2008 “It’s About Saving Energy” Building Award Winners
Metal Building
Congratulations to Isolant S.A.
This project used the application of thermal insulation to an already built parabolic metal shed of a basketball stadium (from where emerged ‘Manu’ Ginobili, player of the San Antonio Spurs). The stadium is located at Bahia Blanca, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, a city situated by the sea with low temperatures in winter (-5oC/23oF) and a regular summer with some days with temperatures in order of 35oC (95oF). The client mentioned problems with high temperatures in summer and very low temps in winter which additionally caused condensation dropping on the basket ball field. Being an existing roof, they analyzed along with the builder how to install their product, 10mm thick polyethylene foam with aluminum foil on both sides. For installation, first steel cords were fixed and tightened from the front to the back wall of the stadium separated by 60cm (24”) one from another, according to the shape of the roof. Once the cords were tightened, they proceeded to pass the first roll of insulation material perpendicular over these, along with the parabolic roofing. Each roll was fixed to the surrounding walls with a metal frame, first to a side of the stadium and once the rolls were tightened, fixed to the opposite wall. This was repeated until the whole surface of the shed was covered. Finally, the rolls installed were welded each to another. By doing this, they maintained a continuous vapor barrier all over the surface with no thermal bridges. Cords were tightened again and tied up to the metal structure of the shed every 5m in order to maintain shape. The appearance of the basket ball field changed dramatically getting much more luminosity, the condensation of steam disappeared and it maintains stable temperatures all year. This project is worthy of recognition because the installation had to be adapted to an existing structure and covering, the thermal requirements were fully satisfied with the R-value reached with the product and the 38cm air space, the dimensions of the building that required innovative installation techniques and roll welding, and the level of detail in the end result.
Residential Building
Congratulations to Foil Barrier Insulation
This project was a remodel of a residence in an exclusive Dallas area of Bent Tree Country Club. The customer was looking for innovative ways to add green building technology and to maximize current materials for comfort and energy efficiency. The favorite room of the house was a large great room that was particularly uncomfortable due to the west side location and the vaulted ceiling minimizing proper ventilation and insulation. The sheet rock in the room was removed with the fiberglass batt insulation and replaced by Foil Barrier with four layers of Tempshield Double Bubble two-sided Foil R15 Radiant Barrier Insulation maximizing limited space in replacement of the minimal R-value of fiberglass batt insulation. The four layers of Tempshield were installed with a minimal one-inch air gap under the roof decking and between layers of material allowing hot air to be released to the main attic area and to go out rather than being trapped in the vaulted area. The remainder of the attic was retrofitted with Super R Plus Radiant Barrier foil mounted to the bottom cord of rafters near the roof decking and included were the attic vertical walls. This project is worth of recognition due to its use of two reflective products and innovative ideas maximizing comfort and energy efficiency.