Sustainable Buildings

A commitment to sustainable buildings

DuPont Building Envelope systems are designed to help meet the growing demand for more sustainable buildings. We continue to create products and processes that pass rigorous criteria for use in buildings designed to use less energy, water and materials.

Innovative DuPont™ Tyvek® weather barriers and other DuPont Building Envelope systems products apply field tested material science to help in the sustainable design of commercial and residential buildings.

Increasing energy efficiency

Energy consumed during building operation – from lighting to heating and cooling — accounts for the major share of energy consumption over the life of a building. Helping to create an air-and water-tight building envelope contributes to energy efficiency in three important ways:

• Making Ventilation More Effective
  HVAC represents the largest share of energy use for all building types, as much as 37% of total energy use. DuPont Building Envelope systems can reduce air leakage through the wall assembly, to help air conditioning and heating systems work more efficiently.

• Maintaining R-Value
  At wind speeds as low as five miles per hour, cavity batt insulation without a Tyvek® air barrier retains less than 40% of its original installed R-values. DuPont Building Envelope systems can control unwanted air flow, to help make insulation maintain its installed R-value.

• Protecting Against Moisture
  Wet insulation retains less than 40% of its effective R-value. DuPont Building Envelope systems help protect against bulk water intrusion and allow water vapor to escape, to help keep insulation dry.

Supporting sustainable systems

Efficient HVAC operation and IEQ (Indoor Environmental Quality) are core features in sustainable buildings. DuPont Building Envelope systems help reduce the envelope loads and improve the HVAC efficiency by protecting against air and water infiltration.  By reducing air infiltration, DuPont Building Envelope systems can help maintain comfortable temperatures and IEQ. By preventing bulk water intrusion into the walls, they also help reduce the risk of mold and mildew, and maintain IEQ.

For residential construction, weather barriers can help keep external contaminants from entering a building, which can help meet garage separation recommendations from green rating systems.

Adding to building life

Keeping out bulk water and allowing moisture vapor to escape can help extend the life of the walls by inhibiting water damage, corrosion and mold. Dry walls can help extend the life of a structure by reducing the risk of water damage or corrosion to structural materials. This can mean fewer materials are needed for repair and replacement, over the life of the building.

Learn more about how DuPont Building Envelope systems contribute to sustainable buildings.

Certifications and product information:

DuPont™ Tyvek® weather barriers, flashing products and accessories may help contribute toward U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED® points in the following categories: Energy & Atmosphere (EA), Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ) and Materials and Resources (MR).

Find our Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) listed below, or access them on UL Spot:

• DuPont™ Tyvek® Mechanically Attached Weather Barrier Systems (EPD)
• DuPont™ Tyvek® Fluid Applied Weather Barrier Systems (EPD)

Find our Health Product Declarations (HPDs) listed below:

• DuPont™ Tyvek® Wrap Health Product Declaration (HPD)
• DuPont™ Tyvek® Seam Tape Health Product Declaration (HPD)
• DuPont™ Self-Adhered Flashing Systems Products Health Product Declaration (HPD)
• DuPont™ Tyvek® Fluid Applied Weather Barrier Systems Health Product Declaration (HPD)
• DuPont™ Tyvek® Protec™ Roofing Underlayments Health Product Declaration (HPD)

For information about California Proposition 65, see below:

• California Proposition 65 Compliance Statement