CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
Case Histories
CUPOLEX® was developed in North East Italy 15 years ago and to date over 500,000,000
square feet have been installed globally. Used in many countries world wide including
Italy, Germany, Spain, Austria, England, France, Portugal, Greece, Poland, Romania New
Zealand, Australia, Africa, Russia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Canada, Mexico and the United
States of America.
USAF Air Bases
AVIANO AIR BASE
All new buildings included the Cupolex system fitted beneath foundation slabs to
capture and expel Radon gas and Humidity. Radon level measured in facilities at Aviano
typically exceeded the value recommended by the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). Aviano also has some of the most humid climates therefore, to
avoid mold problems, aerated floors were specified in all buildings at the Base. Risk is
based on many factors including level of exposure, years of exposure, lifestyle, and
exposure to other chemical or physical hazards. EPA standards are based on daily
exposure
over
a
lifetime,
greatly
reducing
our
overall
health
risk.
It is important to note that EPA radon criteria are not enforceable either in the United
States or here in Italy. Just as in the United States, the base has no authority to measure or
mitigate off-base housing. This is true for both economy and government family housing.
Natural ventilated Aerated Floors also known as “Vespaio Aerato” in Italy, are the most
effective measures you can take to reduce the level of radon and humidity in Italian
homes. There has been over 1 million sq.ft of the Cupolex aerated flooring system
installed in USAF Air Bases, with the majority in Aviano.
OTHER USAF AIR BASES
•
Ederle Air Base
•
San Vito dei Normanni Air Station
•
Ghedi Air Base
•
NSA Naples
•
NAS Sigonella
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
Toronto Fast Ferry Terminal
Toronto
Toronto Port
Port Authority
Authority
The permanent international ferry passenger terminal constructed on an industrial site on
the Toronto waterfront offers service between Toronto and Rochester, and is the first of its
kind in the Toronto. The Toronto Port Authority selected a site located at the south end of
the Cherry Street.
Daily Commercial News - The building will be constructed above the frost line on
Cupolex, an innovative, raised forming system that is engineered and distributed by
Pontarolo Engineering Inc. “Essentially,, this is a forming system whereby an
economical slab on grade and foundation system is achieved using plastic, interlocking
waffle-like forms, resembling small tables,” the port authority said in a statement. Frost
protection is achieved by horizontal, rigid insulation placed directly below a sidewalk
encircling the entire building. Economy is achieved by constructing the foundations
quickly by keeping the foundation above the water line.
Once the environmental assessment was completed, it became apparent that the site
had some methane present in the soil. Engineers attributed the source of the methane as
dredged harbor sediments that had been used as fill in the past at the site. Once the
methane issue was identified, engineers moved to design a mitigation system that would
prevent any potential for methane intrusion into the buildings. The site also had very poor
load bearing soil characteristics along with high water table. Pontarolo Engineering
provided the winning design for Ellis Don in the design competition and the most
economical solution for the project to move forward. Cupolex allowed for a structural
Mat foundation to be constructed on the site, eliminating any piles that would have
been required in any conventional design. The Cupolex slab foundation also was
designed as a frost protected shallow foundation and constructed on the existing
parking lot. The Cupolex aerated floor was then passively ventilated to vent off the
methane gasses.
Architect: ZAS Architects Inc.
Engineer: Dorlan Engineers
General Contractor: Ellis Don – Design Build
Articles:
http://www.dailycommercialnews.com/article/id29759
http://www.dailycommercialnews.com/article/id29460
http://www.dcnonl.com/article/id29399
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
Las Vegas 2009
Cupolex® was selected by the design team of the ABC show “Extreme Makeover” for a
new home recently built in Las Vegas NV. When the team was in the design stage, they
realized they would have difficulties completing the house in the 106 hours allotted by
the show, due to the home’s foundation requirements. The home would also be situated
on expansive soils and in an area with radon gas. Further, damage to or movement of
concrete slabs due to soil expansion would reduce the integrity of the slab and increase
the potential for vapor intrusion. Therefore, the design team contacted Pontarolo
Engineering, who provided a Cupolex® aerated floor system addressing each of these
problems.
First, forming for Cupolex® floor systems can be placed rapidly, and the concrete cures
more rapidly than in standards slabs, helping the team meet its 106 hour time goal.
Second, the Cupolex® floor system was designed as a structural slab by incorporating
grade beams into the form pattern, eliminating potential slab movement and resultant
cracking of the floor or other damage due to the expansive soils. This also helped ensure
the integrity of the vapor intrusion control elements of the design. Third, a passive venting
riser pipe was installed in the home, to allow any radon or other vapors that might
accumulate to naturally exhaust to the atmosphere above the roof. If natural air flow
due to thermal or wind induced gradients is not sufficient to ventilate the under slab void
space, a small radon fan would be installed to mechanically ventilate and depressurize
the void space, ensuring protection of the occupants and building to any subsurface
vapors.
The Extreme Makeover home was successfully constructed within the required 106 time
period, using Cupolex® and achieving all the desired benefits of the aerated floor
system. Finally, the cost of the Cupolex® floor system was less than the cost of a
traditional structural slab with a gravel and membrane radon system.
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
Civil Defence Emergency Operations Centre
New Civil Defence Emergency Operations Centre in the Waitakere City suburb of
Henderson. When asked why they opted for the Cupolex flooring system, Maurice Harris
of Harris Foster Consulting, the firm that secured the structural engineering work for the
project, cited several reasons. Obviously, the foundation of a Civil Defence Emergency
Operations Centre needs to withstand some extreme forces of nature. “At the same time
we had to provide a cost-effective solution for the main contractor,” Mr Harris explains.
The Cupolex dome’s unique shape allowed them to achieve the necessary strength and
reduce the amount of concrete and reinforcing steel required.
The 100% recycled plastic used in the manufacture of the domes was another
influencing factor. “It sits nicely with Waitakere City’s focus on environmentally friendly,
sustainable building,” Mr Harris adds.
Big difference to bottom line.
Because the project was done for the Waitakere City Council, cost-effectiveness was an
important consideration. The Council needed to be seen to be using the ratepayer’s
money responsibly, without compromising quality. Cupolex delivered on both counts.
Tim Farman from Cupolex pointed out that the system was easy to install. “The domes
simply interlocked to create a self-supporting system that acts as permanent form work.
Builders at the Civil Defence Emergency Operations Centre site back his claims. They said
that laying the Cupolex Domes has been fast and easy and they’re keen on using the
system for future projects.
Freight costs took a tumble too. “The components for this floor were delivered on two
pallets which equated to minimal freight costs,” Mr Farman says. “And there’s minimal
space required to store the components on site.” He adds that there is zero waste
associated with using Cupolex.The “R”, or thermal resistance, value is twice that of
2
traditional hard fill, calculated at 2.4m K/W.
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
Parakai Airport.
Light aircraft hangars at Parakai Airport were built on a site previously used for
agriculture. Traces of Methane concentrations required the buildings to be designed
with a passive under slab venting system. A passive venting system such as an Aerated
Floor or a typical gravel/pipe/ membrane system were recommended by the
Consultants that prepared the Methane Risk assessment. Cupolex system was easily
selected to be implemented in the buildings by the owners when they realized the
economical savings the system would provide and the better protection from the
methane migration it would deliver.
Federal
ederal Police Academy
The Nuova Scuola Marescialli e Brigadieri dei Carabinieri (school for officers of the
Carabinieri) was constructed at a cost of 235 million euro. Carabinieri in Florence,
commissioned by the Ministry of Infrastructure has been designed as a small town selfsufficient, organized around the needs of students and practitioners of the structure. The
center will be divided into four functional poles, two of which are reserved for students'
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
Accommodation and frameworks, distributed over a wide area. The center dedicated
to the sport involves the construction of a stadium for football el'atletica, an indoor
swimming pool, tennis courts and gyms. The pole includes logistical, rather, an
auditorium, classrooms, cafeteria and kitchens, clubs, first aid, command offices, housing
managers, shooting range and plate technology. For all the works the project provides a
preponderant use of prefabricated elements to ensure the quality of the work and time
to completion.
The Cupolex Realto product was selected by the design team to provide them the
solution of incorporating a under slab water storage tanks to harvest grey water for the
entire buildings. The Cupolex Realto also provided the project with a simple a fast
solution to raise the entire footprint of the buildings due to the site located in a flood plain
area and the ventilated Aerated Floor required to mitigate Vapor Intrusion as the site
was a brownflied which was remediated.
Centre for Phenogenomics – MT. Sinai Hospital
Hospital Website: http://www.phenogenomics.ca/
Journal of Commerce article: http://www.dcnonl.com/article/20060110600
This project consists of two major tasks - the decommissioning and demolition of an
existing building at 11 Orde Street, across from Mount Sinai Hospital, and the construction
of a new four level building housing state-of-the-art mouse holding facilities, research
laboratories and associated support space.
The approximately 120,000 square foot Centre provides the specialized facilities required
to generate, house and study thousands of the world’s most important genetically
altered mice. The world-class integrated, multi-disciplinary, and collaborative Centre
serves as a regional, national and international resource for mouse models of human
disease.
The hospital is situated on a site with high groundwater levels. Therefore, keeping the
facility watertight was of critical importance. Waterproofing consultants were brought on
board to review and oversee a comprehensive waterproofing system for the hospital.
Final waterproofing design called out for Cupolex to be installed underneath the entire
slab of the hospital. In addition to the under slab waterproofing, the project had an
underground utility tunnel, foundation walls, and numerous mechanical and elevator
pits. A permanent dewatering system was also implemented to redirect groundwater
away from the site. Pontarolo Engineering assisted the design team in designing the
complex waterproofing details and active gas venting system. The Cupolex slab
foundation was installed by Structform Inc. during the course of winter. Due to the unique
properties of the system, the installation remained on schedule. Due to the success of the
project, Cupolex has since been used on other high water table projects.
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
New American Home 2010 –
Las Vegas International Building Show Home
CUPOLEX®
® - Selected as the “Green”
flooring system for the “American Home”
at the 2010 International Builders Show
in Las Vegas.
Domanico Custom Homes will deliver a completely zero energy home for the 2010
International Builders Show. Dubbed “The New American Home”, this home will host
approximately 120,000 builders throughout the United States, Canada, and
internationally. During construction the home will be available for scheduled tours. In
addition a series of seminars regarding energy saving technologies will be conducted
onsite and at the offices of Domanico Custom Homes.
The New American Home was designed, built, and adhere to the National Association of
Home Builders’ (NAHB) guidelines for green home building. The home focuses on
resource, energy, and water efficiencies including indoor environmental quality. Cupolex
was selected by the developer to be featured in the home as the “Green home
technology of the future”.
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
Robert Bateman High School
Halton
D is tric t Sch o o l
Robert
RobertBateman
BatemanHigh
HighSchool
School
Burlington
BurlingtonOntario
Ontario2004
2004
It was determined that past land use left residual Methane gas contamination in the soil.
The site had high levels of methane and ammonia gasses present in the soil. Engineering
firm, CASMAR along with Pontarolo Engineering, designed the gas vapor barrier system
round the Cupolex system and in conjunction with a passive gas venting system to
prevent gas vapor migration into the school building. A mitigation system which
consisted of the Cupolex Slab on grade and Cupolex acted as the gas vapor “passive”
venting system. Cupolex Approved Applicator installed Cupolex and the monolithic
poured slab on grade and after smoke testing procedures were performed by the
applicator and upon inspection by approved Cupolex Engineers, Cupolex provided an
impermeable gas vapor barrier that will prevent methane gas intrusion.
University of Toronto
The new council chamber area in the Scarborough Campus improvements project was
constructed above an existing structure where additional weight of a new slab was a
concern with Yolles Engineering, the structural consultant. Cupolex was used to raise the
slab elevation to address the weight issue while also providing a sound barrier beneath
the slab and cavity to run services under the slab.
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
Vaughan Mills Centre
Cupolex provided Ledcor along with Atkins Architects with a quick and cost-effective
means of raising the slab in elevated sections of the 1.5 million sq.ft. shopping centre. The
contractor was pleased to have “scored some points coming in under budget and time
using Cupolex” for this application. Due to the success of the project, Cupolex has since
been used on other similar applications like this in many other shopping centers in
Canada and The USA.
MATTAMY HOMES
500 Residential row town homes built by Mattamy Homes, the largest production home
builder in Canada. Cupolex provided economical solutions for the on site poor load
bearing soils, the removal of fill off site and importing of the new fill material. Cupolex H
10 inch was used in the structural suspended slab construction on grade. Air chamber
below the slab controlled vapor intrusion into indoor air while improving indoor air quality
for home owners.
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
BANK OF MONTREAL – All Branches in Canada
The Bank of Montreal has adopted a unique Pontarolo Engineering sustainable green
building design in the construction of their new LEED Certified branches which include,
Cupolex floors, ICF walls and concrete roof decks. Various Cupolex heights are used to
Accommodate depressed areas in slab and varying load requirements on the slab. The
air chamber below the Cupolex slab passively controls vapor intrusion into indoor air.
Polaris World Housing Project
The property owner had entered into escrow to sell a part of its property to a housing
developer. Prior to the close of escrow, the developer discovered low levels of
hydrocarbons on the site. It was determined that the source of the contamination was
an oil and gas storage facility adjacent to the property. The Environmental consultant
group worked with the owner and developer to develop an extensive mitigation plan.
The plan called for Cupolex to be installed under the slab of the new homes to protect
the homeowners from possible future migration of hydrocarbons from the adjacent site.
The owner was able to sell the site to the developer who had subsequently constructed
an extremely successful tract of single-family homes.
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
Station Delights. Zaragoza - Madrid Spain
Built on a Brownfield site, the station of the BIRD Zaragoza-Delight has been conceived
like an enormous luminous, cubical space and with a singular effect of
tridimensionalidad. This monumental building welcomes the railway station, of buses,
centers of business and leisure, hotels and other services. Cupolex provided the solution
to mitigate the vapor intrusion issues of the site and provided solutions in dealing with the
high water tables on the site.
Euro Meats
Storage coolers with six different cooler cells for different multi purpose storage buildings
were designed for the largest, French Food Processing company in Europe. The solution
that Cupolex provided was an air space between a concrete mud slab and the cooler
cells’ floor. The void space insulated the frost from penetrating to the under slab and
causing frost heave. The solution Cupolex met all the specifications required and
eliminated the need of skilled labor, it was easy and fast to display (place) the forms and
to pour the concrete slab, with all the advantages within budget.
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
Plaza Properties
Car park basement floor for three storey apartment buildings in Remuera, Auckland. The
site consisted of expansive clays. Cupolex design provided the solution for the potential
swelling clays and a passive ventilation layer under the slab to protect from possible
Vapor Intrusion.
Presidential Palace – Africa
Total CUPOLEX floor area of 48,000 sq.ft. Gravel and engineered fill was not available
close to this site and would have been required to be imported. Cupolex provided the
project team with a solution to speed up the construction time by eliminating gravel and
engineered fill requirements and provided economical savings by eliminating the and
associated compaction costs site machinery requirements.
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
Concordia Homes Nevada
400 residential homes project in South Nevada by Concordia Homes. Cupolex H 10” was
used in the slab foundation construction. Cupolex foundation design provided
substantial economical savings for the developer to construct their
homes on a site with highly expansive and hydrocolapsible soils.
Bilbao Exhibition
Exhibition Centre
Constructed on what is called a "vega" in Portugal, which refers to an areas with
abundant underground water with possibility of flooding in the periods of extensive rain.
The solution adopted was to incorporate a first draining layer with gravel and draining
pipes. Above this was executed a perforated crossbeam to allow the passage of the
water at the moments at which it reaches a too high level. A 450,000 sq.ft Cupolex H 18
inch slab was constructed above with draining holes in the peripheral walls. The project
was completed in 2001.
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
Interchanger of buses of Las Palmas
of Gran Canaries in the Canary Islands
The same solution was adopted as the Bilbao Exhibition Centre, since it was constructed
taking terrain to the sea. The Slab was of 20,000 sq.ft of Cupolex H 18 inch. The work took
place in the year 2000.
Commercial center Zubiarte in Bilbao
Once constructed (without Cupolex) near the river Nervión, water
infiltrations were observed in the lowest areas. A secondary slab with
50,000 sq.ft of Cupolex H 22” was constructed because the height
was not sufficient to elevate the slab. Work carried out in 2001.
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
Convent of San Francisco in Santo Domingo of
Calzada (La Rioja)
An existing building of the 15,000 sq.ft with problems of all type in the existing slab. A new
slab was constructed above the existing with 15,000 sq.ft of Cupolex H 5”. On this new
slab a hotel was constructed with its corresponding restaurant. Work carried out in 1999.
Anfass Building
A Long Term Health Care Facility in Northern Italy was built on a government dormant
Brownfield site. The 22,000 sq.ft. new building included a Cupolex design that provided
economical savings a long with mitigation solutions to protect the building occupants
from Potential Vapor Intrusion.
University Italy
The university is situated on a site with high groundwater and Radon levels. Area
Moisture, which has been associated with adverse health effects, particularly asthma
and respiratory diseases, and the high Radon levels Therefore, keeping the facility
watertight was of critical importance. A Cupolex slab on grade was installed in the
entire footprint of the building to mitigate the Radon gas and moisture potentially
stagnating through the slab and into the building.
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
Centis Homes
Prior to demolition of homes for a new planned housing development, the existing
houses on this site received an intensive radon diagnostic evaluation before a housespecific radon reduction plan was developed for the development of the new housing
project. Before the plans were implemented, radon concentrations were determined by
charcoal canisters and continuous radon monitors. Cupolex was implemented in the
construction of the new development and the under Cupolex slab was passively vented.
Radon concentrations were reduced by over 95% in all new houses.
Cordovado Housing Project
The developer of the gated housing project demanded Cupolex slabs to be installed in
all of the upscale Green and sustainable home designs. They researched for the most
performing preemptive mitigation system on the market, Cupolex, and had the system
implemented in every building. The developer recently had a liability claim against him
on one of his previous development projects which a contaminated plume entered the
site after development and required mitigation to be installed in every building.
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
Luna Mary Luna Rio en Lisboa (Portugal)
This project is located just adjacent to a plume of PCE and
TCE. This plume can potentially travel on to the sire of this newly
constructed residential building. Cupolex was installed as a way
to protect the owners and builders long term liability on the
site. Consultants recommended the possible need to install Cupolex
due to the potential of the plume to travel onto the site in the
near future. The cost of installing the proven technology system as a preemptive
mitigation system, far out weighed the potential risks of having to address any human
health issues later on in the project.
Housing Project Aukland NZ
Tilt Slabs
Cupolex is ideal for tilt slab or ICF applications as seen above, where floors are poured
after tilt slabs are erected or ICF blocks poured.
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
Haydn & Rollett
Cupolex Concrete Slab Foundation constructed at Childcare Facility at Auckland
International Airport. Cupolex provided solutions for the building situated on an
expansive soil site and providing a preemptive mitigation venting layer at no extra cost
attracted the owners of the facility to use it.
Touchstone Homes Canada
Cupolex was used in this 320 housing project developed on a dormant site near the CN
railway. The site required to be over excavated by 10’ to reach bearing capacities to
construct the foundations.
The engineers decided to design Cupolex structural
suspended slabs which transferred the live and dead loads of the slab completely on the
foundation walls which eliminated the need to engineer the soil on the site.
Orillia Murf
Site consisted of Groundwater and soil with VOC Impacts. Implementing a Vapour
Collection Framework using the Cupolex system to Prevent VOC Migration through Soil
Vapour or Groundwater into Building and system allowed the Risk Assessment to get
approved by the Ministry of The Environment of Ontario. The use of Aerated Floors,
Cupoolex®, makes it possible to redevelop "Brownfields" such as this, safely and
economically.
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
Pickering Town Centre
Centre
Cupolex provided Contractors awarded to renovate this shopping centre with a quick
and cost-effective means of raising the slab in elevated sections.
Toronto, Lester B.Pearson
Cupolex used in design of a retention cistern on a non profit housing building in Toronto.
Strom water harvested on roof was used to irrigate the greenroof.
Parking Lots – Storm Water Retention
Cast in Place Cupolex Realto system designed as a storm water retention cistern under
the parking lots of office buildings in Northern Italy.
CUPOLEX BUILDING SYSTEMS USA
Evergreen Brick Works Toronto
Founded in 1889, the Brick Works was home to one of the country’s most significant brick
manufacturers for nearly a century. The massive grounds are incised with industrial
quarries and are both a heritage site and a Brownfield. Through the work of a
multidisciplinary team, a quarter of the 40-acre Don Valley Brick Works park and postindustrial site is being redeveloped as an active, environmentally based community
centre. The project was initialized by Evergreen, a Toronto non-profit organization
dedicated to creating programs that reconnect city communities with local natural
systems. Founded in 1889, the Brick Works was home to one of the country’s most
significant brick manufacturers for nearly a century. The massive grounds are incised with
industrial quarries and are both a heritage site and a Brownfield. Cupolex provided a
solution for a mitigation building control from potential Vapor Intrusion and the abundant
underground water with possibility of flooding in the periods of extensive rain.
St Andrews Retirement village in Glendowie,
Auckland& Richmond Villas
The above retirement village and Villas in Thames were built on poor load bearing
ground which called for the slab to be fully suspended on timber piles and actively
vented using the airspace under the Cupolex domes due to traces of Methane in the
organic soils.