The GreenGirt CMH™ continuous insulation system is durable enough to handle any cladding weight and materials, including terracotta’s heavyweight design. This article explains the benefits of using GreenGirt CMH with terracotta cladding, and highlights three projects that have used this combination effectively to secure durability and energy efficiency within the building’s walls.
Using GreenGirt CMH with Terracotta Cladding
- GreenGirt CMH supports heavy terracotta safely – Terracotta cladding is a thicker and heavier cladding material, potentially weighing in at up to 20 pounds per square foot, requiring vertical metal rails for stability. Increasing the spacing of the rails creates heavier loads and requires a durable continuous insulation system to support the metal rails horizontally. While most other continuous insulation systems are unable to handle the weight of terracotta, GreenGirt CMH can support terracotta’s heavy loads with ease, without sacrificing structural integrity or thermal efficiency.
- GreenGirt CMH eliminates thermal bridging for 92-99% wall-assembly efficiency – The combination of steel-reinforced flanges and fiberglass composites achieves both high strength and high thermal efficiency, maintaining almost all of the insulation’s R-value.
- Expert Engineering Available – Terracotta cannot handle a one-size-fits-all approach to design and installation because of the varying material thickness and spacing requirements. A2P has a team of expert engineers who provide design and installation support for terracotta projects using GreenGirt CMH and SMARTci systems.
- Manufactured in the USA – Regardless of the costs associated with terracotta and its rail system, GreenGirt CMH and SMARTci systems are manufactured in the USA, maintaining lower costs of materials and installation.
Anne Arundel Community College
The construction of the Anne Arundel Community College project in Arnold, Maryland, which used the GreenGirt CMH continuous insulation system with terracotta cladding.
The Anne Arundel Community College project in Arnold, Maryland, is the new sciences building on campus. Included in this new building is 20 health science labs, 18 biology labs, aquaculture labs, a greenhouse, and an environmental health research center. The building is expected to save 35% more energy than other buildings on campus. Because this building used terracotta cladding, GreenGirt CMH was installed horizontally and vertically on the building’s walls at 4” deep and 16” on center with mineral wool insulation.
Menino Pavilion at Boston Medical Center
The construction of the Menino Pavilion at the Boston Medical Center in Massachusetts, which used GreenGirt CMH on the building’s walls with terracotta cladding.
The Menino Pavilion at the Boston Medical Center in Massachusetts is a renovated addition to BMC’s campus. This addition includes several services, such as radiology, surgery, emergency & trauma, pharmacy, central sterile processing, interventional procedures, and inpatient care units. The Menino Pavilion utilized terracotta cladding and ACM panels, which led to using the GreenGirt CMH continuous insulation system, installed horizontally at 4” deep and 16” on center with mineral wool insulation. Using GreenGirt CMH for terracotta and ACM cladding demonstrated the versatility of GreenGirt CMH and its compatibility with various cladding types.
Metro Health – Cleveland Marble
The construction of the Metro Health Cleveland Marble project in Ohio, which used GreenGirt CMH on the building’s walls with terracotta cladding.
The Metro Health Cleveland Marble project in Ohio is a new hospital in the area. The hospital consists of 11 floors and 270 private hospital rooms. The building was also designed for more green space on campus, with the goal of achieving LEED Silver certification. To support the project’s energy efficiency goals, and support the terracotta cladding, GreenGirt CMH was installed horizontally on the building’s walls at 4” deep and 16” on center with mineral wool insulation.
Conclusion
Using GreenGirt CMH with terracotta cladding creates a secure wall combination that focuses on both structural integrity and thermal efficiency. The Anne Arundel Community College, Menino Pavilion, and Metro Health Cleveland Marble projects showcase how GreenGirt CMH withstands the strength of terracotta on its own, without compromising thermal efficiency or decreasing the insulation’s R-value.
For more information on GreenGirt CMH and versatile cladding materials compatible with it, visit GreenGirt.com.