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| Aesthetically-appealing Eco-Smart Home in Naperville, Illinois  CertainTeed AirRenew drywall is playing an important role in optimizing the indoor air quality (IAQ) of the first of its kind, net zero, Eco-Smart home in Naperville, Illinois. Already committed to constructing award-winning homes with impressive energy efficient features, suburban Chicago builder DJK Custom Homes saw the formaldehyde-absorbing drywall as the best way to offer improved indoor air quality in their most sustainable home built to date. The 3,280 square-foot, four bedroom, four and a half bathroom home was constructed on a nature preserve-like, two-acre site as a model for environmentally-friendly building, with core focuses on IAQ and energy, water and resource efficiency. When specifying materials for the interior, DJK Homes found that CertainTeed offered a high-performance drywall that would exceed their IAQ goals. The unique ability of AirRenew to capture formaldehyde from indoor air, and convert the chemicals into inert compounds that remain permanently trapped safely within the board, was especially sought after."AirRenew drywall helps to get rid of a particularly dangerous VOC (volatile organic compound) in the air — ultimately giving us piece of mind," said Kevin Kittilsen, vice president of DJK Custom Homes. "I think that the most notable result was the fact that there was not that 'new home' smell." Formaldehyde can be introduced by the off gassing of new furniture and household cleaners and is often the highest concentration VOC in indoor air. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), exposure to formaldehyde can result in respiratory symptoms, and eye, nose and throat irritation. "AirRenew is an important component when adopting strict air tightness and insulation requirements, as zero energy homes have as little as 1/10th the amount of accidental fresh air than previously built, drafty homes," said Lucas Hamilton, manager of CertainTeed Building Science Applications. "With greatly reduced quantities of outside air available to dilute the concentration, removal of indoor air contaminants through high performance materials and controlled ventilation with mechanical systems is critical." Other sustainable features in and around the home include: solar panels, tankless water heater, direct-vent fireplaces, low-flow water fixtures, triple-glazed windows, ENERGY STAR appliances, heat pump and gas furnace; zero-VOC paints, window and door foam, LED lighting, permeable paving, native plants and trees and much more. It boasts numerous sustainable honors, including Energy Star 3.0, NAHB Green Emerald, EPA Indoor Air Plus and LEED Platinum certifications, with landscaping designed as a bird and butterfly habitat certified by the National Wildlife Federation. The EcoSmart Home was completed last year and was open to the public for tours to increase awareness of contemporary green homebuilding techniques. DJK Homes will be using AirRenew as the standard drywall in all of their newly built homes, and will also be starting construction soon on their second Eco-Smart Home in Illinois. write your comments about the article :: © 2015 Construction News :: home page |