New England homebuilder G•O Logic recently completed a highly efficient prototype Passive House in Maine. The 1,500 sq. ft. home was designed and constructed using the highest quality materials and techniques, and is expected to receive LEED-Platinum certification, as well as become the first certified Passive House in Maine. GO Logic used its extensive experience . . . → Read More: GO Logic builds Passive House with SIPs
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Results from SIPA’s 2009 Production Survey indicate that SIPs are gradually gaining market share and staying slightly ahead of declining housing market. In an excellent BUILDER Online article, senior editor Nigel Maynard examines this recent growth of the SIP industry and the perceptions hindering its expansion, including interviews with several SIP builders and architects. Make sure to view the slideshow of all the design possibilities with SIP construction. Here’s a snippet: . . . → Read More: BUILDER Online asks why more builders are not using SIPs Ask a SIP Expert is a new feature with Mike Nelson of SIP Engineering Consultants, LLC. Each week, Mike answers SIP-related questions submitted by our readers. Submit your questions here. For sometime now I’ve been doing research with the goal of building a timber frame home. SIPs seem to be the material of choice for most of these structures built in the last 20 years. BUT, in a recent article in a timber frame trade journal, a timber frame builder with years of experience and a concern that his product survive generations of trouble-free use, expressed doubts about the durability of SIPs. He noted that he was among those who used them extensively and experience had revealed their vulnerability to rodents, insects and moisture. How have these issues been addressed by the industry? The most important thing to remember is that just like any other wood structure, long-term durability will depend on the detailing done by the builder and the effort made to address the climate specific issues of moisture, insects and rodents. The SIP industry has produced a comprehensive guide to moisture detailing for all climate zones and nearly every finish material out there—The Builder’s Guide to Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), by Joe Lstiburek. Joe is a well-renowned building scientist who specializes in moisture-related issues and building envelope designs for maximum durability. Similar to any wood-framed building, if flashing or sealing is done poorly, problems can occur, but a properly installed SIP envelope will last for generations. . . . → Read More: Ask a SIP Expert: life expectancy of SIPs on a timber frame Don’t forget that the DIY Network series This New House will cover the four side-by-side research homes constructed by the Zero Energy Building Research Alliance (ZEBRAlliance) tonight at 8:00pm/7:00pm CT . Alliance members, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), built four 2,800 sq. ft. homes with identical designs and different building envelope systems to get real world data on the most cost effective technologies for zero energy homes. Jeff Christian, the Director of the Buildings Technology Center at ORNL, spoke with Knoxville’s WBIR news team in April on the energy monitoring of the homes using simulated heat cycles, showers and even appliance use over the next two years. When the study is complete, it will provide the building industry with concrete energy and cost data of how SIPs compare to advanced framing, EIFS, and cellulose insulation laced with phase change material. For more information, visit the ZEBRAlliance website . . . → Read More: ZEBRAlliance research homes to air on DIY Network tonight, 8:00pm/7:00pm CT Ask a SIP Expert is a new feature with Mike Nelson of SIP Engineering Consultants, LLC. Each week, Mike answers SIP-related questions submitted by our readers. Submit your questions here. How do I attach stucco to SIP walls? Stucco detailing is no different for a SIP wall than for a stick-framed wall, with the exception that the usual attachments to the wood studs now only have a 7/16″ layer of OSB to anchor to. Therefore, the spacing of the attachment must be reduced, roughly in proportion to the reduced amount of fastener embedment depth. For example, if you were using staples having an embedment depth of 1-1/2″ into a stud, you would need approximately 3 times more fasteners ( or 1/3 the normal spacing ) when used on a SIP wall. Please reference the below detail from The Builder’s Guide to Structural Insulated Panels(SIPs) by Joe Lstiburek for proper moisture detailing.
. . . → Read More: Ask a SIP expert: how do I attach stucco to SIP walls?
Established timber frame homebuilder New Energy Works (NEW) kicked off their west coast expansion with a LEED Platinum show home in their new Portland, Oregon location. Jonathan Orpin, president of NEW, co-designed the house and currently lives in it with his family. The structure combines a beautifully crafted timber frame with the latest in green technology, including structural insulated panels (SIPs) from Premier Building Systems. In a recent interview with EcoHome magazine, Orpin described his top principles of sustainable design, which start with a durable and energy-efficient building envelope. Building on the efficiency of the SIP envelope, Orpin added a host of other sustainable and energy-efficient materials, including all FSC-certified wood, a reflective standing-steam metal roof, 4.2 kW photovoltaic array, and a 4,000-gallon water collection and purification system that provides 70% of the family’s water needs. Read more at Ecohome Magazine. . . . → Read More: SIPs part of LEED Platinum show home Ask a SIP Expert is a new feature with Mike Nelson of SIP Engineering Consultants, LLC. Each week, Mike answers SIP-related questions submitted by our readers. How do I attach solar panels to a SIP roof? On existing SIP roofs where penetration through the panel thickness is not an option, then surface screws must be used. Since . . . → Read More: Ask a SIP Expert: How do I attach solar panels to a SIP roof? Mark your calendars for March 21 – 23, 2011, when SIPA will host the 2011 Annual Meeting & Conference in Greenville, South Carolina. This is the one and only conference and trade show devoted to the structural insulated panel industry. More details will be posted soon, but the event will feature educational sessions for builders and design . . . → Read More: 2011 SIPA Annual Meeting & Conference heads to Greenville, SC
At 8pm on August 26, the DIY Network series This New House will feature four side-by-side research homes constructed by the Zero Energy Building Research Alliance (ZEBRAlliance) in Knoxville, Tennessee. Alliance members, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), built four 2,800 sq. ft. homes with identical designs and different building envelope systems to . . . → Read More: ZEBRAlliance research homes featured on DIY Network Students at the University of Colorado Boulder College of Architecture and Planning will soon start construction on a demonstration project with BioSIPs, structural insulated panels (SIPs) cores of engineered molded fiber. Professor Julee Herdt began experimenting with the material in the early 90s, and successfully manufactured BioSIPs for her own home. The . . . → Read More: University of Colorado receives grant for BioSIP demonstration project |
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