Public Works Canada (PWC) monitored the energy consumption. The new Thunder Bay Airport Terminal building was three times the size of the former airport terminal, yet amazingly enough, and even more so with a curtain wall instead of solid walls, the new terminal consumed the same amount of energy as the old one.

“We were looking for the most high-performance fenestration system we could get because at that time, Ontario Hydro had a rebate program. The Overall U-Value specified was 0.15 W/m². That’s why Super Spacer® was in there—as another way of improving thermal performance. In fact, it’s interesting to note that this was Kawneer’s first triple-pane curtain wall system, which they went on to name their 7500 Series.”

Gerry White of PWC says, “It certainly is a very energy-efficient building and had to be to meet Ontario Hydro strict rebate criteria. Thermal scans were done up and down the building looking for hot spots, and they came out quite good. There was a lot of effort put into the specifications and design of that building.”