What do you think of this project?

  • Total voters
    48
Hugh Jazz said:
It's amazing that this envelope system (I am assuming this is EIFS) is still cheaper than window wall, when you factor in all the hoarding, heating, scaffolding, and labour required.
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Window wall for our climate would mean triple pane gas filled likely meaning thicker slabs for structural integrity. Makes sense for an office building, but less sense for a budget residential building. So the windows cost more as does the structure itself.

That isn't even getting into the insulation conversation of EIFS vs windows. Windows have come a long way with their r-value, but I imagine a solid wall, namely EIFS still offers more benefits for energy efficiency. I'm sure @archited or @kcantor could weigh in with more insight.
 
westcoastjos said:
Window wall for our climate would mean triple pane gas filled likely meaning thicker slabs for structural integrity. Makes sense for an office building, but less sense for a budget residential building. So the windows cost more as does the structure itself.

That isn't even getting into the insulation conversation of EIFS vs windows. Windows have come a long way with their r-value, but I imagine a solid wall, namely EIFS still offers more benefits for energy efficiency. I'm sure @archited or @kcantor could weigh in with more insight.
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Just for clarity, window walls do not have to be (and rarely are) entirely window. I was thinking more along the CNIB window wall style - lots of spandrel.
 
westcoastjos said:
Isn't spandrel just coloured glass? Still costs the same to make it energy efficient.
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spandrel panels themselves are, but they have insulated backpans behind them that bring the total RSI of the assembly up considerably.
super curious about cost comparisons, as well as what the wall assembly here is. is it cavity insulation and steel studs? all external insulation over an empty wall cavity, leading to thick walls? are they relying on the EIFS to get the RSI up. or is it just thick enough to be cladding? I wish it wasn't all covered up lol
 
Depends on the window wall type, but there can certainly be non-glass spandrels. On CNIB I believe the spandrels are some sort of aluminum composite material. Either way, as @cliffapotamus said, there is considerable insulation behind the exterior face of the spandrel.
 
Hugh Jazz said:
Depends on the window wall type, but there can certainly be non-glass spandrels. On CNIB I believe the spandrels are some sort of aluminum composite material. Either way, as @cliffapotamus said, there is considerable insulation behind the exterior face of the spandrel.
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Fair enough.

There are thorough cost comparisons online of EIFS vs window wall vs curtain wall. EIFS seems to come in considerably cheaper for overall install. That said, on a 45 million project, you might save 2-3 million going from glass to EIFS based on the comparisons I've seen. Spandrel aside, the cool/heat costs for glass would still be higher after the fact for the end user.

@cliffapotamus before they had it all wrapped up, you could see steel studs for the walls.

I wonder about the future maintenance costs. I think a few have said that EIFS can be solid long term if is installed well from the outset. Isn't that one of the disadvantages of curtain vs window?

What we get here will probably be a good indicator of what we get with Emerald if it ever goes ahead.
 
Set Up To Dismantle Construction Crane

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