ILFI has recently been working much more with the Passive House community, to connect the networks in both people and thought. This fall, we had an excellent Net Positive Symposium in Vancouver, held jointly with Passive House Canada, as well as a Net Positive track and class at the North America Passive House Network conference in Oakland, CA.

A key element of zero energy and passive house construction is a tight, well-insulated envelope. One product that helps achieve airtight envelopes is the Declare labeled Proclima Vana and Profil tapes. These tapes are made for an array of applications, such as taping seams of plywood to create a continuous air barrier or joining air or WRB membranes.

John Druelinger of 475 High Performance Building Supply shared the following about the Proclima tapes:

“Tescon Vana and Tescon Profil were designed by Pro Clima for building airtight, efficient, mold-resistant building assemblies. Vana is recommended for taping flat seams, while Profil’s 3-split release backing helps for taping corners, such as window frames. They are each made of durable, fleece-backed materials and utilize solid, pressure-activated, acrylic adhesive that has been third-party advance-age tested to provide 100 years of adhesion. Both Vana and Profil are suitable for interior and exterior application, are water-proof yet vapor-open, capable of 6 months UV exposure, and work without a primer on most sheathing materials. A primer is recommended only in situations where the surface being taped is very rough or porous.”

The icing on the cake is that these tapes are Declare labeled and Red List free. We have nearly 1500 labeled products today—with more added nearly every day—and an array of these are in the energy efficiency space.

Proclima products are imported into the United States by 475 High Performance Building Supply, based in Brooklyn, NY, with distribution centers on both coasts. 475 is a great knowledge resource—they have a ton of great information about detailing and installation on their website, and are available on the phone for specific technical help on applications.

Written By

Brad Liljequist

Brad Liljequist is the Zero Energy Program Manager at McKinstry. He develops McKinstry’s expertise in grid-optimal building design, photovoltaics and other renewable energy technologies. He also has contributed to cutting-edge McKinstry projects like the zero energy Catalyst Building. Prior to McKinstry, Liljequist directed the Zero Energy Program at the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). He also directed development of zHome, the first multifamily zero energy community in the United States, and is the author of “The Power of Zero,” a 2016 book that showcases zero energy buildings. He is a zero energy pioneer who speaks, teaches and consults regularly on zero energy buildings and communities—helping to create a world that can thrive without fossil fuels.