Thermal Break – Thermablock Aerogel Insulation

Aerogel Thermablok

The revolutionary ThermaBlok® insulation technology, used in the Space Shuttle, has the highest insulation value of any material known. Thermablok is now available for use in building construction and energy efficiency retrofits. Most heat transmission through walls is directly through studs to the drywall, known as “thermal bridging”. Thermablok breaks this thermal bridging link.

Thermablok manufactures aerogel in 1-1/2″ wide strips rather than broad sheets. In stud wall construction, the cavity between the studs is filled with insulation, but the studs themselves can conduct heat and cold, a process known as “thermal bridging,” which reduces the thermal performance of the wall. By covering the studs with strips of aerogel insulation before the interior drywall or exterior sheathing is applied, the thermal bridging is broken, and the thermal performance of the wall can increase by 30% or more. This can be an efficient use of aerogel material in a cost-effective way.

Thermablok strips can be installed on the exterior of the studs during new construction, or can be applied on the interior during remodeling as well as new construction. This makes it suitable for energy efficiency retrofits. As with Spaceloft blankets, because Thermablok is so thin (about 1/4″ once installed), it can be used to improve performance without taking away great amounts of space from inside the building.
Suggested retail price for Thermablok tape is $1.99/ft.

Advantages
Very significant saving in energy costs, Stimulus Package tax credits up to 30% available for residential retrofits
100% recyclable, Contains no ozone depleting substances, Uses >30% recycled content, Composite material consisting of over 95% air, Hydrophobic, unaffected by moisture, mold or water, Easily applied via stick-on-back, “Class A” fire rated, Economical, Virtually no weight means low cost (+ low emissions) shipping, Adds acoustical isolation, Is not affected by age as it does not react with moisture of the atmosphere, and Made in USA

Availability
Thermablok Thermal and Acoustic Isolation Systems
6900 Interbay Blvd. Tampa Fl 33616
Phone +1-813-980-1400 Fax +1-813-549-2653
http://thermablok.com/index.html

Filed under: Materials, Research, Skins, aerogel, insulation

Spaceloft Aerogel Insulalation

Ultra-Thin Super Insulation with Aerogel

Aerogel insulation seems like a material out of science-fiction. It is the lightest solid known, although by volume it is 99% air. It is breathable, but it doesn’t absorb water. It is incredibly strong for its weight. But most importantly, it is a fantastic insulator.

Spaceloft is an aerogel blanket that is can be 1/4″ thick and provides more effective insulation than fiberglass or rigid board per inch, nearly double. It is manufactured by Aspen Aerogel and comes in a 57-inch wide roll of aerogel material available in 0.20 in. and 0.40 in. thickness. Spaceloft is a useful product for insulating existing walls in retrofit situations where it is important to minimize the amount of floor area lost to building up wall insulation. An old brick building can be a beautiful thing, but brick makes a poor insulator. Instead of building a new insulated wall against the existing wall that would be 4″ thick (or more), a Spaceloft blanket covered by drywall can achieve similar energy-efficiency in a wall covering that is less than an inch thick.

According to Martin LaMonica of CNET, Spaceloft blankets have been used by the Rhode Island Housing Authority to retrofit a 50-unit housing complex that was built with no insulation in the 1940s.

The advantage of this product is reduced profile, it is easy to cut and install, and is more effective than most products on the market.

Content
Air, silica aerogel with reinforcing fibers

Sustainability
R- Value of 10.3 per inch, highly effective material

Availability
ASPEN AEROGELS, INC.
30 Forbes Road, Building B
Northborough, MA 01532
USA
Tel: 1.508.691.1111
Fax: 1.508.691.1200

Filed under: Materials, Research, Skins, aerogel, insulation, nanogel

Icynene Insulation

Superior air-sealing capabilities. Icynene® locks out dust, allergens and pollutants from entering the building creating a healthier indoor environment. Creating a superior air-seal in just one step, Icynene® also minimizes the use of excess sealing materials which would otherwise be required when using conventional insulation such as fiberglass. Icynene is healthier, quieter, and more sustainable then traditional spray foams.

Applied as a liquid, Icynene® expands to 100 times its volume in seconds to fill every crack and crevice while remaining flexible so that the integrity of the building envelope seal remains intact over time. Icynene’s spray formula has an R-value of 3.7 per inch. It acts as a complete insulation and air barrier to minimize air leakage and seal the building envelope for optimal airtightness

Sustainability
Renewable Content – New ICYNENE LD-R-50™ uses castor oil to reduce reliance on petroleum-based polyol, offering a high-performance, eco-conscious option. For every kilogram (2.2 lbs) of castor oil produced in place of petroleum-based polyol, there is a reduction of nearly 3.5 kilograms (7.7 lbs) of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere.

100% water blown. It does not contain synthetic blowing agents such as HFCs that are often used in other spray foam products and are considered to have very high Global Warming Potential (GWP) gases.

No PBDEs. This is considered a harmful flame retardant that can compromise the health of building occupants. Icynene® is a Class 1 fire rated product without the use of PBDEs.

Up to 50% energy savings. Icynene® air-seals and can help reduce energy use and costs by as much as 50%. In turn, it helps reduce the production of greenhouse gases like Carbon Dioxide by thousands of tones a year.1

Real R-value. Icynene® maintains its performance (doesn’t sag or settle) with no loss of R-value over time. It provides total thermal comfort today and for years to come, while conventional insulation can deteriorate as time passes and may no longer perform as it did when initially installed. Icynene is highly durable and will last the life of the building.

Availability
6747 Campobello Road
Mississauga ON
L5N 2L7 Canada
1-800-758-7325

Filed under: Materials, Research, Icynene, insulation

BioBase Insulation

BioBase Insulation is a healthier, more durable, energy efficient and environmentally responsible insulation. Polyurethane spray foam has been around for more than 30 years.

Because BioBased Insulation expands to fill cavities and voids, it provides a sealed thermal envelope that does not sag or settle over time. This improves indoor air quality by blocking harmful outside irritants such as mold, pollen and other allergens. It won’t break down over time and release fiberous particulates in your home, which can be are attributed to many traditional insulation products.

Because BioBased Insulation® creates a continuous, sealed thermal envelope around your home or structure, in many cases, you also can save additional money by reducing the required size of the HVAC (heating and air conditioning) unit. BioBased Insulation adheres well to almost any material, especially wood and steel studs, which are commonly found in residential and commercial construction.

Water-blown spray foam. This foam, that can harden either into a spongy (open cell) or denser solid (closed cell) material, offers more eco-friendly and sustainable insulation, air barrier and sound attenuation qualities than standard foam, but are comparable in price.

Content
polyurethane, water, soy

Sustainability
There is no formaldehyde added during the manufacturing process
SPF does not release toxic gases or leach harmful chemicals into the soil.
is an inert substance and provides no food value for rodents and insects

Types
1” = R – 3.8
5.5″ = R – 20

Availability
BioBased Insulation
1475 W. Cato Springs Rd., Fayetteville, AR 72701
800.803.5189 | biobased.net

Filed under: Materials, Research, Biobase, insulation

Vermiculite Expansion

Description:

Vermiculite is a natural mineral that expands with the application of heat. The expansion process is called exfoliation and it is routinely accomplished in purpose-designed commercial furnaces. Vermiculite is formed by hydration of certain basaltic minerals.

Application:

Vermiculite expansion purposes : insulation materials, fireproofing material, seeding, flowers and trees, friction materials, sealing materials, electric insulation materials, paint, sheets, paints, rubber, refractories, hard water Softener, and refining, construction, shipbuilding, chemical and other industries.

Content:

Expanded Vermiculite is layered structure, crystalline layers containing water rate in the 5 -25 times the thermal conductivity of small, -200kg/m3 density at 50, is a good insulating material. The good quality of the expanded vermiculite, the maximum temperature of up to 1,100 ℃. In addition, the expansion of vermiculite has good electric insulation.

Suistainability:

Natural Material

Availability:

Large commercial vermiculite mines currently exist in South Africa, China, and Brazil

Filed under: Materials, Energy Efficient, insulation, natural, Wall System

Sandbags (econstruction)

Description:

The sandbags in combination with a light Ecobeam structure can be seen as a modified timber frame house. But once the roof is in place and the building is plastered, the whole structure performs monolithic and appears exactly like a common brick house.

The system is not dependent on any kind of industrial grid measurements. That means that any specific measurements that are required for wall thickness, size and height of the building or for wall openings, can easily be achieved. This is just one of many more advantages, that makes this new building technology perfectly suitable for building projects around the world.Using sandbags to pile up a kind of wall is nothing new.

For decades or even centuries people are aware of the good qualities of sandbags for flood protection, for sound insulation or in providing shelter against bullets.But the idea of using sandbags as a construction material for ordinary housing is pretty young. It was developed as a complete building system during the last twenty years in Cape Town, when Michael Tremeer and his Company Ecobeam Technologies searched for a cheap way to assist South Africa in its endeavor to house millions of homeless residents. The result was the simple idea of building the walls of houses out of sandbags.

Filed under: Materials, Skins, Energy Efficient, exterior, insulation, recyclable

Cork Insulation

Description

Granulated cork is used to make insulation corkboard.  Ground cork is put into a mold that is put into an autoclave (a big pressure cooker) and steam baked at a temperature of 300 degrees centigrade (572 degrees Fahrenheit), with no contact with air. The natural resins in the cork liquify and upon cooling, the mass solidifies. Afterwards, the blocks are cut to the desired dimensions.

Benefits

Cork is the bark of the cork oak tree. This tree produces a layer of cork every 9 years, so taking the bark off does not kill the tree. The bark is then used to make wine corks. The process of manufacturing wine corks results in corks and cork waste. 70% of the bark ends up as cork waste. Granulated cork is made from only the waste by-product of industrial cork production. We also buy used wine corks to grind and thereby re-cycle them.

Sizes:

1 x 12 x 36	1 x 24 x 36
2 x 12 x 36	2 x 24 x 36
4 x 24 x 36	5 x 24 x 36
6 x 24 x 36	8 x 24 x 36

Filed under: Materials, cork, insulation, natural

Skin

Over the rest of the semester we will be developing a series of building skins through design and prototype to construction on the Ari Bhod site. We will approach the design of a building skin as one would approach the design of clothing, as a flexible, adaptable layering membrane that augments the body it is dressing. The design of these skins should allow different bodies- sites and cabins- to be fitted and accommodated, and be adaptable to the changing climate throughout the day and seasons.

We will be designing for two scenarios: each scenario has pre-existing conditions that will function as the site for the intervention.

Scenario 1: Prototype Cabin 1: Inside-Out Lining

The first cabin built by Woodbury students in 2009 is currently 60% complete. Walls of concrete block and wood framing with polycarbonate cladding form the major exterior walls. The completion of the cabin requires construction of the roof and finalizing the exterior envelope at the entrance and window openings and insulating the cabin interior. The skin system of the Inside-Out Lining will need to be self-supporting at times and at others must attach to the existing structure.

Scenario 2: Prototype Cabin 2: SuprA-typical Shell

The existing cabins on the site are basic shelters that are currently abandoned and used as storage. Our approach in this year’s Design Build studio will be to conserve and re-use as much of the existing structure as possible, to minimize demolition, construction and waste production on the site. In order to restore habitation to the structure and extend its occupation from seasonal (summer camp) to year round the entire shell of the structure needs to be reconsidered, rebuilt and refinished. Our goal is to create a thermally insulated building envelope that also embeds the programmatic needs of the visitor into its thickness, to create a multi-functioning skin system.

Filed under: Ari Bhod Design Studio: Introduction, cladding, insulation, Skin, Wall System, waterproofing

Cloak Wall/ Cloak House

Filed under: Case studies, Research, Skins, brick, etfe, innovation, insulation, wall

Superior Walls – R5

R5

Description:
The R-5 is the original Superior Wall that revolutionized new home foundations across the country. Builders and homeowners alike trust the R-5 to keep their basements warm and dry through the harshest conditions. The original Superior Wall is designed to be warm right from the factory and is provided with 1 inch of continuous DOW ® insulation for year-round comfort and energy efficiency. The special high-strength, low-water concrete mix ensures that your basement remains dry and the wall is reinforced with steel rebar and polypropylene fibers for strength.

Convenient features include built-in accesses for wiring and small plumbing, stud facing for easy drywall installation and custom openings for windows and doors. The R-5 wall has been proven superior by numerous scientific tests and has been the foundation of choice for satisfied new home owners across the country for energy efficient homes.

Availability:
Superior Walls R5 panels are available in heights of 4’-0”, 4’-8”, 8’-2”, 9’-0”, and 10’-0” and in custom lengths to suit project. The max. axial load is 5500 lbs/lft. Special point loads up to 40,000 can be accommodated.

Pricing:
Call for custom pricing

Weather:
1” Dow Extruded Polystyrene Insulation
R-5 Build In
Up to R-50 Optional on Site

Warmer in winter, cooler in summer…reduces home energy costs

Filed under: Materials, insulation, Wall System