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Off the Wall: New technologies are changing the whole notion of walls
O Text garagedoors to 41513 for immediate information. Thanx, Ted 248 Rt 295, Chatham, NY (518) 392-4443 • Fax (518) 392-5056 open 8am to 5pm Monday - Friday • 9am to 1pm Saturday
STANDARD GLASS
OF POUGHKEEPSIE, INC.
photo provided
1916 New Hackensack Road • Poughkeepsie, New York 12603
rdinary walls might start to look like wall flowers if they don’t keep up with high-tech walls heading our way. Phase Change Material Drywall (PCMD) is one new kid on the wall block, and more akin to walls on Star Trek’s holodeck than ordinary cladding for a sun room in Great Neck. PCMD is gypsum drywall, or wallboard, which incorporates phase change materials (PCMs) within its structure to moderate the thermal environment within a building. PCMs absorb, store, and release heat when they change state, such as from solid to liquid. When room temperature rises above a PCM’s transition temperature (the point which the material changes phase), PCMs absorb heat and melt. In winter this serves as a heat storage mass that absorbs passive solar heat gain. At night, heat is released, because as temperature decreases, the PCM releases stored heat and returns to a solid state. In summer PCMD absorbs heat during the day, decreasing need for air conditioning. The cooling load is shifted to later time periods, allowing customers to take advantage of cool night air and off-peak utility rates. The PCMD SmartBoard from BASF is not available in the U.S. just yet, but has been successfully tested in the EU and was used by the 2007 winner of the U.S. DOE’s Solar Decathlon. Look for a future post about floors, which are really beginning to floor me with their new technology. —Paul McGinniss
Custom Shower Doors and Mirrors
Largest Variety of Decorative Glass in the Area
8 4 5 - 4 6 2 - 1 8 1 8 40 New York House / February 2010
PCM Drywall was used in this winning installation by the Technische Universitat, Darmstadt Germany, which took a first place award in the 2007 Solar Decathlon.