B-Line Condominiums
For the development of the B-Line condominium in Toronto, there were three primary factors to be weighed and considered: the desire of client/developer Marco De Simone of Royalpark Homes for an EIFS (exterior insulation finish systems) solution, the need to accommodate a complex design with multiple finishes, and the tight, constricted job site.
To offer the condo residents premium comfort and maximum efficiency in the harsh Toronto climate, the developer viewed EIFS as essential. However, according to SkyRise Prefab’s vice president of business development, John Sopta, due to the site constraints, the only EIFS solution which could work for the project was a prefabricated panel.
“Site logistics make it impossible to do any sort of field-applied work there on the exterior envelope,” Sopta explained. “You cannot get in there with a baker’s scaffold; forget about setting up the requirements for doing other field-applied work.”
A prefabricated wall panel system was an easy choice from a site-logistics perspective, but there was still the question of esthetics because the building design called for multiple, disparate finishes. Using actual brick was a non-starter for the same reasons on-site exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS) applications were out, as there was no room for scaffolding; but the manufacturer knew they had new finish layer options. These options, which could deliver on the design, included wood, resin-cast wood grain plank, brick, and a resin-cast brick. The immediate challenge was showcasing them for the client as the wood grain planks and bricks had just been introduced to the North American market, making this the first project to use them. “We took the client and the architect, from Romanov to sites all over the Netherlands and Germany,” says Joe Aprile, executive director at SkyRise Prefab. “They got to really appreciate what these products look like on buildings.”
The B-Line project was a challenging build in no uncertain terms. The manufacturer described it as the most complex project they had ever taken on, as the panels themselves were intricate, requiring elaborate prefabricated wall assemblies with two or three sections of walls, each with a distinct look, integrated into one. The design called for three finishes: metal, brick, and wood. The metal finish was accomplished with a customized finish surface which featured the look of limestone with a topcoat for a metal panel look. Brick and wood esthetics were created using the new products.
“The technology and the selection of materials allows us to do anything you want,” says Albert Bendersky, director of project management and construction at SkyRise Prefab. “The client can have any possible colour, any possible shape, and any possible texture for the exterior envelope.”
However, the real challenges came once the panels left manufacturer’s facility. The limitations, due to the small jobsite, made installation of the prefab EIFS panels difficult. “We were hoisting two- or three-storey high, sophisticated panels 3.6 m (13 ft) from electrical lines on one side, and 1.5 m (5 ft) to the left, there is a plaza,” explains Bendersky. “We had to use a tower crane, because there was zero distance between the building
and the neighbouring plaza.”
The team had a plan and they took the time to execute it, carefully and properly. By taking their time, they also saved time. What took them two months, Bendersky estimated would have taken a year using traditional methods, if it would have been possible at all. When everything is taken into account—the new customizable finish surfaces, the complex design, the small footprint of the jobsite—as the building stands and where it stands, there was no other way it could have been built. Ultimately, the project speaks for itself. “Every inch of that building is unique,” says Aprile.
The Parkview Senior Residence expansion in Newcastle used a high-performance wall system, with maximum protection from the elements. This system offers unprecedented design flexibility, which was achieved here using two prefabricated resin cast shapes and the manufacturer’s brick and wood.
