Performance Assessment and Enhancement of a Panelized Building System

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ARTSPAN Inc. has been producing structural insulated steel panel products since 2006. The panels have been used as building envelope solutions for residential, commercial and industrial applications. Artspan's products are manufactured and distributed out of a 32,000 sq.ft. facility in Winkler, Manitoba, Canada.****ARTSPAN has conducted airtightness testing on completed houses, thermal testing on its insulation foam, and a variety of fire and structural testing. However, testing of the panel joints (wall to floor, panel to panel, and floor to ceiling) and the window/wall interfaces has been limited; resistance to air and water infiltration at these points is critical in cold and mixed climate zones with regards to the building envelopes' durability and its energy efficiency. ARTSPAN desires to provide building packages to construction contractors rather than provide all of the finishing details. Of critical importance will be to provide these contractors with proper installation guidelines. ARTSPAN would like to partner with Red River College's (RRC) Building Envelope Technology Access Centre (BETAC) team in order to conduct ASTM Standard Testing protocols within an Air/Water/Structural (AWS) Chamber in order to validate and refine the installation techniques at these critical joints and junctions. BETAC will provide expertise and assist ARTSPAN with identifying compatible materials for sealing panel connections as well as window/door to panel interfaces. At the same time, structural deflection of the wall system under simulated wind loads will also be evaluated. Also, since the formulation and process for producing the insulation foam has changed slightly since the last thermal tests, the project team will also conduct new tests to validate the current thermal performance. ****BETAC's research team will conduct the proposed tests at RRC's Centre for Applied Research in Sustainable Infrastructure (CARSI) laboratory, where the AWS Test Chamber is located. The AWS Chamber is specifically designed to simulate wind-driven rain on a test wall assembly. ARTSPAN Inc. represents an established Small-Medium Enterprise (SME) in Manitoba with an enthusiastic and progressive commitment to research activities. The company has the capacity to implement and further advance the results of this project. The College team is looking forward to testing and developing the most robust installation techniques for the companies' building envelope system, which in turn will be useful in future teaching and research engagements when considering panelized building construction techniques and materials.**