October 13, 2008

SOLTERRA DEVELOPMENT

A rendering of the Summits View development in Squamish.

Prefabricated steel-stud panels cut construction time for Solterra Developments

Jean Sorensen

correspondent

The use of prefabricated steel-stud panels, complete with insulation and finished exterior concrete, is cutting construction time for Solterra Development’s new 134-unit residential complex Summits View in Squamish.

“I would say we are saving about 30 per cent,” said Solterra’s vice-president of construction Bryan Webster, when asked to estimate the construction time savings accrued compared to conventional building methods.

The six levels of living area sit over two levels of a poured-in-place concrete parkade, built into the hill side.

The levels of residential living space feature five-inch concrete decks poured on site with wall units fabricated at Centura Buildings Systems Ltd., a subsidiary of Solterra, located on Annacis Island.

“We prefab all the load-bearing walls,” he said, adding they are then trucked to the site.

The l0-foot high panels vary in length, but can reach up to 30 feet long.

The units are configured to the building’s exterior design, so joins are placed at corners and at flat surfaces

“We try to eliminate joins when possible”, said Webster, adding that this makes it more difficult for water to enter the envelope.

“We fly them into place,” he said.

The walls are lifted by crane to seat onto the concrete deck, where crews fasten them into place.

Webster said the panels are unfinished on the interior, which allows crews to install the building’s electrical needs.

Summits View is the fourth phase of development in the Eaglewind master planned community development and consists of 12 three-storey townhouses in the building’s front area with the remaining 122 apartments and condos occupying the remainder of the T-shaped structure.

The design of the Summits View was carried out by Gomberoff Bell Lyon Architects Group Inc. (GBL) of Vancouver, with the team members of firm partner Tom Bell and project architect Andrew Gordon.

Summits View is part of a development spread over 25 acres in central downtown Squamish. It includes the 11-acre Eaglewind Park.

The Summits View is expected to be completed in 2010, but one more Solterra project is still planned.

The Summits View building’s amenities include a guest suite and meeting room, ski-waxing and bike tune-up area, dog-wash station and roof-decked landscaped courtyard.

Summits View sits next to the Rockcliff development, currently finishing construction, and is the fourth of five developments that Solterra plans for the community.

Rockcliff consists of a seniors centre, two commercial units and 90 residential units.

Solterra’s other completed projects in the master plan area include Talon, and Streams.

The pre-fab steel stud panels allowed the company to move forward quickly, without relying upon the local trades or the expense of having to house trades brought to the site.

The quality control over the panel is also much easier to monitor because it is in a controlled manufacturing facility.

Webster said that the plant also allows them to carry out extensive moisture tests on panels to ensure that it remains intact over the years.

“You can eliminate a lot of site work,” said Webster, adding the only delay that can result is when it is too windy to hoist the large panels with the crane.

The panel and building’s exterior is featuring HardiePanel, a vertical fibre concrete panel, that comes pre-stained but can also be finished in the manufacturing facility.

Gordon said that the HardiePanel is an established material that is useful in this application as it serves several functions.

“It is a rain screen and it comes in panels that screw onto the (steel) studs and there is a membrane behind,” he said.

“So, it is working as a rain screen within the building and exterior on the outside of the building.”

Webster said the prefabricated panels are currently being used for a long-term care facility in Vancouver and recently were used on a hotel project in North Vancouver.

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