Download - Green Building Insulation
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Table o Contents
Executive Summary The Use o ccSPF in Green
Building Page 1Green Building Drivers Page 2
How ccSPF Stacks Up to Green
Building Criteria Page 5
Selection Criteria and Industry
Standards or Green Building Page 8
Green Insulation Choices and Tradeos Page 8
ccSPF Green Attributes and Applications Page 14
Green Building Case Study:
Mississippi Coast Coliseum Page 16
Green Building Case Study:Texas A&M University Page 16
Action Plan: Using SPF or Green Building
New Construction and Renovations Page 17
Sources and Reerences Page 17
Executive Summary: The Use o Advanced InsulatingTechnology in High-Perormance Green Building
For commercial and institutional buildings, sustainability has become an overarching and
highly important project driver Key attributes associated with high-perormance green building
including high energy eciency, occupant comort, material durability and increased
property values have led to the adoption o best practices in construction materials and
methods Among those is the use o more ecient insulation systems, air barriers, and
seamless monolithic roong systems One such system, closed-cell spray polyurethane oam
(ccSPF) is the subject o this white paper Closed-cell spray polyurethane oam has been
shown to oer improved lie-cycle analysis and environmental perormance, in addition to
superior control o the building enclosure and the indoor environment
This paper reviews the current state o high-perormance, advanced green insulation
technology, and the key actors to consider when selecting, speciying and designing a green
building insulation system Attention is given to the selection criteria used or green building,
including lie-cycle analysis (LCA) and the US Green Building Councils LEED systems
Ater a discussion o the eatures and advantages o ccSPF insulation in this context, an overview
is given on closed-cell spray oam products or use in the commercial building enclosure, including
the roo, walls, foor slabs and oundation Two case studies demonstrate the practical application
o ccSPF in green building The technical white paper concludes that ccSPF insulation provides
signicant benets contributing to green building perormance and LEED certications
Green Building Insulation:The Environmental BenetsTo meet green building standards or better thermal protection and energy perormance rom
longer-lasting, environmentally benign building materials, more projects employ closed-cell spraypolyurethane oam (ccSPF) insulation, which provides signifcant benefts contributing to green
building perormance and LEED certifcations..
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Green Building Drivers
Volatile and increasing energy prices,
concern over environmental impact, and
occupant health and comort these
are the drivers o green building today
In act, these trends have become o
paramount importance or commercial
and institutional building owners
Many experts in building perormance
believe that the current state o energy
consumption and carbon emissions
in the United States requires a stark
redirection o current design and
construction approaches In the
whole eld o energy conservation
and greenhouse gas emission, our
industry has to stop, hold on, and see
what were doing wrong, as opposed
to running to x small things, says Dr
Mark Bomberg, a research proessor inthe Building Energy and Environmental
Systems Laboratory at Syracuse
University You really have to look
where you can save energy work on
the demand side beore you address
the supply side, and thats through the
rehabilitation o existing buildings
Industrys response to rising energy
prices and increased environmentalimpact o building construction is
apparent The American Institute o
Architects reports that although ve
years ago, less than hal o architects
were incorporating green building
practices, it is estimated that 90 percent
o architects will incorporate sustainable
elements by 2012, and 88 percent
have received some training in green
building In addition, the 2006 McGraw
Hill Construction Survey noted that
corporate respondents to the survey are
willing to pay an average o 4 percent
more or LEED certied buildings, with
31 percent willing to pay more than 5
percent more
Despite increased demand or energy
and environmental perormance,
quantiying the green building benets
o specic technologies and strategies
is a complex process It requires the
evaluation o a long list o criteriain a ull lie-cycle analysis (LCA) to
determine overall product perormance
(related to manuactured products) and
ull system perormance (related to
buildings as a whole)
TheLCAorccSPF
Organizations such as Green
Globes, owned and operated in the
United States by the Green Building
Initiative, have created tools to perorm
LCA or products These methods
include consideration o a complete
range o environmental perormance
actors that impact overall product
selection and application These
actors include: climate change
potential; embodied energy; pollution
and waste production; health actors;
and other environmental risks
A number o LCAs have been
perormed to date on specic
ormulations o closed-cell spray
polyurethane oam (ccSPF), and all
have reported avorable outcomes,
in part because:Installed perormance. Once
installed, ccSPF materials are highly
durable, energy-ecient, and protect
buildings and their occupants rom
such issues as mold and poor indoor
air quality (IAQ)
Manuacturing eciencies.
The production and installation
o ccSPF uses less or equivalentenergy and raw materials to
produce, transport and install as
traditional insulation products
For example, one truckload o
ccSPF material is equal to three
A supplement to Building design +ConstruCtion
Projected market growth in green construction
Source: 2006 McGraw-Hill Construction Survey
Education
Government
Office
Institutional
Healthcare
Residential
Hospitality
Retail
65%
62%
58%
54%
46%
32%
22%
20%
Signifcant market growth is projected or green building.
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to our truckloads o board stock
insulation
Material sourcing and transport.
In addition, some ormulations use
locally-sourced and both pre and
post consumer recycled products,
adding to the sustainability o the
system
GreenBuildingStandardsandCertifcations
The practice o green building
is becoming institutionalized byorganizations such as the US Green
Building Council through their LEED
Rating Systems LEED stands or the
Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) Green Building Rating
System, which includes such
categories as New Construction (LEED-
NC) and the renovation o Existing
Buildings (LEED-EB) These rating
systems are highly infuential, though
they have only certied a small portion
o the national building stock roughly
more than 1,250 buildings to date
While it is not the only method
employed to evaluate the sustainability
o buildings, LEED provides a model that
covers the signicant issues associated
with green building These green
building drivers as they relate to the
application o ccSPF ocus on:
Energy eciency. According to
the US Department o Energy (DOE),
buildings demand a growing and
signicant amount o energy the
total is about 40 quadrillion Btu (quads)
per year, with commercial buildings
accounting or more than 40 percent
o overall energy use In addition
to energy consumption, buildings
account or more than 40 percent o
all CO2 emissions in the United States
primarily because o their reliance on
coal-red electrical plants or electricity
supply (See Figure 1 on page 3)
These two actors, coupled with the
rising cost o operating commercial
and industrial buildings, makes
energy eciency a critical driver in
sustainable design and construction
as well as in building operations
Green building criteria address energy
eciency by requiring signicant energy
improvements in existing buildings,
and high perormance ratings on
new buildings The LEED-NC rating
system, or example, requires that
buildings be built to meet the provisions
o ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 901-2004 as a minimum level o energy
perormance (ASHRAE is the American
Society o Heating, Rerigerating and
Air-Conditioning Engineers, and IESNA
is the Illuminating Engineering Society o
North America)
Site selection and sustainability.
In addition to general considerations
about the building site including theredevelopment o brownelds, the
density o buildings and developments,
availability o mass transit, and pollution
reduction green building drivers
A supplement to Building design +ConstruCtion
A y by Fak a Aca bh 1992 - th Caav
ey evaa pac pc a th Aav h B
a Cc iy a -cyc aay
ac c ha cc ha h b a ccy, ac y a c ha aa aa.
th y cc ha yha a a av 3.4
Btu aac y 1992, a ca fba
a. th qva 3.3 b cbc aa a,
580,000 ba .
Profile of energy use in buildings
Source: Energy Information Administration
OthersHeating
Water heatLights
CoolingRefrigeration
Wet CleanElectronics
CookingComputers
OthersLights
HeatingCooling
Water heatVentilation
Office equipmentRefrigeration
ComputersCooking
Industry
32%
Transportation
28%
Buildings
40%
Residential
22%
Commercial
18%
1%
2%3%
5%6%6%7%
13%14%
26%13%
5%7%
5%8%
12%
12%31%
4%
11%
Figure
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include the reduction o the heat island eect According to the
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this phenomenon
describes urban and suburban temperatures that are 2
degrees F to 10 degrees F hotter than nearby rural areas due
to the heating o buildings, roads, and other developed lands
Elevated temperatures can impact communities by increasing
peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution
levels, and heat-related illness and mortality, the EPA adds
Strategies to reduce heat island eects include the use o
ccSPF highly refective, or ccSPF vegetated, roo systems
The LEED-NC rating system requires that roo surace area be
covered with at least 75 percent o material that has a Solar
Refectance Index (SRI) o at least 78 or low-slope roos, or anSRI o 29 or steep-sloped roos (See Figure 2 on page 4)
Material and resource use.According to the
Environmental Protection Agency in 1996, more than 78
million tons per year o waste was generated rom commercial
building renovation and construction, accounting or more
than 57 percent o overall construction and demolition debris
To signicantly reduce the amount o material diverted to
disposal, LEED-NC criteria allot credits or buildings that reuse
a large percentage o the existing structure, rather thandemolishing and reconstructing the building Closed-cell SPF
systems, particularly roong systems, allow or recoating in
lieu o complete system replacement, reducing demolition
and reconstruction Credit is also given or use o recycled,
regional, and rapidly renewable materials Some ccSPF
ormulations utilize recycled content, including the reuse o
existing roo system materials, and qualiy or this credit
Indoor environment. Indoor environmental quality, or IEQ,
is o paramount concern in green building, particularly in large
buildings where occupant health and workplace productivity
is critical Issues in the indoor environment include indoor
air quality (IAQ), comort, eective operation and control
o thermal and lighting systems, and adequate occupant
exposure to daylight
The importance o controlling these variables is crucial
or green building Some studies show a direct correlationbetween indoor pollutants and the accuracy o certain
tasks, such as typing; they also show a certain correlation
between perceived indoor pollutants and the perormance
o work tasks Among other notable statistics rom
IEQ studies perormed by Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory (LBNL):
By doubling ventilation rates in oce buidlings, occupants
showed a decrease in short-term absences o more than
one-thirdBuildings with above-average ventilation rates show
signicantly less sick-building syndrome (SBS)
symptoms in workplace occupants, with reductions o
A supplement to Building design +ConstruCtion
Urban heat island profile
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
F C
33
32
31
30
29
Temperature
92
91
90
89
88
87
86
85
84
Rural Commercial Urban
residential
Suburban
residential
Suburban
residential
Downtown Park
NeighborhoodCornerStore
Figure
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10 percent to 80 percent
Workplace perormance decreases signicantly in speed
and accuracy when interior temperatures climb above, or
all below, 71 degrees Fahrenheit
Workplace perormance increases in speed and accuracy
when ventilation rates increase
To address these concerns, green building criteria require
that HVAC systems and the building envelope (insulation and
airtightness) be designed to allow or optimal thermal control
according to ASHRAE Standard 55-2004, which includes
the actors o humidity, air temperature and speed, and
radiant temperature Adequate ventilation rates are required
according to ASHRAE 621-2004 Ventilation or AcceptableIndoor Air Quality In addition, low-emitting materials, including
adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, carpets, and wood or
ber products are required
Fundamentally, in order to adequately control ventilation
rates, indoor temperature and humidity, the building envelope
must be tightly sealed to prevent uncontrolled air inltration
A ccSPF system allows or superior air sealing, improving the
controllability o the indoor environment
How ccSPF Stacks Up to GreenBuilding Criteria
Closed-cell spray polyurethane oam (ccSPF) insulation
systems are sel-adhering, two-component products that are
spray-applied on site The material is a rigid insulation system
that, once cured, lls cracks, voids, and gaps and tenaciously
bonds to most construction material substrates, includingmetal, wood, plastic, masonry, and the like
In addition, ccSPF has been shown to provide superior
thermal insulation perormance the highest among all
commonly used insulation products Typically, 2 lb/t3
oam is used or walls and 3 lb/t3 oam is used or roos to
provide increased strength CcSPF perormance shows a
design R-value o 62 or ccSPF wall insulation with a density
o 2-pounds per cubic oot at 75 degrees F Similarly, at a
mean temperature o 75 degrees, a design R-value o 67 isobserved or ccSPF with a density o 3 pounds per cubic oot
(lbs/cu t), according to the standard ASTM C 518 04
Excellent thermal perormance, added structural strength,
nearly zero air permeability and integral vapor retarding
unction makes ccSPF a superior green building product
The expansion o the product once its sprayed on a surace
nearly thirty times the original volume allows it to conorm
to the many irregular spaces that traditional materials cannot
Overall, ccSPF systems are an excellent choice or
green building, as ccSPF systems provide:
Superior R-value as compared to all other insulation products
A complete air barrier, eliminating air inltration, thus
improving energy perormance signicantly beyond
basic R-value and radically improving control o theindoor environment
Improved building durability because it is seamless and
monolithic, reducing water and moisture intrusion and
improving overall building strength
An overall avorable lie-cycle analysis, thanks to: reduced
manuacturing energy used; up to 40 percent operational
energy savings; durability and long installed lie span; and
minimal waste o about 1/2 cubic yard per 10,000 square
eet o applicationMany green building rating system (such as LEED) credits
or energy perormance, reduced energy use in transport,
recycled and renewable material content (see Green
Benefts o Spray-applied Barrier Systemsor more details)
Lie-CycleAnalysis
The building systems incorporating ccSPF have been
shown to provide superior perormance in lie-cycle analysis
(LCA) Many manuacturers have commissioned LCAs or
their specic products, and results vary based on the product
ormulation However, generally speaking, LCAs perormed
show that ccSPF in comparison to other insulation systems:
Increased energy eciency by providing twice the
R-value o traditional materials, along with an
integrated air barrier and protection against thermal
bridging commonly ound in commercial buildings;
energy consumption over the lie o the building, which
has been quantied as up to 40 percent lower than
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with other materials
Reduced landll diversion and
cost, as installation o ccSPF
produces little waste to be
diverted to landll This attribute
also addresses requirements or
reduced construction waste
Reduced transportation cost,
as ccSPF is transported as the
liquid precursors and is thereore
compact and lightweight to
transport
Increased durability whencompared to traditional systems,
as ccSPF provides superior
protection against moisture and
water vapor, as well as increased
racking strength and wind
resistance
Reduced health and risk
potential, as less material must
be produced and transported,less fammable primers are used,
and there is less irritant potential
than with many other common
material choices
Dick West, President o West Roong
Systems and West Development Group,
who has been producing and installing
SPF roo systems or decades notes an
important point in relation to the overall
environmental impact o SPF systems
When we send out a truckload o
ccSPF, says West, its a truckload o
drums Lets say a truckload is 40,000
pounds o product per truckload A
truckload is equal to 120,000 board
eet o insulation It would take 3-4
truckloads o board stock to provide
insulation or the same project that
takes one truckload o ccSPF The
overall carbon ootprint o a ccSPF roo
is substantially lower than a comparable
roo assembly simply because were
shipping it out as a fuid and it expands
30 times upon application
EnergyEfciencyandtheBuildingEnvelope
Energy eciency is a complex
issue that involves nearly every
individual system in a building, as
well as consideration or the entire
building as a whole system However,
engineers and designers versed in
energy-ecient construction agree
that eciency begins with building
envelope perormance A high-
perormance building envelope involves
two signicant actors: high levels o
eective insulation, and a superior and
consistent air-barrier system
Not only does ccSPF provide the
highest R-value per inch o any
insulation system, but it also acts as
an integral air barrier In commercial
buildings, this perormance is
particularly signicant Otentimes in
commercial buildings youre dealing
with steel studs, and steel conducts
energy and heat about 1,000 times
aster than wood or vinyl, says Steve
Easley, a Caliornia-based building-
science consultant specializing in
the commercial sector According
to the Denver American Association
o Architects Committee on the
Environment, thermal bridging in
steel ramed buildings can reduce theeectiveness o insulation systems by
30-50 percent The reduced insulation
eectiveness can lead to lower wall
cavity temperatures, which, in turn,
can lead to condensation and building
envelope moisture problems The
Department o Energy recommends
using thermal blocks to eliminate
issues with thermal bridging, whichcan be done by utilizing ccSPF as
an insulation system, as ccSPF will
continuously cover existing thermal
bridges In addition, because ccSPF
A supplement to Building design +ConstruCtion
Foam as an insulator
Source: TK
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
R-valueperinch
Closed-cell
SPF
PIR
sheathing*
Extruded
polystyrene
Expanded
polystyrene
Waterblown
polyurethane**
Fiberglass
Mineral
fiber
Perlite
Calcium
silicate
Wood
fibreboard
R-values of insulation materials at 75 F
Today, it is estimated that in residential and small commercial
buildings, over 50% of the energy loss is associated with heat transfer
and air leakage through the building envelope components.
Oak Ridge National Labs
Enovate-blown SPFTypical materials
Lost to air leakage***
* PIR polyisocyanurate** Open cell foam
*** Honeywell estimates
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systems dont require asteners, thermal bridging is naturally
eliminated (See Figure 3 on page 6)
SiteSelectionandSustainability
According to LBNLs Heat Island Group, the urban heat-
island eect is a considerable issue in metropolitan areas,
where the lack o vegetated ground cover can lead to
temperature dierentials o 6-8 degrees Fahrenheit This
temperature increase dramatically impacts energy use,
mechanical system operation, IAQ, and comort LBNL studies
to reduce heat island eect have ocused largely on cool roos
systems that use light colored, refective roo coatings that
can reduce energy use by up to 40 percent and, i widely
used, can greatly reduce the increase in temperatures in
urban areas
Roong systems using ccSPF provide an excellent
commercial cool-roo solution because they can be combined
easily with high refectivity, low-emissivity (low-E) roo
coatings They can also be used eectively under vegetated
roos to reduce roo surace temperature and increase building
perormance In addition, because ccSPF roong applications
are an extremely eective strategy or re-roong over existingstanding seam metal and other (built-up, modied bitumen, or
single-ply) roo systems, the material provides a sustainable
solution or existing buildings
MaterialandResourceUseandDurability
A signicant actor in green building is reducing or diverting
construction waste, and with this comes the issue o durability
o materials The EPA has estimated that construction- and
renovation-related waste generated in the United States
accounts or 25 percent to 40 percent o the countrys
solid waste Because ccSPF is applied on site by qualied
proessionals who use only as much material as is needed,
construction waste is eliminated or signicantly reduced
More signicantly, increasing the lie o a building system
reduces the need or new resources to replace it Surveys
conducted by Dr Dean Kashiwagi, a teaching proessor at
the Del E Webb School o Construction at the University o
Arizona, have documented the exceptional durability o ccSPF
roong systems The studies have evaluated thousands
o ccSPF roong systems in six US climate zones and
concluded that o all the roos:
976 percent did not leak
93 percent had less than 1 percent deterioration
55 percent were never maintained
70 percent were applied over existing roos
The oldest perorming roos were more than 26 years old
Fundamentally, the studies proved that the physical properties
o the roos did not diminish over time This conclusion
highlights the sustainability o ccSPF roo systems
IndoorEnvironment
HVAC system design and perormance, human activities,
and o-gassing o toxic compounds rom building components
and urnishings have a dramatic eect on the quality o indoor
air The perormance o the building envelope is paramount to
good air quality A poorly insulated, leaky envelope creates the
perect conditions or condensation and mold growth, as well
as the invasion o outside contaminants into the conditionedspace not to mention reductions in energy eciency
The use o ccSPF helps to improve IAQ because it acts
as an integral air barrier, reducing air inltration to provide a
more controllable conditioned space This also reduces the
incidence o moisture intrusion and moisture-related damage,
even providing an insulation value that reduces condensation
within the wall cavity or on building suraces These eatures
reduce the growth o mold and mildew and allow or improved
ventilation and mechanical system operation, improving indoorair quality
Finally, ccSPF is considered a low-emitting material by
LEED-NC because it doesnt produce toxic contaminants
that aect the indoor environment As critical to indoor air
quality is control o space conditioning The high R-value o
ccSPF and its perormance as an air barrier allows HVAC
systems to work to the best o their expected perormance
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Selection Criteria and IndustryStandards or Green Building
The past decade has seen a huge need to measure and
quantiy the perormance o green products, and green
buildings I use the term high-perormance buildings,
says Syracuse Universitys Dr Mark Bomberg, because
nobody understands what the word green means In act,
the advertising and publicity associated with green building
and sustainable design in the construction and remodeling
industry is seen as nebulous, ill-dened, and unregulated by
experts In response, the Federal Trade Commission held a
working group to determine how to provide concrete guidance
on the acceptable use o marketing terms associated with
green building These recommendations will be incorporated
into the FTCs Green Guides in 2009, making it unlawul to
market using unsubstantiated (and unmeasured) claims about
building or building product perormance
The technical standards to which a green building must
be built have also long been in contest This need has driven
the development or adaptation o a variety o standards orcommercial construction by organizations such as ASHRAE,
the Green Building Initiative (GBI), and the US Green Building
Council (USGBC) Recently, the USGBC and GBI both became
accredited as Standards Developing Organizations (SDO) by
the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and they
both have developed standards that apply to buildings and
building systems
The U.S. Green Building Council: USGBCs LEED or
New Construction and LEED or Existing Buildings providea comprehensive certication program In addition, LEED
provides a LEED or Core & Shell rating system that ocuses
specically on the perormance o the structure, envelope,
and HVAC system only
Green Building Initiative: The Green Globes Assessment
and Rating System and associated tools provide a
comprehensive rating system or new and existing
buildings, a certication process and analysis tools Their
sotware tools allow or building and ull lie cycle analysis
GreenGuard: Created by the GREENGUARD Environmental
Institute, GREENGUARD certication assures that products
and buildings that go through requent testing to ensure
particle and chemical emissions that meet guidelines or
acceptable indoor air quality
Green Seal: Run by a not-or-prot group, Green Seal
tests and certies products that have been evaluated over
their ull lie cycle, starting rom material extraction through
manuacturing and consumer use, all the way to disposal
and recycling
Green Insulation Choices and
Tradeos
Based on the industry-accepted standards and criteria
or high-perormance, sustainable buildings outlined above,
a number o attributes, including ull product lie-cycle
analysis, must be weighed when selecting sustainable
insulation materials In addition to using an LCA or product
evaluation, eective energy perormance and overall air barrier
eectiveness must be considered criticallyEective energy perormance. In addition to choosing
a system with the highest possible eective R-value based
on the eld perormance o commonly installed insulation
products, the overall energy perormance o a building is
signicantly aected by issues associated with insulation
system selection and installation It is important to note that
studies have shown that the real-world (eective) perormance
o insulation systems simply doesnt match up to labeled
R-value Installation errors, wind drit/wash, mechanical
asteners, joints and gaps along with other actors radically
reduce thermal perormance o insulation as measured in
commonly installed scenarios
Because the eective perormance o insulation systems
is so critical to the perormance o the entire building system,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) conducted a study in
1998 to evaluate the actual R-value perormance o insulation
products when installed, as compared to the labeled R-values
Striking results showed that berglass batt insulation labeled
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at an R-value o 19, showed an R-value
o 17 when correctly installed When
installed as commonly ound in walls
ater installation, the R-value was 137
(ORNL 1998) (See Figure 4 on page 9)
As demonstrated in Table TK on
page TK, refecting research by
the American Society o Heating,
Rerigeration and Air-conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Oak Ridge
National Laboratories (ORNL), asteners
alone can reduce the eective insulation
value between 15 percent to 315percent, depending on the number and
type o asteners
SPF eliminates thermal bridging by
providing a continuous, ully adhered layer
o insulation over existing thermal bridges
in the roo deck and/or assembly
Signicant impacts on energy
perormance. Thermal drit, thermal
bridging, air movement, and moisture
all dramatically impact whole building
perormance
A thermal bridge is an assembly or
component in the building envelope
that transers heat at a signicantly
higher rate than the surrounding
insulated area Thermal bridging
is created by asteners, joints, and
gaps Thermal bridging can be a
signicant cause o heat loss andunderperormance o insulation
assemblies in commercial buildings,
particularly in metal-ramed buildings
and decking systems
Air movement (inltration and
exltration) account or a signicant
amount o energy loss in commercial
buildings According to a 2005 study
by the National Institute o Science
and Technology (NIST), an energy
savings o up to 62 percent can
be realized by undertaking specic
measures to improve airtightness
In addition to energy loss, inltration
reduces occupant comort, intereres
with ecient operation o mechanical
systems, reduces indoor air quality
and contributes to condensation and
moisture damage in the buildingenvelope system Air movement can
be most eectively limited by the use
o ccSPF as compared to other type
insulation systems
Moisture considerations. Issues
related to moisture penetration and
A supplement to Building design +ConstruCtion
Figure:LabeledR-valuevs.InstalledR-valuesAttic Thermal Testing at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Insulation Test Number Insulation
Temerature
Labeled R-
Value
Tested R-Value
(C 1363)
% Labeled
Blown Fiber Glass
@ 14 incehes
1a (low temp) 3801 38 17.7 47
1b (low temp) 38.03 17.7 47
1c (avg temp) 51.75 29.0 76
1d (high temp) 88.97 20.2 53
Low-Density
SPF @ 55 inches
2a (low temp) 3261 198 14.7 742b (low temp) 32.73 14.7 74
2c (avg temp) 48.49 13.6 69
2d (high temp) 93.00 12.1 61
High-Density
SPF @ 40 inches
3a (low temp) 3289 27 22.8 84
3b (low temp) 33.01 22.7 83
3c (avg temp) 48.79 19.8 73
3d (high temp) 93.07 18.1 67
Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1998
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control go hand in hand with improving energy perormance
in buildings The reason is that systems improving energy
perormance in the building envelope can prevent bulk
water and water vapor rom entering and damaging building
assemblies Insulation, moisture barriers, and air barriers
are critical parts o the high-perormance building envelope
These systems are instrumental to energy perormance,
but also to helping prevent water vapor rom entering the
envelope assembly, where it can condense and turn into
liquid water a key ingredient in corrosion and mold growth
The properties o ccSPF address the unctions o all o these
systems, combined
Air barrier perormance. Generally speaking, air barriers
are intended to keep air rom moving through building
assemblies walls, roos, oundations throughout the
entire building envelope Although air-barrier and insulation
systems oten involve several components and installations,
the entire air-barrier assembly, ully installed and connected,
must be tested or air leakage to quantiy the perormance othe installed system This testing is done using ASTM E 2357
guidelines, and the results refect the total amount o air that
passes through the envelope The acceptable air leakage o
assemblies, components, and the entire building envelope is
the same, and cannot exceed 02 liters per second per square
meter (L/s/m2) at 75Pa, or 0004 cubic eet per minute per
square oot (cm/t2) at 157 ps In relation to individual air
barrier materials that may comprise an air barrier system or
assembly, the material must have the requisite air leakage
rate when measured in accordance with ASTM 2178
In addition to evaluating the perormance o specic systems
in a laboratory-testing environment, overall perormance
targets or the entire building must be considered Though
many building codes do not contain adequate language to
govern the design and construction parameters or air barriers
in commercial buildings, new standards are being developed
and implemented For example, ASHRAE is in the process o
making revisions to Standard 901 that will require the inclusion
o a continuous air barrier As previously stated, the material
must have the requisite air leakage rate when measured inaccordance with ASTM 2178
0 A supplement to Building design +ConstruCtion
R-valueLossDuetoFastenersinMetalRooDeckAssemblies
Board
Insulation
1 astener per 4 sq t 1 astener per 2 sq t 1 astener per 1 sq t
Insulation
Thickness
Comparison Results: Assumed System Resistance & U-Value vs Actual System Resistance and U-Value
R-Value Loss % R-Value Loss % R-Value Loss %
Assumed Calculated % Assumed Calculated % Assumed Calculated %
1 0 in 585 518 115 585 466 2027 47 345 2649
15 in 835 734 1208 835 657 213 662 475 2819
20 in 1085 951 124 1085 848 2186 854 605 2913
30 in 1585 1383 1273 1585 1229 2244 1239 866 3013
40 in 2085 1816 129 2085 1611 2275 1624 1126 3066
50 in 2585 2249 1301 2585 1992 2294 2008 1386 3098
60 in 3085 2681 1308 3085 2374 2306 2393 1646 3120
70 in 3585 3114 1313 3585 2755 2315 2777 1906 3136
80 in 4085 3547 1317 4085 3136 2322 3162 2167 3148
According to research by ASHRAE and ORNL, asteners alone can reduce the eective insulation value o metal buildings between 1.5% to 31.5%, depending on the number and
type o asteners.
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For more inormation on air barriers, see Insulation
Energy Saving: Key Issues and Perormance Factors [ADD
LINK TO BD+C PAPER HERE, as ollows:] (wwwnconlinecom/uploads/Insulation percent20Energy percent20Savings
percent20Finalpd)
GreenInsulationOptionsorCommercialConstruction
The Insulation Contractors Association o America (ICAA)
recognizes the ollowing categories o insulation in their
publication Recommended Design Considerations and Guide
Specications or Commercial Building Insulation:
Rigid and semi-rigid oam board insulation
Thermal batt and blanket insulation
Spray applied polyurethane oam insulation
Spray applied brous insulation
Loose ll insulation
Many products within these categories can be used to
achieve green building guidelines, but as seen in the sections
above, oam board and spray oam insulation provide
signicantly higher R-values than other insulation types, and
ccSPF provides an integral thermal, moisture and air barrier
that dramatically improve actual energy savings perormance
In addition to energy, moisture and air barrier considerations,GREENGUARD lays out the ollowing emissions criteria or a
product to be labeled under their GREENGUARD Indoor Air
Certication Program or Low-emitting Products (see Figure
using minimal additional resources and diverting very little
material to landlls
Provides superior thermal perormance, including
unparalleled air-sealing which, in turn, improves overall
building envelope thermal perormance and reduces energy
used by HVAC systems Lower energy use in buildings inturn reduces carbon emissions
Provides moisture protection, reducing IAQ issues and
increasing durability
Adds structural integrity to the building, urther increasing
building durability
Is renewable, particularly in applications like commercial
roos where ccSPF can be recoated vs tear-o and
replacement o traditional roo system every 10-20 years
Is durable, as ccSPF has a serviceable lie o more than
A supplement to Building design +ConstruCtion
Figure:R-ValuesocommonInsulationMaterials
Insulation Type R-Value per inch o thickness
Fiberglass blanket or batt 29 to 38 (avg 32)
High perormance ber glass blanket or batt 37 to 43 (avg 38)
Loose-ll ber glass 23 to 27 (avg 25)
Loose-ll rock wool 27 to 30 (avg 28)
Loose-ll cellulose 34 to 37 (avg 35)
Perlite or vermiculite 24 to 37 (avg 27)
Expanded polystyrene board 36 to 4 (avg 38)
Extruded polystyrene board 45 to 5 (avg 48)Polyisocyanurate board, unaced 56 to 63 (avg 58)
Polyisocyanurate board, oil-aced 7
Spray polyurethane oam 56 to 63 (avg 59)
Source: U.S. Department o Energy/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, July 2007
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30 years and can be recoated easily, at a minimal cost,
using minimal additional resources and diverting very little
material to landlls
Is sometimes made with recycled materials, and with
materials that are locally sourced and manuactured
Rates very well in lie-cycle analysis
Joseph Lstiburek, PhD, PEng, a principal o BuildingScience Corporation and an internationally renowned building
scientist believes that insulation products capable o achieving
green building standards need to handle water, air, vapor and
thermal control in one material All o these actors, says
Lstiburek, are very important in the undamental perormance
o a building You want a water, air, and vapor control layer
coupled with a thermal control layer A lot o technologies are
able to collapse three o those our unctions, whereas ccSPF
can actually collapse all our into one application In otherwords, normally you have a water control membrane thats
also an air and a vapor barrier and you install insulation over
it With ccSPF, that one layer o oam sprayed on the outside
o the building actually does all our things Its a product
thats unique like no other the only product available in the
industry that can provide our o the major undamental control
unctions o the building enclosure
This undamental act is the cornerstone and unique
value o ccSPF to green building ccSPF systems addressall o the core issues associated with energy, moisture, and
durability perormance o buildings in one system, in addition
to providing added benets that can be used to achieve other
points in green rating systems
AchievingUSGBCLEEDorNewConstructioncreditsusingccSPF
Closed-cell spray polyurethane systems provide benets
that can allow designers to qualiy or points in the USGBCLEED rating systems The ollowing table outlines the areas
where it may be possible to achieve points using ccSPF:
Closed-Cell Spray Polyurethane Foam:Green Attributes and Applications
For those wanting more detail, ollowing is an overview
o the attributes and applications o ccSPF Briefy, ccSPF
is an insulating oam that is sprayed in or onto construction
A supplement to Building design +ConstruCtion
Figure:GreenGuardEmissionCriteriaFor use with GreenGuard Certication ProgramSM or Low
Emitting ProductsInsulation-Applicable to: Building insulation, Basic mechanical
insulation and Air handling (HVAC) insulation
Properties ASTM Test Value
Individual VOCs1 < 01 TLV < 01 TLV
Formaldehyde < 005 ppm < 0025 ppm
Total VOCs2 < 05 mg/m3 < 025 mg/m3
Total Aldehydes3 < 01 ppm < 005 ppm
Respirable particles
(or HVAC ductwork)
< 05 mg/m3 < 05 mg/m3
Listing o measured carcinogens and reproductive toxins
as identied by Caliornia Proposition 65, the US National
Toxicology Program (NTP), and the International Agency on
Research on Cancer (IARC) must be provided
Any pollutant regulated as a primary or secondary outdoor
air pollutant must meet a concentration that will not
generate an air concentration greater than that promulgated
by the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (US EPA,
code o Federal Regulations, Title 40, Part 50)1Any VOC not listed must produce an air concentration level no greater than
1/10 the Threshold Limit Value (TLV) industrial work place standard (Reerence:
American Conerence o Government Industrial Hygeinists, 6500 Glenway, Building
D-7, Cincinnati, Ohio 45211-4438).
2Defned to be the total response o measured VOCs alling within the C6-C
16
range, with responses calibrated to a toluene surrogate.
3Defned to be the total response o a specifc target list o aldegydes (2-butenal;
acetaldehyde; benzaldehyde; 2.5-dimethylbenzaldehyde, 2-methylbenzaldehyde;
3-and /or 4-methylbenzaldehyde; butanal; 3-methylbutanal; ormaldehyde;
hexanal; pentanal; propanal), with each individually calibrated to a compound
specifc standard.
Source: GreenGuard Environmental Institute
Its the only product available in the industry
that can provide our o the major undamental
control unctions o the building enclosure.
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assemblies When it contacts the application surace, it
immediately increases in volume by as much as 30-40 times
The Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (SPFA) notes that
the various SPF ormulations provide a broad range o physical
properties that are suitable or a variety o applications and
climates Closed-cell SPFs (ccSPFs) are suitable or both
interior and exterior insulation because o signicantly higher
structural integrity and waterproong characteristics Foam
A supplement to Building design +ConstruCtion
Sustainable Sites
SS Credit 61-62: Storm water Design:
Quantity and Quality ControlUse o vegetated roo systems over ccSPF roo systems can qualiy projects or
points by minimizing impervious suraces
SS Credit 72: Heat Island Eect: Roo Use o highly refective roo coatings over ccSPF roos, in addition to vegetatedroo systems, can qualiy or points by reducing roo surace temperatures and
thereby decreasing the urban heat island eect
Energy and Atmosphere
EA Prerequisite 2: Minimum Energy
Perormance RequiredUse o ccSPF signicantly increases energy perormance in buildings through
superior R-value and air barrier perormance Points may be gained or
overall building energy perormance because o improved building envelope
perormance In addition, ccSPF is a non-Ozone depleting technology, ccSPF
roos can to integrated into photovoltaic solar energy systems , and there is
reduced energy in manuacturing ccSPF as compared to traditional systems
EA Credit 1: Optimize Energy Perormance
Materials and Resources
MR Credit 11 - 12: Building Reuse:
Maintain 75% - 95% o Existing Walls,
Floors & Roo
Use o ccSPF roo systems allows or application o new coatings instead o
complete roo tear-o once the systems useul lie is reached Points may be
gained or reuse and recoating o the existing roo structure
MR Credit 41-42: Recycled Content Some ccSPF ormulations utilize recycled content and may qualiy or points
MR Credit 51 -52: Regional Materials Some ccSPF ormulations utilize regionally sourced and produced materials and
can qualiy or points
MR Credit 6: Rapidly Renewable Materials Some ccSPF ormulations utilize agricultural products, such as soy, and sugarbased polymers that are rapidly renewable
Indoor Environmental Quality
EQ Credit 41: Low-Emitting Materials:
Adhesives & SealantsCcSPF is not considered a volatile organic compound (VOC) by the US
government, and its use reduced the use o caulks and adhesives
EQ Credit 71: Thermal Comort: Design CcSPF can help building envelopes meet the requirements o ASHRAE Standard
55-2004, Thermal Comort Conditions or Human Occupancy
ID Credit 114: Innovation in Design CcSPF oam can contribute to innovation credits or acoustical perormance,
reducing construction waste while being sustainable and durable
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used in exterior applications must be covered or both UV and
protection rom the weather
Because ccSPF shows little degradation over time, SPF
roong systems have been in place or as long as 30 years
and are easily renewable ater that time by just re-coating the
surace which provides UV protection Cracks or punctures in
ccSPF roo systems up to 3 inches in diameter can be xed
using simple elastomeric sealants or caulk; damage o a larger
size can be resolved with reapplication o the spray oam in
the aected area The combination o ccSPF roo insulation
and waterproong system with elastomeric, aggregate, or
vegetated coverings to protect the ccSPF against UV ratings
provide and highly desirable green-roo solutionSeveral types o ccSPF are used or building envelopes
high-density closed-cell SPFthat is extremely resistant to
water intrusion and oot trac, medium-density closed-cell
SPFor interior applications
ViewsonSpray-FoamInsulationbyGreenBuildingExperts
Bill Rose, a research architect at the University o Illinois at
Urbana-Champaigns Building Research Council, has conducted
signicant research into thermal and moisture perormance o
buildings, and served as a consultant on historic buildings and
museums For obvious reasons, his work in museum projects
has ocused on the critical building perormance actor o indoor
temperature and humidity control According to Rose, There is
simply no way to control temperature and particularly humidity in
a building thats leaky Especially or larger museums, the eort
to improve the indoor climate and make it more stable hinges on
the ability to prevent air leakageRoses experience shows that existing buildings can have
signicant issues in air leakage that cant be solved using
traditional materials These leaks pose signicant problems to
energy and indoor environmental perormance As ar as I can
tell, says the research architect, there really isnt any product
that compares to spray-applied urethane oams or blocking air
leakage The rst thing we do is look at the wall roo junction
Oten where the wall goes up the roo engages the parapet
continues up rom that its just a giant chimney or air leakageThe question o making the indoor environment workable or not
comes down to the question can we oam these holes shut?
Syracuse Universitys Dr Mark Bomberg believes that spray
oam will play a signicant role in reducing energy demand
and environmental impact o buildings Bombergs decades o
experience with buildings and building perormance research,
as well as the spray oam industry, has made him passionate
about systems that behave as a system, rather than component
products and materials Spray oam is a material or now and
the uture, not or the past, because in the past we were dividing
building and materials and everyone was selling miraculous
solutions called product A, B, or C Now because we are looking
at energy, durability, sustainability all these green things we
have to deal with building as a system Spray oams uture issecure because it allows tailoring to whatever needs you have in
your system
RelatedGreenBeneftsoSPF
Though not directly measured by commonly accepted
green building criteria, the ollowing related benets o using
ccSPF systems should be considered in any green building or
remodeling project:
Saety: ccSPF insulation and waterproong systems addstructural integrity to any building particularly in roo
systems that are impacted by wind uplit in severe weather
areas In act, a 2007 study at the University o Floridas
Department o Civil and Coastal Engineering showed that
ccSPF roo systems have the potential to increase wind
uplit capacity by more than three times that o traditional
construction using a continuous layer o ccSPF on the
underside o the roo deck
Highly refective (cool) roo surace: Heat on a low-slopeblack roo surace can surge to 190 degrees Fahrenheit
in the summer Much o the heat generated in summer
months is absorbed into the building, radically impacting
eciency by impact to heating and cooling loads Highly
refective, low-E roo coatings and membranes are now
widely available or the UV suracing o ccSPF roo
systems, and have proven to reduce roo temperatures to
a ew degrees above ambient temperature on common
roo assemblies In addition, highly refective ccSPF roo
systems have been shown to reduce the energy needed
A supplement to Building design +ConstruCtion
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to cool a commercial building by as much as hal As an
alternate green-roo strategy, a vegetated-roo system can
be installed on top o a ccSPF roo system
Solar photovoltaic roo SPF systems: Once energy
conservation measures are employed and the building
consumes as little energy as possible, generating power
onsite rom renewable energy sources is an excellent green
building strategy A ccSPF roo system that employs highly
refective coatings, coupled with roo-mounted photovoltaic
(PV) panels can provide ecient operation and oset energy
costs The ccSPF roong systems create a waterproo,
monolithic, and lightweight roo structure that allows or the
addition o PV systems without concerns about roo weightVegetated roo systems: Vegetated or true green roo
systems employ vegetative roo cover to replace a bare
membrane, gravel, shingle, or tiles A vegetated roo system
can provide signicant benets, including stormwater
runo management and urban heat island eect reduction
Although a vegetated roo system can be installed on any
type o low-slope commercial roo, ccSPF systems are
ideal, because they:
Provide signicant insulation value, reducing thelikelihood o water on the roo rom cooling the building
during the winter or heating it during the summer
Are lightweight Any additional systems placed on the
roo o a building add weight to the structure, and the
lightweight nature o ccSPF may allow designers to
speciy vegetated roo systems without the need to
reinorce the roo to account or additional weight
Are continuous, monolithic, sel-fashing and are easily
tapered to slope and drain properly ensuring that water
rom the vegetated roo system doesnt enter the
building envelope
Are durable and have a compressive strength o (45-
50psi) - double that o polyisocyanurate board stock at
(20-25psi) This added durability improves the roos
ability to withstand oot trac and abuse
Adhere to irregular suraces and ll penetrations unlike
any other product, ideal when a vegetated roo system
design uses stanchions or other structural assemblies
A critical note or green building systems such as solar
photovoltaic and vegetated roo systems is made by Dick
West Youre taking a part o a building thats basically
designed to insulate and waterproo the structure, thats
it Anything you put on that roo is detrimental to that goal
so when you start putting rootop mounted equipment up
there and you have penetrations going through the roo to
support the solar collectors each one o those penetrations
is a vulnerable point or water intrusion Because ccSPF is
sel-fashing and conorms very easily to irregular shapes and
penetrations, the cost o the roo assembly doesnt go up as
a result o all o the additional assemblies and penetrations
needed to support a PV system The other reason that ccSPFlends itsel to these additional systems is the act that ccSPF
is probably the lightest weight roo assembly you can install
on a building A buildings roo capacity is limited I you want
to make the load capacity greater, you have to bee up the
structure itsel, which is expensive I youre going to add PV
or vegetated roo systems, thus adding weight and can add a
lighter weight roo system instead o reinorcing the building,
thats a clear benet
Green Building Case Study:Mississippi Coast Coliseum
Building: Mississippi Coast Coliseum
Location: Biloxi, MS
Prole: Biloxi, Mississippi is a tough place to be a building,
particularly a roo Since 1979, Biloxi has been hit by more
than 15 hurricanes, with high wind speeds between 110mph and 115 mph According to the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 28 signicant hail events
with gol-ball-sized hail, 28 tornadoes, and 100 high-wind
storms have braced the area All told that equates to more
than 175 days o severe weather since 1979
Built in 1977, the Mississippi Coast Coliseum was
constructed with an ccSPF roo Ater Hurricane Katrina, the
coliseum was still standing with little damage to the SPF roo
system Contractors removed a inch o the SPF and replacedit, along with a new elastomeric coating A NIST report titled
A supplement to Building design +ConstruCtion
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Perormance o Physical Structures in Hurricane Katrina
and Hurricane Rita: A Reconnaissance Reports showed
that SPF roos perormed signicantly better than average
in hurricane conditionsThe increased durability o SPF roo systems provides
a sustainable solution or commercial buildings, reducing
the need or replacement or signicant maintenance and
maintaining building perormance attributes over time
According to sources such as the Oak Ridge National
Laboratory and Franklin & Associates, durability is a key
component o lie-cycle analysis, or LCA a key component
o green building Providing good wind uplit resistance and
enhanced structural strength o building assemblies, ccSPF hasbeen shown to contribute to sustainability over the long term
Green Building Case Study: TexasA&M University
Building(s): Texas A&M University
Location: Biloxi, TX
Prole: With over 7 million square eet o ccSPF roongsystem on their buildings, Texas A&M may be the best
example o proven sustainability and energy eciency o
SPF systems
In the 1970s, the universitys physical plant department
was looking or alternatives to their traditional built-up roo
systems, which had suered signicant leaks ater only a ew
years o service
SPF roo systems were used on many o the Texas A&M
buildings, with energy savings being monitored on 27
buildings that had been retrotted with SPF roos between
1980 and 1984 Results showed a payback in energy
savings o an average o 45 years
The systems, many still in place today, boast high energy
savings, low maintenance and replacement costs, and
minimal disruption in occupant productivity, as the systems
can be applied without disrupting the building interior
Action Plan: Using ccSPF or GreenBuilding New Construction andRenovations
Use o ccSPF systems or green buildings will become
more commonplace as building designers and owners seek
cost-eective means to achieve new building codes and
green building program requirements For that reason, we
recommend the ollowing:
1. Focus research and solutions development and
measurements on whole-systems solutions, rather than
component parts. Syracuse Universitys Bomberg believes
that the industry should strive or systems solutions that
are measured and veried as whole systems, rather than
component parts
2. Understand and evaluate the application and
perormance o dierent ccSPF ormulations or specic
applications. There are many dierent types o oams
and applications and building teams must evaluate the
perormance o each ormulation and application As Bomberg
refects, A tailor can use very dierent textiles to make
dierent pants Hes not saying I use only one textile to makeall pants The oam industry needs to look at their products in
a similar way
3. Further veriy the perormance o ccSPF systems
according to traditional LCA models. While lie-cycle
analysis has been perormed on ccSPF systems that
refect good perormance, additional evaluations are
orthcoming that will urther strengthen the case Clearly,
in such areas as energy conservation and durability,
ccSPF is a good lie-cycle choice
A supplement to Building design +ConstruCtion
A number o spray polyurethane oam (SPF)
roong systems were observed Some o
these roos were estimated to be about 20
years old. With one minor exception, all were
ound to have sustained Hurricane Katrina
extremely well without blow-o o the SPF
or damage to fashings. NIST
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4. Push the requirement o high thermal and air-
barrier perormance in the design and construction
o all buildings. Fundamentally, building codes and
standards are not stringent enough to create a solution to
building-related contributions to greenhouse gas emissions,
unsustainable energy consumption, and signicant negative
environmental impact New codes and legislation should
be developed and enacted that reduce consumption and
improve positive environmental impact
SourcesandReerences
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quotedinthedevelopmentothisWhitePaper.BuildingDesign+Construction
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Corporate Sponsor Honeywell
Honeywell has been a key supplier o fuorocarbon
insulation or more than 40 years. Throughout this time,
Honeywell has been a global leader in developing and
commercializing products that meet the needs o the global
oam market, as well as the most comprehensive technical,
regulatory, health, saety, and environmental support, which is
critical in ensuring sae and eective use o these products.