Ecocor Ramps up Production of RPA|Ecocor Prefabricated Passive Houses
Searsmont, ME (PRWEB) August 29, 2016 -- The first RPA|Ecocor model home has hit the newly installed 120 foot-long production line at the Ecocor Manufacturing Facility. Earlier this summer, RPA, a full service architecture firm focusing on sustainable design, and Ecocor, a construction firm that manufactures, delivers and assembles high performance buildings, announced a partnership to design and build Prefabricated Passive Houses – the most energy efficient manufactured homes in North America.
Randek, a world leader in high-performance machines and systems for prefabricated house manufacturing, sent a team from their headquarters in Sweden to install the state-of-the-art Randek SPL728 Multi-Axis Saw and to provide on-site training to the Ecocor team. In addition to the saw, Randek installed a suite of “framing tables” that clamp, square and hydraulically lift Ecocor’s patent-pending wall assemblies which are certified by the Passive House Institute in Darmstatd, Germany and meet the rigorous Passive House standard.
In addition to lowering construction cost, boosting output and increasing safety, the semi-automated production line takes instruction directly from the digital building models designed by RPA and Ecocor – a fully digital approach fit for the 21st century. Through the RPA|Ecocor partnership, architectural designs are fully digitized into a virtual 3D building information model. The model generates the instructions, which are traditionally printed in paper form as construction drawings to be interpreted by the general contractor for onsite construction. Instead, the RPA|Ecocor instructions are delivered directly to the Randek SP728 Multi-Axis Saw for processing. Once processed, the parts are labeled and racked for assembly on the Randek framing tables.
Partnership Sparks Flurry of Interest in Custom Prefab Passive Houses
RPA|Ecocor formally kicked off their partnership in June with the announcement of 11 Prefab Model Homes. The model homes have been well-received and generated inquiries from across North America. The partnership has also raised interest in custom RPA|Ecocor Prefab Passive Houses.
Both RPA and Ecocor have a history of designing and building certified Passive Houses. RPA is nearing completion of its third Passive House, located in Bechtelsville, PA, and the firm’s fourth Passive House is under construction.
Chris Corson, founder of Ecocor, designed his first Passive House in 2007 and retrofitted his now family home to Passive House Standard in 2011. Chris and his team at Ecocor have already established a reputation for delivering some of the most energy efficient homes in the country. To date, 12 Passive Houses have been manufactured in the Ecocor facility and they are the first company in North America to have an opaque building component certified by the Passive House Institute in Darmstadt, Germany.
Media Tours Ecocor Manufacturing Facility
With the Randek line installed, Chris and Richard will be hosting members of the media today and tomorrow for tours of the Ecocor facility. During the tour, media members can expect to see the entire Ecocor manufacturing process, which starts with the 120-foot SPL729 saw cutting materials and parts that are labeled and racked for fabrication. The parts are then assembled on framing tables where an air tight sheathing is applied and taped, the blanket cavity is installed, a state-of-the-art waterproof fleece is applied and the ventilated rainscreen is created. After the assembly is formed, dense pack cellulose insulation is blown into the wall cavity, solid wood triple-pane windows are installed and flashed, and the exterior cladding and trim are installed before the prefabricated panels are organized on racks and then loaded onto trucks, ready to be delivered onsite.
“Richard and I are committed to changing the United States’ archaic home building process and standard, and that starts with Passive Houses we are building in the Ecocor factory,” said Chris. “The industry was excited to learn about this partnership, and we’re excited to show them exactly what goes into building the most energy efficient homes in the United States.”
About Ecocor
Ecocor is a construction firm that designs, manufactures, delivers and assembles high performance buildings throughout North America. Ecocor’s patent pending foundation and wall designs reduce energy consumption for heating and cooling buildings by 80-90%, which substantially reduces the cost of ownership and the building’s carbon footprint, while increasing the comfort of its owners. Using panelized building components as a construction platform, Ecocor has better control, higher quality and much shorter time-to-occupancy than any site-built construction. Learn more at http://www.ecocor.us/.
About RPA
Richard Pedranti Architect is an innovative architecture firm located in the heart of the Upper Delaware River Region specializing in environmentally conscious building strategies. The firm is distinguished by its proven ability to create beautiful buildings that achieve the rigorous Passive House standard. Combining intelligent modern design and 21st Century building standards, RPA creates simply extraordinary places that exist in harmony with the environment and fulfill the unique aspirations of each client. To learn more, go to http://www.richardpedranti.com.
Robert Kreis, Broadpath, +1 215-644-6508, [email protected]
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