Featured Projects

Ellmann Residence, Grand Haven, MI

Project Details
PorterSIPs received a 2014 Building Excellence Award from SIPA in the category of Single Family Home (under 3000 square ft). The project was for the Ellmann Residence and included 8” SIP roof with 4’ cantilevered overhangs, radiant heating system with natural gas boiler, passive solar design, low-e argon filled windows, and all LED lighting.

The exterior is designed to be maintenance free. There are site screen walls to reduce sand erosion and wind speed on the structure and promote no-mow / no-watering vegetation. Glulam beams with SIPs aid in speed of construction and provide sustainable material selection. Upper level 11’-6” x 1’-6” Low-E thermopane clerestory glass panels between the floor glulam beams provide illumination and visual connection with the exterior.

80% of the materials were sourced within 500 miles of site. The garage is insulated and placed on the northeast side to reduce heat loss and air infiltration. A solar screen porch is located at south end of the living room to moderate solar gain and provide the potential of a future conversion from a screen porch to a three-seasons room or winter garden.

Designer: Allegretti Architects
Builder: CL Construction
Location: Grand Haven, MI
Size: 2800 sq.ft + basement + garage

Tendercare Health Facility, Holland, MI

Project Details
Tendercare Health & Rehabilitation Center of Holland, Michigan is a leading long-term nursing care and short-term rehabilitation provider. Their 77 bed facility offers many premium amenities such as a large, inviting lobby, 30-foot high stone fireplace, chapel, library, several common game rooms, and two restaurant-style dining rooms complete with a private chef.

The staff and patients of Tendercare Health and Rehabilitation Center of Holland moved into their new, more comfortable and energy efficient building in early 2009. Tendercare chose to use PorterSIPs 7-1/2″ nail base roof panels for their facility after learning about the energy performance and the ease of installation offered by this product. The design called for an insulated attic area above patient rooms for the mechanical units. The attic space had to be insulated for the efficiency of the HVAC units and duct-work housing in that area.  Also, the maintenance staff needed to be able to have easy access to this space to reconfigure and maintain these mechanical unit needs per patient needs. It was apparent from the beginning that we could help with this project’s unique design guidelines.

The staff at Tendercare are very pleased with how energy efficient their new building is proving to be. With less heat transfer through the roof, their patients are more comfortable and the heating and cooling bills are very low. Many of the residents note how comfortable and draft-free the space is. Lyn Streicher says, “I love the homey atmosphere of Tendercare, and the caring staff that treat me like I am part of their own family.”

Architect: Postema Associates
Function: Health Care Facility
Location: Holland, MI
Size: 54,000 sq. ft.
SIPs Panels Used: Roof

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Pennsylvania Wilds Elk Country Visitor Center

Project Details
The much anticipated Elk Viewing Center opened in early October 2010. The center is constructed of PorterSIP walls and roof.  John Quigley, acting secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said the center “will emerge as key destination and world-class opportunity for Pennsylvania Wilds visitors to view and learn more about elk and the wealth of other natural resources in Elk County.”

The new elk viewing center, to be known officially as the Pennsylvania Wilds Elk Country Visitor Center will feature wildlife trails, viewing blinds, a “story theater” with a fiber-optic star ceiling, a “smoking” campfire and special effects “to immerse the visitor in sights, sounds, and smells of a mixed hardwood forest, the natural world of elk and native wildlife and cultural heritage of the region”.

PorterSIPs is proud to be a part of this project. The use of structural insulated panels is estimated to save 55% of the typical energy costs for this size structure in the state of Pennsylvania. The organization who will be responsible for the operation of the center, The Elk Foundation, estimates that as many as 75,000 people will visit the center each fall.

Function: Natural Viewing Educational Facility
Location: Benezette, Pennsylvania
Size: 7,000 sq. ft.
SIPs Panels Used:Walls and Roof

Ask your sales representative to provide more information on how PorterSIPs can help you and your project.

Gulyas Residence

Project Details
This near-zero energy home, designed to the German Passive House standard, was built on a previously developed site in Bloomington, Indiana. The SIPs used on this project were instrumental in achieving the high energy standards that were required to pursue LEED Platinum Certification. The project features an electric on-demand water system, use of fans and clerestory windows for ventilation, LED lighting, an energy recovery ventilator on separate ductwork, and ultra-energy efficient windows.

Key Green Initiatives:
• 12 1/4” wall & roof panels provide panel R-Value of 52.0
• Pursuing LEED Platinum Certification
• Extremely air-tight. Air tightness test measures 200 CFM @ 50 Pascals
• Uses a maximum of 1.15 watts/sf of energy to heat & cool the entire home
• Under-slab insulation which is decoupled from the foundation
• 2 small air-source heat pumps @ 12,000 BTU/ea are used to heat and cool separate zones

The owner of the home, David Gulyas, states that the home reaches a five star plus rating according to the RESNET HERS rating scale. This is achieved through the RESNET rating which was done by the leading LEED / Green Rater and RESNET provider, Mark Jansen. The HERS rating for the Gulyas residence is 47, which means that it is incredibly energy efficient compared with a standard code-built home.  To achieve a five star plus rating, the home must score below 70.  The Gulyas residence, with the score of 47, was significantly better that the requirement.

More Information on the HERS Index:
The HERS Index is a scoring system established by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) in which a home built to the specifications of the HERS Reference Home (based on the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code) scores a HERS Index of 100, while a net zero energy home scores a HERS Index of 0. The lower a home’s HERS Index, the more energy efficient it is in comparison to the HERS Reference Home. Each 1-point decrease in the HERS Index corresponds to a 1% reduction in energy consumption compared to the HERS Reference Home. Thus a home with a HERS Index of 85 is 15% more energy efficient than the HERS Reference Home and a home with a HERS Index of 80 is 20% more energy efficient. http://resnet.us/

Function: Residence
Location: Bloomington, IN
Size: 1,700 sq. ft.
SIPs Panels Used: 12 1/4” Walls, 12 1/4” Roof