The Building Codes are changing and are now requiring higher performance requirements for the thermal envelope. The way we once built will be just that, a thing of the past, as the cladding industry evolves. For a long time the building science field has acknowledged the weaknesses of our current construction means and methods, such as conductive heat loss/gain through large amounts of thermal bridging and this is what has driven the most recent changes to the building codes in North America. As such, most of these codes have now adopted ASHRAE 90.1 such as the International Building Code (IBC) in the United States or they adopted a set of standards of their own similar to ASHRAE 90.1 like the supplementary conditions contained in the Ontario Building Code (OBC) SB-10 requirements to achieve better thermal performance in the building envelope. For veneer walls, these updated code requirements now make it mandatory for new construction to reduce thermal bridging and achieve higher effective R-Values (lower U-Values) for the wall assemblies.
For builders and designers seeking ASHRAE 90.1 compliant veneer wall systems, the Arriscraft ARRIS.clip Gridworx assembly is a great option.
In designing the leading-edge Mountain Point Medical Centre in Lehi, Utah, Earl Swensson Associates needed a modern, high-performance façade. Choosing naturally-made Arriscraft stone offered both the aesthetic and durability qualities needed for the project. The smooth ARRIS.clip selection integrated well into the overall modern design of the facility.
The ARRIS.clip thin stone was installed using the Gridworx aluminum stone hanging system and their Discrete Girt / Z-channel assembly, creating a back drained and ventilated open rainscreen façade and providing a system that provided the higher effective R-value they needed to achieve ASHRAE 90.1 compliance.
This Arriscraft ARRIS.clip and Gridworx ASHRAE 90.1 compliant assembly meets or exceeds the thermal requirements for climate zones 1 through 8 (which covers all of North America).
Project Details:
Project: Mountain Point Medical Centre
Location: Lehi, Utah
Architect: Earl Swensson Associates
Product: CSMU-clip (ARRIS-clip Renaissance®) Units, 12” Smooth – Standard (Sunset)
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Seven tips for specifying and designing with insulated metal wall panels
Insulated metal panels, or IMPs, have been a popular exterior wall cladding choice for more than 30 years. These sandwich panels are composed of liquid insulating foam, such as polyurethane, injected between two aluminum or steel metal face panels to form a solid, monolithic unit. The result is a lightweight, highly insulated (R-14 to R-30, depending on the thickness of the panel) exterior clad...
| Aug 11, 2010
AIA Course: Enclosure strategies for better buildings
Sustainability and energy efficiency depend not only on the overall design but also on the building's enclosure system. Whether it's via better air-infiltration control, thermal insulation, and moisture control, or more advanced strategies such as active façades with automated shading and venting or novel enclosure types such as double walls, Building Teams are delivering more efficient, better performing, and healthier building enclosures.
| Aug 11, 2010
Tall ICF Walls: 9 Building Tips from the Experts
Insulating concrete forms have a long history of success in low-rise buildings, but now Building Teams are specifying ICFs for mid- and high-rise structures—more than 100 feet. ICF walls can be used for tall unsupported walls (for, say, movie theaters and big-box stores) and for multistory, load-bearing walls (for hotels, multifamily residential buildings, and student residence halls).
