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Lighter, faster and more environmentally friendly, BubbleDeck is making inroads in Canada’s building and construction industries.
Innovation
BubbleDeck may be light, but it’s made from bubbles that won’t float away.
The prefabricated structure is comprised of a hollow, flat slab that spans in two directions. Hollow plastic balls are placed on the slab in a rebar cage and are used to eliminate the concrete normally found in the middle of a concrete slab, which doesn’t contribute to structural performance.
The two-way concrete slab system was developed in Denmark and was first used in Holland. It became an integral part of the Millennium Tower which was built to celebrate the new millennium. It has since been used in more than 400 projects.
“It’s still a new technology,” said Jerry Clarke-Ames, BubbleDeck North America CEO.
The product was brought to Canada about a year ago and has already been used in a couple of projects including an Ecole Polytechnique building in Montreal and an addition to the Children’s and Women’s Health Centre in Vancouver.
The Vancouver work was a pilot project with Reed Jones Christoffersen.
“They really helped us in getting the first project (in Canada),” he said, adding that both products met LEED standards.
A number of future projects will also include the use of BubbleDeck including hospitals, hotels, retail stores and educational facilities.
The balls are made from recycled high-density polyethylene/propylene and displace about 35 per cent of the concrete, resulting in lighter slab. One kilogram of plastic replaces 100 kilograms of cement.
The bubble diameter and layout of the welded reinforcement rebar mesh are configured relative to the thickness of the required floor. The balls are lightweight and made from reground plastic, however, they are designed to be strong enough to walk on at the worksite or have other materials placed on top of it.
The lighter weight also provides design opportunities not available with heavier concrete slabs.
The system allows for longer spans between supports. The guideline for span is 40 times the deck-thickness in both directions and 10 times the deck thickness for overhangs.
It can accommodate curved exterior walls, wider cantilevers and heavy loads without beams, slab bands or more steel.
It also enables smaller foundation sizes since the structural weight is reduced, which can help reduce the amount of construction materials used on a worksite by up to 50 per cent.
“It lends itself well to LEED,” Clarke-Ames said.
He said BubbleDeck can earn a developer eight or nine LEED credits without additional design modifications.
It reduces the amount of concrete used, thereby reducing the amount of CO2 used to transport the concrete.
It reduces the need for wood for formwork.
“You’re virtually eliminating formwork,” Clarke-Ames said. “The BubbleDeck becomes the formwork.”
The product has other environmental benefits.
It’s made from recycled steel and recycled plastic bubbles. It can also help with innovation credits.
The slabs are factory pre-cast which can also reduce on-site manpower requirements.
BubbleDeck also has acoustic and thermal benefits.
“You’re putting a layer of air in the floor,” Clarke-Ames explained.
It is also seismic friendly as it lowers the total weight of the building.
The company estimates that building costs are reduced by 2.5 to 10 per cent.
Heating and cooling systems, as well as fixtures can be installed at the factory.
Ductwork and conduits can be concealed by removing bubbles.
The product has picked up a few awards along the way. BubbleDeck earned the Dutch Building Prize, the Industrial Environmental Prize and the Innovation Award from Holland as well as awards from Germany, Denmark and the U.K.
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