The Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto (Canada) had outgrown its space over the past decade, resulting in the construction of a new 150,000 m2 building. The building's exterior curtain wall system has incorporated 350+ dark grey precast Cladding panels that are just 30 mm thick; varying in size - from 0.5 to 1 m wide x 3.5 to 5.3 m high. In addition to the cladding, over 100 Ductal® UPHC panels (19 mm thick) create an impressive interior wall that nicely compliments the exterior design.

The choice to use Ductal® Cladding was derived from its ability to achieve the architectural design features and meet structural requirements. The syncopated east façade was made to facilitate the integration of an opaque panel into a high-performance curtain wall. The esthetics of the precast panels was paramount in the decision as it provided the subtle matte finish within the colour range desired.

The architect's design criteria was ambitious because the university, preferred a long span façade panel (up to 5.5 m.) that was thin and lightweight with a hard, durable exterior wall surface that would endure for a long time--with little to no visible signs of wear from elemental impacts. Ductal® provided a very thin, monolithic-plate, slab-type design with a custom coloured and moulded surface aspect that would essentially ‘plug-and-play' with current curtain wall framing systems, without intermediate jointing.