Lead Performer: Oak Ridge National Laboratory – Oak Ridge, TN
Partners:
-- Saint-Gobain – Malvern, PA
-- Bensonwood Homes – Walpole, NH
DOE Total Funding: $1,000,000
Cost Share: $250,000
Project Term: 3 years
Funding Type: Advanced Building Construction FOA Award
Project Objective
The objective of this project is to significantly reduce the time and effort required to seal joints between prefabricated panels and volumetric modules to achieve a continuous air barrier system, which is one of the most time-consuming tasks that prefab assemblers face at the jobsite. To achieve this goal, the project team will develop a new sealant that can be installed in prefab building components at the manufacturing plant. The ability to apply the sealant in a controlled environment will considerably improve the installation quality. The joints in the prefab components will be designed so that they trigger the sealant’s chemical reaction at the jobsite via pressure. This new preinstalled sealant will increase energy performance and material durability by reducing the probability of air and water leaks, and will decrease installation time and cost and thus make prefab construction more cost-effective.
Project Impact
The new preinstalled sealant will modernize how joints between prefabricated panels and volumetric modules are sealed by shifting most of the critical parts of this task to the manufacturing plant and thus increase the quality and productivity at the jobsite. This new technology will serve as a clear example of the benefits of prefabrication.
Contacts
DOE Technology Manager: Sven Mumme
Lead Performer: Diana Hun, Oak Ridge National Laboratory