Liva Mirabel building envelope balances comfort, energy efficiency and carbon reduction

Photo courtesy HBS.

Huntsman Building Solutions (HBS) recently partnered with installers on the building envelope for a large retirement home project in Mirabel, Que.

Project Liva Mirabel is a residential apartment complex for active retirees, located at the Premium Outlets Montreal retail complex. It features 348 ‘smart apartments’ of various sizes, where smart devices allow residents to control the lighting and temperature withint their dwellings.

HBS provided a D-Max wall assembly for the project, with hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) blown closed-cell spray foam insulation reportedly offering a higher R-value per inch, lower global warming potential (GWP), increased energy savings and reduced operational carbon emissions compared to fibreglass or mineral wool.

The project involved insulation contractor Isolation Algon and general contractor Groupe CH, which sought to install a high-quality building envelope—in terms of thermal insulation, water resistance, air and vapour barriers and mould resistance—so as to ensure a comfortable living environment for seniors.

“Our harsh climate and the need to design Liva Mirabel for a net-zero future had to be considered,” says Maxime Duzyk, global director of building science and engineering for HBS. “Using Heatlok Soya HFO spray foam insulation with our D-Max wall assembly system allowed Groupe CH to insulate the structure from the inside, making weather a non-factor and providing a perfect building envelope for residents.”