CertainTeed Innovation Malvern only second interiors project in the world to achieve ready designation and first on the East Coast of the United States; Project working toward final certification by Summer 2025

Saint-Gobain anunció hoy que CertainTeed Innovation Malvern, su centro de investigación y desarrollo ubicado en el campus de su sede central norteamericana en Malvern, Pensilvania, ha recibido una designación de Vida Básica lista para la construcción por parte del Instituto Internacional de Vida Futura (International Living Future Institute, ILFI), el segundo proyecto de renovación de interiores en el mundo para lograr este distinguido estatus.

The milestone comes as Saint-Gobain continues to successfully execute its Grow and Impact strategy, which includes ambitious environmental sustainability goals such as reducing the company’s consumption of energy and water, and achieving net-zero carbon manufacturing by 2050. The renovation project, which will create a more sustainable, comfortable and accessible workspace, is also pursuing LEED Platinum certification by the US Green Building Council.

Created by The International Living Future Institute in 2019 as the starting point of its Living Building Challenge, Core Certification recognizes projects on a journey toward fully regenerative building practices. To achieve a ready designation, Saint-Gobain worked throughout the CertainTeed Innovation Malvern renovation to achieve stringent performance-based standards in areas such as water and energy usage, landfill reduction, and the use of sustainable materials. These include:

• The project is designed to use of 50% less water annually (55,000 gallon savings per year)
• Design for a 35% energy reduction over a base-case
• The production of 35,000 kWh of energy annually from a rooftop solar array
• The use of 211 unique low-embodied carbon, full transparency materials, several of which were Saint-Gobain’s own products
• The 100% utilization of wood products from low-risk sources (52% of which were Forest Stewardship Council certified or intentionally harvested and reused onsite)
• the diversion of 85.62% of construction and demolition waste from landfill
• Sourcing over 50% of materials from within 310 miles of the site

“As the leaders in light and sustainable construction, our teams across CertainTeed Research & Development work every day to lower the embodied carbon in our products and provide solutions that decarbonize the built environment,” said Todd DiNoia, Vice President of Innovation and R&D at Saint-Gobain North America. “With the renovation of our CertainTeed Innovation Malvern facility, we have strived to create an R&D environment that further reflects this commitment to sustainability, and we are honored to achieve a Core Living Building Ready designation from The International Living Future Institute.”

“The first time that we toured the existing MIC building and talked with Saint-Gobain about the intent for renovations, Living Building Challenge immediately jumped out to us as the right sustainability framework for the project,” said Drew Lavine, Partner and Director of Design for Re:Vision Architecture. “Pursuing the challenge through Core Certification would build on Saint-Gobain’s corporate sustainability goals, showcase sustainable products in their portfolio, uplift biophilic design, and center the project’s values on their staff’s health and wellbeing. As architect and sustainability consultant for the project, Re:Vision was continuously impressed with Saint-Gobain’s commitment to Living Building Challenge and collaboration to achieving this goal!”

“ILFI’s Core certification recognizes highly efficient buildings that are designed to create a positive impact,” said Lindsay Baker, CEO of the International Living Future Institute. “This is especially meaningful right now as we need to deliver climate-responsive, equitable, and health-promoting solutions through all buildings in our communities. ILFI is excited to celebrate this milestone with Saint-Gobain.”

Before final Core Living Building Certification can be granted, CertainTeed Innovation Malvern will enter a 12-month performance period beginning later this summer to prove achievement of ambitious design reductions in water and energy use.

Este proyecto sigue otras acciones recientes tomadas por la compañía para consolidar su compromiso con la sostenibilidad:

• En marzo, Saint-Gobain anunció que su negocio de revestimiento exterior CertainTeed había reducido las emisiones relacionadas con la fabricación en un 96% en tres instalaciones en los Estados Unidos.
• In February, Saint-Gobain announced that it had completed the installation of a heat recovery system at its gypsum facility in Vancouver, British Columbia, which will lead to a 15% reduction in Scope 1 carbon emissions.
• En septiembre, Saint-Gobain anunció que firmó un acuerdo de compra de energía de 15 años y 100 MW con TotalEnergies para la compra de energía solar, que se espera que compense las CO2 emisiones de electricidad de Saint-Gobain North America en 90,000 toneladas métricas por año.
• En agosto, Saint-Gobain anunció una iniciativa de economía circular en su negocio de Cerámica, donde los productos terminados de chatarra de sus instalaciones de Bryan, Texas, se envían a otras plantas de Saint-Gobain Ceramics para ser reutilizados en la producción, en lugar de terminar en vertederos.
• In July, the company announced upgrades at its CertainTeed Insulation plant in Athens, Georgia, which is projected to save over 7,300 MWh of energy and 20 million gallons of water annually, while reducing landfill waste by over 5,000 MT.
• Also in July, Saint-Gobain announced the opening of a new CertainTeed Architectural facility in Conyers, Georgia, which will be co-located with finishing partner QPC, allowing the company to drastically reduce the distance products must travel to finalize production, reducing carbon emissions by over 50 million pounds per year.
• En junio, Saint-Gobain anunció que había sido galardonado con el Premio SEAL Business Sustainability Award 2023 por su trabajo para crear la primera instalación de paneles de yeso con “cero carbono neto” para las emisiones de alcance 1 y 2 en América del Norte en su planta fuera de Montreal, Quebec.

With over 145 manufacturing locations in the United States and Canada, every current and future member of the company’s team plays a vital role in achieving its sustainability goals. A current list of job openings at all Saint-Gobain locations, including in Pennsylvania, can be found on the company’s career website.

With over 145 manufacturing locations in the United States, every current and future member of the company’s team plays a vital role in achieving its purpose of Making the world a Better Home. A current list of job openings at all Saint-Gobain locations can be found on the company’s careers website.     

Acerca de Saint-Gobain

Líder mundial en construcción ligera y sostenible, Saint-Gobain diseña, fabrica y distribuye materiales y servicios para los mercados industriales y de construcción. Sus soluciones integradas para la renovación de edificios públicos y privados, la construcción ligera y la descarbonización de la construcción y la industria se desarrollan a través de un proceso de innovación continua y proporcionan sostenibilidad y rendimiento. El compromiso del Grupo se guía por su propósito: “CONVERTIR EL MUNDO EN UN MEJOR HOGAR”.

47.9.000  millones de euros en ventas en 2023  
.160,000 empleados, ubicados en 76 países  
comprometidos a lograr la neutralidad de carbono para 2050   

Contacto con los medios de comunicación:
Saint-Gobain in North America:
Peter Clark
Saint-Gobain Corporate Communications
Media@saint-gobain.com

Para obtener más detalles sobre Saint-Gobain, visite www.saint-gobain.com y síganos en Twitter @saintgobain.