Canadian Museum for Human Rights: Project details

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is rooted in humanity, making visible in the architecture the fundamental commonality of humankind—a symbolic apparition of ice, clouds, and stone set in a field of sweet grass. Carved into the earth and dissolving into the sky on the Winnipeg horizon, the abstract ephemeral wings of a white dove embrace a mythic stone mountain of 450-million-year-old Tyndall limestone in the creation of a unifying and timeless landmark for all nations and cultures of the world.

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Designations and certifications

Last week, at the CSC-DCC National Conference in Kitchener, Ont., members from across the country assembled for a few days of networking and technical education. The event also enabled a means of honouring some of Canada’s brightest emerging construction professionals and decorated design veterans. In some cases, this meant presenting awards to volunteers whose work has improved the nation’s building community; in others, it allowed those who have earned new professional designations to be recognized in front of their peers.

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Roof considerations for northern climates

With any important decision in life, it is necessary to understand the trade-offs associated with the choices made. The same is true when selecting a roofing assembly. A common theme is sustainability and the use of ‘green’ building methods and materials—however, trouble can arise when materials are selected and purchased solely because of perceived energy or environmental benefits.

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Sprayfoam in the Attic: When is venting appropriate?

For decades, designers of attics and crawlspaces have used cross-ventilation to minimize potential for moisture accumulation and condensation. However, spurred by recent claims of energy savings and moisture control, unvented attics have become popular in both residential and commercial applications. While these attics can be used in many circumstances, this author believes there are reasons to use vented assemblies in many situations.

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Accessibility of operable windows

Accessibility to fresh air and a connection to the outdoors for those with physical disabilities are especially important in skilled nursing and personal care facilities, multi-family dwellings, and hotels, along with classrooms and dormitories. To help ensure this access, windows capable of meeting operating force and motion requirements of International Code Council/American National Standards Institute (ICC/ANSI) A117.1, Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities, are being more commonly specified in the United States. This trend can be expected to expand into Canada.

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The single-ply skinny on EPDM

With evolving building codes, changing weather patterns, and emerging sustainability needs, demands on commercial roofing installations are ever-changing. The same is true for the debates centring on which materials and assemblies prove most reliable.

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Glazing performance and sustainable design

Glazing is an integral part of modern design. From a thermal standpoint, glazing and its structure or frame is the weakest point of a wall assembly.1 A double-glazed vinyl window with argon’s U-factor (i.e. thermal transmittance) is typically around 3 W/(m2 K). This means the window will gain or lose around 3 W per m2 per degree Celsius. An efficient fibreglass window system’s U-factor can be as low as 1 W/(m2 K). An aluminum curtain wall system can range as high as 4 W/(m2 K). On the other hand, the U-factor of a 152-mm (6-in.) steel stud, with batt and exterior continuous insulation, can be around 0.4 W/(m2 K).

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