SIPA in the News
OFFSITE VS. ONSITE CONSTRUCTION — ECONOMY, IMPACTS & FUTURE by Tamarack Grove
4 August 2022
Offsite construction is the manufacturing, planning, design, fabrication, and assembly of building elements that are transported to a final construction site location. Offsite construction can be used for all building types including residential, educational, health care, and commercial, but offers distinct advantages. All construction methods and delivery systems are heavily impacted by current economic conditions. We’ll explore how offsite construction is becoming ever more viable given today’s economic outlook and challenges, and present why it’s coming into its own. We’ve assembled a team of experts representing the construction, engineering, and building systems industries to weigh in on what may make offsite construction the perfect option for your next project.
Mitigate the Industry's Labor Shortage with Forward-Thinking Construction Practices
19 November 2021
To mitigate the labor shortage and capitalize on the heightened demand for construction, building and construction companies must carefully evaluate ways to retain the current workforce. One solution is to employ meaningful training and professional development programs. A necessary and beneficial investment, such opportunities will help employees feel more confident in their job performance, demonstrate increased productivity in the field and remain more committed to their company…
Armstrong, Jack. “Mitigate the Industry's Labor Shortage with Forward-Thinking Construction Practices.” Walls & Ceilings Magazine, 19 November 2021, https://www.wconline.com/articles/93968-mitigate-the-industrys-labor-shortage-with-forward-thinking-construction-practices
SIPs: A Panel that Meets the Needs of Homebuyers
January 2022
Sustainable building practices have long been a focus of environmentalists, but recent shifts in the global dialogue have brought a wave of homebuyers who are ready to permanently adopt green building initiatives. This shift in priorities, combined with a growing focus on health and wellness features in the home, has put responsibility on the shoulders of building industry professionals to create energy-efficient, high-performing homes that enhance the occupant’s quality of life…
Armstrong, Jack. “SIPs: A Panel that Meets the Needs of Homebuyers.” Walls & Ceilings Magazine, Vol. 85, Issue 1, January 2022. https://digitaledition.wconline.com/january-2022/sips-a-panel-that-meets-the-needs-of-homebuyers/?oly_enc_id=1761F7087234F9F
Green Builder Magazine, January/February 2022 - Green Home of the Year Award Winners
February 2022
For well over a decade, Green Builder has inspired and informed the U.S. construction industry with ideas, building science and innovative approaches to shelter. The Green Home of the Year Awards are judged by a panel of three industry experts in terms of overall sustainability, resilience, synergy with the environment and surrounding neighborhood, affordability, creativity and the depth of science employed. Long-time SIPA manufacturing member Energy Panel Structures provided the SIPs for two of the winning projects.
2022 Most Innovative home goes to the Cuyuna, Minnesota SIP rental property on pages 35-37 of the Green Builder Magazine.
2022 Mainstream Green award goes to this Toft, Minnesota single-family SIP house on pages 50-52 of the Green Builder Magazine.
DOE Awards $32 Million to Accelerate Next-Generation Building Upgrades
14 March 2022
Meet VacRIPs - a nailbased retrofit panel solution with vacuum insulated modules installed. The Department of Energy announced mid-March a huge investment in next-generation building retrofit projects that will dramatically improve affordable housing technologies. Seven awardees will test renovation techniques that reduce disruption to tenants while upgrading the energy and environmental performance of buildings more quickly, affordably and effectively.
The SIPA collaboration team led by NAHB’s Home Innovation Labs & Oak Ridge National Labs will test an innovative wall system with VacRIPs in three residential, multi-family public housing buildings in Albany, NY. VacRIPs are a new retrofit insulation technology that will improve the energy performance of older buildings via the thermal envelope without displacing tenants. Here are the project highlights:
- 3 multifamily 1980's apartment buildings with a total of 48 units will get a building envelope and mechanical retrofit to save about 70% energy from their current usage.
- Over 50% of the energy savings will come from the thermal envelope improvements of a new, approximately 3" nailbase retrofit insulated EPS panel with embedded Kingspan vacuum insulated modules to provide an R-40 performance.
- About $2M of the $4.5 M grant is directed to the direct retrofit construction costs of the structures (i.e. installation and purchase of materials & equipment). $900K goes to ORNL for all the testing and modeling and development of the updated SIP/RIP Installation Guide. Another retrofit installation guide will be published with the completion of the study. Download the current 2015 RIP Installation Guide.
- This project will include both the walls and roof of the building envelope enhancements with the new RIPs/nailbase.
- Phase II of the project will take about 3 years to plan, install, and monitor results (including the 1-year energy monitoring phase).
Read the official DOE press release here.
Green Builder Magazine, March/April 2022 - SIPA Members in Top 10 Indexed Companies
April 2022
SIPA is proud to see nine member companies highlighted as sustainable brand leaders in the 2022 March/April Green Builder Magazine.
Under the Structural Top 10, Simpson Strong Tie came in second, Premier Building Systems came in third (holding there since 2019) and R-Control came in fourth place (up from 10th place in 2019). R-Control is the umbrella SIP brand to four SIP manufacturers: Big Sky, Branch River, PremierSIPs, and ThermaFoam offering SIP services throughout North America. Also under Structural, the OSB manufacturer Ainsworth/Norbord/West Fraiser came in sixth. Mitsubishi Electric Trane came in first in the HVAC lineup, BASF came in second in Insulation, and DuPont came in first for Building Wrap.
SIPA’s sustainable construction mission is only accomplished by the entire ‘system’ of industry partners and the SIP building envelope is the starting place for a healthier, higher-performing structure.
Architectural West Magazine, Progressive Building & Design Methods in Bozeman, Montana
May 2022
Recent shifts in the global dialogue on sustainability and green building initiatives have put responsibility on the shoulders of architects and designers to create energy-efficient, high-performing structures without compromising on the design vision. This recasting of priorities, combined with a growing focus on promoting the well-being of occupants in the built space, has challenged professionals to seek creative, alternative building solutions.
One proven way that architects and designers can meet this moment is to look to forward-thinking building solutions such as structural insulated panels (SIPs). A modern approach to residential and commercial projects, SIPs are flexible in design and used in walls, roofs, and floors to create a nearly air-impermeable building envelope. In turn, architects and designers can optimize energy consumption and mitigate air leakage to meet stringent criteria of a high-performance structure while prioritizing architectural creativity and aesthetic appeal.
Check out the full May/June 2022 Architectural West publication here.
Insulation Industry Decarbonization Policy Statement
April 2022
The energy efficiency requirements in today's building codes and standards are the cornerstones of building decarbonization.
Over the past 20 years, insulation manufacturers have innovated products that are safer for the ozone with lower global warming potential. Energy conservation is a core value proposition to building insulation and the Insulation Industry published a decarbonization statement this past spring. In effect, this industry delivers a product that cost-effectively optimizes the thermal performance of buildings with insulation materials that are safer to use and promote a cleaner environment.
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