COMPANY: CertainTeed Corp., Valley Forge, Pa.

INSTALLATION: CertaPro™ AcoustaTherm Insulation and 12 other sustainable products

COMPLETION: Completed

CUSTOMER: Saint-Gobain Northboro R&D Center, Northboro, Mass.

OBJECTIVE: Outfit expansion with sustainable materials across multiple conditioned spaces.

DESCRIPTION: When Saint-Gobain decided to expand its 60,000-square-foot R&D Center in Northboro, Mass., the company teamed up with North American subsidiary CertainTeed Corp. to help create a sustainable and energy-efficient design.

In cooperation with construction management firm A.J. Martini, of Winchester, Mass., technical and building science experts from Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed chose 13 key sustainable products from both companies for the expansion. The expansion includes laboratory, office, and meeting space and incorporates features such as a cool roof that reflects heat, insulation products that foster superior acoustical and thermal control, ceiling tiles with high light reflectance, and gypsum board that provides fire, mold and moisture resistance. When inspected later this year, the completed structure is expected to attain a gold rating in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® (LEED®) program.

“This facility establishes bold new benchmarks in terms of both collaborative research environments and highly energy-efficient buildings.”
- Thomas Kearns, AIA, LEED AP, principal architect at Shepley Bulfinch

Publication date: 09/14/2009