Experienced carpenter Tim Tudor teaches classes on LEED and green building at the Boston Carpenter Apprenticeship and Training Fund. He’s now put some of his lessons in to practice by doing a deep energy retrofit on his own home. The Tudor project was one of the first energy-efficient retrofits completed under
Experienced carpenter Tim Tudor teaches classes on LEED and green building at the Boston Carpenter Apprenticeship and Training Fund. He’s now put some of his lessons in to practice by doing a deep energy retrofit on his own home. The Tudor project was one of the first energy-efficient retrofits completed under Cape Light Compact’s Deep Energy Retrofit Pilot Program that provides major incentives for homeowners wishing to improve their home’s energy efficiency by 50 percent or more.
Tudor improved the insulation and air tightness of his home by adding a combination of structural insulated panels (SIPs) and retrofit insulated panels to the exterior. He installed 12-inch SIPs on the roof and 4-inch retrofit insulated panels over the existing sheathing on the exterior walls. Retrofit insulated panels, commonly called “nailbase,” provide continuous insulation along with a nailing surface for the attachment of a weather resistant barrier and siding. Both products were supplied by R-Control SIP manufacturer Branch River Plastics.
These improvements helped Tudor achieve an impressive 70 percent reduction in energy use, earning him $17,000 in rebates through the utility pilot program.
Read more on the R-Control blog.
On October 6, 2011 the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced the winners of the 2011 LEED for Homes awards during the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Toronto, Canada. Design-build firm GO Logic received the 2011 Project of the Year honors for their ultra efficient 1,500 sq. ft. GO Home, built [...]
On October 6, 2011 the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced the winners of the 2011 LEED for Homes awards during the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Toronto, Canada. Design-build firm GO Logic received the 2011 Project of the Year honors for their ultra efficient 1,500 sq. ft. GO Home, built in Belfast, Maine.
This is the second consecutive year a home built with structural insulated panels (SIPs) has received the award. Philadelphia developer Postgreen grabbed the award in 2010 for their 100k House.
The GO Home was only the 12th project in the U.S. to be certified under the rigorous Passive House energy efficiency standard. The European-inspired standard relies on a super-insulated and well-sealed building enclosure, along with passive solar design, to drastically reduce the amount of energy needed for heating or cooling. GO Logic used insulated concrete forms (ICFs) and SIPs to prevent heat loss through the building enclosure and meet the required air leakage maximum of 0.6 ACH50 under the Passive House standard. The combination of the building enclosure, passive solar design, and a solar thermal system cut heating loads by 86 percent over a code-built home. With the addition of a 2.8kW photovoltaic system, the home uses net zero energy. It is expected to save $170,000 in energy costs over 30 years.
One of the most impressive aspects of the GO Home is its reasonable construction costs. According the a press release from the USGBC, the GO Home was built for approximately the same cost as a standard home of the same size. The design will be replicated in a planned 36-home development in Maine.
For more information on the GO Home, visit the GO Logic website or EcoHome Magazine.
Appleton, New York-based produce supplier Singer Farm Naturals was named the Agricultural category winner in the 2011 SIPA Building Excellence Awards for their transformation of a nineteenth century barn into an ultra-sustainable retail location for their locally grown produce.
For nearly a century the Western New York family farm, Singer Farms, has grown high quality orchard fruits sold wholesale both statewide and nationally. In 2009, one of the Singer family daughters Vivianne Szulist, along with her husband Tom, started the retail farm business Singer Farm Naturals.
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The National Park System has a new model for environmentally conscious construction with the Laurance S. Rockefellar Preserve building in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. The U.S. Green Building Council awarded the project Platinum LEED Certification, the highest level of achievement under the LEED green building rating system.
Designers reduced the building’s energy costs by 78% with energy-efficient systems such as structural insulated panels (SIPs), geothermal heating, and photovoltaic panels. The Preserve also promotes a whole-building approach to sustainable development. Key areas that were considered are site development, water savings, sustainable recycled materials, and indoor environmental quality.
SIPs for the project were provided by R-Control SIP manufacturer Big Sky Insulations of Belgrade, Montana. To learn more about this project, please visit the R-Control Project Library.
The National Park System has a new model for environmentally conscious construction with the Laurance S. Rockefellar Preserve building in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. The U.S. Green Building Council awarded the project Platinum LEED Certification, the highest level of achievement under the LEED green building rating system.
Designers reduced the building’s energy costs by 78% with energy-efficient systems such as structural insulated panels (SIPs), geothermal heating, and photovoltaic panels. The Preserve also promotes a whole-building approach to sustainable development. Key areas that were considered are site development, water savings, sustainable recycled materials, and indoor environmental quality.
SIPs for the project were provided by R-Control SIP manufacturer Big Sky Insulations of Belgrade, Montana. To learn more about this project, please visit the R-Control Project Library.
Design firm RB + B Architects, Inc. looked to structural insulated panels (SIPs) from R-Control SIP manufacturer ACH Foam Technologies to frame unique architectural features on roofing sections of a Weld County Middle School in Severance, Colorado.
“We chose SIPs for the rotunda roof and two-story gable roofs at Severance Middle School because of some special design challenges,” explained architect Rebecca Spears of RB + B Architects. “First, there were large vaulted areas and we wanted to cut down on the number of bar joist supports where there is exposed structure. The SIPs provided the long spans we needed. Secondly, SIPs offered ample nailing surface for the installation of the beetle-kill pine decking used for the ceiling in each of these areas.”
Installation crews from Precision Panel Colorado made quick work of setting panels over the rotunda and large vaulted ceilings, installing 1,500 sq. ft. of roof panels in just 45 minutes. According to Greg Gabler of Precision Panel Colorado, the general contractor, Roche Construction, was extremely impressed with how quickly and how tightly the SIPs laid in place.
Design firm RB + B Architects, Inc. looked to structural insulated panels (SIPs) from R-Control SIP manufacturer ACH Foam Technologies to frame unique architectural features on roofing sections of a Weld County Middle School in Severance, Colorado.
“We chose SIPs for the rotunda roof and two-story gable roofs at Severance Middle School because of some special design challenges,” explained architect Rebecca Spears of RB + B Architects. “First, there were large vaulted areas and we wanted to cut down on the number of bar joist supports where there is exposed structure. The SIPs provided the long spans we needed. Secondly, SIPs offered ample nailing surface for the installation of the beetle-kill pine decking used for the ceiling in each of these areas.”
Installation crews from Precision Panel Colorado made quick work of setting panels over the rotunda and large vaulted ceilings, installing 1,500 sq. ft. of roof panels in just 45 minutes. According to Greg Gabler of Precision Panel Colorado, the general contractor, Roche Construction, was extremely impressed with how quickly and how tightly the SIPs laid in place.
“The 8.25″ and 12.25″ panels were quickly and easily secured in place, providing a continuous wood surface without thermal breaks,” said Gabler.
SIPs were also chosen for their energy efficiency and material cost savings. A total of 11,236 square feet of SIPs were used in the project.
“The school district was very excited about the energy efficiency that the panels would provide,” said Gabler. ”The R-Control SIPs provided our customer with a great product that met their required R-Value and at the same time allowed us to accomplish an extremely efficient installation.”
The Lake Washington School District in suburban Seattle is building a new public school designed to be 47 percent more energy efficient than targets set under the U.S. Department of Energy’s ENERGY STAR® program. The Finn Hill Junior High in Kirkland, Washington, uses structural insulated panels (SIPs) from Premier Building Systems for a more airtight and well-insulated structure than typical school construction methods.
The school design by Mahlum Architects includes 6-inch-thick SIP walls and a 10-inch-thick SIP roof. SIPs arrive at the job-site in large, ready-to-install sections, which helps reduce gaps and air leakage in the finished building. Continuous insulation throughout each panel’s height, depth and width further protects against heat loss.
Using SIPs will help the school district reduce energy costs and allow for smaller, more cost-effective mechanical systems. Reducing heating and cooling consumption was critical for the building’s “net-zero energy ready” design, meaning that the potential area for the roof-mounted solar panels is sufficient to power all the school’s needs. The school will open with one of the largest solar panel installations in the state.
The Lake Washington School District in suburban Seattle is building a new public school designed to be 47 percent more energy efficient than targets set under the U.S. Department of Energy’s ENERGY STAR® program. The Finn Hill Junior High in Kirkland, Washington, uses structural insulated panels (SIPs) from Premier Building Systems for a more airtight and well-insulated structure than typical school construction methods.
The school design by Mahlum Architects includes 6-inch-thick SIP walls and a 10-inch-thick SIP roof. SIPs arrive at the job-site in large, ready-to-install sections, which helps reduce gaps and air leakage in the finished building. Continuous insulation throughout each panel’s height, depth and width further protects against heat loss.
Using SIPs will help the school district reduce energy costs and allow for smaller, more cost-effective mechanical systems. Reducing heating and cooling consumption was critical for the building’s “net-zero energy ready” design, meaning that the potential area for the roof-mounted solar panels is sufficient to power all the school’s needs. The school will open with one of the largest solar panel installations in the state.
“Every aspect of the design and construction must be considered in an integrated way when energy conservation goals are so ambitious,” says Anjali Grant, AIA, LEED AP, Project Architect.
“Utilizing SIP panels not only supported the strategies for energy savings, it allowed for a smooth and rapid assembly process, shaving weeks off a tight construction schedule,” adds Mitch Kent, AIA, Project Manager with Mahlum.
The new Finn Hill Junior High is a single-story, approximately 120,000-square-foot building replacing an existing school located on the same site. It is designed to serve 600 students, plus 150 students in an Environmental Adventure School located within the building. The school will include space for core academic instruction, special education, fine arts, technology, physical education, library and commons.
In collaboration with the design team, Mahlum Architects designed the school to an energy consumption target of 25 kBTU per square foot per year, compared to an ENERGY STAR Target Finder average energy use of 47.3 kBTU per square foot per year – a 47 percent improvement. By comparison, older schools in the Seattle area consume upwards of 88 kBTU per square foot per year, making Finn Hill Junior High approximately 70 percent more energy efficient than older buildings.
The new Finn Hill Junior High complies with the Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol of the State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
April 21, 2010 – SIPA recognized five of the most energy-efficient and unique buildings constructed with structural insulated panels during 2009 at the SIPA Annual Meeting & Conference in Chicago, Illinois. Now in its eighth year, the SIPA Building Excellence Awards highlight innovative projects using high performance structural insulated panels (SIPs) as the basis for energy-efficient, green buildings.
To be eligible, all entries must use SIPs for at least 50% of the building envelope. Entries were evaluated on energy efficiency, design and structural engineering innovation, and other SIPs-related factors that contributed to the overall success of the project.
Las Vegas architecture firm SSA Architecture took top honors as the Overall Competition Winner and winner in the Commercial/Industrial/Institutional category with the Jacob E. Manch Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nevada. SSA succeeded in reducing energy use of the 68,000 sq. ft. school by 50 percent over the Clark County School District’s typical construction methods without increasing the construction budget. Working with SIP manufacturer Premier Building Systems and dealer/distributor Shell Building Systems, crews were able to dry in the building in just 90 days, knocking 50 to 60 percent off of the construction schedule. The school is 100 percent daylighted and uses off-perpendicular walls to mitigate noise reverberation from a nearby Air Force base. Students are encouraged to learn about the energy and water saving aspects of the school’s construction through several Building as a Learning Tool stations positioned throughout the building.
