VALLEY FORGE, Pa. - Towering over the Philadelphia skyline at 58 stories (975 feet), the city’s new Comcast Center is a high-performance sustainable building, with an abundance of features that will conserve energy and reduce impact on the environment.

Designed to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, Comcast Center uses 40 percent less water than the average office building, and the building’s water fixtures will save more than 3 million gallons of drinking water each year. The building also features a glass curtain, blocking 60 percent of heat, while allowing 70 percent of the sun’s visible light through. This reduces the need for electric day-lighting and extra energy for air conditioning.

A large part of sustainable design is paying close attention to every component in the building envelope and deciding which building product will provide the most sustainable results in that area. In addition to CertainTeed ceiling products, CertainTeed’s CertaPro™ AcoustaTherm™ batt insulation and SoftTouch™ duct wrap insulation are featured all through Comcast Center.

Thermal efficiency and acoustics were key drivers in the project. The batt insulation, supplied by George F. Kempf Supply Company, of Philadelphia, was installed by Wyatt, Inc., of Philadelphia, and another local contractor - Philadelphia D&M. Wyatt installed 456,000 square feet of unfaced CertaPro AcoustaTherm R11 batts, and Philadelphia D&M installed 77,000 square feet of unfaced CertaPro AcoustaTherm R11 batts in partitions throughout the building.

Externally insulating the HVAC ductwork on all 57 floors of Comcast Center, SoftTouch Duct Wrap also has a strong presence throughout the skyscraper. Supplied by General Insulation Company, of Camden, N.J., 60,000 square feet of the duct wrap was installed by mechanical insulation contractor Brand Energy Services LLC, of Willingboro, N.J.

“We had a good experience with the SoftTouch Duct Wrap,” said Eve Carp, purchasing agent for Brand Energy Services. “There was no problem handling the product, and all seemed to go well.”

“CertainTeed products are an increasingly popular choice for LEED certified projects throughout the United States,” said Peter Dachowski, president and CEO of CertainTeed Corp. “We are very pleased to have our products featured so prominently in this history-making green building.”

Developed by Liberty Property Trust, Comcast Center was designed by New York architectural firm Robert A. M. Stern Architects in association with Kendall/Heaton Associates Inc. of Houston - the project’s architect of record - and built by Philadelphia general contractor L.F. Driscoll. It is owned by Liberty/Commerz 1701 JFK Boulevard, L.P., a joint venture of CommerzLeasing & Immobilien AG and Liberty Property Trust. It officially opened for business in June 2008.

For more information, visit www.certainteed.com.

Publication date: 04/13/2009