13
September
2011
|
18:00 PM
America/New_York

CertainTeed Fiber Cement Siding Contributes to Award-Winning LEED® Platinum Design at Bastyr University

(Valley Forge, Pa.) – Identifying a sustainable, high-performance exterior cladding product was a critical step when renowned Seattle architectural firm CollinsWoerman designed Bastyr University’s Student Village in Kenmore, Wash. — the first student housing project on the West Coast to achieve LEED® Platinum certification. The architects and the university found what they were looking for — sustainability and aesthetics — in CertainTeed® WeatherBoards™ Fiber Cement Siding.

“We were looking for a low-maintenance exterior cladding material and were pleased that CollinsWoerman specified a siding product that can go several years without needing to be repainted,” says Daniel Clark, director of facilities and safety at Bastyr University. “With exterior cladding, you have to look at a product’s long term value. If it’s guaranteed to perform well for a long time and doesn’t require a lot of care over the years, that’s sustainable.”

Built by general contractor Schuchart, of Seattle, Bastyr University Student Village’s 11 three-story cottages have the capacity to house a total of 132 students and are designed to be both energy efficient and to mitigate impact on the local environment. A mix of WeatherBoards 4x10 smooth vertical panels, WeatherBoards 8-1/4-inch cedar lap siding and WeatherBoards soffit were installed.

The project has received numerous awards and certifications such as the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Outstanding Multifamily Project in the 2010 LEED for Homes Awards. Most recently, it was a stop on the 2011 Northwest EcoBuilding Guild's Green Home Tour, showcasing the best green buildings in the Seattle area. In addition, the university has received many positive reviews of the colorful fiber cement siding from students, faculty and campus visitors.

“It looks great,” Clark says. “A lot of people are surprised that it’s not real cedar. I even received a call from a cedar industry association wanting to give us an award for using cedar siding. I had to break it to them that it’s actually fiber cement.”

CertainTeed WeatherBoards fiber cement siding offers realistic grains and textures, providing the look and feel of wood, as well as profiles to match virtually any design style. Unlike wood, WeatherBoards siding is non-combustible, impact-resistant, impervious to wood boring insects, resistant to UV rays and will not rot. Backed by a 50-year limited transferable warranty, WeatherBoards contributes to LEED® certification and NAHB Green Building Standards for recycled content and regional availability. For more information, go to www.certainteed.com.

About CertainTeed

Through the responsible development of innovative and sustainable building products, CertainTeed, headquartered in Valley Forge, Pa., has helped shape the building products industry for more than 100 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company, the firm's slogan "Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed," quickly inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed® is North America’s leading brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, fence, decking, railing, trim, foundations, pipe, insulation, gypsum, ceilings and access covers.

A subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, the world’s largest building products company, CertainTeed and its affiliates have more than 6,000 employees and more than 65 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. Recognized as a 2009 and 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CertainTeed earned the 2011 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award, the highest level of recognition for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through energy efficiency. The group had total sales of approximately $3 billion in 2010. www.certainteed.com

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