July 23, 2010
Building Envelope Solutions conference
VIDEO: Canada should embrace rainscreen cladding systems
Canada has been too slow to embrace rainscreen cladding systems, despite the advantages they offer in terms of better performance, low-cost maintenance and longer-lasting structures, says a distributor of architectural building products.
“These things are proven, they’re just not being used, and that’s kind of a shame on us,” Blair Davies, vice-president and general manager of Mississauga, Ont.-based Engineered Assemblies Inc., told the Building Envelope Solutions forum conference in Toronto recently.
A rainscreen facade is an open-joint cladding system that uses a double-wall: an outer layer that keeps out rain and an inner layer that provides insulation and prevents energy loss.
The system allows natural ventilation into the cavity between the panel and the insulation, helping to provide drainage for rain and condensation.
Davies noted that these wall systems have the same performance as the three-foot thick walls of buildings built in the 1800s.
“Unless you’re going to build the Notre Dame Cathedral, why not design a wall system that works – that’s thin and light and economical?” he said.
Another advantage of rainscreen systems versus conventional walls is that they provide the option of simply changing out the panels, Davies noted.
“These systems last forever, and 20 years from now when you want to change the colour of the building, take the panels off, put some new ones on.”
“Think about all the ugly architecture that was beautiful back in its day and we can’t do anything about it now,” he added.
“(With) this kind of architecture, you could actually change it a few years from now if you wanted to.”
VIDEO: Buildex Vancouver 2012 at the Vancouver Convention Centre
Buildex Vancouver brings together the construction, design and real estate industries on an annual basis into a giant, two day show at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
VIDEO: Pre-Construction begins on the Evergreen Line
Pre-construction work has begun on the Evergreen Line, an extension of the Skytrain rapid transit system that currently spans Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby and some of Coquitlam. The new line will extend from Coquitlam all the way to Port Moody, alleviating traffic and offering a green alternative to motorized vehicles.
VIDEO: The Vancouver Regional Construction Association's U35 initiative
Construction industry experts have long warned of an "experience gap" between senior management and young workers just entering the sector. Due to the bottoming out of the industry in the 1990s, the industry has lacked a core group of younger managers and executives to take over once the baby boomer generation retires.
Toronto IIDEX trade show to have renewed focus
The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) will be a co-presenter of this year’s IIDEX/NeoCon Canada conference and expo, which has traditionally been a contract furniture show but will start placing a greater emphasis on construction products, architecture and technology, the event organizer has announced.
Brook Restoration safety training includes swing stage, hazardous materials
Brook Restoration recently opened its own safety centre. In addition to regular safety training like WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System), Brook offers training in aspects such as swing stage, boom and elevated work platform, asbestos, lead, Bobcats and confined spaces.
VIDEO: Remembering the Bentall Four
On January 7, 1981, Gunther Couvreux, Brian Stevenson, Donald W. Davis and Yrjo Mitrunen fell thirty-six floors to their deaths when a fly form attached to the Bentall building in downtown Vancouver came loose.
Efficiency is Ontario trades college goal
Ontario’s current apprenticeship system has failed the province’s youth, says the Ontario College of Trades new chair, Ron Johnson.
Ontario College of Trades chair hopes ratios will be reviewed in first two years
Ron Johnson, the new Chair of the Board of Governors of the Ontario College of Trades and Deputy Director of Interior Systems Contractors Association of Ontario and the Interior Finishing Systems Training Centre, said every individual who has an issue with a compulsory certification and ratio review application will have an opportunity to represent their arguments to a review panel.
VIDEO PROFILE: The Peace Bridge in Calgary, Alberta
The Peace Bridge, a pedestrian and cycling bridge crossing the Bow River in Calgary, Alberta is both a bold project in terms of aesthetics and design and a magnet for controversy.
