Thermal Bridging Was Costing 32% of the Envelope - Before a Single Unit Was Built
OUR INSIGHT
By catching a 32% thermal bridging loss invisible to standard code compliance checks, we corrected the performance baseline before it was built into 612 units.
The Challenge
Gardner Company was developing 612 units across 8 buildings in Midvale, Utah, a project where any assumption embedded in schematic design would be multiplied across the entire development. The team had set goals around energy efficiency and all-electric readiness and was targeting performance above the Utah IECC 2018 code baseline.
The specific risk was structural: thermal bridging at the junctions where windows, walls, roofs, balconies, and interior floors intersect was degrading effective envelope performance well beyond what the nominal insulation values suggested, and it was not visible in a standard code compliance check.
Our Role
Our thermal bridging and envelope assessment revealed that junction conditions across the building assemblies were increasing effective heat loss by 32% compared to what the nominal R-values indicated. The gap meant the envelope was substantially underperforming and that HVAC sizing, energy cost projections, and carbon reduction estimates were all built on a flawed baseline.
This is the kind of finding a whole-building energy model surfaces only when someone is specifically looking for it. A standard IECC compliance run clears the project without flagging it.
The Result
We provided holistic design support to Gardner Company, Method Studios, and engineering firm PVE, covering whole-building energy performance, thermal bridging, HVAC balanced ventilation, heat pump water heater assessment, and Rocky Mountain Power incentive coordination.
The resulting basis of design achieved 23% energy savings versus code, a $298,000 annual reduction in tenant operating costs, and a projected 723 metric tons of carbon reduction per year. The following efficiency measures were incorporated into the final design:
Central gas water heating per building
Increased roof insulation to R-100
Low solar heat gain glazing, south & west facades
High-efficiency apartment heat pumps (SEER 15–18.9)
Efficient lighting in common areas
Fluid-applied vapor barrier system
Services
Energy Modeling | Envelope & Thermal Performance | Utility & Incentives
OWNER: Gardner Company
ARCHITECT: Method Studio
LOCATION: Midvale, UT
YEAR: 2022
SIZE: 460,000 sf