In this tale of two buildings, we’ll look at the ways 2 project teams used Logix ICF to advantage on 2 unique construction sites.
Both projects are in the same climate zone and serve a similar purpose. Lumino C is a 15-storey, 100,000 SF tower in South Central Calgary with 121 rental units. 30 University Circle (30 U.C.) is a 7-storey apartment complex with the same floor area and a mix of student and affordable housing. Despite their parallels, the buildings employ distinct design approaches, construction methods, materials and techniques.
Lumino C
30 University Circle
Concrete Specs
The Lumino C building’s main floor slab comprises 40 MPA (5,801 PSI) concrete, while the rest of the floors use a 25 MPA (3,625 PSI) mix. The 30 University Circle project team, on the other hand, opted for a 25 MPA mix with 15mm crushed stone aggregate.
Below-Grade Support
The Lumino tower distributes its point loads over a self-supporting raft slab. These slabs are great for heavy loads resting on soils with poor bearing capacities, where point loads should be avoided.
In contrast, the Winnipeg building relies on approximately 200 precast piles with pile caps, driven into the bedrock, to support its loads.
Parkade Construction
The Lumino C tower offers two levels of parking. The bottom level is formed with cast-in-place concrete, whereas the second level is built with 10-inch-core Logix ICF walls.
The 30 U.C. team, on the other hand, built their parkade with conventional, cast-in-place 10-inch concrete walls and had the concrete slabs insulated with Halo’s 4-inch Subterra Plus.
Exterior Walls
Both buildings’ exterior walls are made with Logix ICF blocks. Lumino C has Logix Pro 10-inch cores on the main floor, 8-inch cores on floors 2 through 14, and 6-inch cores on the two top levels. 30 U.C., however, has 6-inch-core blocks throughout its exterior.
Demising Wall System
The two project teams took vastly differing paths to interior walls. Where the Lumino C tower separates its units and rooms with light-gauge steel-framed walls, 30 U.C. uses Logix ICF demising walls. Going with ICF had a major impact on the project’s schedule, as the concrete work inside the building took minimal heating to cure, even amid a frigid Manitoba winter.
Floor System
The floor structure of Lumino C’s tower comprises 14-inch deep Hambro joists with 4-inch cast-in-place concrete slabs integrated into the cores of exterior walls. Ceilings were created by applying drywall to the underside of joists.
30 U.C.’s team, on the other hand, went with precast, hollow-core floors, supported by the load-bearing Logix ICF demising walls and have their undersides finished with paint. The slab edges are not exposed, ensuring continuity of the exterior walls.
Windows and Bucks
Lumino’s team opted for an integrated approach to window and buck placement. The window units were placed into steel bucks at the shop; then each window and buck unit was craned and installed in place before concrete was poured into the exterior wall forms. Logix ICF’s interior foam panel serves as the thermal break.
30 U.C.’s team used the Logix Pro Bucks instead. With this method, the openings were bucked pre-pour and the window units installed post-pour. The Pro Bucks themselves create thermal breaks in the window and door openings. Efficient finishing around the bucked areas is a key factor during installation.
Balconies
With both buildings, balcony supports had to penetrate the ICF block cores. At Lumino C, the precast balcony slabs were inserted into the wall, and are now held up by 2 steel beams. The beams were installed after the slab pour and are welded to a hanger under the slab.
At 30 U.C., each balcony bears on 4 steel brackets. To accommodate the brackets, cuts were made in the Logix forms, the brackets were then slid into the core and cast in place along with the wall. The balconies’ undersides were left exposed.
Roof System
With both projects, the roofing structures resemble their floor assemblies. Lumino C’s roof comprises a Hambro decking system with a sloped insulation base and torch-on membrane.
The roof at 30 U.C. consists of a flat, hollow-core precast deck, with sloped EPS insulation and a torched-on membrane.
Veneer
Lumino C tower’s veneer was constructed with an EIFS board by Beaver, and stucco. Areas around windows and balconies were clad with metal siding for aesthetics; The metal cladding is connected back to the concrete core using a veneer anchor.
The 30 U.C. building features mostly acrylic stucco on its exterior. Apart from that, there are portions of curtain wall at the podium on the first two levels.
Wrapping It Up
As you can see, two buildings with distinct designs successfully incorporated Logix ICF. Whatever your project may be, these blocks are versatile enough to allow for a smooth integration into any construction method.
Sources
http://www.kanas.ca/projects/lumino-c/
https://www.30uc.ca/
https://logixicf.com/blog/logix-blog/reduce-construction-steps-during-winter-with-logix-insulated-concrete-forms/
https://logixicf.com/products
