NEWS RELEASE

Knauf Insulation Facility Receives LEED Recognition

USGBC recognizes Shelbyville, Indiana headquarters with LEED Gold NC certificate

(SHELBYVILLE, November 9, 2009) – Knauf Insulation North America has confirmed that they have been awarded a LEED Gold-NC Certificate from the United States Green Building Council for their new engineering headquarters in Shelbyville, Indiana. LEED is an internationally recognized certification system providing third-party verification that a building was designed and built using strategies that improve building performance. The recognition, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is one of the first awarded in the State of Indiana.

The new 24,860 square foot office space uses 30% less energy and water than a conventional building.  Locally obtained and recycled materials were used during construction and rapidly renewable materials were used in lieu of most petroleum based products.  A white membrane roof, native plant material landscaping, recycled water irrigation, and shaded parking ensures that minimal heat island effect is felt by the local community. Super insulated walls (R-40), the strategic use of sun shaded windows and “daylight harvesting” also vastly reduce the need for electricity to light and cool the space.

The U.S. Green Building Council, comprised of member organizations such as contractors, government agencies, architects and designers, created the LEED program to provide guidelines for the construction of more sustainable buildings.  LEED sets the standard for the specification and construction of healthy buildings and interiors that offer superior indoor air quality, energy efficiency and sustainable design.  Indianapolis architects Browning, Day, Mullins and Dierdorf designed the building with the target of reaching the “Gold” certification. Browning, Day, Mullins and Dierdorf has an extensive history in developing LEED certified projects.    

President Bob Claxton notes that the attention paid to energy efficiency and sustainable design in the corporate expansion project was a natural projection of Knauf’s over-all sustainability philosophy.  “From a product perspective, our fiberglass insulation is comprised of renewable, abundant materials such as sand—and a minimum of 35% post-consumer recycled glass from bottles. And we use ECOSE™ Technology, a proprietary, advanced bio-based binder made from rapidly renewable plant materials as the adhesive in our products. From an operations perspective, we are constantly searching for innovative ways to reduce our energy consumption and the impact our operations have on the environment.”

Knauf Insulation CEO Tony Robson confirms the critical role Knauf products play in reducing energy use in buildings. “Considering that buildings consume roughly 40% of all energy used in the United States and Europe—that’s more energy than used by either industry or transportation—it is critical that we reduce the amount of energy used in buildings in order to have any hopes of addressing the issues of energy security and climate change. We simply cannot achieve the necessary reduction in energy use or greenhouse gas emissions without drastically improving the energy efficiency in homes and buildings,” according to Robson.

The certificate was awarded to Knauf in early October, and a formal presentation is being planned for later this year.

Knauf Insulation is a leading global manufacturer of thermal and acoustical insulations for residential, commercial, industrial, OEM and metal building applications. For more information about Knauf sales and products, visit www.knaufinsulation.us, write to Knauf Insulation GmbH, One Knauf Drive, Shelbyville, IN  46176 or call 800-825-4434 ext. 8212.