Completed in July 2004 for Xanterra Parks & Resorts®, these
two single family residential homes in Gardiner, Montana, will house employees
working in Yellowstone National Park. The new development is the first building
project for Quad-Lock Building Systems, the state of Montana and for the
National Park system to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
certification. LEED certification is a voluntary national standard used to
measure and recognize sustainable and environmental practices in the building
industry. The US Green Building Council (USGBC)
administers the LEED program.
Xanterra Parks &
Resorts® combined Quad-Lock Plus panels (4.25") and Regular Quad-Lock panels
(2.25") for the exterior 6" thick concrete walls, providing an R-value of R32.
Over 20% of the LEED certification points used in the application process were
a direct result of using Quad-Lock materials. Quad-Lock helped allocate points
to Materials & Resources, Construction Waste Management, Local & Regional
Materials and Energy & Atmosphere.
While energy costs will be monitored, it is
expected that the sustainable homes' special construction and passive solar
design will save up to 70% in energy costs, compared to conventional
construction. Other major sustainable strategies include:
Quad-Lock Insulating Concrete Forms (R32)
regional materials
state-of-the-art mechanical system
low-use plumbing fixtures
2.34 kW photovoltaic system
construction waste
stream recycling
public education
Testimonial
"[..] As the chief concessionaire in Yellowstone National Park,
Xanterra operates the lodging, restaurants, gift shops and many tour adventures
inside the Park. As a steward of one of the earth's most cherished treasures,
we've committed Xanterra to operate in the most sustainable ways possible,
including construction of new buildings on park property. Incorporating
Quad-Lock Insulating Concrete Forms into our new housing made this job a whole lot easier. We
effectively tripled our homes' R-values over standard construction materials, an
important accomplishment in the heat-sapping winters in Yellowstone. Additionally, our ICF walls are excellent heat sinks that augment the
effectiveness of the houses' passive solar design, maintaining a
comfortable
living environment year-round and minimizing the number of days we have to heat
the buildings. Without the energy-saving qualities of Quad-Lock walls, there's
absolutely no way we could have submitted these homes for
LEED certification.
Most importantly, Xanterra's new Quad-Lock homes are a model
for future sustainable construction products at Yellowstone and other National
Parks around the country, where conservation of limited resources is a mantra we
take very seriously.
Thanks for helping Xanterra stay 'green'." - Jim Hanna, Xanterra Parks & Resorts®; Yellowstone National Park, WY
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