With its unobstructed views of the Hudson River and Manhattan skyline, the award-winning Avora at Port Imperial in Weehawken, New Jersey, was designed with an eye for innovation that included the use of a new self-adhesive thermal tape and insulating coating system from Tnemec.
“The insulated tape and fluid-applied coating prevent thermal bridging and the risk of condensation in architectural applications,” explained David Pope of Righter Group, Inc. “The products were field-applied around aluminum window and door frames and to the exterior of concrete balconies to minimize heat loss from the building envelope.”
Series 945 Aerolon Tape is manufactured with a proprietary blend of insulative particles for exceptionally low thermal conductivity and backed with a pressure-sensitive adhesive. Series 971 Aerolon Acrylic is a fluid-applied, high-build insulating coating containing aerogel.
Two layers of Aerolon Tape measuring 12-inches wide and 1.5 mm thick were used to achieve the desired thickness between Avora’s window and door frames and on the terrace balconies, which are common sources of thermal bridging. The tape was installed using a roller to apply pressure and a heat gun to activate the adhesive in colder weather.
Aerolon Acrylic was spray-applied 24-inches up to and over the tape to provide a continuous insulation barrier. The coating was applied in two lifts for a total of 100 mils dry film thickness (DFT).
A water-based formulation, Aerolon Acrylic conforms to regulatory requirements for low volatile organic compound (VOC) coatings. The 11-story Avora was designed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification with sustainable features that promote natural lighting, passive ventilation and solar strategies throughout the building.
“These products are labor-saving technologies that reduce thermal bridging and comply with LEED requirements” Pope added. “The use of Aerolon Tape also helped the project stay on schedule by enabling the windows and doors to be installed during colder weather.”
With 184 residences, the Avora was named a Gold Award Community by the National Association of Home Builders at the International Builders’ Show in 2018. The previous year, Avora was recognized as “Community of the Year” by the New Jersey Builders Association. The project was also recognized by the Society of Protective Coatings (SSPC), winning an Elevation Award in the Green Building Category