NREL STM SERF Facade Restoration; NREL 14-014 Award Number: DE-AC36-08GO28308 CX(s) Applied: DOE/EA 1440 S-1 National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Date: 05/01/14 Location(s): CO Office(s): Golden Field Office
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February 26, 2016
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NREL STM SERF Facade Restoration; NREL 14-014
Award Number: DE-AC36-08GO28308
CX(s) Applied: DOE/EA 1440 S-1
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Date: 05/01/2014
Location(s): CO
Office(s): Golden Field Office
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposes the restoration of the aluminum-based sheeting (facade) that covers the exterior of the Solar Energy Research Facility (SERF) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) South Table Mountain (STM) campus located in Golden, Colorado. Within the STM campus, the SERF is located in Campus Development Zone 4 – Central Campus.
The SERF was built in 1993 and has an exterior surface made from a material known as Alucobond, which is a composite panel consisting of two aluminum cover sheets and a fire-resistant core, and is covered with a sealant. Over the past twenty years, the surface of this paneling has collected a layer of grime from environmental conditions (e.g. dust, pollution, minerals in rainwater, etc.) and either needs to be cleaned or replaced to protect the panel. NREL evaluated options for cleaning the Alucobond facade material and discovered that typical cleaning processes could damage the metal substrate and could cause irreversible damage. The investigation also indicated that a full restoration of the facade including stripping the existing sealant and applying a new high performance coating to the material would restore the Alucobond material to a like new condition with a renewed 20-30 year life span expectancy. Based upon that investigation, the intent of this project would be to provide a complete performance and aesthetic restoration to the SERF exterior Alucobond facade.