Coatings elevate sustainability of three multifamily projects
From thermal protection and fireproofing to low VOCs, AIA partner Sherwin-Williams explores the role of coatings in three green buildings.
For sustainable buildings, the choice of coatings can play as important a role as nearly any other element of the structure. Low-VOC options help preserve occupant health, powder coatings add durability, cool-roof coatings increase energy efficiency, and more.
Here’s a look at the coatings specified for three green-built multifamily projects around the country.
Green space, cool roof highlight affordable LA apartment building
King 1101 LA Apartment: Photo by Iwan Baan
For the creators of King 1101 Apartments in South Los Angeles, Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects, one critical element was specifying colors and coatings to provide a high level of comfort for low-income residents who had previously experienced housing insecurity and homelessness.
“LOHA’s LEED Gold design for MLK1101 Supportive Housing aims to create an environment that encourages health and community, acknowledging that successful social spaces come through a variety of planned and organic strategies,” the firm explains. “LOHA incorporates several design strategies that open the building toward the street and foster a sense of community within the neighborhood.”
Adding green space to the neighborhood and a central gathering place for the residents, an elevated courtyard called the “outdoor living room” is positioned on top of a two-story mixed-use space. The taller four-story structure that houses the 26 apartments features a cool roof in Sherwin-Williams Linen White Fluropon.
The roof’s white color reflects solar heat and the high-performance Fluropon coating provides exceptional resistance to UV radiation. These qualities contribute to optimizing the building’s cooling load, and lowering associated energy use and emissions, which saves on utility and operating costs. The residents also enjoy a more comfortable interior and the community benefits from a reduced heat island effect.
Powder coatings open a window on the world in Jersey City
Lenox Apartment
The Lenox, a 255-unit transit-oriented development within easy reach of New York, achieved LEED Silver certification. With several apartments overlooking the Manhattan skyline, the property required window types and technologies to rival the building’s views. Marchetto Higgins Stieve and the Fields Hi-Rise Construction company joined forces and tapped Crystal Window & Door Systems to supply the project’s 2,000-plus windows.
They used a powder coating in bronze and black to coat the windows, doors, and louvers, meeting AAMA 2605 requirements—meaning these elements successfully satisfied standards for moisture, weathering, ozone, and UV resistance. Sherwin-Williams powder coatings can help contribute up to 3 LEED v4.1 credits in the category of Building Products Disclosure and Optimization. Powdura 5000 coatings have near-zero VOCs and result in almost no waste during application. These coatings also have environmental product declarations, certified by NSF.
Efficient and economical fireproofing for a Seattle high-rise
Seattle’s 303 Battery apartment complex is the first high-rise in the world designed to meet net-zero energy standards established by the International Living Future Institute—producing 105% of the energy it consumes thanks to solar panels and heat-recovery devices, along with a host of other sustainable elements including greywater recovery.
The project used offsite prefabrication, with Sustainable Living Innovations (SLI) crafting nearly 1,000 utility-packed wall and floor panels. Integral to the design aesthetic was the use of architecturally exposed structural steel (AESS), which reduced the need for drywall, cladding, and other materials. Still, all steel members needed coatings for protection – some with only an anti-corrosive primer and others requiring the primer plus fireproofing coatings and/or an aesthetic topcoat.
The developer discovered a fireproofing coating that matched its construction method’s emphasis on speed, economy and environmental friendliness. The intumescent product, Firetex FX9502 from Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine, required lower installed thicknesses compared to other coatings, helping designers showcase the steel’s attractiveness. To further boost aesthetics, the application shop also applied an aesthetic topcoat of Sher-Loxane 800, another Sherwin-Williams product, on any visible steel.
All coatings applications were completed offsite, except for finishing work where structural steel would be connected on-site. The efficiency of offsite application proved integral to the project, which involved more than 2,000 structural steel pieces and hundreds of prefabricated panels assembled by a small crew in about eight months.
“If the project was performed conventionally onsite, it may have taken twice as long,” said Carrie Cassidy, SLI’s chief construction officer. “Coating steel offsite contributed significantly to time savings.”