| Background The Science Museum of Minnesota is a large regional science museum in downtown St. Paul. The museum combines research and collection facilities, a public science education center, extensive teacher education and school outreach programs. The Science House, a 1000 square foot building, was constructed in the Museum's outdoor Science Park. It was designed to serve as a multipurpose facility - the operations center for the Park, classroom, public laboratory, exhibit area, and special events space. The Science House was designed to operate as a zero emissions building (ZEB). Ultimately, the building was built to generate enough energy to heat, cool and light itself without the use of fossil fuels. Solution/Results With such an intricate and ambitious project, premium quality materials had to be used in the construction of the Science House to ensure maximum energy efficiency. The architect for the project chose Icynene® to be sprayed in the walls and ceilings. As Icynene® neither contains nor generates ozone-depleting chemicals, it was the perfect fit for this environmentally-conscious project. Icynene® was a key component in achieving the goal of the Science House becoming a zero-emissions building that supplies all of its own energy needs on an annual basis. |
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For the ground-source heat pump system to work effectively, the building must maximize its capacity to hold heat in the winter and stay cool in the summer. Five inches of Icynene® was sprayed in the walls (R-20) and ten inches in the ceiling (R-40). Because Icynene® is both an insulation and an air barrier, it was ideal for ensuring that conditioned air (either heated or cooled) stayed within the building envelope. The installation of Icynene® was completed on February 12, 2003. Since the opening in early 2004, the Science House has been fulfilling promised performance goals. A standard Building Leakage Test completed in August 2004, shows that at 1.25 ACH (airflow at 50 Pascals), the building is superbly tight, which is typical for a building insulated with Icynene®, and allows for maximum energy efficiency while maintaining a healthy indoor environment. | |
Click here to learn more about the Science House at the Science Museum of Minnesota.
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