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Birdair works up a solution.


Birdair, the leading specialty contractor of lightweight long-span roofing systems and tensile structures throughout the world, has completed a retrofit roofing construction project on the Dedmon Athletic Centre at Radford University Radford University is a medium-size public, state-funded university in the City of Radford, in Southwestern Virginia, founded in 1910 as a women's college and coeducational since 1972. It was granted university status by the Virginia legislature in 1979. , Radford, Va (USA).

When considering new roofing options for the 52,000 sq ft Dedmon Centre -- nicknamed "The Bubble" by students and faculty -- energy efficiency, moisture resistance and sound dampening topped Radford University's list of priorities. In addition, the university wished to maintain the aesthetic appeal and translucency of the structure's previous air-supported roof, which was installed by Birdair in 1981 and outlasted its 20-year expected lifecycle by seven years. Birdair's new Tensotherm with Nanogel offered the perfect solution, the company said. Developed by Birdair, Cabot Corporation Cabot Corporation is a specialty chemicals and performance materials company. It operates in four segments: the Carbon Black Business, the Metal Oxides Business, the Supermetals Business, and the Specialty Fluids Business. Cabot's headquarters is located in Boston, Massachusetts.  and Geiger Engineers, Tensotherm consists of Cabot Corporation's Nanogel aerogel aerogel, any of a group of extremely light and porous solid materials; the lightest is less than four times as dense as dry air. Aerogels are produced from certain gels (see colloid) by heating the gel under pressure, which causes the liquid in the gel to become  sandwiched between two layers of structural PTFE PTFE

polytetrafluoroethylene.
 fiberglass membrane. This creates an insulated, energy-efficient inner layer that maintains translucency and promotes natural daylighting For the restoration of culverted streams to above-ground channels, see .
Daylighting is the practice of placing windows, or other transparent media, and reflective surfaces so that, during the day, natural light provides effective internal illumination.
. The fabric is less than 50 mm thick, yet it more than quadruples the original roof's thermal insulation The term thermal insulation can refer to materials used to reduce the rate of heat transfer, or the methods and processes used to reduce heat transfer.

Heat is transferred from one material to another by conduction, convection and/or radiation.
 performance with a value of R-12 and natural light transmission value of 3.5 per cent. This durable, fade resistant material also offers maximum moisture control and superior sound insulation. These performance features are permanent, so they will not change over time. "Projects like the Dedmon Centre call for the beauty and durability of a fabric roof form, but also require a higher level of energy efficiency," explains James Satterwhite, global daylighting business manager for Cabot Corporation, creators of the Nanogel aerogel insulation used in Tensotherm. "Options to create the balance between design and practicality remained a technical challenge until the advent of Tensotherm with Nanogel." By retaining cool air in warm conditions and warm air in cold conditions, Tensotherm with Nanogel meets increasingly demanding energy and building code requirements throughout North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. . It can also contribute to Leed n. 1. A caldron; a copper kettle.  certification, garnering credits in categories including insulation, green materials, innovation and daylighting. Nanogel aerogel is additionally cradle to cradle certified.

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Publication:Gulf Industry
Date:Jul 1, 2009
Words:348
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