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By Nancy B. Solomon, AIA

Testing conducted by Cabot demonstrates that Nanogel is moisture-repellent; resistant to mold and fungus; stable in the presence of ultraviolet light; and completely recyclable. It is not readily combustible, and no ozone-depleting agents are used in its manufacture.

With all these attributes, it may seem surprising that it has taken so long for aerogel to reach the architecture market. Initially, however, production of the material was extremely complicated, requiring a drying process under very high pressure and high temperature. Due to the expense, dangerous processes, and low volume of production, early attempts to commercialize the material failed. Spurred on by the public’s greater interest in energy efficiency, Cabot recently developed a safe, affordable process that yields sufficient quantities to make it a viable product for architecture.

 

Cabot Industries, a leading chemical company, developed the first commercial application for aerogel. The assembly allows 20 percent light transmission into the building while limiting thermal transmittance (U-value) to only .05, doubling the insulation ability of Kalwall’s standard panel. Photography: Courtesy Overland Partners Architects Drawing: Courtesy Kalwall

In the first full-scale demonstration project—in which decades-old Kalwall panels over the pool area of a Comfort Inn in Manchester were retrofitted last year with the new technology—the Nanogel-filled structural-sandwich panels insulated so well that the warm pool interior could not melt snow that fell on the skylight panels. Owner Fred Bailey attests that while the new system seems to let in more light, the insulated area no longer has drafts, nor does it lose heat. And more recently, Overland Partners Architects of Bozeman, Montana, specified the high-performance, translucent panels in the first commercial installation in the country—another roof system on a one-story office building for the Security Title Company in Bozeman. The firm wanted to get the lowest U-value possible for this climate, where heat loss is significant during winter months. “The owner is interested in quality in general and environmental issues in particular,” explains principal Mark B. Headley, AIA, “so he was eager to use the innovative panels.”