Stanley Center for Peace and Security

The Stanley Center is a private foundation based in Muscatine, Iowa, with projects and partnerships that span the globe from tackling climate change to mass violence and atrocity prevention. As they considered a new home for their organization, they thought about how to put their core values into action in the buildings design. To align with those values, their architect introduced them to the Living Building Challenge, the highest standard for sustainable construction.

For decades, the former Musser public library building at 304 Iowa Avenue served residents as a hub of learning. The Stanley Center has invested more than $10 million in the community by acquiring, renovating, and transforming the space into one of the most environmentally-friendly and ecologically-sustainable buildings in the world to serve as their new home.

The challenge

The LBC consists of 7 performance categories, or “petals”: Place, Water, Energy, Health + Happiness, Materials, Equity and Beauty. Contributing to this performance, the roof insulation and membrane system supports a net positive energy use and provides a durable substrate for the building’s solar arrays, a net positive water use through a rainwater catchment system incorporated into the roof deck, and materials that are safe for all species through time with membrane, insulation and accessories that are Red List approved.

GAF’s TPO membrane and non-halogenated insulation products helped meet the material specs of an LBC-compliant roof system, including supporting rainwater catchment and solar arrays. When completed, the new Stanley Center will be one of the most sustainable buildings in the world, 1 of only 31 designed to meet accreditation of the Living Building Challenge.

The goal of the Living Building Challenge is to create buildings that generate more energy than they use, capture and treat all water on site, and are made using healthy materials. Designing an LBC compliant roof system and identifying and sourcing roofing products that meet stringent requirements can present additional complexity, made even more challenging due to recent supply chain disruptions. Any delays in getting the roof completed could impact the interior progress of the building and the ability to stay on schedule. GAF brought our expertise, products and manufacturing resources to help make it happen.

The solution

The roof assembly specification for the Stanley Center included GAF EverGuard Extreme TPO^® membrane and EnergyGuard NH polyiso insulation. “GAF already had a majority of their products approved for Red List Compliance, making them an ideal partner for this project”, explained Mike Kerker, Senior Estimator for Black Hawk. Working with the project team at Neumann Monson Architects, Graham Construction, and Black Hawk Roof, GAF Territory Manager TJ McKenzie helped ensure that the production of the NH polyiso would meet the timeline. “GAF is one of only a few manufacturers who produces a line of non-halogenated polyiso insulation able to meet the LBC standards”. In addition to carrying a large solar array, the roof system is required to capture the rainwater that falls on it. “This requires a very specific material and EverGuard Extreme TPO^® enables alignment and makes it an easy choice”, explained Brandon Fettes, Architectural Designer for Neumann Monson.