The office building of the new Lewis Farms Fire Station in Edmonton, Canada is clad with a unique Ductal® panel solution, chosen for its high durability and superior resistance to extreme freeze-thaw conditions.
Edmonton is a large metropolitan city that is frequently exposed to harsh, freezing temperatures during the winter and hot temperatures during the summer. Almost all building façades in this area require high performance properties in order to meet the post disaster requirements of the Alberta Building Code.
Ductal's density and extremely low porosity properties attribute to the material's low permeability characteristics. Water molecules cannot penetrate its matrix, resulting in very high compressive strengths and a superior durable cladding solution that is able to resist impact better than most façade materials.
Located in an estate neighborhood, the project had an art component which allowed custom design of the facade's textured panels. (The Edmonton Arts Council conducted a "public art competition" in accordance with the City of Edmonton's policy, "Percent for Art”, which designates one percent of the budget "to provide and encourage art in public areas").
For the Lewis Farms Fire Station panels, local artist Victoria Wiercinski, has created a unique design called "Midnight Dispatch", inspired by the beautiful Northern Lights and Alberta's starry night skies. For more information on that inspiration project, click here.
