ICF Project: Yellowstone National Park, WY - Xanterra Parks & Resorts^®

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 &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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