GREENBUILD 2011: Kingspan Insulated Panels spotlights first-of-its-kind Environmental Product Declaration

Kingspan Insulated Panels North America spotlighted its Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) as a centerpiece to the company’s main sustainability initiative Path to NetZero during Greenbuild 2011.

Visitors learned about the EPD recently awarded to the company’s wall and roof systems. Kingspan’s EPD is a first-of-its-kind achieved by a North American-based manufacturer of insulated metal panels. EPD is a standardized, internationally recognized tool for providing information on a product’s environmental impact. Information in the declaration is based on an ISO-compliant life cycle assessment (LCA) and verified by a third party, in the case of Kingspan, Underwriters Laboratories Inc.

The booth introduced visitors to the company’s updated Path to NetZero microsite and the next generation of the mobile app. This tool for the building industry simulates the process of achieving high-performance and net-zero buildings. The revised app includes the addition of two Canadian cities – Calgary and Toronto – giving users a choice of six cities. In addition to a city, users select a building type (school, office, or warehouse) and a baseline building designed to ASHRAE 90.1.2004. They then choose an insulated roof and wall system and compare savings. Benchmarks for the tool are aligned with the Department of Energy Commercial Building Initiative and U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 2009/3.0 requirements. BD+C

Two innovations—program manager Gafcon’s SharePoint360 project management platform and a new BIM “wall creator” add-on developed by ClarkDietrich Building Systems for use with the Revit BIM platform and construction consultant—show how fabricators and owner’s reps are stepping in to fill the gaps between construction and design that can typically be exposed by working with a 3D model.