Do You Know How to Properly Insulate a Building?

Little Diversified Architect Beth Buffington gives insight on choosing the best insulating system

With the wide variety of insulating materials and techniques on the market today, Beth Buffington, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Studio Principal for Community at Little Diversified Architectural Consulting in Arlington, Va., offers food for thought in the selection of the appropriate insulation.

She discusses the effect of local climate conditions as it relates to insulation-performance requirements, takes the reader inside the wall cavity and illustrates different exterior cladding options with post construction thermal images which reveal thermal breaks in insulation continuity.

Thermal image of Millennium Hall at CUA, a veneer
masonry building with EPS insulation in the cavity, shows
where heat can escape through penetrations in the wall cavity

Thermal image of precast concrete wall system at Opus Hall
at Catholic Univ. of America indicates that little heat is escaping.

The precast concrete walls at Opus Hall are composed of 4" of structural precast, 2 inches of polyisocyanurate insulation and 3 inches of veneer precast. The panels create edge-to-edge insulation with a Performance R-value of 26. The insulation is wrapped in a vapor barrier to prevent moisture transmission.

Click to read more about Opus Hall's well insulated high performance building design.

Click to read the entirety of Beth's article in the Fall 2011 Ascent magazine and discover how to improve building performance.

Ascent is published by The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute.

Insulated Precast Wall Systems Rise in Popularity to Meet Higher Green Building Standards

It is clear that Sustainable Design and Construction of buildings is a growing priority in our country. GSA recently upgraded its requirement for LEED certification in all new federal building construction and substantial renovation projects to GOLD. http://enr.construction.com/yb/enr/article.aspx?story_id=151604448.

Many Municipalities and Universities are following suit with similar requirements and large corporations are also embracing LEED to reduce energy, and real estate costs while showing environmental responsibility.

Over the past five years, Gate Precast has seen an increase in the use of its High Performance Pre-Insulated Architectural Precast Wall Systems at Universities, Health-care Facilities and in Governmental structures. The market demand for this exterior system, which optimizes energy efficiency offering the thermal mass effect in both the exterior and interior wythes of concrete, will no doubt increase as more owners invest in higher green building standards.

There are several LEED-recognized strategies in this system including Recycling (cement reduction through supplementary cementitious materials), minimization of construction waste and the use of regional materials. In addition, the wythe of insulation means less concrete which reduces weight, lessens crane and shipping costs and reduces superstructure and foundation.

Precast Concrete Systems inherently offer unlimited color and texture options, quality controlled production offsite, speed of construction and blast design capabilities.

Check out these Case Studies at www.gateprecast.com see why pre-insulated precast concrete wall systems are growing in popularity.

CUA Opus Hall, Washington, DC

Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN

Centralia High School, Illinois

NAS Aviation and Rescue Facility, Pensacola, FL

UK Patient Care Facility, Lexington, KY