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| Versatility of MemBrain as both a vapor retarder and air barrier  CertainTeed Corporation is donating its building science expertise and MemBrain Smart Vapor Retarder and Air Barrier Film product to a three-year energy efficiency research project at Syracuse University. The Building Envelope Systems Test (BEST) project includes a unique laboratory facility designed to evaluate technologies that improve the energy efficiency of homes and buildings by weatherizing the building enclosure to control unintended air movement between outdoors and indoors. A collaborative effort between the Air Barrier Association of America (ABAA) and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the BEST Lab is a two-story structure that can accommodate 34 full-scale wall panels that are 4 feet wide and 9 feet high.The ABAA will install panels in the lab that represent a variety of different materials and air barriers, including MemBrain, which will be evaluated as an air barrier system. ORNL will instrument the test panels and analyze the results, and Syracuse University faculty and students will operate the facility. The ABAA and ORNL chose the university as the BEST project site because of expertise and resources available through the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems (SyracuseCoE) and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The NYSERDA, ABAA and SyracuseCoE all provided funding toward a portion of design and construction expenses. Additional funding has also been provided by the U.S. Department of Energy. CertainTeed and other building product manufacturers have also helped fund the BEST project by donating product and technical support services. "We are happy to be involved in this endeavor to find better ways to make homes and buildings more energy-efficient through weatherization and building science strategies," says Stan Gatland, manager of building science technology at CertainTeed. "Promoting building science and energy efficiency are very important objectives at CertainTeed, the BEST project gives us the chance to do both." "It is also an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the versatility of MemBrain as both a vapor retarder and air barrier in a variety of wall assemblies," he says. MemBrain is a first-of-its-kind, patented smart vapor retarder that protects walls from moisture intrusion but can also breathe, allowing excess moisture to escape from wall cavities. MemBrain is used in place of traditional polyethylene vapor retarders with unfaced fiberglass insulation to provide an insulation system that allows closed building envelopes to increase their drying potential with seasonal climatic changes. It is made of a polyamide film that changes permeability from less than 1 perm at low humidity (during winter for example) to greater than 20 perms at high relative humidity (during summer). MemBrain can help reduce the risk and liability concerns due to excess moisture in homes and buildings that is so common today. "We are very fortunate to have the collaboration of so many individually gifted parties in this groundbreaking project," says Laverne Dalgleish, executive director of the ABAA. "Manufacturers like CertainTeed are playing a very integral role in helping us to create more energy-efficient building envelope designs, and we are thrilled to have them on board." write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Construction News :: home page |