更多的建筑一个正电的房子
Foamed glass aggregate is gaining traction among high performance–home builders. It is touted for its ability to perform multiple functions and is used in residential applications for insulating slabs and as backfill. Ben Bogie, project manager forthe build GBA is following, is partial toAeroAggregatebutGlavelis another reputable supplier. Made from 100% recycled container glass, the product is ultra-lightweight, non-leaching, rot-resistant, durable, and low in upfront carbon emissions. It is easy to compact, has a respectable insulating value (12 in. of the material ranges from R-11.5 to R-15.7), and is highly permeable. Costs run between $70 and $80 per cu. yd. (AeroAggregate supplies 2.7-cu.-yd. bags.) Ben says the cost pencils out to close to even with foam board.
Installing foamed glass aggregate
On this project, the crew started the foamed glass installation at the bottom of the footing. The as-built detail above reflects a lowered elevation for the foamed glass—a response to the decision to create more headroom in the crawlspace, which will measure 4-ft. 6-in. in height and house the mechanicals.
The material goes down in 6-in. lifts, and each lift is compacted. There is a compaction factor based on the application and R-value objective. In this case, it was 1.37, which means if you put down 1.37 in. of product, the ideal compaction is to an inch. Here, they laid down 7 to 8 in., then compacted down to about 6 in., adding subsequent lifts.
在粉底墙进入之前，压实的聚集体与立足的顶部齐平，为机组人员提供了平坦的表面，以设置基础墙。墙壁到位后，它们再加上6英寸的泡沫玻璃，总计18英寸。对于顶部英寸，它们使用3/4英寸米的Aeroaggregate，压实并用沙子上衣。（由于没有混凝土板和胶合板盖，因此最终表面需要尽可能光滑才能接收蒸气屏障，这是唯一越过骨料的材料）。
For installation, two or three bags are lifted with a forked loader and moved to where the excavator is sitting. The operator swings them into position, one at a time. The bottom of the bag is cut open and the operator works to evenly distribute the material throughout the foundation. Then it is hand-graded and machine-compacted.
A multi-functional product
Asked why Ben is sold on foamed glass (he has used it on a few projects), he says, “It’s a waste-stream product with a low EUI, and with it we can accomplish multiple things in one process. Normally, we’d have to do the foundation prep, excavation, and footings, followed by 6 in. of washed stone, which comes at an additional cost. That is replaced with the foamed glass aggregate. This way, we have our drainage, moisture, and insulation completely handled by one product.”
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Kiley Jacques is senior editor at Green Building Advisor. Illustration by Patrick Welsh. Photos by Brian McAward.
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11 Comments
Interesting stuff! I hope it becomes more commonly available. What was it like to run services through?
Malcolm, I think you would enjoy theBS* + Beer Show episode on this topic--it’s super informative and features reps from both Glavel and AeroAggregate.
Thanks Kiley. That looks like a great way to spend what looks to be shaping up as be a rainy evening.
Used it in a basement underpinning project. Laid the plumbing prior to installing Glavel. So it was easy that way?
随着北美地区的AeroAggregate和Glavel现在运行的植物，这些材料变得越来越容易获得。Glavel的第一批植物位于弗吉尼亚州伯灵顿，方便地靠近我。Glavel还正在进口泡沫玻璃板，并计划在明年左右的时间内生产。AeroAggregate在西海岸和东南部的N.A.有几家植物。期待在我的下一个项目中使用它。
Had some shipped to me in Hamilton Ontario. Cost of shipping was more than materials, and install was a huge pain in my specific situation, but would do it again (and will in next project).
Would foamed glass aggregate with adequate drainage work as the horizontal insulation for a frost-protected shallow foundation, or does that application need impermeable insulation sheets? I love the idea of foamed glass below grade -- it's not going to be bothered by critters, and since it's just glass (processed sand / minerals) it's not just burying plastic for future generations.
I think it would work really well as far as performing both functions. My only concern would be that it might fill with silt eventually, and that that would reduce the R-value, at least to some extent. That effect could be reduced by using a geotextile fabric over it, but perhaps the boards would be better.
I see that Glavel is committed to running their energy-intensive process with renewable energy, but I don't see any such statement from AeroAggegrate. The information from Glavel says that their emboddied energy is only 23% that of EPS ... on a per unit mass basis. On a per unit volume basis, that means the embodied energy would be 1.5 times that of 1.5 lb/cu ft EPS, or more than 3X that of EPS for the same R-value. For Glavel, that's not a problem--it seems like a nearly perfect low-impact material, recycling waste and without any emissions from the energy used in production. But it might be different for AeroAggregate.
整体I love this approach--if we compare it to concrete, it's surely much lower emissions. But it is an energy intensive process, and if one manufacturer is powering that from renewables and the other from the standard grid mix, it might be important to pick the lower emission option. Or at least, if AeroAggregate wants to sell this as a material for low-carbon building, they should provide information on their carbon emissions.
你让一个优秀的时候,查理,我替换t that you looked into it more deeply. Clearly, there are questions that need answering on that front. Recently, I was talking with the manufacturer ofCroft压缩施加墙壁和屋顶面板and he made the same essential point, which boils down to: If the production process is energy-intensive, then the product really isn't solving any problems.
That's a great observation, Kiley and one of the reasons that I don't love rockwool or FG insulation. They're more climate-friendly than most polymer foams, but still use lots of energy to make. We need better tools to analyze the total installed carbon cost of our material choices. In the case of these foamed glass aggregates, they take the place of the washed gravel layer and the foam insulation layer. So we have to compare the carbon costs (cradle to gate) of all three material layers. The foamed aggregates do use a lot of energy for manufacture, but they are lightweight and so, they reduce the transportation energy compared to washed gravel. Then we have the carbon related to mining, distance traveled, etc. With the new, low-carbon Glavel plant in VT, using it here in-state seems like a no-brainer. But how does that compare to locally mined gravel in the midwest and not near any of the plants? FWIW, the new BEAM carbon calculator tool is a great start, but still only captures the carbon cost of materials with published EPD's.
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