News Release - 6/6/2006
| For Immediate Release June 6, 2006 |
Contact: | Chris Schwind chris@sips.org 253.858.7472 |
The winners of the annual Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA) Building Excellence Award Competition were announced April 13, 2006 at the SIPA Annual Meeting and Conference in Austin, Texas.
The Building Excellence Awards recognize SIPA members that build innovative and energy efficient buildings using structural insulated panels (SIPs). 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 success of the project.
C.S. Neumeyer, Inc. was the Overall Competition Winner and claimed the Industrial/Institutional/ Commercial category with the Corporate Headquarters of the Visiting Nurses of Del Rio, Inc. in Del Rio, Texas. The 4,300 sq. ft. office building used 4” SIP walls from Premier Building Systems. Additional energy efficiency was achieved by using 5 ½” soy-based spray in foam insulation on the underside of the roof, high efficiency windows, and SEER 13 AC units within the conditioned space.
The building’s owner, Deborah Cartall, said, “The cost of electricity for this 4,300 sq. foot building is one half what I was paying for my old building that had 2,200 sq. ft.”
C.S. Neumeyer maximized the functional flexibility of the building by eliminating all interior load bearing walls and relying on five interior steel columns and SIPs to support the roof. The building was designed with a 1,000 sq. ft. covered parking area that can be easily included into the building in the future. Using a Texas Limestone stucco finish and Spanish style doors, the project blends into the Texas hill country. The innovative use of SIPs and other building technologies makes the Visiting Nurses of Del Rio’s Corporate Headquarters energy efficient, beautiful, and the Overall SIPA Building Excellence Award winner.
The category winner for Single-family homes over 3,000 sq. ft. was Panelworks Plus, Inc. for the construction of the cutting edge test home Energy House III. Designed to educate homebuyers and building industry professionals, this Elk River Minnesota home is one of the most energy efficient homes ever built in Minnesota. The structure was built by Northwoods Custom Homes, with panel installation provided by Panel Setters Plus and Six J’s Construction.
Energy House III uses 6 ½” SIP walls and 12 ¼” SIPs for the roof manufactured by Extreme Panel Technologies of Cottonwood, MN. Using creative design, all potentially leaky rim areas have been eliminated and cantilevered floor sections of the home are enclosed with 6 ½” SIPs. Use of roof panels rather than a conventional truss roof system also created over 750 additional square footage of usable space. A blower door test confirms the tightness of this uniquely designed SIP envelope. The result of testing assured that the house qualifies as an Energy Star Five Star Plus home.
Many other energy efficient products were used, such as T-Mass integrally insulated foundation systems, high efficiency windows, steel roofing and siding, a geothermal heat pump and off peak electric radiant heat with earth storage. Combined with the SIP envelope, these technologies yielded a HERS Score of 90.4, for an estimated annual energy savings of $1,277.00 as compared to a home built to code approved energy standards.
Energy House III also worked in close compliance with NAHB Green Building Guidelines, minimizing environmental impact and jobsite waste. The structure qualified as a Gold Level Green Building. Use of Low or No VOC products in paints, finishes and floor coverings combined with sealed ductwork in the HVAC system contributes to the ability of the home to provide and exceptional level of healthy indoor air quality. Energy House III will be used for two years as the general business office of the Suburban Northwest Builders Association. During that time period, the house will be available for meetings, educational tours and energy monitoring. SIPA would like to recognize the contributions and cooperation of the following members in the construction of Energy House III: Ainsworth Engineered Canada LP, Ashland Chemical, Extreme Panel Technologies, Jimmy’s Strapjack, Northwoods Custom Homes, Panel Setters Plus, Panel System Builder, Premier Building Systems, Six J’s Construction, Styrotech, TruFast, USP Connectors.
The winner of the Agricultural category was Energy Panel Structures, Inc for the Dan Thisius Shop in Wells, Minnesota. The 40’x40’ agricultural storage building was constructed by Morgan Buildings and Equipment. It features a second floor with working dormers and a lean-to porch. Construction was completed in a little over a month using structural insulated panels made by Energy Panel structures, Inc. The customer was extremely satisfied with the temperature comfort and energy savings of SIPs, making this structure a SIPA Building Excellence Award winner.
About SIPA
The Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA) is a non-profit association representing manufacturers, suppliers, fabricators/distributors, design professionals, and builders committed to providing quality structural insulated panels for all segments of the construction industry.
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