For thousands of years, masonry has been the building material of choice in many regions, with an infinite number of possibilities of pattern and form. Brick and stone are durable materials that never go out of fashion; they have been used to construct castles and cathedrals, pyramids and great walls, schools and museums, hospitals and high-rises, bridges, roads, and fences.
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When using the Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG) approach espoused by the U.S. National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), team members pool together their knowledge instead of parcelling it out to specialists who work in isolation from one another. Such integration allows building teams to more efficiently evaluate and manage the design for cost, quality-of-life, and long-term performance (among other factors) from technical planning throughout construction.
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As sustainable building has become the preferred (or, occasionally, required) construction method throughout North America, design professionals are turning to insulating concrete forms (ICFs). When comprising the building envelope, these materials provide occupants with a safe, clean, healthy, and comfortable environment in which to live and work. Whether residential multi-family, commercial new construction, school, theatre, healthcare, or retail, ICF structures also help reduce a building’s carbon footprint—their insulation can mean less energy to heat and cool than is needed in structures built with conventional materials.
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On a cold February morning, as people walk to their new downtown office buildings (in Toronto, Montréal, Winnipeg, Calgary, or Ottawa), a loud crash is heard, sending them scattering outside the main entrance. Ice shards rain down onto the sidewalk, with a large ice chunk smashing the ground directly in front of the main doors.
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The cost-effective and environmental benefits of incorporating a glycol system on the retail side of Longo’s Supermarkets made the decision to use the same in its new distribution centre an easy one. It is also one of the design elements the Vaughan, Ont., company is using to achieve Gold under Canada Green Building Council’s (CaGBC’s) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system.
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The sheen of the floor in an Edmonton Value Village store may look like polished concrete, but it is, in fact, neither polished nor concrete. The surface material is actually a bonded topping—a relatively soft cementitious material used as underlayment for carpet or vinyl tile, which would not normally be considered ‘shinable.’ Instead of the labour-intensive finish made by polishing it with fine diamond abrasives, it was honed with only medium-grit abrasives, hardened with an advanced-chemistry densifier, protected with a breathable sealer, and buffed to a near-polished shine—a much more affordable treatment.
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Plaza deck waterproofing typically requires replacement at some point during the building’s life. Restoration of the waterproofing system over occupied space poses many challenges, both in design and construction. Typically, plaza decks now being subject to restoration were constructed many years ago and do not include subsurface drainage or adequate deck slope at the waterproofing membrane level.
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Ground-borne vibration can be produced by various common construction activities, including caisson drilling, piledriving, and soil compaction. In extreme cases, such vibration produced at a construction site has the potential to damage buildings or structures outside the limits of the site; at the very least, it creates an annoyance or nuisance in nearby buildings. A clear understanding of the potential hazard is important.
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After 44 years at its 11th Street SW location, Calgary’s science centre has moved due to a lack of expansion space. The new Nose Creek Valley site allows room for a facility that is double the size, and has room for expansion. However, the new site presented challenges for designers. It is in line with the main north-south runway at the Calgary International Airport, and the planes that land heading north fly over the site at a low altitude.
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Historical buildings are central to Canada’s character and culture. Safeguarded at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels, these sites are granted special designations that dictate the manner in which they must be preserved and restored. In addition to the strong mandates of official heritage conservation, owners and interested parties often have a desire to preserve buildings’ historical integrity—both architecturally and aesthetically.
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