July 18, 2012v4

The advantages of building with

Third Line Healthy Walls

JULY 18, 2012 V4 THIRD LINE HEALTHY WALLS PAGE 2

THIRD LINE HEALTHY WALLSTM

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

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WHAT IS DURISOL?

The original ICF (introduced in 1947)

Proprietary material:• de-naturalised wood chips• Portland cement

Blocks available in variety of sizes, suitable for:• foundation walls• exterior walls• interior walls

Durisol material

Exterior face

Interior face

Insulation

Void for concrete

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DURISOL HAS BEEN USED IN A WIDE VARIETY OF BUILDINGS

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FUNCTIONAL BENEFITS OF HEALTHY WALL PANELS

Construction:• time & cost• builder considerations• environmental footprint

Building performance:• energy use• occupant health & comfort• building strength & integrity

Third Line Healthy Wall panels vs:

• other ICFs

• traditional stick build

• stick panels

These advantages will be amplified by the new (2012) revisions to the Ontario Building Code

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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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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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CONSTRUCTION:BUILDER CONSIDERATIONSEasy 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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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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BUILDING PERFORMANCE:ENERGY USE

Exceeds Energuide requirements by factor of 1.5 - 2

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)

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

Durisol block wall

Conventional stick wall

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BUILDING PERFORMANCE:OCCUPANT HEALTH & COMFORTSuperior 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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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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PERFORMANCE SUMMARY

Performance factorThird 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

1 = Best performance, 4 = Worst

July 18, 2012v4

Third Line Homes

Healthy WallsTM