Room for Luxury and Energy Efficiency: Hospitality Goes Green
On the exterior of buildings, products discussed in this article include an innovative and highly efficient air barrier that uses no mechanical fasteners. On the roof, cool and green roofs demonstrate a means to reduce the effect on the building's energy consumption from the heat island effect. Green roofs can also provide new views for guests who are looking out at lower roofs of hotel facilities adding value to once less marketable hotel rooms. From the exterior to the interior, this article provides a quick snapshot of how to add to your green hospitality toolkit.
Hotel Exteriors: Building the Green Envelope
Air Barriers
In the 1990s, a few high-profile cases highlighted the problem of mold in hotel chains. An increase in mold caused by air and water penetration led building scientists to examine the science behind hotel construction practices. According to a study by the Air Barrier Association of America, air leakage has been found to be the real problem behind the transmission of moisture into buildings, rather than vapor pressure. An estimated range from 30 to 200 times more moisture transport occurs via airflow than vapor diffusion.2
According to Marc Tropper, P Eng, director of product management and marketing, air barriers and waterproofing, of Henry Company, "Studies show that buildings account for 48 percent of U.S. energy consumption and generate far more greenhouse gas emissions than any other sector. Although there is a lot of talk about the reduction of energy in buildings by 2030, there are not enough discussions as to how to make the changes in construction practices necessary to achieve these goals." One method to save energy is to design buildings that do not leak air uncontrollably. Buildings are more energy-efficient when the structure of a building is wrapped with an air barrier. An air barrier should form a continuous plane around a building to prevent uncontrolled air movement in and out of a building envelope.
Air barriers with no mechanical fasteners are able to seamlessly wrap a structure for additional energy savings. Photo courtesy of Henry Company |
Air barriers save energy, reduce utility costs, improve air quality and protect buildings. According to the EPA, commercial buildings are subject to larger infiltration rates and air leakage is a measurable problem. Infiltration in commercial buildings including hotels can have many negative consequences, including:
- Reduced thermal comfort
- Interference with the proper operation of mechanical ventilation systems
- Degraded indoor air quality-causing sick building syndrome
- Moisture damage of building envelope components
- Increased energy consumption
An EPA study revealed that the right air barrier can help improve building performance by reducing heating and cooling costs by as much as 36 percent.3
In the past, weather-resistive barriers have been mechanically fastened to a building structure. Air barriers can now be specified that are peel and stick allowing the application of an air barrier with no mechanical penetrations. This means that the air barrier will provide a fully adhered wrap around the structure to prevent air and water leakage in order to optimize building performance. The advantages of the air barrier being fully adhered to the substrate versus being mechanically fastened in place include:
- Fully adhered membranes do not require staples or screws to install thereby reducing the amount of penetrations or holes through the air barrier which are sources of air or water leaks.
- Fully adhered membranes can provide a continuous plane or air and water tightness throughout the building envelope without having to rely on tapes or sealants.
- They prevent lateral air and water migration between the substrate and the air barrier.
- Wind loads can be transferred directly to the bonded substrate without causing a billowing or pumping effect on the barrier.
- They are less prone to wind cycling damage from sustained winds when exposed during construction.
By wrapping a building in a seamless air barrier, the added advantage is the ability to reduce the size of HVAC systems due to fewer air leaks in the building envelope. For a hotel chain that may have projects in many climate zones, these barriers are designed to function in even the most extreme environments as shown in the case study on the Hurst Conference Center at the end of this article. They can also be adhered with products that emit low volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
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