Building Green on Green

Come See Us at the AIA Convention this Week – #529

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:07:56 +0000

Going to the annual American Institute of Architects National Convention and Design Exposition this week?

It’s taking place in Washington, D.C.,’s Walter E. Washington Convention Center; the Design Expo itself runs from Thursday, May 17^th to Saturday, the 19^th. If you’ll be on the floor any of those days, visit Booth #529 to learn more about three of the companies that made the Tremco Headquarters renovation such a success–Dryvit Systems, Inc.; Tremco Commercial Sealants and Waterproofing; and Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance-- and their products. A presentation on our high-performance renovation will be available within the Tremco Roofing section of the booth.

To learn more about the AIA, go to http://www.aia.org. For more information on this year’s convention, visit http://convention.aia.org. And see what we’re all about, and how we could help your sustainable construction projects, stop by Booth #529.

GSA Distributes Review of Green Certification Systems for Federal Buildings

admin — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:58:47 +0000

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has released its review of Green Building Certification Systems, the first step in an extensive process to evaluate tools that could help federal agencies meet their goals for maintaining and constructing more sustainable, efficient buildings.

After the most recent evaluation in April, the GSA narrowed the field to systems that employed whole building evaluations, are available within U.S., and have third party certifications. Those systems are:
• Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes
• U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
• The International Living Building Challenge

The initial findings from GSA revealed that none of these three building certification systems cover 100% of the federal building requirements for new construction, major renovations, or existing buildings. Green Globes appears to more fully meet criteria for Federal new construction, while LEED best met the criteria for existing buildings.

GSA will hold public listening sessions enabling the public to provide feedback on its review.

When completed, the use of updated building certification systems will help GSA’s customer agencies meet federal requirements for green construction, save taxpayer dollars and meet the goals of President Obama’s Executive Order on Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance (EO 13514).

The GSA expects to make its final recommendation to the Secretary of Energy this fall.

More information is available on the GSA’s website.

Dryvit’s Outsulation® Projected to Help Save Academy $1.7 Million in Energy Costs Over 50-Year Lifecycle

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:20:23 +0000

The original design of the Metro Career Academy in Oklahoma City called for 24,000 square feet of clay brick and 13,000 square feet of cast stone. When Architect Fred Quinn learned that Dryvit’s Outsulation Plus® MD System with Custom Brick™ and Lymestone™ finish would save nearly 50% in construction costs (materials and installation) versus clay brick and stone, it was an easy decision. What Quinn later learned was that Outsulation provided a host of additional benefits for all parties involved, including:

Less structural support required due to light-weight materials
A shortened construction schedule
LEED points
Fewer delivery trucks

Learn more about this project, but reading the complete case study.

Thank you, OCTC

admin — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:09:34 +0000

Tremco Incorporated recently received an Award for Excellence in Environmental, Health, Safety, and Security Performance from the Ohio Chemistry Technology Council (OCTC) for our headquarters renovation; the project was unique among those honored because of its scope, integrating multiple elements of sustainability and environmental stewardship within the business planning cycle.

We’re delighted to have been chosen as a 2012 Award for Excellence recipient, and want to thank the OCTC for this honor.

Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance, Kee Safety Announce Cooperative Effort to Market Rooftop Fall Protection Equipment

admin — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:46:35 +0000

Tremco® Roofing and Building Maintenance and Kee® Safety are proud to announce that Tremco Roofing’s U.S. sales force is partnering exclusively with Kee Safety to market the latter’s permanent, non-penetrating rooftop fall protection systems for existing buildings.

According to Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance President Deryl Kratzer, this relationship allows the company to offer an unprecedented level of safety to everyone stepping onto a roof—employees, contractors and customers alike.

Made of galvanized steel and recycled PVC, Kee Safety’s fall protection systems are extremely durable and weather-resistant. Their non-penetrating design will not compromise watertight roofing systems. Inspection services, certified installation and extended warranties are available for these systems.

This is one more example of the company’s commitment to the “People” element of the Three Ps—People, Planet and Prosperity.

To see the press release announcing this collaboration, click here.

Making the Roof to Wall Connection Airtight

admin — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:17:03 +0000

Transforming a building into a high-performance environment requires continuity at all the interfaces in a building envelope, and the roof to wall joints are among the most challenging to seal.

These connections must be able to withstand maximum wind loads, building movement from thermal, seismic and moisture content changes, and creep. Air finds any way it can to travel through a building. Joints must be able to support the same air pressures as the air barrier material without displacement. Uncontrolled air pressure across the building envelope and within the building itself can cause infiltration and exfiltration that overpower HVAC systems and can result in occupant discomfort as well as poor indoor air quality.

To prevent leakage in the transitional spaces between systems of the building, as well as stave off premature deterioration of the building components, connectivity and compatibility of transition interfaces must be a fundamental design element.

Tremco’s Roof to Wall Connection for continuity at this structural interface provides results that are tested and proven at Tremco’s Sustainable Building Solutions Test Facility.

The Roof to Wall Solution test wall assembly included a parapet detail with a gap space between the simulated roof deck and the gypsum wallboard. Tremco’s ExoAir® TWF (Thru-Wall Flashing) was applied as a transition from the ExoAir® 230 Fluid-Applied, Vapor-Permeable Air Barrier Membrane on the wall assembly using ExoAir® Primer and extending back to the rear of the wall, wrapping into the wall cavity space at the perimeter seal. With a thick HDPE protective vapor barrier backing, the ExoAir TWF resists construction damage and is ideal for use under horizontal penetration or weight-bearing structures. The sheathing on the parapet was treated with ExoAir Primer and covered with ExoAir® 110 Air & Vapor Barrier Membrane.

The wall assembly was tested in accordance with ASTM E2357 — Standard Test Method for Determining Air Leakage of Air Barrier Assemblies, creating various uniform levels of sustained wind loads, cyclic wind loads and gust wind loads at both positive and negative air pressure differentials across the entire wall assembly, simulating real world conditions.

The test report by Architectural Testing Inc. showed the air leakage of the Tremco roof to wall assembly was 0.0007 cfm/ft² @ 75 Pa (25 mph; 1.57 psf). The Air Barrier Association of America (ABAA) requires air leakage not to exceed 0.04 cfm/ft² @ 75 Pa (25 mph; 1.57 psf).

That’s not all.

The roof to wall assembly went beyond the ASTM E2357 testing to include testing for resistance to wind-driven rain ASTM E331 – Standard Test Method for Water Penetration of Exterior Windows, Skylights, Doors, and Curtain Walls by Uniform Static Air Pressure Difference – for a 15-minute Water Exposure Test @ 137 Pa (2.86 psf).

The assembly passed with no water leaks.

Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance Awarded U.S. Patent

admin — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:32:13 +0000

Two weeks ago, we congratulated Tremco Commercial Sealants & Waterproofing on receiving a patent for their Proglaze® ETA Engineered Transition Assembly. Today is about another patent, this one to the product laboratory of Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance, which was recently awarded a patent for its Rapid Set Reinforcing Fabric. The U.S. Patent number is 8,124,183.

The Rapid Set Reinforcing Fabric is part of the company’s ICE (Instant Cure Emulsion) system, a sustainable, three-component roofing solution composed of an adhesive, the patented reinforcing fabric and the white, reflective ICE Coating.

The fabric (or scrim) is a reinforced polyester mat pre-treated with a salt to provide a quick cure when applied in Tremlastic SP, an adhesive. The salt reacts with the adhesive, causing it to “break” or release water. It then sets up very quickly. So quickly, in fact, that with favorable weather conditions a roof can be coated with a white, reflective top coat in as few as four hours after the Tremlastic SP/Rapid Set Reinforcing Fabric combination is applied. It can often take as long as 30 days for a roofing system to cure before the coating can be applied.

The Rapid Set Reinforcing Fabric patent is just the latest example of the lab’s focus on developing products that can help improve the sustainability of our roofing systems and help our customers’ meet their long-term facility goals.

EIFS and Retrofits Explained

admin — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:28:54 +0000

When you’re driving up to our renovated headquarters, one of the first things you notice is the façade, which is especially striking if you remember the old, gray slate façade. The façade, Dryvit’s Outsulation® Plus MD EIF System® was installed directly over the existing slate façade, eliminating the time and expense of removing the slate and disposing of it in a landfill. Outsulation provides exterior continuous insulation, a high-performance moisture drainage system and a durable exterior finish. The finish texture chosen was Dryvit’s TerraNeo®, which gives the look of granite to the newly retrofitted structure. The color was voted on by all of the employees who work in the building.

Earlier this month, Commercial Property Executive published “New Life for EIFS Retrofits,” an extensive article explaining the surge in EIF System installations due to building and energy code revisions. Associates from Dryvit and WTI, general contractor for the renovation, are quoted in the article, and the renovation itself is included as a case study (see the link at the bottom of the article).

To read “New Life for EIFS Retrofits”, click here:
http://www.cpexecutive.com/business-specialties/development/sustainability-new-life-for-eifs-retrofits/

Thanks to Commercial Property Executive for including us, and allowing us to post this link to the article.

Tremco Commercial Sealants & Waterproofing Awarded U.S. Patent

admin — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 11:46:26 +0000

The U.S. Patent Office has awarded a patent to Tremco Commercial Sealants & Waterproofing for the innovative Proglaze® ETA Engineered Transition Assembly, which was among numerous Tremco products used in our headquarters renovation.

The patent application process for Proglaze ETA began in October 2006 in response to a growing need to provide an airtight seal across irregular window and wall transitions as well as other window-wall gaps.

Rather than leave the sealing of this connection up to interpretation on the job site, Proglaze ETA’s pre-engineered, finished aluminum and silicone materials provide a flexible, continuous bridge and durable connection from the window to the wall’s air/vapor barrier. Its innovative design allows it to absorb thermal movement and wind-loading stress, while also allowing it to span and seal across irregular window geometries due to its thin cross-section and low durometer. Introduction of this pioneering assembly is helping to change the way the industry has begun looking at critical transitions throughout the building envelope.

Proglaze ETA can be applied to far more than just window-wall interfaces, which is why Tremco developed Proglaze® ETA Connections. These connections can be used at junctions between other assemblies within the building envelope, where spanning of voids is commonplace: roof-to-wall, floor deflection joints, expansion and control joints or any other location where a degree of movement is anticipated.

The testing of a stucco wall assembly and the role of Proglaze ETA in that assembly will be presented at the BEST3 Conference in Atlanta, April 2-4.

This patent highlights the ongoing evolution of Tremco’s building envelope solutions’ positioning as an industry leader, transforming the built environment into a high-performance environment.

Thank You, Cleveland Engineering Society

admin — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:07:54 +0000

Earlier this week, Tremco Incorporated was proud to receive an Award of Excellence in the Renovation, Small Project category from the Cleveland Engineering Society’s Design and Construction Division for our headquarters renovation. Bestowed during their 60^th Annual Design & Construction Conference, the award was given “in recognition of the excellence in overall design, engineering and construction by renovating and retrofitting an outdated facility to create a modern, sustainable, comfortable and functional environment for employees, clients and the community.”

We’re delighted to have been chosen as a 2012 Award of Excellence recipient and want to thank the Cleveland Engineering Society’s Design and Construction Division for this honor. To learn more about the Cleveland Engineering Society, visit http://www.cesnet.org.