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the majority of the building envelope. “We’ll
test to make sure it resists water penetration,
resists air leakage, for condensation and ther-
mal performance in terms of R-value,” Gon-
calves said. It’s not unlike new car buyers who
test drive a number of vehicles before settling
on a particular model. “If you want to buy a
new window and you’re an informed con-
sumer, you’ll compare five or six products and
you’ll compare the same performance criteria.
You compare different ratings and products
and make a smart decision in terms of what
you’re getting for your money.”
Testing is also conducted on a much larger
scale. Inside the Air-Ins lab, it’s not uncom-
mon to find two-storey prototypes of an exte-
rior wall, complete with samples of all of the
future building’s components. Small and large
windows, balconies, brick and glass can all be
included in the prototype version, ready to un-
dergo rigorous testing.
“We’ll build it and we’ll test it and we’ll verify
that no water can get in and the air doesn’t
get out and you don’t have any ice forming,
and nothing falls apart,” Goncalves explained.
“We’ll take that assembly and if there’s some-
thing that doesn’t work in the lab, we’ll change
it and modify it until it works and then the
Contractor will build it on site based on what
we learned in the lab.”
If the thought of a two-storey prototype is
fascinating to visitors, it draws just as much
interest from the company’s own employ-
