Sika Sarnafil, the worldwide market leader in thermoplastic roofing and waterproofing membranes, today launched a new web site dedicated to supporting sustainability principals and environmentally responsible building. The streamlined site SustainabilityThatPays.com provides the building owner with critical information on selecting roofing and waterproofing systems that will meet their sustainability goals of energy efficiency, environmentally preferable products, greenhouse gas reduction and waste reduction.
“Sustainable roofing is an important component of sustainable construction,” said Brian J. Whelan, Senior Vice President of Sika Sarnafil. “Sika Sarnafil products and initiatives have been a hallmark of sustainability in commercial and industrial buildings for over 45 years. SustainabilityThatPays.com now enables us to share our innovative solutions on the internet, in real-time to further support our customers as we all work together to minimize the burden on the environment and to be responsible stewards of the Earth’s resources.”
SustatainabilityThatPays.com is a unique tool for architects, specifiers, engineers, facility managers, project managers, general contractors and designers to use as a resource to make smart, sustainable decisions about roofing solutions that not only reduce environmental impact and minimize waste but deliver higher return on investment (ROI).
Environmental Challenges Meet Sustainable Solutions
Energy Efficiency Challenge: Buildings consume 40% of energy and 68% of the electricity in the U.S.[1] Source: Environmental Information Administration (2008). EIA Annual Energy Outlook. A significant percentage of that energy is used for cooling.
SIka Sarnafil Solution: High solar reflectance is proven to save energy and lower costs by reducing heat transfer into buildings. A study conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) found the Sika Sarnafil Energy Smart Roof reduced peak summertime air conditioning demand by 14 percent and provided an annual energy savings of $7,200 in a100,000-sq. ft. Target store in Austin, TX.
Environmentally Preferable Challenge: Manufacture products or services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment.
Sika Solution: Sika Sarnafil’s membranes have a history of proven performance and extended product life spans, reducing solid waste and conserving natural resources. The British Board of Agrément (BBA) conducted an independent analysis of Sarnafil vinyl roof membranes and issued a finding indicating, “All available evidence suggests BBA Certificates should that the durability of Sarnafil membranes when used in accordance with the relevant have a life in excess of 35 years.”
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Challenge: According to the U.S. Green Building Council, buildings currently account for 38 percent of the Carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S.
Sika Solution: Substituting dark colored roofs with cool reflective roofs can reduce green house gas emissions. A study conducted by Lawrence Berkley National Laboratories found that substituting a cool roof, with a conservative solar reflectance of 55%, for a darker colored roof with a solar reflectance of 20% on 80% of the 27.6 billion of nonresidential conditioned building roof area would result in:
Annual cooling energy savings of 10,400 gigawatt hours or approximately $735 million dollars
Annual Co2 reduction of 6.23 megatons – enough to offset the CO2 emissions of 1.2 million cars.
Waste Reduction Challenge: The EPA estimates that 136 million tons of building-related construction and demolition (C&D) debris was generated in the U.S. in a single year.[2] Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1997). U.S. EPA Characterization of Building-Related Construction and Demolition Debris in the United States.
Sika Solution: Give old roofing new life by recycling it. Sika Sarnafil, the first U.S. – based company to introduce a recycling program for commercial single ply roofing membranes, has recycled over one million square feet of “end of life” roofing membrane and more than 20 million pounds of pre-consumer membrane since it began its recycling programs.
Construction teams – owners, architects, designers and builders can now tap into the most reliable expertise on energy efficient roofing and waterproofing systems at SustainabilityThatPays.com &&a href="http://www.SustainabilityThatPays.com">http://www.SustainabilityThatPays.com> . Log on and learn more about achieving sustainability goals in building today.
About Sika AG
Sika AG, headquartered in Baar, Switzerland, is a globally active company supplying the specialty chemicals market. It is a leader in processing materials used in sealing, bonding, damping, reinforcing and protecting load-bearing structures in construction (buildings and infrastructure construction) and in industry (vehicle, building component and equipment construction). Sika’s product lines feature high-quality concrete admixtures, specialty mortars, sealants and adhesives, damping and reinforcing materials, structural strengthening systems, industrial flooring and roofing and waterproofing membranes. Sika AG has subsidiaries in more than 70 countries worldwide, including Canton, MA and approximately 11,000 employees link customers directly to Sika and guarantee the success of all of its business relationships. With this business structure, Sika generates annual sales of CHF 4 billion.
For more information about Sika Sarnafil in the U.S., visit www.sikacorp.com &&a href="http://www.sikacorp.com">http://www.sikacorp.com> .
