ventilation and air conditioning units, component parts of manufacturing, processing or packaging equipment, items of interior decoration or recreational use such as pools, saunas or gymnasium equipment, safes or security systems, irrigation or drainage systems, portable or modular structures such as sheds, barns, garages, and even schoolrooms and trailers in some cases, might be better off reserving title, registering the fixture interest under the PPSA and electing to repossess rather than sue for their price. Provided the statute applies and such persons effect valid registration of their fixtures interest in the Land Registry Office before any of the other parties mentioned in s. 34 acquire their interests, they should rank in priority over those interests. B Duncan Glaholt is partner, Glaholt LLP barristers & solicitors
Environment Corner
Detecting and eliminating mould
By Camille Atrache
Moulds are microorganisms that produce thousands of tiny particles called spores as part of their reproductive cycle. All mould contamination must be remediated.
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ctively growing mould colonies are usually visible as colourful, woolly or slimy growths. They can be virtually any colour. When disturbed by air movement or contact, moulds release their spores into the air. Given the right environmental conditions, these spores can go on to form other mould colonies. Mould becomes inactive or dormant if moisture is not present. Inactive mould is often dry and powdery and, like actively growing mould, can be readily disturbed by air movement or contact, causing mould particles and spores to become airborne. Mould can remain inactive for many years but will grow once moisture returns. Moulds thrive in dark, moist environments and can grow at room temperature on various materials, including plastic, metals, insulation, wallpaper, particleboard, ceiling tiles, drywall, plywood, carpets, underpadding and the interior surface of ventilation systems. This is not to say that moulds cannot grow in light, cool conditions; they can. Workers can be potentially exposed to toxic spores when working on or in buildings with moisture problems. Moisture problems can be due to excessive humidity caused by lack of ventilation or by water damage from flooding, leaky plumbing or leaks in the structure itself from faulty roofs, windows or walls. Numerous types of mould exist in buildings with water damage or ongoing moisture. Certain types of “water loving” moulds may reproduce to higher than normal levels and potentially cause adverse health effects. Stachybotrys chartarum (also known as Stachybotrys atra) is of particular concern because it can be found in large colonies and can cause adverse health effects. In addition to Stachybotrys, personnel working in water damaged buildings may be exposed to other types of toxic moulds such as Fusarium, Aspergillus, and Penicillium. Mould can produce toxic substances known as mycotoxins, some of which adhere to the mould spores while others can be found within the spore itself. Air movement and the handling of contaminated material can release spores
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Building Strategies Fall 2007
containing mycotoxins into the atmosphere. Exposure to toxic moulds may irritate skin, eyes, nose and throat, resulting in symptoms such as difficulty breathing, runny nose and watery eyes. Personnel who are allergic to moulds could experience asthmatic attacks upon exposure. Exposure to some types of Stachybotrys (black/greenish mould that grows on materials with high cellulose such as drywall, wood, paper, ceiling tiles) may cause burning in the nose, nosebleeds, severe coughing and impairment of the immune system. Owners of buildings that may be mould contaminated should conduct an assessment to determine whether the building is indeed contaminated. Mould on visible surfaces may be the tip of the iceberg. Interviews with occupants and building maintenance staff are crucial to the overall assessment. Moulds thrive in dark, moist environments and may be hidden from view. The assessment must include a visual building inspection and may include taking and analyzing samples. It may also involve looking into cavities, behind drywall, under carpet and above ceilings. Based on presence of visible mould, evidence of water damage or symptoms that are consistent with allergic or toxic responses to mould, it may be justified to skip sampling and go straight to remediation. All mould contamination must be remediated. The assessment (that should be
done prior to remediation) must answer the following questions: what is the extent of the contamination, what type of materials are affected and what is the source of the moisture? Once the assessment has been conducted, a plan of action must be developed. The plan should include: steps to correct the moisture problem, control measures to prevent worker exposure and relocate occupants without spreading the contamination into clean areas and what method of remediation is recommended (based on the mould guidelines for the Canadian construction industry). Any plan to relocate workers should take into account the degree of contamination, the extent and types of health effects exhibited by workers, and the potential health risks associated with work activities during remediation. The Canadian Construction Association has produced the Standard Construction Document CCA82-2004 “Mould Guidelines for the Canadian Construction Industry”. These guidelines provide useful information and stepby-step instructions on minimizing moisture intrusion, mould assessment and remediation protocols, and guidelines for selecting mould remediation contractors. B
Camille Atrache is chief operating officer and partner at Tri-Phase Environmental Inc.
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Building For The Future www.verdialliance.com
Construction Trends As more and more design and construction companies adopt Building Information Modeling (BIM), many industry observers are predicting that it is going to completely transform the way we design, build and maintain buildings.
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Is BIM set to transform the design and construction industry? By Brian Watkinson
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Building Strategies Fall 2007
hat is Building Information Modeling (BIM)? BIM is not “the next version of CAD” as many have incorrectly assumed. Even the most powerful CAD solutions that feature 3D and “fly-throughs” are really just an automated way of doing what we did in a paper world, using lines and symbols to represent a building, or parts of it. BIM software is a leap forward in the application of information technology to the design and construction of buildings. Many liken it to, in effect, building the project inside the computer before trying to construct it in the field. BIM creates a rich, digital database of information about the building and its components. This is much more than a computerized 3D representation of the building. It does indeed include 3D geometric data, but also contains detailed information about the attributes of all of the building components being modelled such as the manufacturer, life cycle performance, maintenance requirements, cost, installation requirements and schedule implications. Project participants all contribute to the database, share the information in it, and access it to do their work. It facilitates a robust design process and provides a smoother and more comprehensive transfer to the builders of the information they need for construction. Postconstruction, it serves as a valuable resource for the facilities managers and operators over the lifecycle of the building.
Benefits of BIM
BIM software can save time and money and reduce risk by minimizing the kind of coordination issues that plague many construction projects. Allan Partridge of HIP Architects in Edmonton, a 25-person “early adopter” of BIM, says: “After seeing repeated projects where, despite valiant coordination efforts, we still had unresolved and uncoordinated details that resulted in reams of RFI’s and change orders, we realized something had to give.” He goes on to say, “We asked
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ourselves, why can’t we create a virtual copy of the building long before it is built and solve the problems that nag us in the 2D world?” BIM software can perform interference checks to identify, for example, conflicts between ductwork and structural members. A change in one view is automatically coordinated throughout the project, eliminating the laborious and imperfect manual process. Everyone accessing the database is tapping into exactly the same information, greatly improving communication and coordination between members of the design and construction team. HIP now uses BIM on all of its projects. BIM software can support automated generation, directly from the database, of the 2D and 3D documents required for approvals, bidding and construction. Proponents of BIM say that time and money saved during the document production phase of a project can be shifted to the design phase – a much higher value application of the designer’s expertise – and contribute to increased profit margins. It can make possible the design and execution of very complex shapes – think of Frank Gehry’s Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Hariri Pontarini Architects of Toronto chose the same
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analysis and modeling, an increasingly important requirement for every building project. Many companies are saying that BIM opens new business opportunities for them, the potential of new revenue streams, and greater profitability.
What’s holding BIM back?
So, with all of these obvious benefits, why does the adoption of BIM seem to be moving so slowly? It’s been at work at Stanford University since 1988. Autodesk introduced its Revit software to the market in 2002. Graphisoft and Bentley also have suites of BIM software.
Early adopters list a number of reasons.
First, it’s a change; a change to the way we think about design and construction and about buildings. Remember that Vanoverbeke’s staff had to adjust to visualizing their work in 3D. As we all know, change often leads to anxiety. Then there are the risks associated with being an early adopter such as concerns that the software is not sufficiently advanced, or that costs will dramatically decrease if we just wait a bit longer. Many worry that they cannot take advantage of
BIM software can save time and money and reduce risk by minimizing the kind of coordination issues that plague many construction projects.
powerful BIM software that Gehry uses, called CATIA, for their award-winning Baha’i Temple for South America. "The Temple project began with very ‘free form’ methods of investigation - hand sketches, conceptual models, and an extremely sculptural software package called Maya,” says architectural graduate Justin Ford. “Implementation became problematic when attempting to solidify the free form design into reality. CATIA enabled us to take the project through design development and into construction. Because the Temple has close to 3,000 unique cladding pieces per wing, this kind of robust power was critical." Professional engineer Chuck Vanoverbeke shares his enthusiasm for BIM at Corche Technical Services Inc., a four-person firm in Cambridge, Ont. “I want technologists and technicians to design the structural, mechanical and electrical systems in a building – not just draw them. I want them to understand what they are drawing,” he says, using HVAC as an example. “Since BIM creates a 3D version of the building, it is very easy to visualize the duct runs.” As a project moves into construction, bidders and builders can be given direct access to the database to help avoid information gaps. The model can include scheduling (4D) and cost (5D) data to facilitate project management and cost control, providing greater certainty in two aspects of a project that so often lead to conflict. BIM software can directly support energy
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Building Strategies Fall 2007
BIM software until all of the others on the project team also use it. There is also some unease in the industry at this point in BIM’s evolution about interoperability, the ability to seamlessly exchange data between different BIM software solutions. The International Alliance for Interoperability is working to address this issue. It requires a significant investment of resources, including the cost of the BIM software; often, more powerful hardware to run it; training costs; and reduced productivity during the “learning curve”. Many report that the investment to move from CAD to BIM is greater than the investment to move from paper to CAD. At the same time, though, case studies show that the payback period is very short even when only the productivity gains are considered – some report savings of 30 per cent and more compared to traditional methods. The move to BIM requires the company to deploy a comprehensive implementation strategy. The common wisdom suggests training a small team and starting with one project, then migrating the knowledge and use of BIM to the rest of the firm. HIP Architects took about three years to fully implement BIM on all projects. On the other hand, other firms, usually smaller ones, made a successful switch literally overnight
– “Monday morning this is a BIM office!” BIM needs careful management to ensure that the level of detail is not taken to extremes. One user, for example, reported that he discovered one of his staff busily modeling every single bolt connection in a complex structural frame – because the software had the power to do it. Challenges like these have meant that early adopters of BIM have tended to be large firms that have the resources and infrastructure to manage the implementation process. That noted, there are countless examples of small companies in addition to some cited in this article, which have successfully made the transition and are already enjoying the many benefits of BIM, including increased profitability. So, is BIM set to transform the design and construction industry? Without doubt, BIM can deliver some very positive benefits such as improved productivity, accuracy, quality of design and profitability. However, to truly transform the industry, we must also take advantage of its potential to foster and support a design and construction process that is less adversarial and much more collaborative than the current one. This is an integrated delivery model in which all of the project life cycle stakeholders come together as a team with the common goal of constructing the best building they possibly can. In this model, business relationships are structured to share risk and reward fairly among the participants and the varied expertise of all team members benefits the project from the outset. BIM is the ideal tool to support that process. Dr. Martin Fischer of Stanford University said last year at the American Institute of Architects Annual Convention: “You could perhaps do the integrated process without BIM, but why would you bother?” U.S. architect and management consultant Kyle V. Davy suggested recently to the annual meeting of Consulting Engineers of Ontario that he believes that the design professions in that country are “approaching the tipping point” in the adoption of BIM, after which we will quickly see much more widespread use. As discussed earlier, BIM delivers solid value even in the absence of an integrated delivery model. With BIM apparently headed for mainstream use, it is clear that every design and construction business will need a strategy for BIM. Learn about BIM. Consider benefits like increased design quality, productivity and profitability in addition to the reduced risk that it is delivering for others. Then, develop your own unique plan to respond to the opportunities and challenges presented by BIM. B
Brian Watkinson, OAA, FRAIC, Int’l Assoc AIA, is former executive director of the Ontario Association of Architects and now provides consulting services through his firm Strategies 4 Impact! Inc. brian@strategies4impact.com
Construction Trends
Sound control in
multi-dwelling buildings Acoustical design is often over-looked in architecture and construction, yet it is a critical factor in keeping residents happy in multi-dwelling buildings.
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he technical challenges in controlling sound can vary widely, as can the choice of materials and designs that can help solve them. Exploring the options, while requiring time and effort, can yield important benefits – happier tenants, higher property values, and reduced turnovers and vacancies – that clients will value just as highly as they do the allure of that compelling design. Sound control refers to the ability to attenuate, or block, sound passing through a wall, floor or ceiling. Using building materials and design for sound control can significantly increase occupant comfort and privacy by reducing the amount of noise that transmits from one area to another within a building. There are two types of sound transmission: airborne sound and impact sound. The
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attenuation of airborne sound between rooms is perhaps the most common noise problem that architects, builders and material suppliers deal with. In fact, new multi-dwelling buildings are required by building code to meet a minimum of STC 50 between units. This is sufficient to block most noise, but not a home theatre system or loud music system.
Measuring airborne sound
Airborne sound is perhaps the most commonly perceived noise problem in buildings, so it is worth quickly considering how it is measured and attenuated compared with impact sound. Sound Transmission Class (STC) is a widely used integer-number rating of how well a building component blocks airborne sound. It is used to rate interior walls,
ceilings/floors, doors, windows and exterior wall configurations. The measurement is an accurate guide for speech sounds but does not necessarily reflect the performance of the building for amplified music, mechanical equipment noise, transportation noise or any sound with substantial low-frequency energy. Typically, people think of sound control in walls. Interior walls in homes (two layers of 1/2" drywall on a wood stud frame) have an STC of about 33, and are generally considered inadequate to provide speech privacy. Adding absorptive insulation such as fibreglass batts in the wall cavity, and doubling up the drywall, can result in an STC rating of 45, a drastic sound control improvement. Structurally decoupling the drywall panels from each other, by using resilient channels, steel studs, a staggered-stud wall, or a double stud wall, can yield an STC as high as 63 for a double stud wall, with good low-frequency transmission loss as well. Due to their high density, concrete and concrete block walls have STC's in the 50s for 8" thickness, and are generally the choice of materials for dividing walls. Acoustical performance values such as STC are measured in specially constructed acoustical chambers. Actual field conditions such as lack of sealants, outlet boxes, backto-back electrical boxes, medicine cabinets, flanking paths and structure-borne sound can diminish acoustical performance. The as-built 'field-STC' (FSTC) is usually lower than the laboratory-measured STC.
Impact sound
Although airborne sound has been the primary focus of architects and builders, impact noise between floors in multi-dwelling buildings is becoming an increasingly important issue. This is especially true in high-end condo buildings where hard floor finishes such as ceramic tile, marble and hardwood are becoming increasingly popular and, in many cases, standard specifications in kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms and hallways. Impact sounds on hard floor areas, such as those created by footsteps, the dropping of an object or the moving of furniture, can be a source of great irritation. A degree of sound control is necessary, therefore, if resident privacy, comfort and satisfaction is to be maintained. The continued trend towards high density housing in our urban centres to meet a rising population will only make the issue of sound control bigger. Although there is some commonality among the factors influencing the attenuation of airborne sound and impact sound, the latter is by far the more complicated to measure, rate and control. The impact sound of a specific floor assembly is measured using a standard tapping machine to give an impact insulation class (IIC) rating. The machine incorporates five steel-faced hammers that strike the test floor and generate noise in a room below. The noise levels are measured and used to calculate the impact insulation class (IIC). Controlling impact sound transmission through floor systems is a complicated subject
with floor toppings providing variable degrees of improvement depending on the type of floors. A good impact attenuation rating depends on the topping and on the type of floor used (concrete or joist). Good impact sound attenuation can be ensured if there is sufficient floor weight and resilient layers are included in the design. The Institute for Research in Construction (IRC) has conducted extensive studies to measure the attenuation of impact sound that can be achieved with different types of floor assemblies. For each floor assembly, the IRC measured the impact noise level and calculated the IIC. The higher the IIC, the better the attenuation of impact sound, with 50 usually considered the minimum rating for occupant satisfaction in residential buildings. Again, it is important to understand that the IIC rating is an approximation of results, and that there will be specific exceptions.
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the spacing between resilient metal channels or the thickness of the sound-absorbing material increases the IIC by only one or two points. Very poor impact sound attenuation is attained if the gypsum board is attached directly to the underside of the joists. A slight improvement can be achieved by mounting the gypsum board on wood or stiff metal furring, but the impact sound attenuation provided by the floor is still unsatisfactory. A resilient support of the gypsum board is essential. Spring hangers or separate joists can be used for this purpose, but resilient metal channels are less expensive and are adequate in most cases. Even when the IIC rating is greater than 50, residents often complain about excessive “booming” or “thumping” sounds when people walk on joist floors. Increasing the mass of the floor by adding a layer of concrete or gypsum concrete on top is a common approach to
The continued trend towards high density housing in our urban centres to meet a rising population will only make sound control a bigger issue.
Concrete floors
“Click,” “clack” or “sharp tap” are terms used to describe the impact sounds on concrete slabs finished with a hard surface such as ceramic tile. These sounds occur at high frequencies and typically for concrete floors the IIC is low (Figure 1). The low IIC rating correctly reflects the fact that concrete floors finished with tile or other hard materials are responsible for complaints about noise produced by footsteps and the moving of furniture. An acceptable finished floor surface, or topping, can be provided in two principal ways. Firstly, using resilient (flexible) layers, such as vinyl or carpet and, secondly, using “floating floors,” which consist of a slab of rigid material supported on a resilient mat or pads. Combining them can have an even greater effect. The choice of topping, combined with the type of floor structure, has a major effect on the attenuation of impact sound. IRC determined typical IIC values that can be achieved for both concrete-slab and wood-joist floor structures in combination with various floor coverings. Concrete slabs finished with a hard surface such as ceramic tile, marble or hardwood have low IIC ratings and are invariably judged as unacceptable. Any impact needs to be cushioned by a resilient upper surface or a floating floor.
attenuating the problem of thumping noise. A heavier floor is less likely to generate lowfrequency sound because there is not so much vibration when walked upon. The hard surface, however, increases noise levels at high frequencies, reducing the IIC for the floor system by several points. This negative aspect of concrete toppings can be dealt with using resilient layers as described below. Joist floors must also be furnished with a finishing or topping layer to provide adequate sound attenuation. At present there is no building code for impact sound attenuation between floors in multi-dwelling buildings such as condos. With condos becoming increasingly wellappointed with hard floor finishes and the number of high-density building projects expected to rise in the coming years, the issue of sound attenuation between floors is only likely to intensify. Residents spending significant amounts of money on condos are quite right in expecting the level of privacy, peace and quiet that their investment justifies. Architects, builders and material suppliers need to carefully consider what steps need to be taken to ensure that the issue of impact sound transmission between floors – as well as airborne – is dealt with successfully. B
Joist floors
The most important factor influencing the impact sound attenuation in simple joist floors, is the total mass of the subfloor and the ceiling layers. Doubling the total mass increases the IIC by about seven points. For example, doubling the mass of the subfloor gives an IIC of 47, doubling that of the ceiling gives 49, and doubling the mass of both gives 52. Increasing
This article was provided by CGC Inc., a Canadian marketer, manufacturer and distributor of gypsum wallboard products, interior finishing materials, floor underlayment products and suspended acoustical ceilings. Building Strategies Fall 2007
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Construction Trends
Steel scores high
for airport facility By Duane Sharp, P.Eng.
The creative and dominant use of steel made this project a two-category winner in the Ontario Steel Design Awards.
Photos courtesy of GTAA
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Building Strategies Fall 2007
he strength, beauty and sustainability of steel are amply showcased in a new training facility of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), completed in January 2007. Called the Fire & Emergency Services Training Institute (FESTI), it provides a range of courses and programs that meet national and international standards, as well as provincial emergency response training needs and standards. The facility was awarded both an architectural and a green building award of excellence in the 2007 Celebration of Steel Innovation in Ontario awards sponsored by the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC) Ontario. However, it was initially entered in all three categories of the awards program – architectural, engineering and green buildings – because of the significance of steel architecturally, structurally and in the development of a sustainable project. Describing the engineering aspects of the structure, a GTAA spokesperson noted that “steel and heavy timber framing options were evaluated during the preliminary design process, however it didn’t take long for the design team to select steel which could be most effectively tailored to support the irregular shape of the roof structure. The central spine and ribs framing system of the cafeteria has its advantage as both an economical design solution and one that prominently reveals the innovative architectural expression of the building system. The angled steel columns, welded to the HSS spine beam, were spaced as per the structural needs of the design, enhancing the structural design and creating a non-uniform window arrangement along the exterior wall. The system is completed by anchoring the steel spine to the gravity concrete buttress at the end. The connection to the buttress is architecturally exposed in order to emphasize the completed and connected structural system. The cafeteria mezzanine floor is hung from steel brackets attached to
the columns of the wall, which also act as the guardrail system, further illustrating the multifunctioning design of the steel elements, which are both architectural and structural elements.” Steel was chosen as the dominant architectural element for this project and was considered integral to the design. It was viewed as the only material that would give the design a light and articulated counterpoint to the exposed, monolithic concrete core slabs and poured concrete elements of the buildings. For instance, the pre-finished steel siding that lines the second floor courtyard provides a textured and reflective surface that is durable and cost effective. It was used either painted or as stainless steel for the stairs and railings as light, self-supporting structures that allow maximum penetration of natural light during the day and diffused light volumes at night. The structural steel frame accommodates unit masonry, Kalwall, prefinished steel siding and precast panels. Rather than simply exposed, steel in effect expresses the variety of volumes and skins that are possible with a steel structure – prefinished steel panels, precast panels, curtain wall and unit masonry. Interior and exterior finishes, including a solar wall, perforated acoustic interior panels, catwalks and railings, illustrate the diversity of the material and demonstrate its effective application in a structural member, as well as for a brilliant and refined stainless steel railing. FESTI was designed by Kleinfeldt Mychajlowycz Architects Inc., built in 18 months at a cost of $13.5 million. The structural engineering firm and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) consultant was Halsall Associates Limited. P.T. Engineering Ltd. was responsible for the mechanical/electrical engineering. The general contractor was Brampton, ON-based Aquicon Construction Co. Ltd.. Benson Steel Ltd. of Bolton, ON, was the CISC fabricator and detailer. D.B. Structural Inc. of Whitby, ON, was the steel erector and Brampton, ON-
The FESTI facility is the Toronto area airport’s first LEED (silver) building and the use of steel contributed to this certification. The variety of steel volumes and skins include prefinished steel panels, precast panels, curtain wall and unit masonry.
based Advanced Metal Shop Ltd. provided miscellaneous metals and steel railings.
Design restrictions
The facility is a 2,804-square metre building on a 48,200 square-metre site, in an unrestricted area, so training exercises have no impact on regular airport operations. Commenting on the some of the challenges facing the designers, Carol Kleinfeldt, partner in the architectural firm, notes that “the siting of the facility was one of the challenges we faced. It is located on the west side of the airport, with a runway on one side and a radar antenna on the other side. As well, height restrictions on the fire tower, due to its proximity to the airport had to be taken into account, and the training program requirements of the facility had to allow for ease of entry for the various emergency and fire fighting organizations which will use the facility. “Another requirement for the facility,” adds Kleinfeldt, “was to design sustainable solutions for the structure. We were successful in developing straightforward, simple solutions to meet environmental aspects, using the solar wall and green roof which work in tandem to provide significant energy savings.” The green roof contractor was Elevated Landscape Technologies Inc. (ELT) based in Brantford, ON.
The main building contains classrooms, a learning theatre, cafeteria, office space and truck bays identical to a fire station. On-site training features include a confined space building built above ground for easy egress to simulate rescue in a manhole below street level. A five-storey high rescue tower enables simulation of emergency response scenarios, including ladder training, high rise firefighting and interior searches. An integrated smoke room allows controlled pushing of smoke into specific training areas. A burn building enables real fire conditions to be created, with fires up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit. Propane-operated aircraft training mock-ups permit realistic training in aircraft rescue situations to be simulated. A nearby 15acre special operations training centre allows specialized training in hazardous materials handling to be conducted.
Environmentally-friendly
The FESTI facility is the GTAA’s first LEED (Silver) compliant building, designed and constructed to environmentally-friendly LEED standards, and steel played a major role in this project. Adherence to these standards contributes to the building’s energy savings, reduces the building’s reliance on virgin construction materials and reduces the project’s material transportation requirements because of the steel industry’s local recycling and manufacturing presence. The building will
provide significant long-term savings through reduced energy consumption, water usage, maintenance and grounds keeping. Perforated steel cladding on the south elevation was designed to form a solar air heating plenum, which can preheat incoming air up to 17C degrees above outdoor environments. This is reducing the building’s energy use which is more than 30 per cent less than a building built to the Model National Energy Code (MNEC). Recycled materials represent more than 15 per cent of construction material value, which earned two points for the LEED certification. During construction, recycled products were used whenever possible, including recycled concrete used as an aggregate prior to paving. The solar wall, which is a part of the structure, augments the performance of the air handling units by providing solar heated air induction. Termodeck in-slab air distribution reduces peak energy use by using the concrete structure to store excess building heat. The green roof and retaining wall of the classrooms prevent run-off, heat island effect and thermal loss while adding a qualitative aspect to the project and site. Water-saving urinals and tankless water heaters help to reduce water consumption. Sustainable solutions were based on using existing materials in innovative ways in order to encourage the industry to support the effort. B
Building Strategies Fall 2007
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Office Considerations
Tips for selecting a mobile office By Stephen J. Bronetto The mobile office trailer has evolved and transformed into something more than just a box on a work site.
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o you need a durable, secure office for your construction site right now? Are you unsure how long you will need these premises? Do you want the flexibility of a fully mobile office with the option of Internet and phone capabilities? If so, then a mobile office trailer may be the answer. Understanding the types of mobile offices available is imperative prior to selecting the size and model that you will need. A simple explanation of a mobile office trailer is a mobile office built within a truck, motor home, or purpose built shipping container. Most common offices are set up to be towed and are usually built on an iron frame for easy relocation. Mobile offices usually feature an electric service that is connected to a nearby source of power to operate the interior office and its equipment. These four specific guidelines will help you when choosing exactly what mobile office trailer you need. What is its use? A mobile office trailer used as a sales or construction office on site will differ from a classroom or storage type of mobile office trailer based on the appearance and functionality of the trailer. To find the appropriate mobile office trailer you first need to know the primary use of the trailer. How much space is available? Make sure that you measure the full available room for your mobile office trailer. An expensive mistake is if the trailer doesn’t fit into the space that you have provided or blocks an entrance point or sidewalk. You will have a big problem on your hands with local municipalities, residents in the area and other people who may be trying to gain access to your trailer. How many people will use the mobile office trailer? If the trailer is for a general office purpose, plan from 100 to 150 square feet per person. A 12 by 60 foot singlewide type of mobile office trailer typically can accommodate five or six people. The overall capacity will offer approximately 720 square feet. These figures will alter as you include other amenities such as bathrooms, meeting rooms and/ or storage space. What is the expected timeline for the project? Since a high percentage of mobile office trailers are
leased, not sold, knowing how long you'll need the trailer will help to determine the overall costs. Plan a buffer in calculating the length of time you will need the trailer because often there is wrapping up time needed for projects that extend beyond the completion date of the project. Choosing a mobile office trailer size is based on your overall requirements and available money to allocate to the temporary office location. Mobile office trailers are available in many widths varying from eight, 10 and 12 feet, and occasionally 14 feet, and lengths of 16 to 60 feet. Every dealer will have different sizes in stock and can help you determine which size is right for you. The term of your lease may affect the size of mobile office trailer that you will use. Generally, smaller mobile office trailers are leased for shorter terms from one to six months. The larger mobile office trailers are usually geared towards one or two year terms. Not all dealers measure sizes the same way. To best compare sizes, make sure your dealers are quoting you sizes based on the size of the box, not the usable floor space. Some dealers include in their measurements the mobile office trailer "tongue" that connects to a hitch for towing and that can add an additional four feet. You should specifically ask for both internal and external dimensions. Once your mobile office trailer arrives on site, all you will require before you can get down to business is a quick set-up which will take no more than a few hours. The trailer can be transferred
quickly from one site to another, allowing the flexibility of being able to be close to the action at all times. There are many companies that sell, lease and rent new and used storage containers, portable buildings or modular buildings. This type of construction can be built in a factory in as little as five to six weeks and the site work can be done in conjunction with the construction of the building. Mobile offices are all wired for basic electricity, usually including overhead fluorescent lights and some basic telephone wiring. Some models even come complete with features such as phone/Internet accessibility, security options, drafting tables, and plumbing for washrooms. You can even make your mobile office trailer capable of implementing the new RFID (radio frequency identification) tracking services to track your onsite staff, tools, products and equipment right from your trailer while connected to your main office computers. A mobile office trailer has become a fully convenient commercial solution as a functional office that helps staff provide and retrieve real-time data when at a job site. B
Stephen J. Bronetto, CPM, is president of BonaMax Realty Inc. and is a real estate advisor in the commercial, industrial, retail and real estate investment sectors. sbronetto@bonamx.ca Building Strategies Fall 2007
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Office Considerations
Keeping vital communication flowing By Susan Maclean
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hen people dial Dan Michaelsen’s office phone number and punch in the four digit extension, they never know where they’re going to reach him. But, if they are frequent callers, they know they will reach him, and that’s what counts. When I called the president of Michaelsen Construction, he answered his cell phone at a job site 80 kilometres away from his U.S.-based office. About five years ago, the 40-year-old design/ build contracting firm became an early adopter of Internet protocol (IP) telephony, using the Internet to transmit voice as well as data. IP telephony vendors such as Avaya Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Nortel Networks and Telus, to name some major players, offer software that enables computer servers using Internet telephony gateway technology to accept and route a browser-based phone call to the relevant party with the appropriate information. It means companies can respond to calls quickly and cheaply compared to sending voicemails and emails and playing telephone tag. For example, instead of providing your contacts with multiple contact numbers for your cell phone, home office or other remote locations, the TELUS IP-One Find-Me/Follow-Me feature allows you to provide them with one phone number and lets you be as mobile as you need to be. Unlike call forwarding which simply forwards your calls to a single number, or remote extension which also provides outbound call control, the Find-Me/Follow-Me feature directs your incoming calls to a series of phone numbers that will either ring sequentially or all at once when someone tries to reach you. Getting IP telephony capability at your job site can make that hive of activity an extension of your regular phone system, regardless of its location. Even if you’re not at the office, you can get your calls and deal with an issue now. Or, if you are already on the phone, the voice mail message is sent to your email. An advantage of IP telephony is that users of ‘find me/follow me’ outbound voicemail notification report that productivity improves measurably with convenient authentication and listening to messages, and one-key call back – all without incurring long distance charges. Michaelsen Construction uses the Avaya IP Office system. “It’s software-based so it is programmable and changeable,” says Michaelsen. “Even if you’re not at the office, you can get your calls and deal with the item now. Or, if you are already on the phone, the voice mail message is sent to your email.” Updating the IP telephony system is a matter of updating the software. He also notes that one can add extensions and locations to the main IP telephony network very simply, with just the additional expense of buying more hardware.
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Missed phone calls, old voice messages and telephone tag have no place in the construction industry with its massive details and critical time lines.
Michaelsen uses a Palm personal digital device. “It’s easier for me if I can get all the information I need – both email and voice mail – in one spot,” he says. Also, the system keeps a record of all his phone calls, which he finds very helpful “to make sure I’ve completed the task.” Although a dedicated system line (DSL) for IP telephony is generally a problem to deploy in a temporary site since phone companies typically want a three-year contract before setting up a land line, Avaya cites three other options: • A cellular card in your laptop can create a modem dial up for signalling back to the main site. • Much more practical is the World Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) connection offer from Bell and Rogers called portable Internet. All you need is power and the portable modem connects to the wireless network and creates a network for both voice and data. • Satellite uplinks are also suitable in some situations.
Michaelsen believes that the ability to have his calls forwarded to his cell phone “pays dividends. The ROI is that it keeps customers happy and they keep using me,” he says. “It is a tool that keeps me efficient and up to date with my customers. Otherwise, customers will go on to someone who has the technology.” Being available and dealing with the workload during the day also “lets me go home earlier,” he adds. “I don’t have to go back to the office at the end of the day and deal with the email and phone calls that I’ve missed.” His company has what he refers to as a semi-T1 line that permits a direct dial number for sending a fax to his computer. He uses the program GFI FAXmaker which makes a fax appear in his Outlook as a portable document format (PDF). “A lot of subcontractors are not up on email and are still dealing with fax machines,” he explains. Whether using a cell phone, a regular phone, an IP-enabled phone, or a “soft” phone through your computer, being reachable when you want to be is key. B
Office Considerations
Adding conveniences to unconventional washroom spaces
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It’s not always convenient or even possible to install bathroom facilities in mobile offices and other offsite premises. In such cases where a drainpipe is too far away, or the new toilet or sink is lower than an existing drainpipe, or concrete in a basement would have to be broken, an option is shown here – one of a line of up flush toilets and macerating pumps imported from France and distributed through Saniflo Canada based in Guelph, ON. Saniflo macerator units positioned behind the regular bowl can grind and pump waste over a distance of 150 feet and up to a height of 18 feet. These systems automatically activate when required to reduce effluent to a slurry and pump it away to the soil stack, septic tank or sewer through small diameter discharge pipes. The deepest laboratory in the world, the Neutrino Observatory in Sudbury, ON, has several of these toilets two kilometres underground. They are also used in guard shacks, coffee stations as well as residential basements or wherever add-on bathroom facilities are needed.
Project Profile
Photos supplied by Glos Associates Inc.
The design maximizes the use of natural daylight, transparency and view.
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Building Strategies Summer 2007
Elevating the lowly
bus terminal Shane Baghai's use of rooftop wind turbines and solar panels is an energy conserving statement.
By Susan Maclean
Airy, open, voluminous yet warm and inviting are not the usual adjectives used
The curved metal roof, formed on site at the time of installation, appears to cantilever over the building for shelter to embarking and disembarking passengers.
to describe bus terminals. They are typically designed very functionally to serve as a basic shelter for people eager to be elsewhere. This past June, a spectacular new structure in Windsor, ON, replaced that city’s tired old bus terminal and raised the bar in providing a welcoming and safe space for Greyhound and City of Windsor bus passengers.
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Project Profile Comerica Park – home of the Detroit Tigers (MLB), Ford Field – home of the Detroit Lions (NFL), Joe Louis Arena –home of the Red Wings (NHL), and Cobo Hall – host of the Detroit International Auto Show and a variety of other concert and sporting event venues. It is also a daily mode of transportation for the thousands of daily commuters. Greyhound Lines also offers international transportation services arriving and departing daily. This is truly an international hub connecting people and places in two countries. Windsor's City Centre West, Urban Village Guidelines state their objectives are to build on the rich history of this part of the city's core area as well as take advantage of the beautiful international riverfront. The design should also reflect the varied cultural attractions in the area while maintaining a pedestrian oriented “Urban Village” perception where people meet, live, work, shop and play. It is into this frame work and these objectives that the new Windsor International Terminal was designed by locally based Glos Associates Inc., an architectural and engineering firm established in 1962 with a staff of 28. The Windsor International Transit Terminal is 50.5 metres long and 26.1 metres wide with a curved roof that reaches 10.65 metres in height. An exposed steel frame supports glass curtain walls in the concourse area. Design features by architect Jerry Glos include the use of glass curtain walls in the concourse area to provide a visual connection with the bus platforms outside. This allows for increased patron safety and comfort maximizing the use of natural daylight, transparency and view. The exposed structural roof trusses in the concourse area provide stature to the building that is open and contemporary. The brick façade at the doorways appears to be all that is holding up the ceiling, adding to the sense of a soaring rooftop. The curved metal roof provides simple, clean lines that appear to cantilever over the building and provide element shelter in the embarking and disembarking areas of the terminal. These lines are also captured and repeated in the design of the bus shelters to provide design uniformity between structures. Similarly, these lines are reproduced on the building interior furnishings with a rounded ticket counter, again reflecting the curvature of the roof. In-floor hydronic heating provides an increased level of comfort as well as accelerates floor drying times during wet exterior conditions. Helena Ventrella, president of Windsor Helena Ventrella Design Limited, describes the terminal as airy, lofty and sculptural. “The structure seems like a horizontal ribcage enabling the ceiling to float while the expansive glass curtain walls allow light to penetrate the structure and reflect the warm hues within. Light passes through at all different times of the day.” Her firm added the colourful touch to Glos Associates’ design, choosing terra cotta as the predominant shade. She came to the project after the budgets had been set and she has only praise for Glos Associates’ openness to her ideas of colour and finish material selections. The approximately $7 million project, including land acquisition, was begun in September 2006 and completed on schedule on May 31, 2007. Glos Associates led the project team, providing architectural and engineering services including civil, architectural, structural, mechanical and electrical design as well as on site project management. Also working on the successful construction team were general contractor Gulf Construction of Windsor Inc., AC Metal Fabricating, Coco Concrete, Lekter Mechanical, Primac Masonry, Protrades and D&M Glass. The tight eight month time frame was somewhat of a challenge, admits Mark Beens, project manager with Glos Associates. The lease had expired on the old terminal building and the services had to be relocated in June 2007. Beens recalls that progress was initially hindered somewhat by some adverse soil conditions discovered on site. In addition to debris from an old building not completely cleared away, some contaminated soil had to be removed. “Finding the contaminated pockets of soil meant we had to excavate those areas as directed by the on site environmental inspector, verify site remediation and have contaminated material removed from the site by a licensed waste transporter for disposal in an approved landfill,” Beens says. “All of this took some time due to the process and person involved. It was further complicated in that the contaminated soil was in relatively small pockets
The eight month time frame was tight. Progress was initially hindered by adverse soil conditions discovered on site. The project then progressed at a fast clip as steel shop drawings were made along with design drawings. As a catalyst for new development within the city, the Windsor International Transit Terminal is located within the core of Windsor’s downtown business district. The downtown bus terminal, shared by Greyhound Lines and Transit Windsor is located at 300 Chatham Street West, just minutes from the Detroit/Windsor international border crossing. This is, in fact, one of the busiest international border crossings along the Canada/ USA border. Hundreds of Transit Windsor buses arrive and depart daily from the Windsor International Transit Terminal including a cross border service between the downtown areas. This exclusive feature to the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel provides transportation to a variety of events and venues such as,
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Building Strategies Fall 2007
requiring excavation and on site storage until sufficient quantities were assembled to make the trucking economically feasible. Temporary on site storage posed some further coordination issues as to where we were going to put the material and how we were going to contain it so if it rained it wouldn’t leach back into the ground.” The project then progressed smoothly at a fast clip, thanks especially to developing the steel shop drawings along with the design drawings. “We fast-tracked the steel,” says Beens. “The steel shop drawings were done before the drawings were tendered. That way the fabrication could start right when the contract was signed and everything could get going before the cold months started in.” A challenge to the design team was to comply with the area’s urban village zoning bylaw to house all infrastructures within the building and to do so without compromising floor space, function or the visual appearance of the building. A second floor or mezzanine above the ticket counter and washrooms was designed for this purpose. Fortunately, only about one fifth the area of conventional heating and cooling systems was required because the building is connected to Windsor’s district energy system.
Supporting the City Centre's rapid revitalization development, Windsor's District Energy System, said to be the first of its kind in North America, supplies both hot water heating and chilled water cooling requirements to The Windsor Art Gallery, Royal Bank Business Centre, Windsor Justice Facility, Casino Windsor and 400 City Hall Square. The district “shared” energy system eliminates the need for bulky heating and cooling systems and frees up valuable floor space. Vibration and noise problems are minimized; stacks and cooling towers are eliminated, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions. District Energy’s technology is described as operating on the least costly, most available fuel. In addition to environmental benefits, it reduces operating and maintenance costs by reducing on site equipment. So, there is no natural gas line to the building and the transit terminal’s mezzanine floor readily accommodates the two air handling units and the district energy connections. From Been’s project management point of view, the only challenge relating to the district energy aspect was waiting for the small load heat exchangers which came from India and took “forever” to come. “Other than that, we just had to tie in at a certain time to make sure we didn’t disturb any of the other services that link to the lines. And
The roof panels also came from the U.S., arriving from Garland Metals as flat stock more than 24 metres long and then bent on a large bending machine right on site. “It would have been impossible to get the bent panels on a flat bed and there would have been a problem at the border,” Beens explains. “The biggest issue there was trying to coordinate where we were going to find space on the site to bend the panels and then get them hoisted up along with construction of the concrete pavement all around the building for the buses. Trying to schedule that between getting the panels on the roof and getting the pavement put down all at the same time in the winter months was a bit of an issue at times.” That and other issues were adequately resolved and the resulting building is a very eye-catching transit terminal that is attractive during the day and dazzling at night. “It’s a very nice space to be in,” Ventrella adds. “It has a very stable feel to it. One can be waiting a long time in a bus terminal, so it’s important to make people comfortable.” “The scale and structure of the building fit well into the urban setting producing an exciting and friendly atmosphere for terminal users as well as the transit employees,” summarizes architect Jerry Glos. B
Civil Construction • Ready Mixed Concrete Concrete Paving Products Phone (519) 969-2248 Fax (519) 969-2585 estimating@danruss.ca
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Danruss Contracting Inc.
“
we had to get it done before it got cold because they
wanted to get the building heated for the winter Only about one fifth the area of conventional heating Luckily we had a pretty mild winter so and cooling systems was required because the building months. we didn’t have too much in terms of challenges in keeping the building warm during construction.” is connected to Windsor’s district energy system. This The high-efficiency, specialized glass from PPG helped comply with the area’s urban village zoning bylaw. in Pittsburgh, PA, required some lead time.
Development Profile Profile
Greenfield development By Jerry Amernic Billed as North America’s largest LEED-registered mixed-use development, Markham Centre aims to have townhouses and condos adjacent to corporate offices, stores, parks and entertainment venues so residents can walk to work, shop and play.
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I
magine a new development where the roads go in first. We’re not just talking about plans, but the actual roads. Finished. Complete. Builders call it ‘upfronting’ the roads. And below the roads is a series of pipes – two for carrying chilled water and another two for hot water – to serve the heating and cooling needs of not only commercial but also residential buildings which are connected to the community’s energy system. The concept is known as district energy and is more akin to Europe than North America. Then, imagine 20 million square feet of residential, retail and commercial properties sitting on 1,000 acres abutting a lush valley with a river running through it – designed and built to principles aimed at reducing the impact on the environment – and you have Markham Centre. The Town of Markham, just north of Toronto, has 285,000 people and is one of the fastest growing communities in the country. Its new Markham Centre is the largest planned mixed-use development in Canada today, but it isn’t just any development. The whole idea involves
sustainable development. That means offices, schools, banks, retail amenities, and green spaces are located within a five-minute walking distance from just about anywhere. What’s more, a network of bicycle routes and pedestrian paths, combined with GO Rail and rapid-transit bus system, provide alternatives to the single-occupant vehicle. As well, efforts were made to preserve valley lands, woodlots and parklands. The Markham Centre development runs from Highway 407 in the south to Highway 7 in the north, and from the west side of Warden Avenue as far east to Kennedy Road. The Remington Group Inc. is the largest of several Markham Centre developers. Its 243-acre development includes a central retail core with shopping and entertainment at ground level, and opens onto a central piazza with offices and apartments. Says Rudy Bratty, Remington chairman and CEO: “This is a unique development built from the ground up to integrate with, rather than build over, the natural environment. Residents will be able
gets district energy boost
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Profile to live, work and play in an economically vibrant community that emphasizes sustainable development.” Some of the major contractors working with Remington are: Mason Song Associates Engineering Ltd. as lead civil engineering consultant, Young + Wright Architects Inc. for overall work planners, Forrec Ltd as landscape architects, Bousfields Inc. as planners and Quadrangle Architects Limited for site-specific work. When developers approach the Town of Markham with a project, they must appear before the Markham Centre Advisory Committee and show that they share the municipality’s vision for development in the 21st century. The committee scores the project according to a Performance Measures Document that deals with everything from green infrastructure
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to transportation to the architecture and design of buildings. In 2003, the Performance Measures Document received an award of excellence from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. When it comes to energy, Markham District Energy Inc. is the town’s own energy company, with a mandate to heat and cool buildings for Markham Centre. Through Markham District Energy, electricity is produced for the local distribution grid at a cogeneration plant. Thermal energy is recovered from the generator and used to heat and cool buildings; hot and chilled water is distributed to homes and buildings through an underground network of piping, the piping that went in at the beginning when those roads were built. District energy can reduce local emissions by 50 per cent and provide operating advantages for host buildings connected
to the system, such as IBM Canada Ltd.’s software research laboratory and the Markham YMCA Rudy Bratty Centre. With district energy, the system’s plants are built around the perimeter of the development. Residential developers reap the benefits of Markham District Energy, too. Circa, a new luxury condominium complex developed by Tridel and Dorsay Development Corp., was the first residential building in the system and the first in Canada to be EcoLogocertified for heating and cooling provided by a district energy system. With such certification, the project gets Environment Canada’s stamp of approval as a leader in delivering energy-efficient heating and cooling systems. Phase one of Circa is complete and it is anticipated that the 16-storey phase two will begin this year. Circa is the work of Turner Fleischer Architects Inc., mechanical electrical consulting engineering firm TeGi Engineering Inc., MBTW Group landscape architects and Mike Niven Interior Design Inc. The development’s 778 condominium units are all connected to the district energy system. Using the concept of district energy, the developers of Circa didn’t have to install any boilers and chillers, and each condominium unit has individual heating and cooling controls. “The biggest benefit is that you have zero emissions from your residential building,” said James Ritchie, Tridel senior vicepresident. “It also provides reliable heating and cooling even during blackouts. And since you don’t have to put in any chillers or boilers, you free up valuable real estate in the building.” Liberty Development Corporation was the next residential developer to buy in. Construction of Phase I of its development began last fall and the project, which is nearing completion, will involve two office towers and four residential buildings with 600 units, all connected to Markham District Energy. Nowhere in North America has district energy been undertaken with a greenfield development to such a scale as it has in Markham. “District energy makes a lot of sense for residential developers,” says Bruce Ander, president of Markham District Energy. “The system is cost competitive, reliable, and environmentally sound, and you can defer capital so it’s a good package for developers. Markham Centre was essentially a big 1,000-acre field. There were no roads, no infrastructure, nothing. District energy was linked at the hip with the urban planning process from the very beginning.” Energy aside, Markham Centre also involves LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified developments, meaning the development meets specific environmental standards. The town is promoting ‘green roof ’ technology, too. Green roofs are complex growing systems on the rooftops of
Profile
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“District energy was linked at the hip with the urban planning process from the very beginning.” buildings which incorporate irrigation and drainage systems, high-quality waterproofing and root-repellant membranes. A green roof has been installed on top of the recreational centre of the Circa building and more are planned. Environmental benefits of green roofs include reduced storm run-off, better heat and sound insulation, improved air quality, reduced ambient heat and better aesthetics. It all follows the Markham Centre Master Plan that sustains a natural heritage system and promotes a pattern of mixed land use and transit-oriented development to reduce dependency on cars. Its guiding principles are: 1. Ecological sustainability. 2. A sense of place.
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3. 4. 5. 6.
Protecting the Rouge River Valley lands. Enhancing pedestrian activity. Encouraging public transit. Transforming Highway 7 into an urban boulevard. 7. Well-managed traffic and parking. 8. New financial framework to build and sustain a high-quality, public environment. 9. Providing a cultural and social focus. 10. An effective network of streets. 11. Respect for quality of life of existing and future residents. Abiding by these principles is making Markham a municipality that is more than just talking about going green. It’s doing it. B
Photos courtesy of Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute
Keeping architectural precast walls dry Tips on ensuring a moisturefree assembly from both the exterior and the interior.
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A
rchitects and engineers are paying increasing attention to the assembly of the various building components that go together to become the building envelope. Without a proper marriage of all components, the weather tightness of the enclosure could be compromised. One must not only consider the weather outside, but also the activities that take place inside the living space of a high rise residential building. Modified rain screen assemblies using steel studs between floors with a precast exterior have been used successfully for many years. Typically in a modified rain screen assembly, the back face of joints between panels and between other envelope components (windows) are caulked tight, to act as the air barrier. The exterior joints are caulked; but they allow for the exchange of air through weep
holes and breather openings. The result is an air chamber in the precast joint vented to the outside. With the air chamber equalized to the exterior, there is no pressure differential to push rain into the joint. Any moisture entering the joint will cling to the joint walls and be drained out at the transverse seal. The design of a wall assembly to reduce or eliminate moisture and air movement can not solely rely on the precast panel and caulked joints. Moisture can also enter the exterior cladding assembly from the interior. A vapour barrier, such as 6 mil polyethylene, is often placed on the warm side of the wall assembly to eliminate this occurrence. Often there are flaws in the system: primarily around mechanical and electrical openings. These openings create a path for moisture laden air to travel through the wall assembly Continued on page 50
Envelope Supplement Table 1 Size of Members
Recent publications like Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) Best Practice Guides for Steel Stud Construction and Architectural Precast Concrete Walls discuss the use of a “cavity" insulation, which can be placed on the outside of the studs to move the dew point outside the wall assembly. The guide suggests Table 2 that where fibrous batt insulation is used Effective R Values When an Insulated sheathing is incorporated between the studs, a minimum of one inch Size of Spacing Batt: Insulated Effective of semi-rigid or rigid insulation is needed members Therma Sheathing Thermal on the outside to prevent condensation Value (extruded Value developing within the steel stud wall polystyrene) assembly. The addition of a rigid insulation 2 x 4 Steel studs 16 Inches o.c R11 1' R-5 12.66 between the architectural precast concrete 2 K 4 steel studs 16 Inches o.c R11 l.5” R-7.5 15.28 Effective R values when an insulated sheathing is incorporated on National Energy Code Calculations panel and the steel studs also eliminates the potential for thermal bridging. Blanketing the studs keeps the studs warm within the wall assembly. ASHRAE 90.1 • 1989 recognizes thermal bridging in steel stud wall assemblies. It provides a Table of Parallel Path Correction Factors used to determine effective thermal values of steel stud walls which do not Continued from page 46 incorporate an insulated sheathing product. batt insulation, and the strong possibility of until it finds a cold surface on which to The accompanying Table 1 is taken from corroding steel studs. condense, typically the back of the precast ASHRAE 90.1-1989 and is modified to Assuming that air laden with moisture is or within the steel stud assembly. During show effective R-value using the correction likely to enter the wall assembly, additional the winter months, this moisture can freeze factors given. For example, a 2x6 steel stud measures must be provided to minimize and turn to ice. As the weather warms in the wall 24 inches on centre, insulated with a any detrimental effects. One means of spring, the ice melts, turning into water which H-20 ban insulation results in an effective doing this is by providing an air/moisture then makes its way out of the wall assembly, R-value of 9 (R20 multiplied by correction resistant Insulation on the interior surface leaving the components of the assembly factor of 0.45). of the architectural precast concrete panel. damp or moist. The end result is wet, sagging Table 2 shows the effect of adding one or 1.5 inch of insulated sheathing. By changing the wall assembly to 2x4 steel studs, 16 inches o.c. with a one-inch rigid extruded polystyrene insulated sheathing on the exterior, the effective thermal value will be increased by as much as 25 per cent, without increasing the thickness of the wall. Ship lapped edges on the insulation will act as a secondary barrier against any air/moisture that makes its way past the exterior cladding. In conclusion, architects and builders who seek the aesthetic appeal of architectural precast concrete, now have an effective way to control moisture penetration in the building envelope. Proper caulking of the joints and the placement of rigid Insulation between the steel stud back up and the architectural precast cladding provides an economical way to enhance the integrity of the building envelope and reduce the potential for problems. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Best Practice Guides are available at www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/ or www.cpci.ca . B Spacing Ban insulation Correction Effective of framing R-value Factor R-Value 2 x 4 steel Studs 16 Inches o.c. R-11 0.50 R 5.5 2 x 4 steel studs 24 inches o.c. R-11 0.60 R6.6 2 x 6 steel studs 16 inches o.c R-19 0.40 R7.6 2 x 6 steel studs 24 Inches o.c. R-19 0.45 R 8.6 Note: Correction factors in this table may be used with metal studs of 16 Ca. or lighter.
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Assuming that air laden with moisture is likely to enter the wall assembly, additional measures must be provided to minimize any detrimental effects.
The article was provided by Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (CPCI), an Ottawa, ON-based non-profit organization aimed at advancing the use of structural precast prestressed concrete, architectural precast, concrete and posttensioned concrete in Canada. 1-877-9372724; www.cpci.ca
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Metal regains favour
for roofs and walls
Architectural metal finishes offer the sophistication of design, simplicity of structure and the assurance
Photos courtesy of Flynn
By Blake Merrick
of a complete building envelope system.
D
esigners and builders are realizing what’s old is new again and are utilizing architectural metal finishes for building roof and wall systems. The flexibility of metal finishes, combined with up-to-date rain screen principles, creates seemingly infinite possibilities for designers and builders in today’s marketplace. These two technologies provide proven longevity and low maintenance durability of the architectural metal finishes, with the latest in weather protection and membranes associated with building envelope technology. Craftsmen have been forming and installing metal roofs on buildings for centuries. In Europe and Asia, metal finishes have been very popular for their durable, long lasting and low maintenance Building Strategies Fall 2007
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Envelope Supplement
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The malleability of metal has allowed for innovative design shapes and techniques to prevent weather and water infiltration into buildings.
qualities, with replacement occurring approximately every 100 years or upon building modification. Beginning in the early 1800s, tin and cornice makers were the first to implement metal roofs in North America. Through design progression, coppersmiths became popular in the 1860s as copper roofing was the finish of choice. Then, during the early 1900s, corrugated roll-formed metal sheeting became the leading option for roof finishes. Light weight and transportable, these sheets covered larger areas in faster application times. Today, there are many forms of metal products and finishes available along with a multitude of colours and textures. The malleability of metal has allowed for innovative design shapes and techniques to prevent weather and water infiltration into buildings. According to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, there has been on
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average 9.7 per cent growth in architectural finishes during the past five years. Fifteen billion dollars in annual manufacturing volume indicates that the architectural metal products continue to grow in popularity in North America. According to the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association, several contractors base in the Los Angeles area experienced 10 to 20 per cent growth between 2005 and 2006. Today’s builder is looking for the sophistication of design, simplicity of structure and the assurance of a complete building envelope system. Architectural metal finishes offer the best of all combinations to the builder. Whether the project ranges from zinc panels on the Bloorview Children’s Hospital, to the profiled metal cladding of OCAD or the Verde green patina copper and zinc wall panels of Omaha, Nebraska’s Holland Performing Arts Center, the design concepts
include bold architectural statements and a large part of the overall building envelope. Installation of these building envelope components must compliment other associated trade components in order to operate properly and efficiently. For the most part, metal craftsmen have handed down application knowledge from generation to generation. This tradition has been typical in most specialty constructionrelated businesses. However, over the past three decades, interest in various architectural metal finishes has required specialized training in order to be fully knowledgeable and up-to-date in the latest building envelope and architectural metal techniques. In British Columbia, the Industry Training Authority has recognized the need for specific training in architectural sheet metal applications and has organized a steering committee towards developing this required training program. The process is ongoing and should conclude in a full architectural sheet metal apprenticeship training program by the end of 2008. B
Originally featured in the May/June 2007 issue of Construction Business magazine.
Options for enveloping your building By Duane Sharp, P. Eng. Photo of the Rembrandt Bistro by Behlen Industries LP of Winnipeg, MB, is supplied by Canadian Sheet Steel Building Institute.
P
utting a good face on a well-built structure involves a number of visible elements, such as wall coverings and windows, as well as some not-so-visible protective features, such as roofing. One commercial and industrial roofing organization which has developed several areas of specialty is Semple-Gooder Roofing Limited of Toronto, ON. The company is divided into specialized units that deal with new-roofing, re-roofing, historical work, metal products and service, and its metal shop has the capacity to produce the finishing phase of each roofing system. The company has been a roofing contractor serving commercial and industrial communities for more than 50 years and has about 300 employees, with branch offices in Sudbury, Belleville, Kitchener-Waterloo and London, ON. “One of the major changes we see in the roofing business,” says Frank Baxter, SempleGooder president, “is the increasing interest in LEED-accredited roofing systems, largely a result of the potential municipal tax savings offered to developers and owners who follow LEED practices in roofing, but also as a result of interest in creating more environmentallyfriendly structures.” The retrofitting of existing roofing with a sustainable layer of composite material is another aspect of the roofing business which Baxter says is attracting considerable interest among developers and contractors and which offers several advantages to building owners and tenant, particularly in the industrial and institutional area. “The process involves retaining the original roof membrane, and placing a layer of insulating material over it,” he explains. “Vermiculite is one material that is used for this process, which provides long-term cost saving by extending the life of the existing building, minimizing the amount of work involved as opposed to roof replacement, as well as virtually eliminating the disruption of tenants created when a roof is replaced. As well, the retrofitting process allows proper drainage to be established for existing roofs, which in many cases never had any drainage properties.”
Vermiculite is a member of the phyllosilicate group of minerals, resembling mica in appearance, and is found naturally in various parts of the world, with major mines located in South Africa, China, Brazil, Zimbabwe, and the United States. One of its most interesting properties is its capability to expand to many times its original size, a characteristic which is important in providing insulating material for roofing structures. “In addition to extending the life of the roof and the cost savings inherent in longer life,” Baxter continues, “there can be considerable cost savings for owners in the installation process.” He cites the example of a recently completed hospital roofing project where the savings from retrofitting the roof represented $100,000.
Going green on top
With the growing interest in green roofs in North America, and long a popular method
of ‘covering’ buildings in Europe, a number of traditional roofing companies are getting into the business, but not Semple-Gooder. As Baxter explains it, “our belief is that we are either in the roofing or landscape business…and our company chose roofing over 60 years ago, so we let other companies do the green roofs, which involves another range of technologies and landscaping knowledge. However, we do a lot of roof preparation for organizations which do the landscaping for green roofs.” Green roofs are popular in some regions for a variety of reasons, all in some way related to environmental friendliness because they filter pollutants and reduce the volume of precipitation runoff, thereby reducing the amount of pollution delivered to the local drainage system and, ultimately, to receiving waters. One pollutant that green roofs help control, for example, is nitrogen. Green roofs can help make nitrogen pollution less of a Building Strategies Fall 2007
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Advertising Index Display Ads AD Fire Protection Systems 39 American Express 48/49 AON 52 BOMA Toronto 50 Butler 32 Buzon Canada 15 CPCI 47 CSSBI 11 CGC Inc. 17 CLEAR Corporation 42 Disaster Kleenup IBC Dryvit Systems Canada 23 Durisol 33 ECO Insulating Glass Inc. 52 Firestone Building Products Company 3 Flynn Canada Ltd. 28 Glaholt LLP 9 GLOS Associates Inc 38 Helena Ventrella Design Limited 36 LANXESS 7 Lowe’s 31 Ontario Power Authority 13 Restoration Environmental 37 Satin Finish OBC Schneider Electric 43 The TRH Group 21 Travelers Guarantee Company of Canada IFC Tri-Phase Environmental Inc 4 Verdi Alliance 19 Xero Flor 45
water quality problem. While nitrogen gas occurs naturally as a major component of the atmosphere, nitrogen compounds from automobile exhaust, agricultural fertilizers and industrial activities can create a significant pollution problem. However, when these compounds are carried away with storm water runoff, they contribute to the pollution of surface water.
Why choose steel?
Steel has been successfully used for roofing and wall coverings for commercial and institutional buildings for over 50 years, and since it is 100 per cent recyclable, steel is an inherently environmentally-friendly material. Since recycled steel is used extensively in the production of new steel, not only does each steel roof contain a portion of recycled material, it can also be completely recycled at the end of its useful life, resulting in reducing hundreds of tons of used roofing material from being put into landfills each year. With so many year of experience, steel roofing has aptly demonstrated that it can be attractive, versatile, and durable, with a lifespan two or three times longer than conventional roofing products. As far as costs are concerned,
over the product life cycle, steel roofing is extremely cost effective. A steel wall covering also offers several advantages over other forms of exterior wall coverings for industrial and commercial structures, even for exteriors walls as illustrated by the article on the Greater Toronto Airport Authority’s (GTAA) Fire and Emergency Services Training Institute highlighted in this issue. Sheet steel wall assemblies come in a variety of different sizes, shapes and configurations, ranging from the simplest single sheet walls found in agricultural buildings, to sophisticated composite panel assemblies. One aspect of steel walls which architects, owners and developers are using to aesthetic advantage is the capability of developing complete architectural expression, using the wide variety of cladding profiles, paint systems and colours, available in sheet steel. Sheet steel wall assemblies are durable and economical, and the cavity created in these assemblies can be sized to accommodate as much thermal insulation as required while maintaining the integrity of the building enclosure, as well as being integrated with other building materials for added variety. B
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Building Strategies Fall 2007
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