Bloorvista Luxury Condominiums

Project Highlights

• Developer Tridel partners with City of Toronto to test effectiveness of structural thermal breaks at balconies on this 35-storey luxury condominium high rise
• Two manufacturers' thermal break products plus a punctual solution and an uninsulated connection are being tested
• Sensors were installed by AOMS Technologies to measure and compare interior and exterior slab temperatures  
• Energy savings and temperature differentials will be analyzed after 15 months of data is compiled
  
  

City of Toronto Tests Thermal Breaks with Tridel

TORONTO, ON – The City of Toronto has initiated a program with Tridel Corporation to test the effectiveness of structural thermal breaks. The test will measure the degree to which structural thermal breaks save energy and maintain uniform temperature of the interior floor, as part of an effort to fine-tune the city’s sustainable design requirements for new construction. 

The Toronto Green Standard is the city’s blueprint for sustainable design and is part of the overall urban plan to meet the pan-Canadian building standard of Net Zero Energy by 2030. Introduced in 2006 as a voluntary standard for new development, it has implemented increasingly rigorous “tiers” every four years to reduce building energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and protect local waterways and ecology.

Tridel, one of the largest and earliest-born real estate developers in Ontario, is partnering with the City to test the effectiveness of thermal break solutions at the Bloorvista luxury condominium community. Bloorvista, a 35 storey tower, is part of the Islington Terrace master-planned community of residential, indoor and outdoor amenities and retail space. Schöck Isokorb^® structural thermal breaks for balcony connections are being measured against another manufacturer’s thermal breaks, in a punctual solution arrangement, and a “do nothing” scenario.

Two kinds of Schöck thermal break products for concrete-to-concrete balcony connections were installed: one containing 80 mm of insulating material in the assembly, and one containing 120 mm of insulating material designed for higher thermal performance. The thermal breaks and temperature sensors were installed on the 32^nd and 33^rd floors in April of 2019. 

On the 31^st floor, the other manufacturer’s thermal break products were installed, providing a performance comparison by separate manufacturers of thermal break solutions.

Also being evaluated on the 34^th floor is a punctual solution arrangement in which rigid insulation blocks between the interior floor and balcony slabs are placed alternately with lengths of uninsulated reinforced concrete. The intent is to measure heat escaping from the uninsulated areas to the outside.

A third-party independent company, AOMS Technologies, installed highly accurate and rugged sensors to measure the temperature of the concrete on the interior and exterior sides of the structural thermal breaks. Sensors were also installed on a floor without structural thermal breaks to create a baseline condition for comparison. 

The testing continues over approximately 15 months to collect data for an entire seasonal cycle. Results are expected when the building is completed and heated during 2020 and 2021.