Plastics Challenge
In 2018 the Government of Canada put forth the plastics challenge as an initiative because “[i]nnovative solutions are needed to increase the recovery, reuse and recycle of plastic wastes generated from construction activities”
OUR SOLUTION
At MgO Systems we chose to focus on PVC plastics, shredding the plastic into small fibres that we then incorporate into our C3 Engineered Board. The intention was to understand the effects of adding waste plastic into our board system and the process to bring it to market. MgO Systems has successfully integrated PVC into our MgO Board, which demonstrated an in thermal insulation efficiency, resiliency and compressive strength in comparison to benchmark materials without PVC. PVC plastic does not appear to have a detrimental impact on the insulation performance of the material. We are excited to begin looking into processing and testing a variety of different plastic types going forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the pricing like compared to other similar products?
- Like all products and projects, prices vary by design, quantity, quality, schedule, and budgets, but the most respected estimating company in the United States, RSMeans, has proven that the use of panelized construction can be up to 55% faster, and 41% less expensive to erect than stick framing — and be of higher quality too. Read the full report here.
- Where are your panels made?
- Our panels are made in Southern Alberta, Canada, and an additional manufacturing location has now been established in Indio, California.
- Tell me, is it more expensive than conventional building?
- Costs are entirely design-dependent. Costs for conventional buildings can be misleading as they often don’t include materials necessary to achieve the full level of performance available from the C3 Engineered Wall System™, nor do they often reflect the longer periods of time typically required to erect conventional buildings. Still, if the design for the building is one where it makes sense to use panels, then the panel solution typically results in less expenses overall than conventional construction, and huge savings in time on the job site.
- Is it less expensive than stick built construction?
- The basic materials costs are more expensive than stick built materials, but the savings in time can more than compensate for the materials pricing, often saving months of construction time, and financing costs while delivering a higher quality finished product. If a stick built wall was to be built up to the performance standards of the C3 walls, then the material and labor costs for the stick wall system would be about the same as for C3 panels, and the time required on the job site would be much greater than panels.
- What do you mean by wall panels?
- We manufacture panels (4’ wide x 8’, 9’, or 10’ tall, x desired thickness) made of MgO board and rigid insulation that are adhered under pressure, and are highly suitable for the rapid assembly of buildings. Even though we call our panels an “Engineered Wall System”, our panels are also very suitable for use in foundations, floors, roofs, and decks. It’s simply a matter of what structure we put inside them and how they are finished in the field.
- How much do the panels cost?
- Prices vary with the number of panels, their complexity, and the kind of internal structure selected to be used (metal, wood, fibreglass, or MGO plates, studs, and splines).
- What is your biggest competitive advantage?
- We give our clients the ability to have high-quality construction completed in a much more rapid, and less wasteful manner, which can certainly result in tremendous savings of time and money, and yield greater comfort, energy savings, and sustainability.
