ARMATHERM™ Minimize building energy loss and improve building envelope performance

Thermal bridging through steel and concrete framing can have a significant impact on a building’s energy performance.   Thermal bridging has been recognized as a significant factor in building envelope heat loss.  Reducing heat flow within a building’s thermal envelope reduces energy consumption as well as potential condensation issues. 

It has been estimated that the total heat flow through typical wall assemblies is underestimated by as much as 70% due to thermal bridging.  Simply adding insulation to walls has been proven to not necessarily decrease the energy use of a building. Heat flow paths (thermal bridges) allow heat to by-pass the insulation, negating any benefit of having more insulation in the wall.  By ignoring thermal bridging, the unaccounted for heat flow creates higher heating and cooling costs, oversizing of the HVAC equipment, operational inefficiencies and higher energy consumption.

Since 2011, Armatherm has been working with architects and structural engineers in North America to improve building design details and reduce heat loss due to thermal bridging within the building thermal envelope. 

Armatherm™ thermal break materials significantly reduce the amount of energy lost from thermal bridging in structural steel and façade connections and improvebuilding envelope performance by helping to meet ASHRAE 90.1 energy code compliance.

Armatherm™ solutions provide a combination of low thermal conductivity and high compressive strength and have been designed and tested to prevent thermal bridging.   Armatherm™ has been proven through three dimensional heat transfer modeling to reduce heat loss in wall assemblies, transitions and structural connections throughout the building envelope.  

Armatherm™ is used anywhere a penetration or transition exists in the building envelope creating a thermal bridge.  Solutions to minimize heat loss include balcony, canopy, parapet, masonry shelf angle, cladding/Z-girt connections and wall-to-foundation transitions.  Improve the effective U value of wall assemblies and reduce heat flow by as much as 70%. 

We are a collaborative, design-build partner who can assist in determining the extent of thermal bridging heat loss on building envelope performance including thermal modeling and connection design calculations.  We look forward to working with you.