East Wing (dining, home office, part of kitchen)
Structural Insulated Panel System (SIPS)
· Factory made panels of insulating foam core with ½ in. thick oriented strand board (OSB) panel skins
o Borate-treated EPS foam & OSB for termite resistance
o Panels form structure and insulation in one step
o Openings lined with studs
o Panel size from 4 x 8 to 8 x 24 ft.
o Precut chases for wiring
· Very fast assembly with less skilled labor, fewer trades – but requires crane to lift large panels
· Can be fully precut in factory or openings cut on site
· Highly energy efficient system
o Continuous insulation (no gaps from framing) outperforms higher R-values between studs
o Creates airtight building envelope
o Panels glued and nailed to insulated spline joints
· High strength, stability, shear resistance
· Little construction waste – less to landfills
· OSB is efficient use of renewable wood resource
· Cost 0-3% more than standard wood frame
o higher material cost, lower labor & finance costs
o transportation cost – distance from factory matters
o simple designs on 4 ft. grid, model plans cost less
SIPS Roof and Attic
Two options exhibited:
· SIPS ceiling creates airtight, fully insulated, walkable attic floor (see attic over home office from exhibit room)
· SIPS roof creates unvented, semi-air conditioned attic (see attic over dining area in exhibit room)
o No HVAC, duct losses + climate-controlled storage space
Weather Barriers
· Triple sill gasket – air seal plus adhesive flashing in one
· Hot-humid climate housewrap installed shingle fashion
o Water vapor retarder (ideal 6 perm, semi-permeable)
o Strong, tear-resistant, well fastened
§ Withstood Katrina and Rita
o Non-perforated; surfactants won’t cause leakage
· Plastic window sill pan flashing with sloped channels drains to outside (see semi-circle window in exhibit room)
o Protects vulnerable corners, sills from water leaks
o Fast, easy installation; no need for slope, backdam
· Mortar dropping collection system behind brick veneer to protect weep hole drainage
SIPS Energy-saving features
· Exceptionally airtight system without added air barrier
· Continuous insulation throughout building envelope
o 4 in. wall = R-15 - outperforms R-19 between studs
o 8 in. panels (R-30) for roof (see exhibit room over dining) or ceiling (see attic floor over home office)
Fortified SIPS features (to resist 130 mph wind & flood damage)
Walls:
· Anchor bolts tie bottom plate to slab every 16 in.
· Metal connector plates secure wall panels to sole plate to resist both uplift and shear (racking) forces
· Panels provide inherent resistance to lateral wind forces
Roofs:
· Hurricane straps tie wall panels and plates to rafters, wrap over every rafter (framed roof over home office)
· Close spacing of fastening screws tie roof panels to wall panels
· Rafter 2x8 splines between roof panels extend full length of roof porch overhang
· Peel & stick membrane roof underlayment – secondary water barrier for storm protection
· Breezeway roof reinforced with micro-laminated beams and bolted through both building walls for high uplift resistance