FAST FACTS Project Name: Residences At Mont Blanc Location:   Halifax, Nova Scotia Size:   230,000 sq. ft ICF Walls:   130,000 sq. ft Cost:   $16 million Completed:   2006

ICF Brand: Arxx Floor System: Hambro Construction Team Developer: Polycorp Developments, Inc. Architect: Michael Napier Architecture General Contractor: Polycorp Developments, Inc. ICF Installer: Polycorp Developments, Inc.

The Residences at Mont Blanc consists of two 64-unit, 5-story apartment buildings beautifully situated over Halifax Harbour. 

With their multi-faceted façade of bay windows and striking red tile roofs, the buildings have become a community landmark and helped revitalize the entire area.

The building site, despite the outstanding views, had remained vacant for many years.  Originally, it held a number of large fuel oil tanks, but soil contamination and noise gave most developers the impression that the site was unbuildable. 

Peter Polley, president of Polycorp Developments, thought otherwise.  “The site was challenging in that all the native till had to be removed and replaced with structural fill prior to construction,” he says.  “Also the site was accessible from only one side, which meant that onsite staging had to be erected to provide adequate support for the concrete pump truck.”

Lastly, there was a tremendous amount of noise.  The port, which operates 24 hours a day, was less than 150 yards away.  A major highway and rail line ran between the port and the building site, and traffic on a nearby major bridge contributed as well.  “We knew that if we didn’t do something about the noise, the buildings would be largely uninhabitable,” he says.

ICF construction helped resolved nearly all these problems. They chose Arxx, which have an STC rating of 50+.  Polley says that the combination of foam and concrete nearly eliminates the outside noise completely.  “The units are incredibly quiet,” he says. “It has allowed us to charge premium rents just 400 feet from a major port facility and rail line.  If we didn’t have ICF walls we would have serious vacancy and turnover problems, but we’ve been very successful renting the units and keeping the building full.” 

ICFs also helped speed construction.  Each building has 82 corners, which would normally add significantly to a project’s cost. Careful design work, however, made it easy. 

“All of the corners and walls are laid out to the exact dimensions of the block,” explains Polley, “so even though we had so many corners, there was no cutting and no waste.  Window and door sizes were also selected to minimize waste.” 

Polley used steel joists from Hambro for the floors.  The open web design allowed builders to put all the mechanical components in the joist space.  (See story on pp. XX)

Arxx walls insulate as well as an R-50 frame wall, which is important during the long harsh winters.  “I estimate these units are at least 20% more efficient that any other complex in the city,” says Polley, “despite the fact that they have more windows.  Fully one-third of the exterior is glass, but tenants still have abnormally low energy bills.”

Polycorp is already working on their next project, a seven-story condo, also built from Arxx ICFs.  Polley reports the building is 80% sold and the exterior walls aren’t yet completed.