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Beijing, 2001 |
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About four years ago, China Construction First Division Group, one of the biggest construction companies in China, contacted Stephen Iu, an Edmonton architect who speaks Mandarin. Iu worked on the first Canadian-developed housing project in China, built in 1994 in Shanghai. Around this time a 30-storey building with an EIF system had been constructed as an energy-efficient, green-building project. The China Group and other building people wanted to find out more about the EIFS manufacturing and construction. In turn, Stephen Iu contacted Tom Smith, principal of Preswitt Manufacturing of Langley, BC, an EIFS firm. Smith went to China in 1997 and signed a letter of intent to set up an EIFS plant. The effort had to be put aside until September 2000, when an excursion was arranged. In June the Canadian team left Vancouver for Beijing to complete a demonstration project on an old brick building. The trip was sponsored by Preswitt Manufacturing Ltd. and organized by Tom Smith and Stephen Iu. Contractor's participating in the venture were: John Charles Ltd. - John & Charles Evans The goal was to familiarize the Chinese with installation technique and to promote the desirable performance characteristics of these systems, which have a proven success record in Canada, Europe and the USA. The most distinguished, enthusiastic member of the host group was Professor Tu Fengxiang who is a renowned Chinese expert on energy efficiency. The professor is a senior engineer editor of a related magazine, and director and president of the China Energy Efficient Association. The demonstration building was finished in EIFS and an acrylic coating in three days: the first day to put on the insulation, the second to place the base coat, and the third to apply the acrylic finish coat. Those attending the installation were impressed with the Canadian team's expertise. EIFS is an effective way of addressing several national goals. China wants to improve the welfare of the population's living conditions, conserve energy, and expand the use of women in lightweight construction. Growing energy demands have to be moderated by the adoption of more efficient technology. EIFS is one of the methods that will help them achieve this goal. Exterior insulation and finish systems originated in Europe after World War Two as an energy-saving mechanism. China, like Europe, has a great deal of older solid-block construction, which is well suited to receive an application of EIFS.
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