How Spray Foam reinforces energy efficiency of commercial building envelope
What’s a building?
That may seem like a question for Captain Obvious, but not just anyone can build a stable, weather-insulated building. It’s important to know the fundamentals of building physics in terms of the structural demands of four or more walls, a foundation, and a roof. As material quality improved over time, from caves to rocks to wood and then metal, we’ve seen the evolution of building structure grow from thatch huts to the Empire State Building.
Let’s talk about walls. Joseph Lstiburek at Building Science Corporation gives a great overview of the layer order for a building wall:
- a rain control layer
- an air control layer
- a vapor control layer
- a thermal control layer
No rain layer, your building interior has no chance of staying safe from wind and energy loss. Of course, Captain Obvious would also tell you rain brings water damage. What isn’t as obvious is that air can also bring moisture damage, like condensation and mold spores. Vapor can also bring water damage at a more microscopic level, albeit still potentially hazardous.
Even if you eliminate the effects of rain, air, and vapor, you still have to face the threat of thermal conduction or energy reduction. Temperature fluctuations, heat transfer, and UV exposure can alter a building’s environment stability. With all four types of layers intact, you can create a solid barrier against any energy loss.
That still leaves the roof. Andre’ O. Desjarlais of ORNL shares, “It is estimated that energy losses through roofs in the U.S. are increased by 70% because of the loss of insulation’s thermal resistance due to moisture contamination.” (ORNL) Spray Polyurethane Foam, or SPF as it’s often called, bonds with commercial roofing substrates to add a thermal control layer. This serves as the first line of defense for the roof against the heat transfer, UV conduction, and temperature changes throughout the seasons.
SPF applied inside the walls and over the roofing surface maximizes your building’s thermal control layer. We couldn’t be more impressed by how well SPF roofing has performed. Our R&A Contracting team is St. Louis’ expert in SPF commercial roofing. If you’d like to learn more, contact a member of our team today.