Jul 14 2014
With the goal of becoming one of the most energy-efficient multifamily housing buildings in the U.S., the Kiln Apartments building in Portland, Oregon, is pursuing the aggressive “Passive House” standard for energy efficiency. The standard, which originated in Germany, often results in buildings 80 to 90 percent more efficient than the average home in the U.S.
“The owner’s goal was to build a small apartment project that pushed the limits on the building envelope’s efficiency,” said David Posada, Sustainability Manager at GBD Architects, Inc. “So we enthusiastically accepted the challenge and started working right away.”
The Challenge
One design feature of the Kiln Apartments is sunshade thermal shims that were installed like visors on the top edge of the building’s windows. Bolted to the wall, the 18-inch metal shades created thermal bridging challenges.
“The problem with the sunshades is that they are metal structures that extend out from the building and, therefore, leak a lot of heat from the building,” Posada said. “It works almost like a reverse radiator, and there is a much larger amount of heat loss than from just a bolt.”
Stringent insulation requirements to meet Passive House standards made minimizing heat loss in this area crucial. Because Passive House focuses on how much energy is used per square foot in a building per year, buildings must have a high-performing, continuous building envelope.
The Solution
GBD Architects worked with Dow Corning to specify Dow Corning® HPI-1000 Building Insulation Blanket a thin-profile, flexible material that was cut to fit the sunshade attachment area.
Featuring R 9.8 per inch insulation performance, Dow Corning HPI-1000 Building Insulation Blanket reduces heat loss and minimizes the potential for thermal bridging.
“Being able to meet or exceed the insulation value requirements in something so thin is tremendously valuable when you’re dealing with tricky details around a window – or something attached to a window,” Posada said. “Especially when you need a much thinner assembly for aesthetics and don’t have room for traditional insulation.”
Thin insulation materials that offer a superior R-value are becoming increasingly important in the building industry, particularly in colder climates and in areas with strict energy codes.
“In colder parts of the country, it’s becoming more common practice to add continuous insulation on the exterior of the building, and contractors are struggling with how to attach siding onto layers of insulation,” Posada said. “It’s something the industry is really grappling with, and products like this help fit insulation into places where it wouldn’t fit before.”
Dow Corning HPI-1000 Building Insulation Blanket can help architects and contractors comply with rigorous energy codes that are tightening specifications for insulation and thermal bridging. Using this material on the Kiln Apartments not only helped the project meet Oregon building codes that are more rigid than the national average, but also the more stringent Passive House standards.
“Dow Corning HPI-1000 Building Insulation Blanket can be used anyplace where you need to prevent thermal bridging in a small space – especially the weakest link in building insulation: windows,” Posada said. “As more builders aim for LEED qualifications, they will need better ventilation and insulation value at windows.”
About Dow Corning® HPI-1000 Building Insulation Blanket
Effective building insulation requires complete protection, even at the tough connection points and transitions in building envelopes, such as where glazing systems meet cavity walls, where below-grade systems meet above-grade systems and where parapets meet roofs. Thin-profile Dow Corning HPI-1000 Building Insulation Blanket (10 mm thickness) is easy to install in difficult profiles, including curves and corners. Dow Corning HPI-1000 Building Insulation Blanket also is fire-resistant and hydrophobic, and it does not settle over time. It offers a significantly higher thermal resistance – an R-value of 9.8 hr-ft2-F/Btu per inch (USI-value = 0.58 W/m2K per 25 mm thickness) – compared with conventional insulating materials.
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Dow Corning High Performance Building Solutions include proven materials for structural and protective glazing, weatherproofing, insulating glass, window and door fabrication, and building materials protection, as well as innovations such as the Dow Corning® Silicone Air Barrier System, Dow Corning® Architectural Insulation Modules and Dow Corning® HPI-1000 Building Insulation Blanket.
To learn more about Dow Corning High Performance Building Solutions, visit dowcorning.com/HPInsulation.
Source: http://www.dowcorning.com/