Building Code Changes: Save Millions on Major Projects

Big changes have arrived with the National Building Code of Canada. New rules are going to bring major benefits and cost-savings to projects with a window and door component. Centra Windows is once again blazing the trail and putting theory into practice with a high-rise renovation project in Edmonton, implementing these exciting code changes and saving our client millions in the process.

The project in question, a 22-storey residential tower on Edmonton’s Jasper Avenue, was originally completed in 2005. Given the harsh winters the city experiences, the almost 20-year-old aluminum-frame windows failed to keep residents comfortable in their homes. When the building owners began looking for better products, they thought they had to stick to the same material – replacing aluminum with aluminum.

Enter Centra. Our talented experts are always at the forefront when it comes to understanding and implementing provincial and national code, and this time we’ve taken things to another level. Thanks to our knowledge and expertise, we were able to offer our client and their building residents options that would save them up to $3.3 million.

So, what’s the major change that allowed Centra to do this? As per the new edition of the National Building Code, certain non-combustible openings can now have a combustible window installed. Greg Martineau and the team at Centra Projects Alberta presented our clients with three proposals: aluminum windows, fibreglass windows at a price point $2 million cheaper, and Vinyl windows at a price point $3.3 million cheaper.

This was not simply a matter of calculating price differences based on frame material – our team went to great lengths to do their due diligence, as always. They consulted with a fire safety company that specializes in high-rise buildings and our own in-house engineering teams. We were subsequently given approval to put a combustible window frame in what was once a non-combustible opening.

Huge cost savings are not the only benefit of this revolutionary approach to high-rise windows. Aluminum windows with their thin, metal frames are incredibly inefficient, and they would not have provided building residents with the more comfortable living space they were hoping for. Vinyl and fibreglass frames are far more thermally efficient, and residents will see their comfort boosted as well as a likely decrease in their energy bills.

In this case, our clients opted for the fibreglass window option, saving themselves $2 million. The project is now well underway, and is due for completion in 2024. If you’d like the help of our Window Experts with an upcoming renovation or new-build project, reach out today.