Selingo Guagliardo, LLC; Kingston, Pennsylvania, 2007 - 2008
By industry standards, most acoustical ceiling projects contain some element of either sustainability (e.g., recycled content of ceiling tile) or energy efficiency (e.g., high light reflectance ceilings). However, very few ceiling projects receive such recognition because to be considered green, a project must incorporate a variety of energy saving and sustainability (i.e., green) features. At Malishchak Brothers, our first opportunity to participate in a comprehensive green project was presented at the Selingo Guagliardo, LLC office building in Kingston, Pennsylvania. The office building project, organized by Shazaam Realty LLC, included an assortment of green features including indirect lighting, solar panels, a highly efficient HVAC system, and the reclamation of a formerly dilapidated building site. In addition, project architects specified the installation of certain Armstrong acoustical ceilings, which boast several energy efficient and sustainable features.
Now, a typical acoustical ceiling reflects more than a moderate amount of light back into work space. However, the ceilings installed and specified for this project return 83% of the light back into the Selingo Guagliardo LLC, office building. By doing so, the ceilings installed by Malishchak Brothers’ provide more concentration of light to the building’s work space with fewer illuminaries. In addition, Armstrong World Industries affirms that high light reflectance ceilings, like the ones installed at the Selingo Guagliardo building, provide more than a 20% reduction in lighting costs and a 25% savings in the HVAC cost, when installed with indirect lighting. However, the high light reflectance of the acoustical ceiling tiles is not the only sustainable (i.e., green) feature. The ceilings installed contained approximately 49-55% recycled content. This indicates that the ceiling tiles installed were manufactured from previously used ceiling tiles. What's more interesting is that this process eliminates materials used in the production and manufacturing of new ceilings, thus reducing the impact of ceilings on the environment. Finally, Armstrong’s high recycled content ceilings also condensed the volume of waste at the construction site.
During the green project, Malishchak Brothers worked under the direction and instruction of A. Pickett Construction. Funding was provided by the Sustainable Energy Fund of Pennsylvania and was awarded the Project of the Year by the Associated Builders & Contractors of Eastern PA. Jennifer Hopkins, president of SEF said, "The green building strategies used at Shazaam Realty should result in energy savings of almost $35,000 per year, while potentially increasing employee productivity by providing a more comfortable and healthier indoor working environment.” (Quote obtained from Sustainable Energy Fund website: www.thesef.org)
- Pictures obtained from www.thesef.org
- HLR and sustainability information and statistics obtained from www.armstrong.com
