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Richlite paper-based pressboard

Staff

November 1, 2005

Building Design and Construction

Designed for everything from kitchen countertops to skateboard ramps to boats, Richlite hardboard panels are composed of multiple layers of FSC-certified craft paper that is treated with No-VOC resin and then pressed and baked to create environmentally friendly rigid panels from ¼ to 2 inches thick.

Blaine Brownell, lead design architect with Seattle-based NBBJ, recently specified ¼-inch-thick Richlite panels to clad 180 residential units at the Alley24 mixed-use development in Seattle (above).

Why Blaine Brownell specified Richlite for Alley24

"We were looking for an environmentally friendly siding that was comparable cost-wise to vinyl and corrugate metal. While more pricey, Richlite saves considerable costs in labor, because it doesn't have to be stained or sealed, and the panels are pre-cut at the factory."

"We needed something that could take a lot of abuse. It's an incredibly durable and rigid product that was initially used in the aerospace industry."

"It's a through-color panel with low flame spread characteristics, which makes it suitable for exterior cladding applications."

"The company offers seven standard colors, as well as custom blends. Changing colors means using different colored paper; no paints or additives are needed."

The Professional

Blaine E. Brownell, AIA, LEED, Lead Design Architect, NBBJ, Seattle

Blaine Brownell joined NBBJ in 1999 as a lead design architect. He holds a BArch from Princeton University and a MArch from Rice University.

His current work includes a campus master plan in Seattle for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Alley24 mixed-use development in Seattle.

Brownell has authored several books, including Transmaterial (Princeton Architectural Press, February 2006), in which he reviews more than 190 green building products.

More information

Richlite Company

www.richlite.com

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