State and Local Advocacy
Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems – or EIFS – are a protective and decorative exterior wall cladding on the outside of buildings. The material prevents the seepage of air and water into the building. EIFS add minimal weight and incorporate multiple components (water-resistive barriers, drainage plane, continuous thermal insulation boards, glass-fiber reinforcement, base, and finishing coats) that work in tandem to regulate temperature and energy usage.
EIFS are not a new product or material, as the system has been in use across the US for over 50 years. There are many buildings across the country constructed using EIFS, including large-scale housing developments, resorts and hotel chains, public buildings, and more.
As localities, states, and the federal government consider climate policies, and the best mechanisms to reduce carbon in our energy system, curtailing and making consumption more efficient is a critical component. A study by the U.S. Department of Energy done on the affordable housing unit, Knickerbocker Commons in Bushwick, shows that when part of a comprehensive strategy, EIFS use between 60-80% less energy than typical buildings of the same size built with traditional materials and practices.[1] Even when it comes to the transportation of materials, EIFS require one truck to move 25,000 square feet of materials, while brick requires 16 and stucco six. The result is a material far more resilient in cost and climate than any counterpart.
EIFS provide builders with a cost effective, efficient, easy to install material perfect for a wide range of buildings, case studies, and locations. Its availability is crucial as building efficiency and emissions standards begin to be applied more broadly across the city and country. It is important to communicate the many benefits of EIFS with policymakers and elected officials.
Ongoing Advocacy Efforts:
EIFS are not a new product or material, as the system has been in use across the US for over 50 years. There are many buildings across the country constructed using EIFS, including large-scale housing developments, resorts and hotel chains, public buildings, and more.
As localities, states, and the federal government consider climate policies, and the best mechanisms to reduce carbon in our energy system, curtailing and making consumption more efficient is a critical component. A study by the U.S. Department of Energy done on the affordable housing unit, Knickerbocker Commons in Bushwick, shows that when part of a comprehensive strategy, EIFS use between 60-80% less energy than typical buildings of the same size built with traditional materials and practices.[1] Even when it comes to the transportation of materials, EIFS require one truck to move 25,000 square feet of materials, while brick requires 16 and stucco six. The result is a material far more resilient in cost and climate than any counterpart.
EIFS provide builders with a cost effective, efficient, easy to install material perfect for a wide range of buildings, case studies, and locations. Its availability is crucial as building efficiency and emissions standards begin to be applied more broadly across the city and country. It is important to communicate the many benefits of EIFS with policymakers and elected officials.
Ongoing Advocacy Efforts:
- New York City - With growing media attention on passive house construction and its role in reducing carbon emissions, EIMA is seizing the opportunity to advance its advocacy efforts in New York City. EIMA is actively working to shape policies related to New York's climate and affordable housing objectives.
- Chicago - Similar to New York, Chicago has ambitious plans with respect to carbon emissions reduction. While EIFS with Drainage is included in the city’s building code, some entities – such as the Chicago Department of Housing and Development (DPD) – restrict the use of EIFS at this time. Updates on these efforts will be provided as they progress
Housing
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Lido Beach Towers
Situated on the coastline of Long Island in Lido, New York, Lido Beach Towers is an historic jewel of the area. First built as a luxurious seaside resort in 1928, Lido Towers has been renovated and updated into a 186-unit apartment building. The development retains the historic character and charm evocative of turn-of-the-century seaside communities, while providing amenity-rich housing for tenants and residents expected today. The retrofitting and redevelopment of Lido Beach Towers incorporated EIFS into the building’s structure. |
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Public Housing – Baychester Houses
New York City’s recently lauded redevelopment of the Bronx’s Baychester Houses incorporated many different sustainability and resiliency elements. An article from The New York Times, “A Rebirth in the Bronx: Is This How to Save Public Housing?”, noted Baychester’s redevelopment, “Today the campus looks spotless…The buildings have been reclad with a waterproof material and faux-wood paneling;” this noted cladding is EIFS.[2] There are other projects at development sites around New York City—from the Rockaways to Central Brooklyn—incorporating EIFS into new development. |
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Large-Scale Development – The Heritage
Located in East Harlem, this 1970s development of 600 mixed-income rental apartments includes two 35 story buildings and a shorter 12 story structure.[3] The Heritage is part of the NYSERDA "Empire Building Challenge", a $50M New York State, public-private initiative that will "spur economic growth and renewal in New York by attracting best-in-class manufacturers, solution providers, and entrepreneurs from around the world to help transform our existing building stock into the buildings of the future."[4] Further, the Empire Building Challenge focuses on "decarbonization of tall buildings, with a particular interest in retrofit projects that support decarbonization of heating loads, increase flexibility of a building’s energy demand, and reduce tenant-driven consumption." The Heritage retrofit received approximately $14M in private investments and $5M from NYSERDA to meet these carbon challenges. With the installation of EIFS, new windows, and updated electrification, the new measures are designed to eliminate fossil fuel usage, improve resident comfort, and minimize disruption in occupied multifamily properties. Project leaders anticipate a 54% reduction in site energy-use intensity for this project as well as carbon neutrality by 2030.[5] |
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Dormitory Housing – University of Maryland
Completed in March of 2022, the Johnson-Whittle Residence Hall, Pyon-Chen Residence Hall, and a new dining facility on the University of Maryland – College Park’s campus use EIFS as their cladding.[6] These state-of-the-art facilities “maximize natural light and feature central lounges and enclosed study spaces on each floor” and demonstrate the design freedom, cost effectiveness, and efficiency EIFS can offer.[7] |
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Further Examples
Notable examples in New York include the Bevel[8] and the 47th St. Wingate[9], two apartment complexes notable for their ‘passive house’ energy standards reducing energy costs up to 80%.[10] [11] Smaller buildings, such as the 12-unit Burt Street Apartments, in Saugerties, New York, offer an alternative where EIFS have been used to preserve housing at a reasonable cost. [12]
Notable examples in New York include the Bevel[8] and the 47th St. Wingate[9], two apartment complexes notable for their ‘passive house’ energy standards reducing energy costs up to 80%.[10] [11] Smaller buildings, such as the 12-unit Burt Street Apartments, in Saugerties, New York, offer an alternative where EIFS have been used to preserve housing at a reasonable cost. [12]
Hotels
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Cabana Bay Resort, Universal Studios
Universal Studio’s famous Cabana Bay resort uses EIFS as its external cladding. The calling card of the resort – its multicolored facade – relies heavily on EIFS easy customization and flexibility and depends on its water-repelling abilities in the warm, wet climate of Florida. Like other EIFS projects, the “resort will achieve a higher quality of energy efficiency now with its continuous layer of insulation. The vacation destination will also remain an attractive site to all those staying in the area for years to come.”[13] |
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Hampton Inns
Hampton Inns use EIFS as their exterior cladding of choice due to its low cost and – more importantly – its flexibility as a building material. With locations from Alaska to Florida to Arizona, Hampton’s hotels must be able to withstand all manner of environmental wear and tear to prevent air and water seepage among other issues. EIFS has been the trusted material of choice for Hampton Inns for decades due to its environmental resilience and durability, and its exceptional ability to keep a building’s temperature consistent. Inn managers have reported positively on the use of EIFS in retrofits and builds, and noted a 25% to 35% decrease in energy costs. |
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Resort World Hotel & Casino
One of the largest and most ambitious hospitality projects built on the Las Vegas strip in years, Resort World Hotel & Casino contains roughly 850,000 square feet of EIFS instead of metal panels, saving a significant amount in construction and energy costs.[14] An aesthetically pleasing resort and the first new property on the Strip in twelve years, Resorts World glistens on the evening skyline. As the profile in Las Vegas Review Journal notes about the property and architect, Paul Steelman’s design, “[He] saved some of his best work for Resorts World Las Vegas[15].” The exterior structure incorporates technology, climate, and aesthetics to create the building of the future. EIFS has long been a favorite of Las Vegas resorts and adorns part of the Monte Carlo, Caesars Palace, and the Bellagio.[16] |
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Large Venues
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Georgia Aquarium
The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta – which is famous for housing a valuable and delicate whale shark – is clad in EIFS. A large facility where stable temperatures and physical conditions are paramount in keeping expensive specimens safe, the Georgia Aquarium had to carefully chose the materials it used for construction.[17] EIFS unparalleled efficiency and temperature regulating abilities makes it the premier choice for structures where temperature swings and water leaks are a primary concern. |
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Steppenwolf Theatre Campus, Chicago
The Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago’s exterior was constructed using EIFS-clad concrete to give it the energy efficiency and sleek modern look EIFS is known for.[18] More than an affordable, efficient, and durable material, EIFS is highly valued by renowned architects and builders as a versatile and easily modified tool in the construction of award-winning designs. |
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The Ronald McDonald House of Connecticut
The Ronald McDonald House of Connecticut is a temporary home for families whose children are receiving services at nearby hospitals. Located in New Haven, Connecticut, and operated by New Haven Hospital, the property opened in 2019 and offers accommodations for families.[19] |
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Conclusion
Many jurisdictions are in the middle of a great climate transformation, and an ambitious implementation of future-changing policies. To reach efficiency benchmarks set by local jurisdictions, products like EIFS will play a key role as building owners look to build or upgrade their facilities efficiently, cost-effectively, and with a tool that can be applied broadly across the country. EIFS offers continuous insulation due to its strategic design, which allows architects flexibility to create the aesthetics they require while simultaneously meeting new energy codes.
Governments will need to consider whole building standards and emission targeting as a tool to reduce carbon. EIFS compliment the goals of those concerned with environmental resiliency and can be a productive tool in the War on Carbon. What stands in the way are the prescriptive building codes and rules that are misaligned with the long-term intentions of government leaders and their climate agendas. As a product, EIFS align with the goals for reducing carbon’s adverse impact on the climate.
There is demonstratable evidence of the cost-effectiveness and climate efficacy of EIFS in building retrofits and renovations, and their use across the full spectrum of building types and jurisdictions shows the value placed on it by builders and property developers. From hotels in Alaska to resorts in Florida, EIFS provide unparalleled flexibility and adaptability that make it a key tool in the toolbox of builders, property owners, and city planners alike.
Governments will need to consider whole building standards and emission targeting as a tool to reduce carbon. EIFS compliment the goals of those concerned with environmental resiliency and can be a productive tool in the War on Carbon. What stands in the way are the prescriptive building codes and rules that are misaligned with the long-term intentions of government leaders and their climate agendas. As a product, EIFS align with the goals for reducing carbon’s adverse impact on the climate.
There is demonstratable evidence of the cost-effectiveness and climate efficacy of EIFS in building retrofits and renovations, and their use across the full spectrum of building types and jurisdictions shows the value placed on it by builders and property developers. From hotels in Alaska to resorts in Florida, EIFS provide unparalleled flexibility and adaptability that make it a key tool in the toolbox of builders, property owners, and city planners alike.
[1] https://betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/showcase-projects/riseboro-community-partnership-knickerbocker-commons
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/05/arts/design/bronx-public-housing.html
[3] https://newyorkyimby.com/2022/10/the-heritages-re-cladding-progresses-at-1295-fifth-avenue-in-east-harlem-manhattan.html
[4] https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Empire-Building-Challenge
[5] https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Empire-Building-Challenge/Empire-Building-Challenge-Projects
[6] https://bradleighapplications.com/university-of-maryland-on-campus-housing/
[7] https://education.umd.edu/news/10-02-22-trailblazers-honored-dedication-johnson-whittle-hall
[8] https://metropolismag.com/projects/a-new-long-island-city-apartment-puts-the-fun-in-functional/
[9] https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7009162537636089856/
[10] https://www.fastcompany.com/90826471/these-old-brooklyn-apartments-got-a-stunning-facelift-that-also-cut-energy-by-80
[11] https://passivehouse-database.org/index.php?lang=en#d_6369
[12] https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/the-a-r-t-of-the-restore-burt-street-properties
[13] https://www.wconline.com/articles/89301-cabana-bay-beach-resort-wins-big-with-parex-usa
[14] https://www.raymondgroup.com/blog/resorts-world-las-vegas/
[15] https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/renowned-casino-architect-saved-some-of-best-work-for-resorts-world-2385847/
[16] https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/foam-adorns-many-resorts/
[17] https://www.mckenneys.com/experiences/swimming-in-energy-efficiency/
[18] https://www.world-architects.com/en/architecture-news/reviews/steppenwolf-theatre-campus-expansion
[19] https://www.constructionspecifier.com/new-connecticut-facility-offers-privacy-community-patient-families/
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/05/arts/design/bronx-public-housing.html
[3] https://newyorkyimby.com/2022/10/the-heritages-re-cladding-progresses-at-1295-fifth-avenue-in-east-harlem-manhattan.html
[4] https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Empire-Building-Challenge
[5] https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Empire-Building-Challenge/Empire-Building-Challenge-Projects
[6] https://bradleighapplications.com/university-of-maryland-on-campus-housing/
[7] https://education.umd.edu/news/10-02-22-trailblazers-honored-dedication-johnson-whittle-hall
[8] https://metropolismag.com/projects/a-new-long-island-city-apartment-puts-the-fun-in-functional/
[9] https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7009162537636089856/
[10] https://www.fastcompany.com/90826471/these-old-brooklyn-apartments-got-a-stunning-facelift-that-also-cut-energy-by-80
[11] https://passivehouse-database.org/index.php?lang=en#d_6369
[12] https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/the-a-r-t-of-the-restore-burt-street-properties
[13] https://www.wconline.com/articles/89301-cabana-bay-beach-resort-wins-big-with-parex-usa
[14] https://www.raymondgroup.com/blog/resorts-world-las-vegas/
[15] https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/renowned-casino-architect-saved-some-of-best-work-for-resorts-world-2385847/
[16] https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/foam-adorns-many-resorts/
[17] https://www.mckenneys.com/experiences/swimming-in-energy-efficiency/
[18] https://www.world-architects.com/en/architecture-news/reviews/steppenwolf-theatre-campus-expansion
[19] https://www.constructionspecifier.com/new-connecticut-facility-offers-privacy-community-patient-families/
