CertainTeed Insulation Products a Key Component of National Parks Service’s First LEED® Platinum Multifamily Development

VALLEY FORGE, PA – July 27, 2012 – CertainTeed’s CertaSpray closed-cell spray foam insulation, and sustainable insulation fiberglass batts, played a key role in the achievement of LEED Platinum certification for a new $9 million multifamily development built for the employees of Grand Canyon National Park. The 64-unit apartment complex, consisting of eight octaplex buildings, is the first National Parks Service (NPS)-owned multifamily development to achieve LEED Platinum, as well as the first multifamily development in Arizona to do so.

Built by nationwide general contractor The Weitz Company LLC, each of the eight apartment buildings has interior walls with an exceptional R-value of nearly R-26, due to the wall cavities being fully insulated with CertaSpray. 

“The CertaSpray spray foam insulation in the exterior wall cavities definitely contributed to us achieving LEED Platinum,” says Colin Waits, project manager for The Weitz Company. “I don’t think we would have gotten as high R-values in the testing if we’d used a different product.”

The insulation was installed by nationwide insulation contractor Gale Contractor Services. The crew filled the 2x4 wall cavities with 3.5 inches of CertaSpray, and insulated party walls with Sustainable Insulation R-11 fiberglass batts for improved acoustical performance. Sustainable Insulation R-13 fiberglass batts were also installed to insulate sprinkler lines above the ceilings. The job went very well for the contractor.

“The spray foam insulation went in easily,” says Kelly Cox, project manager for Gale Contractor Services. “We had experienced installers from our Phoenix office come up and install the spray foam insulation for us. They did an excellent job. There’s a lot of good insulation in those buildings.”

Offered in both open and closed cell formulas, CertaSpray creates an air seal and can be used in whole-house, multifamily, and commercial building applications. It can also be used in combination with fiberglass insulation, particularly in hard-to-reach areas like cathedral ceilings, knee walls, and roof decks. By reducing air leakage, CertaSpray minimizes hot and cold spots and provides outstanding comfort and indoor air quality by impeding the penetration of moisture and outdoor allergens. The product is only installed by CertainTeed qualified contractors in order to achieve the most rigorous quality standards. 

Sustainable Insulation is made from recycled and renewable content, including a plant-based binder, and contains no formaldehydes, dyes, acrylics or unnecessary fire-retardant chemicals. It is water-resistant and won't settle or lose its R-value over time. The product is available in batt and roll form, unfaced or kraft-faced, and is designed for use in standard wood stud and steel-frame wall assemblies.

About CertainTeed

Through the responsible development of innovative and sustainable building products, CertainTeed, headquartered in Valley Forge, Pa., has helped shape the building products industry for more than 100 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company, the firm's slogan "Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed," quickly inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed is North America’s leading brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, fence, decking, railing, trim, foundations, pipe, insulation, gypsum, ceilings, and access covers.

A subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, the world’s largest building products company, CertainTeed and its affiliates have more than 6,000 employees and more than 60 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. Recognized as a 2009 and 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CertainTeed earned the 2011 and 2012 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award, the highest level of recognition for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through energy efficiency. The group had total sales of approximately $3.2 billion in 2011.

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