If you’re attending this week’s American Institute of Architects National Convention in Washington, D.C., make sure to check out the seminar Passive House Design: Town and Country, at 3:30pm on Friday, May 18.  The 90-minute Continuing Education session is hosted by experienced Passive House designers Jeremy Shannon and Dennis [...]]]>

If you’re attending this week’s American Institute of Architects National Convention in Washington, D.C., make sure to check out the seminar Passive House Design: Town and Country, at 3:30pm on Friday, May 18.  The 90-minute Continuing Education session is hosted by experienced Passive House designers Jeremy Shannon and Dennis Wedlick, the architect behind the Hudson Passive Project that recently received a SIPA Building Excellence Award.

Wedlick and Shannon will discuss how the Passive House standards can be applied to new and retrofit projects in both urban and rural areas.  Widely popular in Europe, the Passive House specifications form one of the most rigorous energy-efficiency standards available, reducing heating and cooling costs by 90 percent over a code-built home.

Download the AIA Convention program for more info.

The primary focus of these projects is to demonstrate [...]]]> Building science professionals at the NAHB Research Center in collaboration with the Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA) and NYSERDA are looking for remodeling contractors interested in working with us on a research project to provide cost-effective solutions for three deep-energy retrofit projects in New York State.

The primary focus of these projects is to demonstrate the economy and energy efficiency of applying retrofit insulated panels to the outside walls of the homes. Retrofit insulated panels provide continuous insulation eliminating air leakage and thermal breaks while providing a solid OSB facing to apply any type of siding material. The result is a very energy-efficient home.

The goal is to achieve a 30% reduction in heating energy use attributable to the building envelope only. The demonstration project does not require a whole house approach if the homeowner’s budget isn’t able to sustain it.

The NAHB Research Center will perform a complete energy analysis before the project begins and when it is completed. The assessment predicts the energy savings and verifies the results at the end of the project. Follow-up research includes monitoring indoor environmental conditions and energy usage for heating for one year.

The preferred criteria for project selection are as follows:

• Heating fuel should be propane or oil
• 2-story colonial is preferable to ranch
• Rake and gable overhangs should be sufficient to allow 4”-5” of additional wall thickness (approx. 12” min.)
• No Dormers

For those homeowners that want to take advantage of low interest financing available through New York State, two options are available through Green Jobs – Green NY.* Both loan options offer up to $13,000 per household, up to $25,000 if the project meets higher cost-effectiveness standards, and repayment periods of 5, 10, or 15 years1.” One loan type can be financed on the utility bill.

1 http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/en/Program-Areas/Energy-Efficiency-and-Renewable-Programs/Green-Jobs-Green-New-York.aspx

Please forward information and inquiries to mdelbianco@nahbrc.com (Marie Del Bianco), 301-430-6315. Photos of your potential retrofit project are greatly appreciated.

SIPA member Zero Energy Plans, LLC was one of eleven home building professionals awarded a National Green Building Award by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) during the National Green Building Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.  The design firm was honored along with builder TC Legend Homes for [...]]]>

SIPA member Zero Energy Plans, LLC was one of eleven home building professionals awarded a National Green Building Award by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) during the National Green Building Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.  The design firm was honored along with builder TC Legend Homes for their work on a Seattle-area zero energy home that was selected as the Project of the Year in the Concept and Research category.

Built with 6-inch SIP walls and a 10-inch SIP roof from Premier SIPs, the home includes a plethora of energy-efficient features along with onsite solar generation to reach net zero energy use over the course of a year.

Read more about the home on the Zero-Energy House Seattle blog.

Published by the Forest Products Society, Wood Design Focus provides design professionals with technical articles and advancements in the field wood engineering and design.  The Spring 2012 issue focuses exclusively on structural insulated panels (SIPs), featuring case studies, research, and engineering methods for SIP structures.

Guest editor Tom Williamson [...]]]>

Published by the Forest Products Society, Wood Design Focus provides design professionals with technical articles and advancements in the field wood engineering and design.  The Spring 2012 issue focuses exclusively on structural insulated panels (SIPs), featuring case studies, research, and engineering methods for SIP structures.

Guest editor Tom Williamson hand-picked two case studies demonstrating how SIPs can be installed over structural steel to reduce energy consumption in large educational buildings.  The issue also includes an engineer’s perspective on the challenges of designing with SIPs, the application of SIPs over existing buildings, and the latest research on the use of SIPs in high seismic areas.

Wood Design Focus is available by subscription from the Forest Products Society.

On April 19, 2012, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) revealed their Top Ten Green Projects of 2012.  The projects exemplify sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment.

The list included the Portland Community College Newberg Center, a 13,500 sq. [...]]]>

On April 19, 2012, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) revealed their Top Ten Green Projects of 2012.  The projects exemplify sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment.

The list included the Portland Community College Newberg Center, a 13,500 sq. ft. net-zero energy building constructed with Premier SIPs.  Designed by Hennebery Eddy Architects, the Newberg Center is the first net zero higher education building in Oregon and a key part of Portland Community College’s mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050.

SIPs were part of a comprehensive energy reduction strategy that started with a passive solar design that maximizes daylighting and solar heating, coupled with concrete floors for thermal mass.  Designers also incorporated a number of water-saving strategies, 98 percent natural daylighting, and passive cooling.   Despite a tight public budget, the building was certified LEED Platinum.

Read more about the project at the AIA Top Ten website.

Manufacturer board members: 

Supplier board members:

In the Rocky Mountains of eastern British Columbia, the small town of Elkford is home to a new innovative and energy-efficient community center.  The 18,000 sq. ft. building will house a multipurpose function room, a children’s play area and a tourist information center.   But what really makes the new Elkford [...]]]>

In the Rocky Mountains of eastern British Columbia, the small town of Elkford is home to a new innovative and energy-efficient community center.  The 18,000 sq. ft. building will house a multipurpose function room, a children’s play area and a tourist information center.   But what really makes the new Elkford Community Center special is its unique energy-efficient construction using the SIPs from Insulspan, an ICF foundation, and cross laminated timber (CLT) panels.

The community center is the one of the first commercial projects in North America to use CLT panels, a structural wood product consisting of sawn lumber stacked and right angles and glued together into a solid panel.  CLT transforms smaller diameter timbers into a structural product that rivals the strength of steel and concrete, but with a smaller environmental footprint.

The Elkford Community Center uses a combination of CLT panels and glulam beams, clad with SIPs for the walls and roof.  Like SIPs, CLT panels are fabricated off site for fast installation.

See photos and videos of the building’s construction at the Alfred Horie Construction website.