475 High Performance Building Supply Announces Publication Of The Next Free Construction Detail eBook In Their Continuing Series

With the announcement of a new ebook release online this week, Brooklyn-based 475 High Performance Building Supply (475) is offering building professionals a new tool to transform the common 2×4 framed wall. This spin on traditional construction creates high performance enclosures that affordably deliver the highest levels of comfort, energy efficiency, and longevity.

Using two- and three-dimensional sketches, along with real world photos and advice, the ebook provides a guide to cutting energy costs by focusing on airtightness. As states impose stricter energy codes, jurisdictions nationwide have begun recognizing and mandating greater levels of airtightness. Airtight walls can be up to five times more energy efficient compared with similarly insulated, but leaky, walls. Equipped with airtight details, architects and builders can aim far beyond current energy benchmarks. Just as Moore’s Law for computer processors has demonstrated efficiency increases for progressively less money, today’s enclosures can add value in the form of comfort, energy efficiency, and resilience, for less cost through airtightness.

High Performance 2x Framing is accompanied by a downloadable CAD drawing file containing all the details illustrated in the ebook, allowing professionals to directly copy and customize to particular project needs. 475 Co-Founder, Ken Levenson, an architect by trade said, “It is core to our business to spread information that will make a difference. Much more than a supply house, 475 is trying to steer the tanker ship of US construction in a greener direction. We can make our contribution by behaving like a business in the information age should: by making valuable and transformative information free.”

High Performance 2x Framing is the third in a series of construction detail ebooks covering a variety of construction types. Each release will rewrite conventional building details to accommodate for super-insulated, air sealed, and foam-free building in an effort to be more ecologically sound. Eliminating the use of fossil fuel-based components such as spray foam and polystyrene from construction is a major goal for 475, and an essential step to creating the greenest buildings possible.

High Performance 2x Framing can be downloaded for free from foursevenfive.com. Hardcopies are available for pre-order with release set for late summer 2015.

The bright green future of the Jersey Shore will be on display at the 2015 D.O.E. Solar Decathlon

475 High Performance Building Supply is a proud supporter and supplier of the Stevens Institute of Technology 2015 D.O.E. Solar Decathlon team. Their entry into the competition is SURE HOUSE. Short for SUstainable + REsilient, this project has been designed to survive the next Superstorm Sandy while allowing occupants to live a 100% solar powered existence in a nearly foam-free building.

The SURE HOUSE project uses many details from our most recent ebook publication: High Performance 2x Framing. It relies on INTELLO as an airtight smart vapor retarder, taped tight with TESCON VANA on membranes and sheathing, uses ROFLEX gaskets and TESCON PROFIL to seal penetrations, and eliminated thermal bridging using CompaCFoam insulation. We recommend you see the finished airsealing details for yourself in their amazing 3-D walkthrough.

1. Hit the Passive House standard – By driving down the energy use of the house to 90% lower than typical American homes, the team is able to meet the ambitious energy goals.
2. 100% solar powered – Not only does the electricity and water heating come from solar, but the team needs to account for a reserve of energy to charge an electric car, which will commute as much as the average American family.
3. Resilience for the next storm – A number of measures have been designed into the fabric of the building to help survive major flood events. Innovative flood doors can be locked down in a matter of minutes. The exterior sheathing is built like a boat hull to prevent water entry. Utilities are fed from the roof down, so that little, if anything, can be destroyed in a flood event. Finally, if any water enters the home, using INTELLO allows for a vapor-smart wall assembly that could be safely dried out.

We’re looking forward to the competition and wish the Stevens Institute team the best. You can follow their progress on Twitter and through their thoughtful and thorough blog on Popular Science.

One of the hardest parts to properly make a house airtight is making the air control layer absolutely continuous: to go around the drawing and through every detail without picking up the red pen.  This is especially true at the 3 dimensional connections of inside corners, which don’t necessarily announce themselves in 2 dimensional drawings.

At an inside corner, where three airtight components are coming together is tricky because it is awkward to get tape to adhere effectively.  However simple you detail your building, these corners will occur at your windows and will need to be dealt with.

The primary reasons that airsealing tape with multiple release strips are made is to address inside corners.   The multiple release strips allow you to adhere the tape in corners in a step-by-step process.   And the release papers made for these tapes are extra strong, so they won’t tear while being pulled from odd angles and in tight corners.

We have experienced, that the most effective way to deal with an inside window (or building corner) is to pre-make a TESCON Profil corner that can then be adhered to a window frame, see steps below. In the TESCON Profil application guide it is briefly mentioned in step 3a.

These pre-made pieces are to be used in each corner. To seal the window frames to your airtight layer use longer lengths of tape, this step is relatively easy and can be done before or after installing the corners – if the installation gap between the frame and your airtight-layer is larger than 1/8″ install the long stretches first. When installing these long pieces, make sure to end them as close to the corner as possible. If you installed the corner first, make sure there is at least a 1″ overlap of tapes. Making these overlaps will assure proper continuation and durability of the airtight connection you just made.

Using this technique assures that the airseal in these hard to reach spots will be durable, tight, free of creases and should thus prevent frustrating leaks to appear there during the blower door test.

475 High Performance Building Supply is proud to announce we have been accepted as a “virtual tenant” of NYC ACRE, the premier incubator in New York City for business startups focused on energy transformation. Founded by Mayor Bloomberg in PlaNYC 2030 and funded in part by NYSERDA, NYC ACRE forms a crucible for innovation and economic activity. From the NYC ACRE website:

“New York City Accelerator for a Clean and Resilient Economy (NYC ACRE) helps clean technology and renewable energy companies in New York City grow, advancing the city as a role model for a low-carbon future while also creating jobs. NYC ACRE is dedicated to growing an ecosystem of entrepreneurs, international companies, and innovative local businesses that provide solutions to climate and energy issues in NYC.”

Efficiency is the cleanest energy and 475’s e-commerce based business with a focus on making a low-energy built environment made us a great fit. Why are we a “virtual tenant”? Because unlike many start-ups that lack even a desk, 475 is already ensconced in an old garage in nearby Gowanus. As a virtual tenant we may not have a permanent desk at NYC ACRE located in the NYU Poly campus of downtown Brooklyn, but we enjoy the powerful benefits of mentoring, networking, and strategic positioning that are essential to scaling our ambitions to build a successful business which plays a key role in the transformation of the U.S. construction industry toward low-energy/high-performance and Passive House buildings. Current incubator tenants include efficiency oriented trailblazers like BlocPower and Sealed, energy monitoring by Enertiv and battery optimization by Voltaiq, to name a few.

Needless to say, we are excited about the synergies and opportunities that lay ahead and hope that this leads to a very positive impact in our quest for a low-carbon future.

475 High Performance Building Supply is proud to be the supplier of INTELLO Plus intelligent vapor retarder membrane and other Pro Clima products for a newly opened Assisted Living Facility in Mashpee, MA. According to their website, “Bridges® by EPOCH at Mashpee continues our commitment to providing the highest-quality senior living experience and care exclusively for those with Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss.” The facility was designed by JSA Architects in Portsmouth NH, and Cranshaw Construction was the general contractor.

Health and Comfort

It goes without saying that health and comfort are the main objectives of any medical facility. Unfortunately, these goals aren’t necessarily achieved in practice. How many of us have experienced so-called “state-of-the-art” facilities, never mind the drafty windows, mediocre ventilation and poorly insulated walls – to name just a few problems? One explanation is that medical buildings are often built with the same leaky – or leakier – stick built construction as our homes, offices and so much else. Hence, they are part of a national pandemic of thermal discomfort, moisture problems, mold and related health maladies. Some of the blame can be attributed to lax building codes with loopholes that encourage leakiness and discomfort. For instance, while one part of the commercial code requires air sealing to a perfectly achievable (and reasonably airtight) 0.40 cfm/ft2, alternate compliance paths essentially undo any benefits.

If our building codes fail us, it’s up to architects and builders to voluntarily aspire to higher standards. By specifying the INTELLO Plus airtight system, JSA Architects made a design decision to go beyond code minimum airtightness and vapor control. In doing so they’ve put Alzheimer’s patients, along with their loved ones and caregivers, at the top of the priority list. INTELLO Plus provides a number of important high performance benefits that can help raise the standard for indoor air quality and thermal comfort in medical buildings like this one:

• Instead of sitting next to drafty and poorly insulated walls, patients will be comfortable (read here how the Pro Clima airtight system makes walls airtight and optimizes insulation performance).
• Instead of risking exposure to mold in walls with high moisture levels, patients will enjoy the benefits of dry, mold-free walls (read here how INTELLO’s “smart” vapor control keeps walls dry year-round).
• Fresh ventilation air ducted to each room will provide healthy indoor air quality inside the airtight enclosure (read here about the benefits of the Lunos heat recovery ventilation system).
• INTELLO Plus achieves robust air and vapor control without resorting to toxic foam insulation in these sensitive environments (read here how foam fails).

For this project, the insulation contractor Atlas Insulation elected to first densepack fiberglass insulation behind an air permeable netting, then roll the insulation flat before covering with INTELLO Plus. While somewhat more work intensive than our recommendation to densepack directly behind the INTELLO Plus, some contractors prefer this approach if they are less familiar with INTELLO Plus. After stapling INTELLO Plus to the studs, seams were taped with TESCON Vana. Lessco airtight electrical boxes were also taped to the INTELLO Plus at all switches and outlets. INTELLO was installed all the way to the airtight sheathing at the roof – including around dropped ceilings – to ensure a continuous airtight layer. Finally, CONTEGA HF caulk adhesive was used for a flexible airtight joint between the INTELLO Plus and the concrete slab.

475’s New England sales consultant Oliver Klein was available throughout the design and construction process to help with technical recommendations and smooth the adoption of the Pro Clima systems.

Peace of Mind

From the Bridges by EPOCH website: “While many memory care assisted living communities are unable to care for those whose memory loss has progressed, Bridges® by EPOCH at Mashpee can continue to provide a home and care no matter the stage. Our age in place philosophy helps residents avoid the trauma and stress often associated with moving to another community and offers peace of mind to their families. Perhaps the best benefit, your loved one remains in the care of those they’ve grown to know and trust.”

We hope that this facility helps usher in a new paradigm of health and comfort for all of our assisted living facilities – but especially for the growing needs of Alzheimer’s care giving.

Welcome back to our Question of the Week Series.

This week, we helped a customer in Virginia understand considerations of humidity control while using the Lunos HRV system.

The question:

“Hello,

Do you know if the Lunos eGO can be hooked up to a humidistat that can be purchased at a place like Home Depot? Finally, are you aware of any options to hook it up to a pressure sensor? Specifically, to hook the intake fan up to a pressure sensor so that when you run something like your dryer, the eGo’s intake fan comes on automatically?”

We’re having some trouble hooking up our Lunos eGo to the standard Leviton IPHS5 humidistat. Primarily because the Universal Controller only allows 12 volts out, and the Leviton requires a standard 120v. Are you aware of any low-voltage humidistats that would work with the eGo? I couldn’t find anything on the foursevenfive website.

Our answer:

You can have the humidity interrupt the power to the transformer. This will turn the eGO off when the humidistat does not call for ventilation, which means at that time the eGO no longer provides heat recovery ventilation.

We would always recommend to have the eGO running in HRV mode, and not turn it off. 

Alternatively, you can purchase a Lunos touch air controller, which will allow you to have it respond to humidity, program flowrates etc.

In summary:

The Lunos eGO is designed to provide constant heat recovery ventilation.  While it is possible to combine the eGO with a humidistat, the effect will be less fresh air ventilation.  We think it’s best to keep these units running constantly, especially in a tight enclosure.  This is not only because the eGO operates at such low power consumption, but also because the heat recovery only works after a 70 second cycle, so if the humidistat is only kicking the fan on for a short period, you may introduce unwanted cold air into the enclosure, thus increasing the heat demand inside.  So generally, we either advise sacrificing this control for constant heat recovery, or using a control that’s designed to work with the system.  For more information on our touch air controller from Lunos, see here or contact us.

To read the other posts in our Question of the Week series, click here.

**Please note that in republishing our question of the week, we sometimes edit the text of the original question and response in order to provide additional clarity to the issue.**

Net-Zero Homes Show Signs of Convergent Evolution by Martin Holladay in Green Building Advisor gives a glimpse of an encouraging future: high-performance building coupled with renewable energy.   On a hike in Norwich, Vermont, the author of Musings of an Energy Nerd, came across a house with a tell-tale sign of forward thinking: PV panels covering one side of the roof, but there appeared to be more going on.  So he then reached out to the builder, Paul Biebel, of Prudent Living Homes, to get the details.

photo credit: Martin Holladay, Green Building Advisor

When Holladay met Biebel on site, the builder revealed that after building for almost 40 years “our methods have evolved with the terminology, and now we’re building high-performance homes.”  The success Biebel is achieving these high performing results is what stands out in the article.

Holladay remarks, “Most of their homes have blower-door results that are close to 1 ACH50,” in part because of their attention to sealing details. “Prudent Living Homes pays close attention to air sealing details. I noticed that the thresholds of the exterior doors are sealed to the concrete slab with Tescon tape.”  Nice – we supplied the Tescon Profil tape used by Prudent Living Homes.

Such attention to materials and details ensure a high-performance result.   Go read Martin’s article.  And ask us how we might help in your next construction project. We’re committed to enabling such results with the best tapes, membranes and other materials coupled with state-of-the-art guidance through downloadable details, eBooks, videos and more.   Make it tighter, better, lower-energy, net-zero:  convergence we can believe in.

PR-60 Roof Daylighting System

The benefits of roof daylighting are numerous. Daylight systems increase productivity, stores sell more products, and students perform better. Roof daylighting can be an aesthetically powerful design element. They can provide natural ventilation and can even be energy positive when done correctly. They can extend the benefits of daylighting deep to the interior of a building. Persuasive examples abound – from the ancient Pantheon in Rome, to Louis Kahn’s Kimbell Art Museum in Texas, to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Johnson administrative building in Wisconsin.

Highest quality certification from the Passive House Institute

But the pitfalls are notorious and have limited the successful implementation of glass roofs. Glare can overwhelm occupants; winter heat losses can cost energy and make occupants uncomfortable. They can cause condensation and moisture problems. In the summer, overheating can drive up energy use for AC and cause even greater discomfort. The promise of glass roofs have always seemed just out of reach… but the wait is over.

The PR-60 by Lamilux delivers the powerful benefits while allowing the designer to avoid the pitfalls of roof daylighting.  Triple-glazed thermal bridge free construction that provides exceptional airtightness and comfort form the high-performance foundation to success. These fundamental metrics have been independently verified and certified by the Passive House Institute, the benchmark for state-of-the-art performance.  

Axon of system with drainage channel

Because these glass roofs are truly thermally broken, the interior surfaces stay warm in cold weather and condensation at the interior of the system is no longer a worry.  And warm interior surface temperatures not only avoid moisture damage but provide much greater occupant comfort. Integrated drainage channels outboard allow storm water to effectively drain away.

Passive ventilation strategies can be fully integrated, as well as smoke venting systems. And if your low-energy building is pushing toward net zero, even renewable PV cells can be integrated into the PR-60 system with dramatic effect.

Finally internal and external shading is an important consideration for any high-performance building – and again Lamilux delivers.

Shading options provide architecturally sensitive way to control glare and prevent over heating.

For a school, office or shopping center, whatever the daylighting application – efficient, light-filled and comfortable should no longer be out of reach – reach for the Lamilux PR-60.

475 is always looking to enable more efficient, more robust high-performance buildings: Passive Houses and the spectrum of greater efficiency leading to Passive House.  The mantra is reduce the energy demand, reduce the need to produce power, increase the resiliency.   But let’s face it, “Net Zero Buildings” as a term has incredible emotional pull.  Never mind the debate that net zero isn’t really net zero – people viscerally connect with the term and the gadgets it implies, and they want it.   The problem with net zero is simply that you can still have a really shitty building – uncomfortable, inefficient and unhealthy – and zero it out with a huge pile of renewables.   The emphasis on energy production is wrongheaded – whether you’re making a fossil fuel or a clean fuel.

Effective climate action requires that we not only decarbonize production but decouple a rising standard of living from the need for rising energy production.  And Passive House is one important tool in making that disruptive transition a reality.

And Net Zero Buildings: Passive House + Renewables is a new book that shows that it can not only be done but is being done, across North America and around the world.  And it shows that Passive House makes net zero easier and cheaper.  The buildings are beautiful, and regionally and stylistically varied.   Written by Mary James and produced by the North American Passive House Network (NAPHN), and 475 is proud to have played a small part in helping make this book.  475 founding partner, Ken Levenson, also contributed to the book’s Forward as a Co-President of NAPHN.

So the next time someone tells you they want a net-zero building, hand them this great book (soon to be in paperback) and say “fine – but let’s make it right and make it Passive first”.

Read a review on Treehugger by Lloyd Alter and a report on GBA by Scott Gibson.

In stunning news from Washington DC this week, the White House announced as part of a comprehensive plan to bring renewable energy and energy efficiency to households across the U.S. , that New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) in collaboration with NYSERDA, is launching a Passive House track:  The White House press release makes it clear the direction affordable multifamily buildings should be going:

475 Provides knowledge and training that makes Passive House work

“HCR intends to work closely with NYSERDA to monitor the ongoing energy use intensity of any Passive House projects that may be selected for funding under the RFP, in order to provide valuable data to the market to accelerate the trend toward construction of Passive House certified affordable multifamily buildings.”

Wow!  New York Passive House (NYPH) has more information on the announcement and HCR request for proposals HERE.   Check it out.

475 looks forward to helping solve, in a cost effective and straightforward way, the assembly airtightness and moisture requirements – as well as ventilation requirements – to make affordable Passive House multifamily buildings.  Sign-up for 475 training today.

Thanks for tuning in to our Question of the Week series.

This week’s question comes from a builder who knows that one of the keys to executing an airtight building cost-effectively involves thinking carefully about penetrations.

The question:

“We are using a combination of Intello Plus on the interior with Prosoco R-Guard system on the exterior of a current house. It’s not officially a passive house but we are working for that level of air sealing. I bought a PHPP package from you that we used in design.

Our biggest challenge in our last house was the mass of penetrations for the electrical service panel. In that house we used a section of black pipe air sealed into the exterior barrier and then taped and foamed the wires inside the pipe. This worked well but I’m concerned of the durability.

I would like to find a more elegant solution to this and am considering ProClima penetration products but can’t figure out the best/right way to handle this. It seems like a location every house has to deal with but I’ve been surprised to have never seen it talked about. What am I missing?”

Our response:

In summary:

The list can often go on when it comes to penetrations.  Looking to seal an electrical box?  Consider Instaabox from Pro Clima, or tape your romex cable with a bit of Contega HF adhesive caulk for the dimple.

Sealing holes from densepacking below a subfloor?  Use a tapered plug with some Tescon Vana tape.

Sealing a duct penetration?  Use Roflex gaskets for ducts from 2″ to 12″.

Installing Roflex gasket with TESCON tape at duct penetration. Credit: Eco Homes of Vermont

 

The builders, architects, and building owners we work with never cease to impress us.  Our customers bring a level of experience and deep commitment to high performance construction that is inspiring, with many committed to the same goals we share around foam-free construction and favoring the use of more natural building materials and techniques.  When we came across Maria Klemperer-Johnson, a builder and educator in the finger lakes region in upstate New York, we instantly knew we’d found another fascinating practitioner with a powerful story.  So we asked Maria to share a little about what brought her to 475, what projects she’s working on, and what’s important to her and to her clients, both in her school and in her professional practice.  She also writes quite well, so we’ll let her tell her story:

I (Maria) have been working as a builder in the Ithaca area since 2002.  I started in a cabinet shop, then worked for a conventional builder, and in 2005 started working as a “Natural Builder” when I built my own timber frame, straw bale home.  I worked for several years exclusively working on straw bale construction, but in recent years have been working on more conventional homes.  However, my background in straw and mud has always informed my approach to home construction.  My interest in good air sealing and weatherization was bolstered by experiences renovating several high end houses fewer than 15 years old that were suffering from severe rot (through to framing).

Hammerstone School’s June class framing the tiny house

In 2013, I started Hammerstone School: Carpentry for Women with the mission of increasing the number of women in the trades.  The school teaches short form, a-la-carte carpentry classes.  Our 2-day basic skills class is a favorite, but we also delve into more complex carpentry in rough framing classes and trim classes.  While our main focus is hands on skill building, we always seize the opportunity to discuss building science.  Since our inception, we have been organizing our longer classes around tiny house projects.  They offer all the elements of home construction in a scale that we are able to tackle in a week long course.  We try to offer a 5-day tiny house framing course and a 3 to 5-day tiny house trim course every summer.  Next year we hope to add a class on tiny house insulation and weatherization with our good friends and colleagues at Snug Planet (http://www.snugplanet.com/)

In the fall of 2014 we started a contracting wing of Hammerstone School called Hammerstone Builders (my previous construction business was called Double Dog Timberworks www.doubledogtimberworks.com).  We do high end residential construction with a focus on high performance foam *free* methods.  In addition to timber frames, renovations, and new construction, we also do a lot of work on the tiny houses that are class projects for Hammerstone School.

The tiny house we are working on this year is the third we have been involved in.  All of the tiny homes we’ve worked on have been custom designed for the client, and each has a very different flavor.  The one we’re working on now is unique because the homeowner was interested in a foam free house.  The challenge with tiny houses (especially in our climate) is to squeeze enough insulation into the walls (which are constrained in their exterior dimensions) without losing too much interior space.  Because of that, and despite my aversion to foam, I usually recommend a spray foam wall system for both its high R value/inch as well as its low weight per R value.  I was thrilled, however, when Amy approached me with the challenge of a foam free wall assembly.

The first tiny house we built used salvaged polyiso foam boards in 2×4 wall cavities.  The biggest heat loss in my estimation in this house comes not from minimal R-value, but from inadequate air sealing.  In a house this small (165 sq ft), there is a very small volume of air inside.  Any air leakage can create significant heat loss.  The framing details around the wheel wells on the tiny house trailers present significant air sealing challenges.  So, when approaching Amy’s foam free house, I was adamant that a really well detailed air barrier was essential.

Interior: Amy had decided on Roxul insulation.  The comfort batts between the 2×4 studs provide R15.  To increase the amount of insulation, to reduce thermal bridging, and also to create a plane where we could incorporate a minimally penetrated air barrier, we put 2×2 strapping horizontally 16″ O.C.  We installed 1.5″ comfort board between the strapping for an additional R6.  In the ceiling we had 5.5″ of comfort batt with 1.5″ of comfort board.  Because the air barrier is 1.5″ behind the wall coverings, we are able to minimize penetrations through the air barrier to 2 – electrical wires (one feed for the house, and one exterior light), a water line, a gas line, a heater vent, an on demand hot water vent, and two HRV penetrations (more on that later).  We used INTELLO wrap for the air barrier because of its ability to let the wall system dry to the inside.  All seams, subfloor joints, and window openings were taped with TESCON VANA, and penetrations were (are being) sealed with ROFLEX gaskets.  This is the first time we have used many of these products, and we’ve been impressed with their quality.

Hammerstone crew working on the air sealing details at the windows

Comfort batts in stud bays, continuous Intello air barrier, horizontal 2×2 furring strips creating utility chase, 1.5″ comfort batt

 

Sealing penetrations to the air barrier with ROFLEX gaskets

Exterior: Amy (like many prospective tiny house owners) has a tight budget, and we spent a lot of that on the high quality products for the interior.  The exterior weatherization is also a critical part of the entire home system, especially since we minimized overhangs to increase usable interior space.  We chose to go with a lower price weather resistive barrier (Tyvek), but to use high quality products in critical locations: We used SOLITEX UM [a vapor open, waterproof roof underlayment with integrated 3D mesh] on the roof under her metal roofing to create a drainage plane that allowed drying to the exterior (critical in a cathedral roof); and we used EXTOSEAL ENCORS tape for site built sill pans in the windows and door.  We were thrilled with the ease of use and quality (stickyness) of the Extoseal.  To be sure that the Tyvek drainage plane performs, we installed a 1/2″ vented rainscreen, and sealed all penetrations with ROFLEX gaskets.

Sealing penetrations to the WRB to prevent water intrusion

Tiny House being raised and sheathed

Exterior of tiny house showing WRB and rain screen furring strips

Air quality:  Because a tiny house has such a small volume of air, it is critical that with well detailed air sealing (as we are aiming for) that there is mechanical ventilation.  We decided to use a pair of LUNOS e² HRVs.  They are small enough to fit in a house this size.  We also are using direct vent propane appliances (Rinnai space heater and EccoTemp hot water heater).

We’re excited for the opportunity to take our air sealing and weatherization details to this level on this tiny house.  We are working on scheduling a blower door test to see how well we did.  And the real test will be this winter as Amy lives in her new tiny house.

“

Product Transparency Comes Into Focus For INTELLO Plus, TESCON VANA, and TESCON Primer RP

475 has achieved the Declare building product transparency label for our best-selling tapes and membranes. The Declare label aims to transform the marketplace through transparency and open communication by serving as a voluntary ‘nutrition-label’ for building materials. Declare integrates with the Living Building Challenge by providing product ingredients in support of the program’s Red List and Appropriate Sourcing Imperatives, streamlining material documentation and project certification.

Green Hammer’s Cowhorn Vineyard & Gardens tasting room project is using Tescon Vana and Tescon Primer RP for airtightness on sheathing.

Green Hammer, a unified design-build firm based in Portland, Oregon, was an excellent ally for 475 – one of many helping to drive the demand for such labeling. They are using Declare-labeled Pro Clima products on their Cowhorn Vineyard & Gardens tasting room project, which is pursuing Living Building Challenge Petal Certification.

“We believe in using healthy, high-performance materials in our buildings,” said Stephen Aiguier, Green Hammer CEO. “The Declare label provides quality assurance and transparency, giving us and our clients the peace-of-mind that our buildings are safe and healthy for people and the planet in every aspect of their extensive life cycle.”

With the initiation of the Declare label, these Pro Clima products meet requirements for both Living Building Challenge and Passive House certification, two of the most robust and stringent green building certifications. Alexandra Batzer, Living Building Challenge project coordinator for Green Hammer adds, “achieving the Materials Petal for Living Building Challenge projects is not an easy feat. Pro Clima’s ability to provide product information, references, and technical support was invaluable in our quest to eliminate Red-Listed chemicals from our projects.”

The Declare-labeled Pro Clima products – Tescon Vana airtight tape, Tescon Primer RP and Intello Plus airtight smart vapor-retarder; will each be on display at the upcoming Living Product Expo in Pittsburgh, September 16th-18th. The Expo, organized by the International Living Future Institute, is a groundbreaking new event that will bring together leading minds in the building product industry and showcase the growing movement of manufacturers and sustainability specialists pursuing game-changing innovations in product design and use.

More than 300 products from leading green building manufacturers have already been listed in the Declare database which can be viewed at www.declareproducts.com. Accepted products may display their Declare label on their products – signaling to the world their leadership position in the marketplace. There are over 70 different manufacturers participating in Declare, with products in 14 CSI Divisions.

Register and join us for the Living Product Expo, and look out for the new Declare labels on Pro Clima products in the near future.

Incorporating biomimicry into building materials and design was a major topic of discussion at the recent Living Product Expo in Pittsburgh, hosted by the International Living Building Institute. It’s a concept that deserves consideration, and one that we at 475 have reflected. The main idea is to use ecosystem services as templates. Some companies, builders, inventors and environmentalists are asking themselves: how would nature solve this problem? They use blueprints from organisms to solve human problems of design.

It’s so simple that is surprising it’s taken us this long to notice what surrounds us. Natural ecosystems have been thriving and surviving for longer than humans have inhabited this planet. It makes sense that embedded in nature are clues to sustainability and efficiency.

Here are two examples of biomimicy in building, as highlighted in Janine Benyus’s Ted Talks speech:

Calera is a cement manufacturing company that is borrowing the recipe from coral using CO2 as a building block. This process turn cement into energy positive item, where as traditional production of cement usually releases a lot of CO2 into the atmosphere.

OneSun is building solar cells based on how a leaf works. They are inexpensive & rechargeable.

There is a type of beetle that’s one-layer shell is waterproof, strong and breathable…

…which sounds a lot like our INTESANA, a high performance vapor variable WRB membrane for airtight construction. A full explanation of how INTESANA works can be found in our INTESANA Primer post. If you look at cells and membranes in nature, “smart” materials like these have been around forever. Perhaps the engineers behind our interior membranes, INTELLO and DB+ were imitating the characteristics of wood, which would be another example of biomimicy. For building purposes, INTELLO and DB+ surpass wood’s function because they ensure airtighness (with seam sealed by TESCON VANA) and are vapor variable.

The more we talk about this fascinating field of study, the more we disconnect its association to biomimetics. As architect Michael Pawlyn explains in The Economist’s Lessons of Design Learned from Nature, “There are quite a few species that have been studied by defense industries in order to develop sophisticated weapons using parasites, natural toxins, germ warfare and the like.” That’s Biometrics. Biomimicry is all about finding sustainable solutions.

So why aren’t we using ideas like these in building exclusively? Change takes time, but we are on the right path. Architect Stephanie Vierra in her article Biomimicry: Designing to Model Nature  for Whole Building Design Guide says, “Recent success stories exist in terms of how biomimicry can be applied to building design. While buildings serve to protect us from nature’s extremes, this does not mean that they do not have anything to learn from the biological world. In fact, nature regularly builds structures with functionality that human-built structures could usefully emulate. Biomimetic research, science, and applications continue to grow and are already influencing the next generation of building products and systems as well as whole building designs.”

Here, here! For tips and tools to building with sustainability in mind, reach out to our team. And don’t forget to check out our recently acquired DECLARE product labels for INTELLO, TESCON VANA, and TESCON Primer RP.

How to Build a Passive House Off-grid, and Without Foam by Andrew Michler, offers some creative solutions to a DIY project. The author, along with “an unseasoned team”, went on a building adventure to create a place to live in the Colorado Rockies that would be warm enough in the winter without working heat.

He got his hands especially dirty when he couldn’t find the right contractor to blow in cellulose for insulation. He purchased the machine and did it himself. Good for Andrew for going foam-free without help! What’s even cooler is that he used cellulose “recycled from nearby Denver and produced only 100 miles south.” His floor insulation was foam-free too, btw. His team dug a foundation stem wall and crawl space to make this possible.

The first blower door test went well, at 0.45 AHC50, which he achieved with proper sealing. “The ceiling and North wall were wrapped with Intello—a ‘smart’ membrane that changes its vapor profile depending on the relative humidity.” Nice! We supplied the INTELLO PLUS for this project.

As with any major project, it helps to retain a little humor. “To do air sealing right you have to find religion about making sure that every place where two building elements come together is properly sealed, well before they’re covered.”  So true!  Attention to detail and the right materials are key.

For some more great photos check out Andrew’s post. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions about how to build a Passive House – DIY style. We’re committed to encouraging the foam-free quest with the best tapes, and membranes. We also offer state-of-the-art guidance through downloadable details, eBooks, videos. For those of you who want to follow in Andrew’s footsteps, check out our PHPP software.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

475 High Performance Building Supply Unveils New Canadian Website: foursevenfive.ca

A rise in energy efficient building and the growing popularity of Passive House is driving  demand for high performance building materials in cold climates

New York-based 475 High Performance Building Supply announced today the release of a Canadian platform for high performance building products and knowledge resources at www.foursevenfive.ca. The website provides access to products from manufacturers such as Pro Clima, who manufactures airtight materials necessary for building high-performance and Passive House certified buildings. Prices on the site are displayed in Canadian dollars. While initially, orders will be shipped from the US, 475 will soon be launching fulfillment from within Canada, drastically reducing delivery times and costs.  475 currently covers any costs from customs brokerage and duties associated with cross-border shipments.

Canada is seeing an uptick in demand for high-performance or energy efficient building materials. British Columbia recently granted $100,000 to the Canadian Passive House Institute West (CanPHI West) for training support in the field. In a recent press release from the province, the Canadian Minister of Environment, Mary Polak, stated, “Construction of homes and commercial buildings to high-performance energy-efficiency standards such as Passive House can significantly reduce overall provincial GHG emissions and help us fight climate change.” Canadians nationwide are responding, intrigued by the major reduction in energy costs – and increase in comfort – that Passive House buildings provide.

Individual builders and contractors are taking note of 475’s Canadian site release as well. High performance builders at Collective Carpentry in Invermere, B.C. regularly use Pro Clima products for airtightness, such as in Rossland’s first certified Passive House. “We are always impressed with the level of customer service offered by the team at 475,” says Rane Wardwell, co-owner of Collective Carpentry. “They sell top tier products and make it a priority to ensure they get used in the right way.”

Pro Clima tapes and membranes offer uniques feature for building in colder climates. For example, INTELLO Plus – an interior airtightness membrane and smart vapor retarder.  While INTELLO Plus is completely airtight, it also allows moisture buildup to safely dry out of walls by adapting its vapor profile to different levels of relative humidity. The engineering behind these materials is essential for super-insulated walls in northern latitudes where the risk of moisture damage and mold is high.

The foursevenfive.ca website is a source for downloadable construction details and guidebooks that are applicable to Canadian low-energy building and Passive House construction. Videos and blog posts on exemplary projects and creative green building solutions are frequently posted and updated.

What do you get when you combine passion, leadership, ambition, progressive ideas, concern for the environment and the scale of the climate crisis, a drive for collaboration, a focus on community-building, an insistence on better design, an incredibly welcoming city, and the Passive House standard?  Why, it’s the 2015 North American Passive House Network Conference (NAPHN15), hosted this year in stunningly beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada by CanPHI West, a NAPHN regional affiliate!

Following the previous year’s conference held in Portland, ME, this conference was the second annual for NAPHN, led by Co-Presidents Bronwyn Barry and 475’s own Ken Levenson.  The conference brought together roughly 300 leaders in the Passive House community – from architects, builders, and suppliers with many projects under their belt to policy professionals and others looking to learn more about how to incorporate Passive House into their work.

I flew in on Tuesday evening, welcomed by a stunning view of Koma Kulshan (Mt. Baker) and dinner with some locals. The conference events started off on Wednesday evening with a happy hour bringing together early arrivals, mingling with friends and meeting new faces – attendees were coming from as far as Germany and Austria, but also from across the United States and Canada.  On Thursday and Friday, exhibitors lined the floor with top quality products while Canadian, US, and European leaders in the field presented to captivated audiences. A dinner held on Thursday featured a presentation by Lloyd Alter on the promise of using less, designing better, designing for comfort, and the promise that Passive House brings to this mantra.  Friday evening found a group of 40 sharing stories and reflecting on the energy of this very successful event.  Thanks to Chris and Melissa Bruntlett of modacitylife for hooking up the space and being our hosts for the dinner.  All around, there was great energy and great enthusiasm for all things Passive House and the future of building for comfort, health, energy efficiency, resliency, and longevity.  Here are some of the things we took away from the conference:

5 Takeaways From NAPHN15

1. Vancouver is a bold, forward-thinking city with unmatched ambition, vision, and humility.

Sadhu Johnston, acting City Manager of the City of Vancouver helped open the event by acknowledging that while the challenge of incorporating Passive House and other drastic measures for carbon reduction is large, the City is learning and persistently driving forward the conversation.  In fact, the City of Vancouver has an official plan to be completely powered by renewable energy alone by 2050, the first major city in the world to make this commitment.  Vancouver is and will continue to be one of, if not the greenest city in the world.  The Mayor even showed his commitment and leadership by leading a bicycle tour of Vancouver Passive House buildings on Saturday.  And Scott Kennedy reminded us of the importance of respecting the people on whose lands the city now rests by paying tribute to The Okanagan, Tsawwassen, and other First Nations governments and peoples who have called this land their home for thousands of years.

2. Our climate situation is not improving, and we must take drastic measures to help curb emissions.

Dr. Diana Urge-Vorsatz was a contributor to the Nobel Peace Prize-winning 2007 IPCC report on climate change.  Coming to Vancouver all the way from Hungary where she is the Director of the Center for Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Policy at the Central European University, Dr. Urge-Vorsatz delivered an outstanding keynote address which educated us on the development of climate science: what we can monitor, what we know, what we don’t know, and what we’re pretty sure of but can’t necessarily provide direct proof of; on the opportunity of tackling the problem through buildings; and of the crucial nature of having a performance-based building standard to help us achieve our goals.  Her talk was as acutely relevant to the audience as it was thoughtful, impassioned, and inspiring.  Dr. Witta Ebel of the Passive House Institute graced us with her presence to give us some context for how far Passive House has come over the last 25 years, and drew attention to the importance of continuing to demand these standards for our buildings and our climate.  She invited everyone back to Darmstadt – where it all started – for the 20th International Passive House Conference next year.

3. Doing a pretty good job isn’t enough.

Dr. Urge-Vorsatz wanted the audience to walk away with an important message – that doing a little bit is not only not doing enough – it’s a dangerous and disastrous path for the built environment in particular.  When we take measures that don’t go as far as we’re capable of going, we lock in those less-than-ideal measures for years.  How long will it be until someone goes back to retrofit a building that has just been retrofitted?  20 years?  30 years?  If we go the extra mile, we can lock in this small additional effort for decades – this is extremely important as we continue to set expectations for carbon reductions.

4. Passive House is a team sport.

This point was driven home by a talk given by Red Door Energy Design’s Monte Paulsen.  In his Bella Bella Passive House project, he showed how consultants, engineers, designers, architects, and building occupants must all come together to make a project a success.  We can’t forget the promise of an integrated design process.  The B.C. government just announced a $100,000 grant to CanPHI West to help with training professionals so that everyone can work on the same level, and work together better.  How can we take this vision, and do better in our own cities to work together, educate ourselves, and foster success in creating better buildings?

But I know that Monte’s not the only one who realizes this.  The Passive House community continues to portray and rightly be characterized by an incredible willingness to work together and find solutions to common problems.  This was all-too evident at the conference, with colleagues demanding more out of each other, suppliers hearing the market’s demands loud and clear, and everyone craving more knowledge, more feedback, and stronger collaboration.

5. Pre-fab and modular is the way of the future.

Monte’s Bella Bella project was the first modular Passive House in Canada.  Put together by Britco LP in one of their seven 100,000sq. ft. facilities (imagine the scale if we just started doing it!), these modules allowed the project to demonstrate several important conclusions:

a. Everything depends on great connection details, and this is far easier to execute and verify in an indoor environment sheltered from unpredictable changes in the weather.

b. Factory production lines move fast.  We’ve been doing this with cars for over 100 years, and we should be doing this with buildings too, but this also requires more attention to detail to make sure that mistakes are found before it’s too late, that nobody’s cutting corners.

c. In-factory airtightness testing is essential.  Test early, test often.

d. Precision saves money.  Do it right, make it tight!

We of course can’t forget the leadership of builders like Chris Corson of Ecocor in Maine, who’s been building with a pre-fab wall system recently certified by PHI for several years, as well as Mateo of BC Passive House, who graciously opened up his pre-fab plant north of Whistler to a tour on Saturday, and Rane Wardwell, who is drawing attention with his company Collective Carpentry in Invermere BC, where they are building tight, building right, and publicizing beautiful photos and videos of their work on instagram and youtube.

And – speaking of pre-fab – stay tuned for a follow-up post on this, but Luke Faulk of Related Companies – the developer behind the Cornell tech campus’s 26-story Passive House dormitory – (somewhat to our surprise) announced that INTELLO would be an essential part of the wall system for this groundbreaking project.  Exciting news for us and exciting news for high performance building. Much more to come.

I hope that stopping this list at 5 is neither doing a disservice to nor at all downplaying the importance of some of the other topics discussed at this conference: from the Yin and Yang of Enclosure Detailing to Passive House in China, the Brussels Example, PHPP9, Affordable Passive House Schools, policy panels, and Advanced Case Studies from the Central West Coast and South West.

Ken closed the conference with a wonderful discussion of what’s happening in New York, thanked everyone for their support in making it all happen, and gave the stage to Rob Bernhardt who announced the formation of a national Passive House organization in Canada (with much leadership from Andrew Peel to make it all come together).  Passive House really is taking off, and we hope to see you at NAPHN16, held by NYPH and NAPHN in New York City next summer.

And Not Just In Climate Zones 2B & 3B: Cold Climates Too

A post on August 21st, 2015 on GreenBuildingAdvisor.com, Martin Holladay asked the question, Can Unvented Roof Assemlies Be Insulated With Fiberglass?  Martin’s post focuses on the marketing of Owens Corning’s ProPink Unvented Attic Insulation System.   The Owens Corning system is only allowed by code in zones 2B & 3B with tile roofs.

And even still, Joe Lstiburek is quoted in the post saying “I don’t believe it will work without a vapor diffusion vent,” …“It’s too risky…”  Martin, then quotes the response from Achilles Karagiozis, Owens Corning’s director of building science: “Absolutely,”…“We are stuck with the code as written. It was written a long time ago, and it was written for one particular industry: the spray foam industry. Joe [Lstiburek] worked on that.”

Later Martin Holladay notes:

Owens Corning says that this system works with asphalt shingle roofing in Climate Zones 2B and 3B — but using asphalt shingle roofing on this type of roof is a code violation. “We all have to follow code, but at the same time, we can provide code officials with the engineering behind our recommendations,” Karagiozis said. “If we feel it makes sense, we will help the builder to provide information to the code official to get approval. We take these WUFI files.”

At 475 we agree with Joe Lstiburek, that we must make safe and robust enclosures.   And 475 agrees with Owens Corning, and Achilles Karagiozis that the current code was written for the spray foam industry and we can make safe unvented roofs with fiberglass insulation given the right approach – and that educating code officials for approvals of such systems is essential.

So building inspectors and plan examiners please take notice: we want to work with you and show we need not rely on toxic and unreliable spray foam but can instead safely and robustly use fiberglass insulation.   But must we be stuck in climate zones 2B & 3B?  What about the zones where most of you live and work: 4, 5 and 6?

In this post we will show, that while the ProPink Unvented Insulation System may provide a safe roof in zones 2B &3B, if we instead combine dense fiberglass insulation (batts or densepacked) with INTELLO smart vapor retarder and airtight membrane we can make safe and robust unvented roofs in climate zone 6!

Code pushes the envelope – IECC vs IRC/IBC

Codes should provide the minimum parameters for performance, safety and durability. For instance IBC# does indicate that wood moisture content should be below 19% when installed, a dry roof (no condensation or leaks) is a healthy, structurally sound roof.  However since the Energy Code continues to increase R-value minimums, the risk of condensation/moisture accumulation in roof assemblies in cold and mixed climates has increased too. The only solution the code provides to this moisture drive issue is to add “sufficient” air-impermeable insulation below the deck to theoretically keep protect the sheathing from condensation/moist air-currents. None-the-less, it is known that an air-impermeable insulation layer will only work as an air barrier/vapor control layer, if it is also installed as one (board seams taped, spray foam mixed/applied correctly). This work not only should be performed meticulously, it should be verified by a blower door. However, if the installation is sloppy or not durable (foam shrinks – cheap tape is used or worse – caulk), the “airtight” insulation will not be airtight for very long. If the airtightness fails, then the risk of damages/rot or mold in the assembly increases substantially. You might get lucky, but if things go wrong – the consequences are costly (repairs, healthy problems, etc).

IECC 2012 took a first step to acknowledge these issues, and is mandating a verification of the airtight layer installation at 3.0ACH50 (Unfortunately, a residential code mandate only, so far, that a number of states have adopted). And we do see good designers, even when using SIPs, acknowledge the importance of sealing the interior seams of this airtight insulation material with airsealing tape (see photo on right).

We have gotten assemblies approved in several jurisdictions while working with the authorities having jurisdiction (AHJ), such as the building inspector, to show that one can design and build a roof that has air-premeable insulation (fiberglass, mineral wool, sheepswool, cellulose, etc) that can be declared  “air-impermeable insulation” with an air barrier which is also a (very) smart vapor retarder: INTELLO Plus as an integral part of the insulation installation. From experience, 475 knows that with the Pro Clima system, one can quickly make a very durable airbarrier. Every month we have dozens of customers that blow-by 3.0ACH50 and many reach 0.6 or better for Passive House certification – with more and more hitting 0.3 and lower. Since this membrane is part of a complete airtightness system from Pro Clima with TESCON tapes, gaskets, and adhesives – we know that the contractors can reliably build and roof assembly that is durably airtight (100 year lab tested tape) on the interior and can verify this with a blowerdoor test. Giving the AHJ confidence that the WUFI’s as shown below, can be relied upon – because without a certain level of airtightness, no reliable performance (not with INTELLO, not with foams).

If Owens Corning ProPink Boxed Netting is a Step Forward, Then INTELLO is a Leap Forward

Joe Lstiburek called the ProPink Boxed Netting in the GBA article “brilliant” and “fabulous”, and Martin Holladay notes the netting is well designed.  Both may be the case.  But it should be noted that it is this netting material that is the cause for the system’s narrow reach.  The netting is vapor open and not airtight.  Airightness is to be provided outboard of the insulation at the sheathing with canned spray foam, as GBA notes.   Consequently, if the ProPink system is installed in a cold climate, the conditioned air can easily reach condensing surfaces and cause moisture damage.  (And of course, airsealing is so important because air can carry 100x as much moisture into the structure then diffusion will – leading to damages much faster.)

But if the fiberglass is held in place with INTELLO membrane – the insulation has vapor control and airtightness inboard, where it should be – the conditioned air stays in the conditioned space and away from condensing surfaces.

WUFI The Challenge

To extend the use of non-foam insulated attic and cathedral ceilings with asphalt shingles, we have WUFI-ed a challenging roof in climate zone 6. The assembly has vapor closed, light colored asphalt shingles on the exterior over OSB sheathing. It avoids vent baffles, ridge vents etc – so considerably faster to construct both for new builds as well as renovations (details are available here). The required R-49 in Burlington VT (climate zone 6) was made with dense fiberglass.

We then assessed the performance of such roofs with different interior airbarriers, each with different vapor permeability profiles:  ProClima INTELLO Plus as the vapor variable retarder (0.17 to >13 perms), 6 mill polyethylene (fixed 0.05 perms), painted ‘airtight’ drywall (15 perms) and siga majpell (fixed 0.7 perms).   We want to know if air-sealing the insulation with these materials on the interior will lead to safe assemblies (ie once with some reserves to deal with unforeseen moisture) , that are easy to build or to retrofit.

Since we modeled the worst case roof, steep north facing, 10:12 pitch and light grey shingles – the solutions shown is a foam free cathedral ceiling that can be used throughout climate zone 6*, that use a limited number of readily available materials in a cost effective, durable way, with repeatable, easily verifiable methods that work for any orientation or shingle color. We want a roof with dependable performance: one that has reserves so it can deal with some small airleaks (at 3.0ACH50 small leaks can be expected).  Another objective is to have an assembly that does not require foam and is easy to install – applying batts in between rafters can be done fast and cost effectively – the cost of INTELLO Plus and TESCON VANA is less then the minimum required layer sprayfoam – and does not require biohazard suits to enter the enclosure, nor do homeowners have to evacuate the house.

In this WUFI study, we did assume a airtight construction with only minor airleakage into the insulation layer.  (Contractors must blower door the building and confirm airtightness.) The first graph below show total moisture content over 5 years from different approaches.  The assemblies sealed with 6 mill polyethylene and siga majpell on the interior are getting more damp every year – this is an indication one can expect issues in those assemblies over time (rot/mold).  The moisture content in the INTELLO Plus roof decreases and stabilizes at a safe level in year one.

Do note that the drywall roof goes off the chart every winter. This should be a red flag as well. If we look at the graph below, we see that there is condensation on the OSB – it’s RH maxes out in November and it stays wet the end of May – so even though this roof dries out every summer, there are concerns for structural degradation and mold in this roof.

We should then also look at the relative humidity thresholds that ASHRAE 160P has defined. It states roof assemblies will be safe and reliable if 30 day averages of relative humidity do not exceed 80%. And if it does exceed 80%RH,  then the temp should be below 40F – which is too cold for rot and mold to occur. The graphs below show that with airtight drywall the sheathing is saturated in the winter.   But with the INTELLO roof, only when the sheathing is extremely cold – temps in low single digits – that the OSB sheathing goes above 80%RH.  This spike in RH can be explained, because when it is that cold, given laws of physics, materials hold less moisture, hence the RH briefly increases during those cold snaps.

A second safety check can be done in this case. It is generally accepted that if equivalent moisture content of wood stays below 18M% it will not degrade. For OSB we like to stay a bit lower – 15M% is a more conservative threshold, as it allows for some reserves in the structure. Below is the M% shown for the OSB sheathing. Except for winter #1 (when there is some residual construction moisture being pushed into the OSB) – the OSB stays right below 15M%.

Drying reserves – sufficient at R49, convincing AHJ and can you do more?

This WUFI Pro modelling shows, that in climate zone 6 – unvented R49 asphalt shingle covered roof can be build without foam, and have a sufficient amount of reserves that enable it to cope with some unforeseen moisture ingress. As shown, it does need a vapor variable membrane that modulates from very vapor closed (0.17 perms) to really permeable (over 13) -> INTELLO Plus, that is installed in an airtight, verified manner (TESCON VANA tapes, gaskets, blowerdoor), with fibrous insulation that completely fills the bays (class I install for batts, density checked for blow-in insulation). For any cases that go beyond R49 or require assistance convincing the AHJ in your specific location/climate zone – please contact us as we are happy to assist with additional WUFI models.

We applaud Owens Corning’s efforts to to develop new and inovative solutions that reduce our dependence on spray foam.  INTELLO is a great partner with fiberglass to move this approach across most of our climate zones.

If you are an architect,an insulation installers and contractor can design and construct high performance roofs – that make plan examiners comfortable.  If you need additional support or WUFI files for your location – please contact us.

References:

# Moisture content max per JM Spider page 2  and IBC 2304.7 Floor and roof sheathing.

* exempted are extra challenging constructions: greenroofs, high altitude locations or heavily shaded locations – please contact us for specific recommendations for such assemblies.

Note: Proclima INTELLO is included in Fraunhofer material menu in WUFI Pro, including it’s optimized vapor variable properties (see graph below)

475 is committed to serving all of the US and Canada,  so we are excited to welcome Lucas Johnson as our Western regional product consultant.  Lucas is based in Seattle and will be covering Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia.

Lucas joins 475 with a passion for sharing his knowledge about building science, project management, and client service. Lucas is driven to help clients achieve a mutually profitable path towards the highest levels of sustainability; the Passive House approach to construction represents the most adaptable and actionable tool to maximize comfort, health, efficiency, and durability.  Lucas is an active member of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild.  For over a decade, Lucas has been a successful deep green custom homebuilder, energy retrofit contractor, utility programs manager, and corporate sustainability consultant. His unique blend of experience makes him the perfect person to act as your trusted partner in designing and constructing buildings of the highest performance.

Lucas is eager to host one of our fascinating AIA Lunch & Learn events at your office. He also offers building plan reviews for our architecture, design, and development clients.  For our construction industry clients, Lucas is thrilled to visit your jobsite to provide hands-on building performance consultation.

In addition, Lucas can be found at many exciting events across his territory.

Lucas can be reached by email at lucas@foursevenfive.com or by phone at 800-995-6329 x104. Contact him soon since our Western region is growing and his schedule fills up quickly!

You may think of 475 as a place you can call when you’re working out a detail, a website to visit to read technical discussions, or if you live in Brooklyn, a place to go to ask a question.  But we also try to provide the best service on the ground, which is why we have Product Consultants in many areas who are constantly out there looking to bring solutions to your challenges.  Oliver often makes trips to jobsites to catch up with ongoing projects, and he never leaves without hearing some questions and providing some recommendations.  This week’s Question of the Week comes from a team in Vermont who are working on a post-fire rebuild, with some tricky details.

The question:

“Fortuitous meeting you the other day while you were in town.  Glad that you were able to stop by the barn and see where it all started.  Happy to chat later this week about using the Contega and your thoughts on laminating the Solitex to the rigid Knauf insulation.  Also wanted to mention that from an air barrier perspective we would be doing the intello on the inside of the OWJs and then the plan is to do lime plaster gypsum board on top of that.”

The background:

This team is using INTELLO Plus at the roof interior for airtightness and vapor control.

Things get more interesting at the top. They have the roof already installed over open web joists. Their idea is to add a Knauf-SOLITEX lamination that gets pushed up against the inside of the flanges so that they get a vented space between the SOLITEX and roof.  While brainstorming, we suggested using CONTEGA HF then fastening with wide flange screws.  A bigger question – we thought – might be how to connect SOLITEX at the ends if it’s not pre-taped in one long piece?   We would assume they want to have 8′ pieces pre-adhered to the SOLITEX.

The answer:

Install the SOLITEX first.  Clamp it with small (1×2) battens on the side, with Contega HF adhering to the rafter and ideally a 2×3 in the center of the joists to make it an inside gutter (see the diagram below).  This can be a precut width of SOLITEX (like at Alex Wilson’s house).  Then you can install insulation against that.  This is an easier application than our suggestion above, and is fully sealed – no untaped seams.

In summary:

If you have a tricky situation that you’ve never encountered before, bring it to us – we might have seen it before and even have a drawing to help explain.

Thanks for reading, keep in touch!

To read the other posts in our Question of the Week series, click here.

**Please note that in republishing our question of the week, we sometimes edit the text of the original question and response in order to provide additional clarity to the issue.**