Proving its Long-term Mettle: Longevity, whole-building LCAs, and stainless steel Whether the project is a new building or major renovation, sustainability is an increasingly important factor in decision-making. Whole-building life cycle assessment (LCA) makes it possible to look at all phases of a building, from material extraction through construction to decommissioning and, when possible, recycling into a ‘new’ useful material. |
Innovations reduce air leakage for energy efficient rolling steel door Until recently, air leakage was not a consideration in the rolling steel door industry. It was thought to be an impossible task—how do you stop air from coming through a door that is slatted? However, as codes became more stringent regarding reductions in air leakage, it started limiting the ability for architects to specify the best closure product for their application. |
When to use TPO and when to coat? Building owners, commercial roof specifiers, architects, and contractors have some decisions to make when it comes to the material they should use to repair or replace a low-slope roof. Three popular choices include: coating over the existing roof; thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) recover (putting a layer of TPO over the existing membrane); or TPO replacement (tearing off the existing membrane and installing a new TPO membrane). |
Results may vary: Reducing energy usage with cool roofs Highly reflective roofs, or ‘cool roofs,’ have been used throughout the country as an urban heat island reduction strategy, and as an energy saving measure for many years. The implementation began in warm climates such as California, Texas, and Florida. |
Specifying architectural zinc Architectural zinc (titanium-zinc alloy, rolled zinc, zinc strip) is a soft, natural-weathering metal that has been used for centuries in various roof applications. Its value reaches far beyond beauty and durability. Following ‘zinc-appropriate’ design, a quality metal roof specification will not follow a standard painted metal specification, but instead cover issues unique to this material. In some cases, prescriptive requirements for the material quality, technical support, panel profile, installer qualifications, and detail quality will be necessary. |
Simplifying Thermal Analysis: Easier methods can demonstrate product and code needs In the age of high-thermal-performance building envelopes, there can be many surprises when the designed wall system does not meet the expected performance criteria. Sometimes these ‘misses’ are significant and can severely impact the energy use for a building. Transitions from one material type to another, such as opaque wall areas to windows and wall to roof, are often the cause. |