School Takes A SIP Of Savings
Structural insulated panels for walls and roofs first reduce the construction costs and then cut a building's energy use.
James Hodgson, Premier Building Systems
When Clark County School District (Las Vegas) began to plan a new elementary school with a tight budget and construction schedule, project architects SSA Architecture, Las Vegas, recommended structural insulated panels (SIPs) for all exterior walls and roofs.
The Jacob E. Manch Elementary School is a replacement for an existing building originally constructed in 1963 to serve children from Nellis Air Force Base. The school supports 900 students in a year-round multitrack schedule.
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| The Jacob E. Manch Elementary School in Clark County, NV, was framed in 47 days because the builder used structural insulated panels. Another benefit is the reduced cooling load on air conditioners. |
During the height of the building boom, estimated construction costs were increasing about 1.5% every month. The architects realized that customary materials-primarily concrete masonry units (CMUs) and tilt-up concrete panels-would not be cost feasible within the approved budget.
In addition, with rapidly rising energy costs, the school district was looking for a solution that would reduce heating and cooling demands. CMUs and concrete walls typically do not perform well thermally in the extreme heat and cold of the Las Vegas desert. During much of the year, CMUs absorb so much heat in the daytime (temperatures can exceed 110 F) that they don't cool down at night. The result is a high burden on cooling systems.
Adding further complexity to these challenges, the school district needed the new school completed as rapidly as possible to minimize disruptions to students and teachers still using the existing adjacent building.
To meet the various program and construction challenges, the architects specified structural insulated panels (SIPs) for all exterior load-bearing walls and the roof. SIPs are made of two sheets of oriented-strand board (OSB), which are structurally laminated and pressure-cured to a rigid core of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam insulation. SIPs are strong, straight, and predictable. They provide a tighter building envelope that yields better energy efficiency when compared with conventional building techniques.
The architects report that, in terms of interior thermal conditions, SIPs make the building perform like "a big refrigerator box." This drops HVAC costs substantially. SIPs allow more flexibility in locating skylights, and they install faster than other materials typically used in school construction.
Originally, the school district allocated 121 days for framing the project. With SIPs, the time was reduced to 47 days.
"Not only did the SIPs install faster, saving on structural building time, they reduced labor time for the electrical work," said Gary Radzat, president of Shell Building Systems, Sebastopol, CA, the design and installation consultant for the Manch School.
"The panels have electrical chases built inside them so electricians don't have to drill or modify framing. Instead, they can easily pull wires through the chases. The general contractor was shocked at how fast the panels installed. He said he'd never seen that size of schedule reduction."
The SIPs used for the Manch School were manufactured by Premier Building Systems (Fife, WA, and Phoenix) to include vertical and horizontal chases at the exact elevations needed for the electrical outlets.
In addition to offering fast and easy installation, the SIPs provide superior insulation. The foam core serves as an insulating layer. Compared with stud framing, the large, one-piece panels have fewer gaps needing to be filled and sealed.
"Using SIPs cuts down on energy-related costs two ways," Radzat said. "There's less demand for heating and cooling, so HVAC systems can be substantially smaller, saving on equipment costs. Plus, the ongoing costs to run the equipment are much less." Radzat estimates that the SIPs used in the Manch School reduced the HVAC load requirements by approximately half. He adds, "The energy consultants told us that the cycling of the air-conditioning units will be reduced substantially, thereby increasing the life of the equipment by about 75%."
While the school district was initially reluctant to use a new building approach, they are now pleased with the enhanced performance. Radzat reports that the district is recommending SIPs for other new schools.
Author
James Hodgson is general manager of Premier Building Systems, Fife, WA, and Phoenix.
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