The advantages
of building with
Third Line Healthy Walls
July 18, 2012
v4
TM
THIRD LINE HEALTHY WALLS
A proprietary system of building wall panels from
Durisol material:
•
•
•
•
panels made in manufacturing facility
sizes up to 10 x 30 ft
openings for doors & windows (installed off- or on-site)
panels pre-loaded with:
– electrical wiring & outlets
– plumbing
• panels trucked to site, then craned into position & attached to
neighbour panels
JULY 18, 2012
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THIRD LINE HEALTHY WALLS
PAGE 1
WHAT IS DURISOL?
The original ICF (introduced in 1947)
Proprietary material:
Insulation
• de-naturalised wood chips
• Portland cement
Void for
concrete
Exterior
face
Blocks available in variety of sizes,
suitable for:
• foundation walls
• exterior walls
• interior walls
Durisol
material
JULY 18, 2012
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THIRD LINE HEALTHY WALLS
Interior
face
PAGE 2
DURISOL HAS BEEN USED IN A
WIDE VARIETY OF BUILDINGS
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THIRD LINE HEALTHY WALLS
PAGE 3
FUNCTIONAL BENEFITS OF
HEALTHY WALL PANELS
Construction:
• time & cost
• builder considerations
• environmental footprint
Third Line Healthy Wall
panels vs:
• other ICFs
Building performance:
• energy use
• occupant health & comfort
• building strength & integrity
• traditional stick build
• stick panels
These advantages will be amplified by the new (2012)
revisions to the Ontario Building Code
JULY 18, 2012
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THIRD LINE HEALTHY WALLS
PAGE 4
IMPACT OF THE 2012 ONTARIO
BUILDING CODE (OBC)
OBC is now the most progressive in North America
Strong focus on energy performance
Basic requirement is to build to Energuide rating of 80+
Need to manage building envelope and heating/cooling as a single system
Most traditional builders will find this difficult:
• additional cost
• more time
• difficulty of quality control
Estimated increase of $20,000 to build 1,500 sq ft bungalow
Third Line wall panels exceed OBC requirements by factor of 1.5 – 2
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PAGE 5
CONSTRUCTION:
TIME & COST SAVINGS
Third Line walls are cost-competitive:
• cheaper than other ICF systems
• comparable to framed walls
Third Line panel walls are fast to make & install:
• 1 day in manufacturing facility
• <1 day transport to building site
• <1 hour/panel to crane & attach
Contribute to faster build times:
• 60-day house
• 5-day floor
Structural strength reduces need for other structural material
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PAGE 6
CONSTRUCTION:
BUILDER CONSIDERATIONS
Easy handling: panels made in Third Line facility, reduces
need for specialized skills on site
Easy working:
• Durisol material can be cut with regular power tools
• Durisol material will hold normal screws and nails
• Third Line panel walls hold pre-installed wiring and plumbing,
reduces on-site labour
• wall finish can be applied directly to wall surface
• no vapour barrier or additional insulation required
Better concrete handling:
• zero blow-outs
• withstands higher concrete pressures without deformation
• high-slump (7-9” slump)
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PAGE 7
CONSTRUCTION:
ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT
Very little waste on site:
• panel walls are made to precise
engineering specifications in Third Line
facility
• no cutting on site
Low carbon concrete
Cut-offs in facility can be recycled
into new blocks
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PAGE 8
BUILDING PERFORMANCE:
ENERGY USE
Exceeds Energuide requirements by factor of 1.5 - 2
Durisol block wall
Significant contributor to LEED Energy & Atmosphere credits
True & consistent R-28 performance (14” blocks)
Insulating performance virtually independent of installer
error
Majority of thermal mass is inside insulation, reducing
temperature fluctuations inside building (increases comfort,
reduces load on HVAC system)
Conventional stick wall
Smaller HVAC system (5-10% lower capital cost)
Significantly lower energy operating costs (15-20%, with
appropriate HVAC and envelope engineering)
Cost reduction estimates based on research
by Portland Cement Association
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PAGE 9
BUILDING PERFORMANCE:
OCCUPANT HEALTH & COMFORT
Superior air quality:
• zero off-gassing
• zero VOCs
• huge capacity to store & release moisture
Very high noise attenuation (Noise
Reduction Coefficient 0.75 – 0.9)
Interior Relative Humidity below 65-70%
No condensation within wall cavity
Inhibits mould growth (PH of 11-12)
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PAGE 10
BUILDING PERFORMANCE:
BUILDING STRENGTH &
INTEGRITY
Very high intrinsic fire resistance:
• 4 hour fire rating
• zero flame spread
• zero black smoke or toxic fumes
ICF-built houses will withstand
significant adverse weather events
(hurricanes, tornadoes...)
Immune to termite damage
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PAGE 11
PERFORMANCE SUMMARY
Third
Line
Other
ICFs
Simple
stick
Stick
panel
Energy savings
1
2
4
3
Occupant health & comfort
1
2
4
3
Strength & integrity
1
2
4
3
Time & cost
1
2
4
3
Construction considerations
1
2
4
3
Environmental footprint
1
2
4
3
Overall
1
2
4
3
Performance factor
1 = Best performance, 4 = Worst
JULY 18, 2012
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THIRD LINE HEALTHY WALLS
PAGE 12
Third Line Homes
TM
Healthy Walls
July 18, 2012
v4